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AvatarAng1

DPF Court Jester
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Hello everyone! 😀


I've been toying with the idea of making an Instagram account for pin trading recently. Is it at all worth the time and effort of making one? I usually stick to IRL trades or DPF and Pin Talk, so I have no idea what IG is like.


Any input would be awesome! 😀
 
I haven't made any trades on IG, but I follow some people so I can just see what is on the market. I also use it to see what's going on with the DSF flips cuz the DSF Facebook page doesn't update as much as I'd like it to haha

There's definitely a big community on IG; you just have to use the right tags. The only thing that really concerns me is that it's completely unregulated. There's no "admin" or "mods" who regulate a group like here or on Facebook groups. Just be cautious!
 
I have an Instagram account, but I very rarely use it. Facebook is a lot easier for me to use/understand.

I've purchased a few HKDL pins through IG, though, and those transactions went fine.
 
I would not use IG, but I know many people who do. If you do, my advice is this: be SUPER careful. Always use common sense, never be afraid to ask questions, and remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Unlike forums, IG (and really the rest of the Internet) is like the Wild West: completely lawless and unregulated. Think about how easy it is for you to create (and delete) your account. It's the same for everyone else. Am I saying don't venture out past the (relatively) safe forums? No, of course not. What I am saying is know what you are doing and be careful (or as Mad Eye Moody said, constant vigilance!)
 
I have an IG account (starry_solo) but rarely use it for pins, actually I don't think I ever have. I use it for pictures of food that I make (chocolate covered strawberries, yummy) and flowers that grow at my house (such pretty roses of varying shades of pink)
 
I have used Instagram for trading/buying, although I prefer not to, for the reasons listed above. (Unsafe, no mods, etc.) I do use Instagram to post a lot of pictures of my collections though, and my new pins (NOT for trade/sale).

If you are considering making a trade on IG, be sure to look at the pictures they're tagged in on their profile. (Not pictures they've tagged themselves in; pictures other people have tagged them in.) There's no real good place to leave feedback for people on IG, but if their pin trading account has been active for a decent period of time, you will probably see some pictures of the pin mail they've sent out in the past.

I never trade or buy from anyone on Instagram I can see some of their outgoing pinmail. I will also only trade with someone I've followed for a while, so I get a feeling of their personality and how dependable they are.

I don't trust people who regularly delete their pictures. (There are some people who delete sold pins and such, saying it declutters their feed, but I don't like it. I like to see their past, and comments left by other people.)

Just my two cents.
 
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I have an IG account that I set up recently for "my dog" but I do use the account to look at pins. I have been tempted to DM some people about trading and buying, but always hesitate because of all the reasons stated in the previous posts. There doesn't seem to be any way to figure out whose legit and who isn't. So for now, I'm sticking with the forums where there is some kind of visible feedback system.
 
I conduct about 80% of my trades via Instagram, and for the past 16 months or so it's been largely successful. Like several others have pointed out, yes, it is unregulated and it does require more vigilance, as there are no mods to handle issues. Occasionally, as with PinPics or Facebook, I've been burned by other traders, though those experiences have been few and far between.

That said, the community is mostly wonderful and it's a mostly positive experience. I like to err on the side of caution, which means being super vocal about asking for photos of the pin front/back, asking if they have references on other pin sites/IG, reminding them to use bubble wrap/mailers (not everyone does this, which I learned the hard way), and always always always getting a photo of the package and a tracking number (and/or paying as goods, if you're purchasing from a seller). Basically, my No. 1 rule is that if you have a bad gut feeling about a trade partner -- or, if they don't have many posts up and aren't tagged in anyone's photos as proof that they've made legit trades -- just say no.

In general, you see the same stuff on IG that you would on, say, Facebook. There are people who, unwittingly or not, trade and sell a lot of counterfeit pins. There are a lot of people who prefer to trade by dollar value. There are a lot of international traders, fantasy pin makers, and new pin traders. There are also a lot of seasoned, well-established traders who are very fair and fun to deal with. If you decide to go the IG route, I'd be happy to PM you the names of some trusted sellers/traders I've come across. Best of luck! 🙂
 
So much advice! 😀


I made an IG account, just so I could dip my toe in the water. I posted a few traders, and I got many requests. Unfortunately, everyone wanted to buy my pins rather than trade. They all seemed kinda hostile when I turned them down as well. :/

I think I might just use it whenever I'm bored. I'm not really into selling my pins. However, I did see a few DPF people who were selling pins well above cost. I guess seeing people on other platforms really help to determine their true colors.

If I do decide to make a trade, I'll try to be as careful as possible. Thanks for the advice everyone!

P.S Poohlady, I'm gonna need your account name. I'm a sucker for dogs. ;P

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Good luck with that!

On your point of true colors, I think ppl on this forum feel a (perhaps familial?) loyalty to each, so it's more of a friends and family discount lol idk, i don't blame them for marking it up a bit more. I know you're staunchly against reselling at all


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I'm with AshleyV on this one 🙂 I do get a lot of my trades through IG and after a little while you will notice the more 'popular' traders and I try to trade with them who are very active and post a lot. Most people sell on IG and some have pretty good deals too lol.
Maybe when you only want to trade, state in your post: For trade not for sale, you will still get questions if you would sell but maybe it helps a bit 🙂
There are also a lot of traders from Hong Kong and Shanghai, Tokyo etc and they are also very nice to trade with because most of them don't use pinpics to trade so it can be pretty difficult to find some of those pins.
But like other people said, always be careful and check references etc... 🙂
My IG is Mickeymousje_ I'm not very active at the moment on IG because of my health, takes too much energy to take pics of traders etc but try to post my maildays on there 🙂
 
I have made a few successful trades and several good purchases on IG, but always G/S and I try to check references on trades. I'm a nervous trader as it is (and an infrequent one at that).

That said my IG mainly shows off my wild Eevee, the occasional pin haul, beer, food, and whatever manner else of silliness I come up with.
 
So my experience on IG:

You'll find there are cliques. They pretty much just trade with each other. It's pretty bad, tbh. You'll also see a ton of sharks.

That being said, there are also some absolute sweethearts. I just recently finished a trade with someone who had been selling pins but was more than willing to look at traders. She was super sweet.

I don't see many traders on IG, mostly sellers. And like I said, there are cliques who mostly just trade with each other.

But it's not terrible. Not great, but not terrible.

(There are also folks who adamantly and vehemently defend their right to sell pins at ridiculous costs so, be careful. Lol).

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I have a pinstagram for my fantasy pins, but its mostly for selling and stuff. Its really fun to meet new people on there too.

I know alot of people who take photos of yhier pins for trade and just use it to show people on face book what thier traders are.

Im onioncakes on ig if you wanna see mine!
 
I love Instagram for trading! I made a lot of great pin friends in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Japan.
Just be careful when trading & look for accounts with good references (tagged photos) of previous trades.
If you'd like a few following tips for those international accounts, drop me a message and I'll send you some suggestions 🙂
 

Yes. Yes to all of this. Waters very deep. Shark level: Great White
I personally prefer FB for trading as you know the person's first and last name (I try to avoid ppl who go by the name "Susie Pinlover" or similar) and it's moderated. But I see a lot of the same pins/people on both platforms.
Aidan is correct: it's very cliquey and the same people continually trade (shark?) with one another. And lots of sales. Like you, Ang, I am a collector/trader and I think it's hard to find other collector/traders, but that's generally speaking, not just on IG. A lot of times I feel like trades have just de-evolved into money exchanges.
I have found that I prefer to trade with the same people, bc they are all really nice people. I try to look out for pins for my friends and I will trade for those pins so I can trade with my friends, bc with friend trades I feel more camaraderie/less business negotiation. You (and anyone on DPF) are welcome to join my informal pin trading network. My one requirement: don't be a jerk. 😉
 
Darn. I've been told I am quite the jerk, but if you'll have me I'd love to join. 😀

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You keep appearing in my instagram news feed!!!!

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