Scrapper Pin Trading

[Applecore]

I have had it with scrapper pins! I truly think I am going to get even with Disney this week for not policing these fakes.

I am going to buy a booster pack, keep my receipt, and go trade for scrappers from cast lanyards. THEN, I am going to take my receipt and scrap pins to City Hall and lodge a formal complaint. I will give them a choice, either refund my money, or expect further action.

Maybe if enough of us DPF folks to do the same thing, on the same day, they will take notice.

Who is game?

 

[xPrincessEmilyx]

Can't say that I can help being on the wrong island for Disneylands but good luck . I wanted to say that Disney are really great with complaints if you talk to them super politely.

I politely complained about the lack of parades for 2 days during my holiday there and said I was upset cus its the reason I went etc etc and I got 2 free tickets to DLRP

 

[PeterYup]

been there done that they refunded us with no questions asked and said thank you have a great day sorry for any issues this may of caused
then that's was it they said nothing else about it.

 

[Lamorak]

I've simply stopped trading from cast member lanyards. Majority of scrapper issue solved!

I would think that trading with cast members equals highest probability of getting a scrapper in return would be fairly common knowledge on the boards by now. Let's be honest. Most CMs don't have the passion for pin trading and couldn't tell you whether a pin was genuine or suspect. They are basically newbies. The few CMs who are pin traders will pick out the trash and won't trade them off their lanyards or boards, but they are kinda rare.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't complain. Lots of people have complained. Just don't expect Disney to do anything about it. Or don't get angry when Disney logs nothing but complaints and then stops the program, because all they see are dissatisfied customers.

 

[wyllieam]

There is no way that castmembers can police the authenticity of the pins as then they would be distracted from doing their actual jobs. Easiest thing is to just not trade with them if you know the pins are fake. Unfortunately tourists and some locals are going to keep flooding lanyards with these ebay pins. I'm not even sure if there is a solution this problem as long as they are for sale on ebay. If too many pin traders lodge formal complaints, then they might just take pin trading away all together. It seems that they keep taking things away one and a time now, so just be cautious.

I think the only thing that cast members could do that wouldn't make them have to examine every pin, is to politely decline trades if they see them pull from the individually wrapped baggies. Other than that, it is futile as pin policing isn't their job

Wish there was a way to just stop the ebay vendors from selling. Can you report someone as selling "counterfeit" products?

 

[Psycho Pixie]

regarding ebay: If people stop buying the scrap lots, they will stop selling.

yes, you can report counterfiet sellers. I have done so 3x since becoming an ebay seller this year. The problem has been proving they ae fake. Ebay started a policy that requires pictures to be of the actual product you sell. The loophole in that is the descrition area. State that they are "lots" and not every lot is identical, you get away with it. I don't sell in lots or quantities. I do sell some sets.... but I take pics, and state that the pic is of pins you bid on.


edit: FYI apple.... walk back to those same CM's 20 minutes later, the real booster pins you traded to them will have been traded out again, likely with scrap. Don't waste your time. If Disney could find a cheap fast solution to scrap they would use it. They have and will persue bulk importers of fakes. However, they can't stop Li Wang in China from selling to Joe Shmoe in Alabama a group of 100 "authentic disney logo/stamped" pin for $40.00 No can they keep Joe from re-selling those pins in smaller bulk lots unless they physically prove they are fakes.

 

[charlesu]

I actually think this is a bad idea. Several very good points have been raised above.

If Disney had an easy solution for scrappers, they would have adopted it.
Most of the scrappers seem to be on CM lanyards and trading boards. Therefore, avoid those. By and large there aren't any good pins there anyway unless you're collecting HMs. In that case, be careful.
Disney is in business. Meaning that anything they do has to come down to this--will it make money for the stockholders? If we make the pin business time/resource intensive (costly) for them they will simply drop it and move on to something worthwhile.

I'm not saying we should ignore scrappers. But there are more productive ways of dealing with them. Share the word, politely decline trades. Frankly, just about all I see on CM lanyards are starter/booster pins and HMs. I can buy my own starter/booster sets or carefully trade for the few I want if there are only a few. And, HMs have gotten so small and weak as of late, I think I'm done with them. Otherwise, I would also trade carefully for those.

That leaves me not trading with CMs much at all. I'll purchase pins I like and a few extras that I think will make good traders and then trade with other serious collectors. Disney gets to make a buck. I get cool Disney artwork. I get to trade with like-minded people.

The only thing missing at that point is trading off of lanyards in the park. It sucks to lose that but it's probably reality if you feel it's not worth the trouble. I'd love to be able to still do that but I accept that it's not likely to change unless it goes away all together.

 

[Romancing_Train]

Probably the best thing you can do is if you SEE someone trading a bunch of fakes to report it. CM managers can actually kick people out of the park if they are actually only trading scrappers willingly. We know who most of the regulars are and it doesn't pay to do that.

I'm so sorry for your bad luck, but you know you can always ask a cast member to look at a pin before you decide to take it. Ask them to see the back, hold it and as long as you don't hurt the pin you're allowed to do many things before making a trade!

 

[dawny]

i hear your frustration, i had about a 10% scrapper trade return in DTD WDW last week, which i thought was impressive...lol I think it hurts you guys in cali more, because the trading is so much more of a thing. Sadly what i see super slowly happening (and talk to traders from the start) is Disney is slowly cutting the pin trading. They dont want to deal with all the complaints and sharks. Trading nights used to be twice per month, than once a month now every other month. They barely sell pins in the stores, now they are cutting Disney store pins in the USA? That is where all our energy should be going. Writing to complain about that. The one way anyone can purchase true legit pins LE"S no matter where you live. I also see less and less cast members wearing lanyards, the tables are gone in DTD and now Epcot.......I think i need a pin "nicapatch" for these withdrawls. Even the big PTN event in sept, is cut back.

 

[TiggerNut]

If Disney had an easy solution for scrappers, they would have adopted it.

That if has a BIG asterisk to it and it would be - If Disney could find a way to stop scrappers AND still keep making the same amount of money selling pins, then the scrappers would stop.

Fact of the matter is, Disney could stop it if they wanted to. However, the price point in doing so, does nothing but cut into their profit margin....they have already tested and met their price point. Disney sees leaks in the system as just the cost of doing business.

If you complain too much - Disney will just stop lanyard trading, simple as that. Keep in mind - in Disneyland the wearing of a lanyard is OPTIONAL. Make it a pleasant experience -no matter what the crap is they have.

 

[destiny117]

That if has a BIG asterisk to it and it would be - If Disney could find a way to stop scrappers AND still keep making the same amount of money selling pins, then the scrappers would stop.

Fact of the matter is, Disney could stop it if they wanted to. However, the price point in doing so, does nothing but cut into their profit margin....they have already tested and met their price point. Disney sees leaks in the system as just the cost of doing business.

If you complain too much - Disney will just stop lanyard trading, simple as that. Keep in mind - in Disneyland the wearing of a lanyard is OPTIONAL. Make it a pleasant experience -no matter what the crap is they have.

+1 Please realize that they just do not care, so let it be, or we will have nothing soon.

 

[charlesu]

I agree. If you want to complain, then complain about the lack of good pins, trading nights, etc.

i hear your frustration, i had about a 10% scrapper trade return in DTD WDW last week, which i thought was impressive...lol I think it hurts you guys in cali more, because the trading is so much more of a thing. Sadly what i see super slowly happening (and talk to traders from the start) is Disney is slowly cutting the pin trading. They dont want to deal with all the complaints and sharks. Trading nights used to be twice per month, than once a month now every other month. They barely sell pins in the stores, now they are cutting Disney store pins in the USA? That is where all our energy should be going. Writing to complain about that. The one way anyone can purchase true legit pins LE"S no matter where you live. I also see less and less cast members wearing lanyards, the tables are gone in DTD and now Epcot.......I think i need a pin "nicapatch" for these withdrawls. Even the big PTN event in sept, is cut back.

 

[Lamorak]

Wouldn't it be cool, if Disneyland had some sort of station where you could turn in scrappers and get good pins?

Here's how I envision it working:

You pickup or get a pin trading card for the day, which is dated and watermarked by Disney. Everytime you make a trade with CM, they stamp or paper punch the card with a CM only type stamp or cutout. This tracks how many CM trades you made that day. Before you leave the park, you inspect your pins and find a few scrappers. So you take the bad pins and your card to the pin swap station, where a few trained CMs inspect and determine whether or not he pins are fake. If the "expert" determines the pin is bad, you get to exchange for a good one.

Of course, this would require some honesty, on the part of traders, which there will be some. But I also envision bad people taking advantage and ruining it, yet again, for everyone else. Plus it basically constitutes an admission, by Disney, that there is a problem, which they have emphatically denied.

It's just a simple fact of life, I guess. Best thing to do is educate yourself and make it into a fun game, as trying NOT to get scrappers from cast lanyards and boards is getting really tough. Think of it as a game of Minefield, where you try to get as many good pins from cast lanyards as you can without blowing up with too many scrappers

 

[TiggerNut]

Wouldn't it be cool, if Disneyland had some sort of station where you could turn in scrappers and get good pins?

Disney has Autopia...not an utopia thought process.

The minute Disney opened the station the scrapper dealer would come with the bucket loads to trade. They already do this with the lanyard dumping. There are still scrapper dealers that hire people to trade out bad pins all through Disneyland to try and get better stuff.

I love the positive thinking...but that magical fairy dust has to rub off on the Mouse to make anything happen.

 

[Applecore]

The minute Disney opened the station the scrapper dealer would come with the bucket loads to trade. They already do this with the lanyard dumping. There are still scrapper dealers that hire people to trade out bad pins all through Disneyland to try and get better stuff.

I agree, I have traded recently with someone I thought was a good trader at the park, but received a few scrap pins in the deal. I know the next time I see them there, I will politely ask to exchange them for genuine pins. If they do not, security will escort them out on their scooters, pins and all.

 

[Lamorak]

Yeah... The minute I typed that up, I knew it would be abused. What I failed to mention was that the stamp/punch card would account for how many trades were done with a cast member and that it limited that person to trade in x amount of scrappers. So you couldn't just go in with buckets of bad pins and trade them out. You'd have to have verified trades with cast members, in order to trade out the bad ones for good ones.

I've pointed out the occasional bad pin to established traders. It really helps when it's obviously bad. Like missing paint or wrong colors. I find that they will, more often than not, remove the pin from their books. Not everyone is familiar with every single pin and politely pointing out the bad ones and what makes them bad is helpful and most certainly welcome, if it were me. Don't need the reputation of being a trader of bad pins.

 

[TiggerNut]

I've pointed out the occasional bad pin to established traders. It really helps when it's obviously bad. Like missing paint or wrong colors. I find that they will, more often than not, remove the pin from their books. Not everyone is familiar with every single pin and politely pointing out the bad ones and what makes them bad is helpful and most certainly welcome, if it were me. Don't need the reputation of being a trader of bad pins.

I like that you are thinking outside the box on a solution. I just don't think there is one to be had.

However, I will say -nothing bothers me more is when something legit is claimed to be fake. That moment someone is analyzing the pin with a monocle, breaking out the black light and comparing it to a photo on their phone from Pinpics........AHHHH!

 

[bombardon3]

They should just get rid of CM lanyards for a year and limit trading to a couple of pin boards around the park. The CMs working the boards should be trained to refuse scrappers. They could also scan your ticket to limit how many trades you do per day at each board. After a year they can announce the relaunch of CM lanyards with great fanfare, but you will only be able to trade new "post-relaunch" pins. They would be differentiated by either a different backstamp and/or (if they want to really stop scrappers) a RFID chip.

Personally, I like CM lanyard trading. If I see a pin from a starter or booster set that I like, but don't want to buy the whole set, I'll go look for them on CM lanyards and these I'm pretty certain to get a genuine pin. I stay away from Hidden Mickeys since they're so small that even the real ones look like scrappers sometimes. However, even though I like lanyard trading, I feel terrible when I see some kid trade away a bunch of genuine pins for a bunch of scrappers.

 

[Kpchow]

Okay I just read all of the posts. Here's my opinion,
What if all DPF when around and passed out a flyer with trading pins in the parks and maybe just maybe have Disney post it on a wall that says "stay away from ebay pin lots if its to good to be true it probably is." Or just keep spreading the word about ebay.

and the last way is just give up on HM's....like myself and some other dpf'ers

 

[SpaceDad]

I am with you guys. Hidden Mickeys used to be the most fun thing about trading for me and the kids. We stopped a couple years ago when they stopped the monthly sets. I liked that version a lot because if I got them in the first few days of the month we were pretty sure they were real.

 

[the1andonlytikicarol]

They should just get rid of CM lanyards for a year and limit trading to a couple of pin boards around the park. The CMs working the boards should be trained to refuse scrappers. They could also scan your ticket to limit how many trades you do per day at each board. After a year they can announce the relaunch of CM lanyards with great fanfare, but you will only be able to trade new "post-relaunch" pins. They would be differentiated by either a different backstamp and/or (if they want to really stop scrappers) a RFID chip.

Would that effect annual pass holder sales?

Okay I just read all of the posts. Here's my opinion,
What if all DPF when around and passed out a flyer with trading pins in the parks and maybe just maybe have Disney post it on a wall that says "stay away from ebay pin lots if its to good to be true it probably is." Or just keep spreading the word about ebay.

Just print up a bunch of 3 X 5 cards with this info and leave em in the rest rooms; like people do with their business cards.
Just an idea.

 

[Lamorak]

I like that you are thinking outside the box on a solution. I just don't think there is one to be had.

However, I will say -nothing bothers me more is when something legit is claimed to be fake. That moment someone is analyzing the pin with a monocle, breaking out the black light and comparing it to a photo on their phone from Pinpics........AHHHH!

Counterfieting is a big problem along a lot of lines of product. It is a difficult thing to stop. I was just throwing out a half baked idea, which was quickly filled full of holes; and rightly so.

I'm not one to go around denouncing pins as fake. Nor do I consider myself some infallible fake pin detective. I have only pointed out some really, very obvious, bad pins to a few people. They took them out of trade circulation themselves and we're not pressured into doing so by me. The one I distinctly recall was one of the t-shirts pins of Donald's nephews where the cap was all blue and did not alternate between blue and white. I believe we can both agree that pin was less than genuine.