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New Pin Collector: Any Advice?

New Pin Collector: Any Advice?
BazookaJoe

BazookaJoe

New DPF Member
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Arizona
Pin & Pop
bazookajoe
Hello everyone!

I've been an avid collector of sports pins for many years now, but never really got into the Disney pin world until my Fiance' and I recently went on our last trip to Disneyland. I didn't realize how popular Disney pins were, seeing all the trading happening, and instantly we were hooked.

We bought a couple of starter packs from Disney and have since purchased a few more to get our collections going, but I also wanted to do more online research, where I stumbled on Disney Pin Forum! With that being said, we are looking for any tips or advice from you seasoned vets, and would appreciate anything you can offer! We're excited to jump into this new hobby and learn more.

Thank you all in advance for anything you can offer!
 
Welcome!
Advice…
Collect what you like.
Try to avoid fomo, pins have a way of finding you (I have found a few after searching over a decade).
Beware of sharks.
Don’t trade if you are uncomfortable with the trade.
Avoid buying pins for traders (excluding severely discounted ones), I have traders from 2008 that I have not traded yet.
Avoid scrappers( usually lots on auction sites).
Set a pin budget and try to stick to it.

Good luck!
 
Be patient with yourself and your collection. Some of us have A LOT of pins, several of us have been collecting for more than two decades.

There are also Disney licensed pins that you can purchase. Some of us (myself included) enjoy Loungefly pins (they can be found at Box Lunch and Hot Topic). There are other companies that make official Disney pins.
 
Hi
First off welcome to Dpf ,when I started collecting ,I collected tigger pins and Mickey ,I have over 3000 pins that includes those and now Cheshire Cat ,Donald Duck and goofy ,along with cast member pins and exclusives from other parks ,it can get expensive for sure ,but you did the right thing ,you started with a starter pack ,please be careful for those sharks ,and watch the cast lanyards ,a lot not all put fakes on their lanyards ,not the cast personnel but other traders not all ,there’s a forum here that can tell you on how to spot a fake from real ,check pin sites like pinpics and others out there , stay away from Temu ,they sell Disney pins and they look horrible ..basically have fun and let us all know how you are doing with your collection ,Judy
 
Welcome to the forum and collecting! :lgm:

Great advice from everyone already. I'll echo to be patient and don't feel pressured. And join the trading at Pin and Pop. You can start by just listing your wants and traders and then joining a Trade Arcade as a non-VIP. Then you only need to pay a couple of bucks if you make a trade(s). The good thing about P&P for someone new is they inspect the pins and make sure they are not fakes.
 
Mcgilligan said:
Welcome!
Advice…
Collect what you like.
Try to avoid fomo, pins have a way of finding you (I have found a few after searching over a decade).
Beware of sharks.
Don’t trade if you are uncomfortable with the trade.
Avoid buying pins for traders (excluding severely discounted ones), I have traders from 2008 that I have not traded yet.
Avoid scrappers( usually lots on auction sites).
Set a pin budget and try to stick to it.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the advice! The FOMO feeling is very real right now considering all the pins I've seen already lol.
 
tiggermickey said:
Hi
First off welcome to Dpf ,when I started collecting ,I collected tigger pins and Mickey ,I have over 3000 pins that includes those and now Cheshire Cat ,Donald Duck and goofy ,along with cast member pins and exclusives from other parks ,it can get expensive for sure ,but you did the right thing ,you started with a starter pack ,please be careful for those sharks ,and watch the cast lanyards ,a lot not all put fakes on their lanyards ,not the cast personnel but other traders not all ,there’s a forum here that can tell you on how to spot a fake from real ,check pin sites like pinpics and others out there , stay away from Temu ,they sell Disney pins and they look horrible ..basically have fun and let us all know how you are doing with your collection ,Judy
Click to expand...
Judy,

Thank you for the advice, I've had a little experience with sharks in the sports pin world, but so far in what I've researched for Disney pins, it seems like a wide spread issue with pin collecting in general! I've been looking for ways to ensure I'm buying real and not the "scrappers" that I've learned are rampant in the parks and online! Thank you again and will surely update as the collection grows!
 
Ajk said:
Welcome to the forum and collecting! :lgm:

Great advice from everyone already. I'll echo to be patient and don't feel pressured. And join the trading at Pin and Pop. You can start by just listing your wants and traders and then joining a Trade Arcade as a non-VIP. Then you only need to pay a couple of bucks if you make a trade(s). The good thing about P&P for someone new is they inspect the pins and make sure they are not fakes.
Click to expand...
I was deciding on going with Pin Pics or Pin and Pop, and decided on Pin and pop mainly for the aesthetic and ease of use! Thank you for the input, I really appreciate anyone taking the time out of their day to offer their experience in the pin collecting world. Thank you again!
 
I just want to echo the advice about FOMO. It's really easy to panic and pay too much or over-trade for a pin (on the secondary market), cause you're scared that it will be your only chance to get it. But I promise, the pins you really want will find their way to you.
You have an advantage over a lot of pin traders, coming into it with your knowledge of sports pins. I didn't know about fakes when I started, and that was a frustrating lesson to learn.
I hope you have so much fun here on the forum and on the Pin & Pop Trade Arcades! You are most welcome!
 
Sithathoriunet said:
I just want to echo the advice about FOMO. It's really easy to panic and pay too much or over-trade for a pin (on the secondary market), cause you're scared that it will be your only chance to get it. But I promise, the pins you really want will find their way to you.
You have an advantage over a lot of pin traders, coming into it with your knowledge of sports pins. I didn't know about fakes when I started, and that was a frustrating lesson to learn.
I hope you have so much fun here on the forum and on the Pin & Pop Trade Arcades! You are most welcome!
Click to expand...
@Sithathoriunet is right. I have hopefully just traded for two pins I have been wanting since the beginning. One I could have
spent $100 the other virtually impossible. But hopefully soon if everything works out, I will have them. :)

If you have questions, always feel free to ask them. We all started somewhere and all have been at the beginning. You are lucky
because you have some experience with other pins. Did you trade pins before? or just collect?
 
Sithathoriunet said:
I just want to echo the advice about FOMO. It's really easy to panic and pay too much or over-trade for a pin (on the secondary market), cause you're scared that it will be your only chance to get it. But I promise, the pins you really want will find their way to you.
You have an advantage over a lot of pin traders, coming into it with your knowledge of sports pins. I didn't know about fakes when I started, and that was a frustrating lesson to learn.
I hope you have so much fun here on the forum and on the Pin & Pop Trade Arcades! You are most welcome!
Click to expand...
I appreciate the warm welcome! Everyone has been very nice and helpful in this new journey! I do have some good knowledge of how to spot scrappers and fakes in general, but obviously I'm still learning the red flags for Disney pins such as the soft enamel overlay etc... I really do fall into the FOMO trap, and I'm going to hold steadfast in not allowing that to happen with Disney. Thank you for the input! It's most appreciated.
 
momin.ator said:
@Sithathoriunet is right. I have hopefully just traded for two pins I have been wanting since the beginning. One I could have
spent $100 the other virtually impossible. But hopefully soon if everything works out, I will have them. :)

If you have questions, always feel free to ask them. We all started somewhere and all have been at the beginning. You are lucky
because you have some experience with other pins. Did you trade pins before? or just collect?
Click to expand...

Thank you! I did collect and trade for a good amount of years with sports pins, so I'm hoping that experience translates well into Disney. I'm excited more so for Disney as I feel like it gives me a lot more possibilities and rabbit holes to go down as far as what to collect, ha!
 
BazookaJoe said:
I was deciding on going with Pin Pics or Pin and Pop, and decided on Pin and pop mainly for the aesthetic and ease of use! Thank you for the input, I really appreciate anyone taking the time out of their day to offer their experience in the pin collecting world. Thank you again!
Click to expand...
The folks here at DPF are incredible. Never hesitate to ask anything. I have found this community to be very supportive and patient. And another vote for pin and pop.
 
All wonderful advice above! Love it!

Welcome to DPF!

I know its been said, but FOMO... its real and it creates regret within this hobby. Avoid fear of missing out. Be happy to continue the hunt. If it feels wrong, walk/click away.

As far as gaining traders... I do buy pins to specifically use as traders.
But I have rules:
One significant rule that has served me well: buy licensed traders at (or slightly above) orginal retail or on clearance. (The flip side, do not buy a pin designated for trading at secondary market prices... the trade math rarely works out on over priced pin purchases going directly to your traders.

Another piece of logic... if I find licensed pins on clearance/at a low enough price (ie, under $3/pin) I will buy them and add them to my traders in general, but the bail out being my next trip to the parks... under $3 for a licensed pin is a great legit park trader.
 
TheMickeyMouseRules said:
All wonderful advice above! Love it!

Welcome to DPF!

I know its been said, but FOMO... its real and it creates regret within this hobby. Avoid fear of missing out. Be happy to continue the hunt. If it feels wrong, walk/click away.

As far as gaining traders... I do buy pins to specifically use as traders.
But I have rules:
One significant rule that has served me well: buy licensed traders at (or slightly above) orginal retail or on clearance. (The flip side, do not buy a pin designated for trading at secondary market prices... the trade math rarely works out on over priced pin purchases going directly to your traders.

Another piece of logic... if I find licensed pins on clearance/at a low enough price (ie, under $3/pin) I will buy them and add them to my traders in general, but the bail out being my next trip to the parks... under $3 for a licensed pin is a great legit park trader.
Click to expand...
I agree with this. I have purchased a lot of pins at clearance prices. There is a reason I still have a bunch of Tee Turtle pins (they lost their Disney License in 2024, and had a large sale). Disney.com (or whatever they used to call themselves, it has changed more than once over the years) used to have a pin sale in February and August. Also if you are fortunate to live near an outlet, sometimes they have good deals on pins.
 
TheMickeyMouseRules said:
All wonderful advice above! Love it!

Welcome to DPF!

I know its been said, but FOMO... its real and it creates regret within this hobby. Avoid fear of missing out. Be happy to continue the hunt. If it feels wrong, walk/click away.

As far as gaining traders... I do buy pins to specifically use as traders.
But I have rules:
One significant rule that has served me well: buy licensed traders at (or slightly above) orginal retail or on clearance. (The flip side, do not buy a pin designated for trading at secondary market prices... the trade math rarely works out on over priced pin purchases going directly to your traders.

Another piece of logic... if I find licensed pins on clearance/at a low enough price (ie, under $3/pin) I will buy them and add them to my traders in general, but the bail out being my next trip to the parks... under $3 for a licensed pin is a great legit park trader.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the tips! I do like your comments regarding traders. This is something I need to focus on, as I know I will need to build up a solid stash!
 
Hi and Welcome! So far, I second all of the amazing advice you have received thus far.

Have you decided on which characters and/or themes you would like to collect? Building on previous advice, IMO this is the best way to help you focus your collection to both contain the FOMO (which is real) and prevent you from chasing every single piece of shiny metal with a pointy back attached (which I may or may not have done when I first started collecting and I can tell you ... just don't do it).

Once you've decided what to collect, you can define it any way you see fit. For example, let's say you decide to collect Sleeping Beauty, you can define it any number of ways, including but not limited to:
-all characters
-just one character or a group of characters
-just the pins you like of all of the characters or just one character
-just one version of a character, eg Briar Rose or Aurora in her blue gown

And as was pointed out, if you start out collecting a theme and realize it isn't working for you, that collection easily can become traders for you to, hopefully, get pins for a theme that will make you happy. And speaking of trading ...

Don't make a trade unless you're 100% comfortable with it. In my experience, honest traders will accept a politely worded 'no' just as easily as they will 'yes, I'd like to make this trade,' and more importantly, they won't pressure you to make a trade. Don't agree to anything unless you're 100% comfortable with it. Always use common sense; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have, that's the best way to learn.

And most importantly, remember why you got into pins. Do NOT forget to have fun!
 
dancecats said:
Hi and Welcome! So far, I second all of the amazing advice you have received thus far.

Have you decided on which characters and/or themes you would like to collect? Building on previous advice, IMO this is the best way to help you focus your collection to both contain the FOMO (which is real) and prevent you from chasing every single piece of shiny metal with a pointy back attached (which I may or may not have done when I first started collecting and I can tell you ... just don't do it).

Once you've decided what to collect, you can define it any way you see fit. For example, let's say you decide to collect Sleeping Beauty, you can define it any number of ways, including but not limited to:
-all characters
-just one character or a group of characters
-just the pins you like of all of the characters or just one character
-just one version of a character, eg Briar Rose or Aurora in her blue gown

And as was pointed out, if you start out collecting a theme and realize it isn't working for you, that collection easily can become traders for you to, hopefully, get pins for a theme that will make you happy. And speaking of trading ...

Don't make a trade unless you're 100% comfortable with it. In my experience, honest traders will accept a politely worded 'no' just as easily as they will 'yes, I'd like to make this trade,' and more importantly, they won't pressure you to make a trade. Don't agree to anything unless you're 100% comfortable with it. Always use common sense; if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have, that's the best way to learn.

And most importantly, remember why you got into pins. Do NOT forget to have fun!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the advice! I'm so glad I found this forum to really help me narrow my focus on what I want, as well as what to avoid with so many pitfalls that come with collecting just about anything, ha! I do feel like I have a focus as of right now on what I want, and I've slowly started to dip my toes in, and I look forward to seeing my collection grow. Thank you again!
 
Check out the gatherings thread here on DPF and Events on PinPics as there are pin trading events all across the country. PinandPop does an excellent job hosting virtual trading events.
 
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