Unofficial Disney “Outlets”

Are the Disney pins that are sold at stores right outside of Disney world real? They are all like 6 dollars, but I don’t want to buy fake ones.

The ones sold at the Disney outlets? Yes! They're unpopular designs and since Disney made too many to sell at full price they're discounted.

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If they're not affiliated with Disney, then they could be licensed pins and would be good as well. But that would depend on the store selling them, like Target and Walmart.

For the stores the OP is referring to...

Fake. And the ones that are real are stolen.

Obviously, the Disney-operated ones are real, and Target / Walmart sometimes have officially licensed pins (Jerry Leigh / Monogram, etc).

But I-Drive and 535 are littered with large, loudly themed buildings advertising themselves as a Disney Outlet. These places, they are only good for letting you see what is being faked, and examine them for the tell-tale signs. I have seen authentic looking booster packs and such, and my Mom and her CM friends used to tell me that those places are part of the organized theft rings that operate in the area.

Ooooh sorry I misunderstood the question.

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Yeah, I'll confirm fake. The stores that we call "gift shops" (but do sometimes put outlet in their names) have fake pins. I've seen Hidden Mickeys on black backing cards, and Duffy/Shellie May HKDL pins on their racks.

You know, ever since I figured out that their pins were fake, I started wondering about their main merchandise (T-shirts, hats, etc.). I had always assumed that they purchased that "cheap" tier of Disney merchandise that Disney offers up to stores like Wal-Mart. Like maybe Disney sold a cheap license to them. But you have to wonder. And, more to the point, if ALL the stuff is fake, why would Disney let them operate, especially so close to the Parks? That's why I had always assumed the majority of the merch was legit, even if the pins weren't.

The two outlet malls (Vineland and I-Drive) have the actual, legit Disney store outlets, fyi.

It's hit or miss. You can find some real ones at "Disney Gift Shops " but you gotta look very very carefully. Allot of them are scrappers from China.

I will go a little against the grain here and say they’re not all fake, but you need to know what to look for. Being in Orlando currently and staying close to these gift shops, I’ve bought pins from these shops and they’re all real.

But I won’t say that all the pins they sell are real. I’ve seen a clearly faked Mickey Mouse Icon Brazil Flag pin— I dot know the exact name for it, but it’s Mickey’s head with the Brazilian flag. I’m glad I looked it up before I bought it.

It is a “buy at your own risk” situation, but if you know the signs of a fake/scrapper pin and stay away from anything that looks wonky/off, you should be fine. If in doubt, look up the picture online on pinpics, etc.

Justadreamaway said:

I will go a little against the grain here and say they’re not all fake, but you need to know what to look for. Being in Orlando currently and staying close to these gift shops, I’ve bought pins from these shops and they’re all real.

But I won’t say that all the pins they sell are real. I’ve seen a clearly faked Mickey Mouse Icon Brazil Flag pin— I dot know the exact name for it, but it’s Mickey’s head with the Brazilian flag. I’m glad I looked it up before I bought it.

It is a “buy at your own risk” situation, but if you know the signs of a fake/scrapper pin and stay away from anything that looks wonky/off, you should be fine. If in doubt, look up the picture online on pinpics, etc.

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I would add an additional warning here, though...

Lately, the factories in China have been selling legit pins on card/in bags out their back doors (basically, authentic pins that workers have stolen, or ran extras off a line- still stolen). So even if a pin is legit, you have to question where it came from.

So basically, how are these places sourcing their pins? It's not likely they have a contract with Disney- the pins aren't unique, like the old Jerry Leigh pins.

Like, it's one thing if they're buying from the local official Disney outlet for $3, then selling for $6. But it's another if their source is factories in China, or a random supplier on eBay that's buying THEIR stuff from China.

I'm not saying it's impossible to find legit pins. I'm just saying to consider where they would even get their pins from, and understand that stuff from China isn't just scrappers/crap anymore.

Abyssinian28 said:

I would add an additional warning here, though...

Lately, the factories in China have been selling legit pins on card/in bags out their back doors (basically, authentic pins that workers have stolen, or ran extras off a line- still stolen). So even if a pin is legit, you have to question where it came from.

So basically, how are these places sourcing their pins? It's not likely they have a contract with Disney- the pins aren't unique, like the old Jerry Leigh pins.

Like, it's one thing if they're buying from the local official Disney outlet for $3, then selling for $6. But it's another if their source is factories in China, or a random supplier on eBay that's buying THEIR stuff from China.

I'm not saying it's impossible to find legit pins. I'm just saying to consider where they would even get their pins from, and understand that stuff from China isn't just scrappers/crap anymore.

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So more on this...
I know from a seller who sells at our local Disneyana show/sale who confirms exactly what you’re saying. The factories who make the authentic pins, reach out to these sellers online (one is known for doing IG live sales where she sells a lot of this stuff too), and offer to sell them the pins at bulk cost. I don’t know if they’re considered scrapper versions, or if they’re even flawed or anything, but they come on the cards, or it’s the blind bags, etc. either way, they’re obtained in a nefarious way.
Those “outlet stores” have even gone on camera to say some phony explanation like “Oh we have a license from Disney World to get the same pins they do at the same cost!” Yeah, what sense does that make?? Lies to pacify people and make them not question why they’re getting a too good to be true deal...

So buyer beware, they may not be fake, but if a seller has brand new rack pins or mystery packs for way less than even a CM discount can buy, they’re likely obtained in a not so legal way.


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pretty Omi said:

So more on this...
I know from a seller who sells at our local Disneyana show/sale who confirms exactly what you’re saying. The factories who make the authentic pins, reach out to these sellers online (one is known for doing IG live sales where she sells a lot of this stuff too), and offer to sell them the pins at bulk cost. I don’t know if they’re considered scrapper versions, or if they’re even flawed or anything, but they come on the cards, or it’s the blind bags, etc. either way, they’re obtained in a nefarious way.
Those “outlet stores” have even gone on camera to say some phony explanation like “Oh we have a license from Disney World to get the same pins they do at the same cost!” Yeah, what sense does that make?? Lies to pacify people and make them not question why they’re getting a too good to be true deal...

So buyer beware, they may not be fake, but if a seller has brand new rack pins or mystery packs for way less than an CM discount can buy, they’re likely obtained in a not so legal way.


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Ugh. Thanks for the confirmation. That's so tricky and horrible.

I think, basically, it's just doubling down on the "too good to be true" thing. Does someone have tons of a blind bag or rack pin for sale, and they're selling it for 50% off or better? Then you have to ask yourself...how can they afford to do that? Especially if it's a new release that you KNOW Disney isn't clearancing out yet. Chances are good it's stolen (either in China, or physically from the Parks...more likely from China).

Also, I wonder if Disney knows about this particular issue. I can see them turning a blind eye to scrappers, but it seems like this particular form of theft would hurt their bottom line much more.

Abyssinian28 said:

Ugh. Thanks for the confirmation. That's so tricky and horrible.

I think, basically, it's just doubling down on the "too good to be true" thing. Does someone have tons of a blind bag or rack pin for sale, and they're selling it for 50% off or better? Then you have to ask yourself...how can they afford to do that? Especially if it's a new release that you KNOW Disney isn't clearancing out yet. Chances are good it's stolen (either in China, or physically from the Parks...more likely from China).

Also, I wonder if Disney knows about this particular issue. I can see them turning a blind eye to scrappers, but it seems like this particular form of theft would hurt their bottom line much more.

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The seller who flat out told me this said she was offered the Windows scrappers too, which she turned down. "I won't touch the LE stuff, only OE's"

I do often wonder why Disney doesn't want to pursue the scrapper issue either... they kinda tried with the Windows scrapper issue, and I've heard whispers that they changed factories for WDI pins too in an effort to aid that... My one friend who works at WDI who has talked to some of the merch team did sort of echo what @stratasfan said in another thread, that basically Disney doesn't care if the trading boards are full of scrappers/fakes or not, because they hold the guest/CM interaction above all of that. They want the guest to be forced to interact with CMs because they think it builds the experience more? Also they figure yeah even if they come armed with a bag full of scrappers, they'll likely end up buying real pins during their visit, or they'll meet someone at the park, tell them about pin trading, and then those guests go spend money on legit pins. Still frustrating as a collector they don't bother trying to fix it.

pretty Omi said:

The seller who flat out told me this said she was offered the Windows scrappers too, which she turned down. "I won't touch the LE stuff, only OE's"

I do often wonder why Disney doesn't want to pursue the scrapper issue either... they kinda tried with the Windows scrapper issue, and I've heard whispers that they changed factories for WDI pins too in an effort to aid that... My one friend who works at WDI who has talked to some of the merch team did sort of echo what @stratasfan said in another thread, that basically Disney doesn't care if the trading boards are full of scrappers/fakes or not, because they hold the guest/CM interaction above all of that. They want the guest to be forced to interact with CMs because they think it builds the experience more? Also they figure yeah even if they come armed with a bag full of scrappers, they'll likely end up buying real pins during their visit, or they'll meet someone at the park, tell them about pin trading, and then those guests go spend money on legit pins. Still frustrating as a collector they don't bother trying to fix it.

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Wow, interesting insight!

Yeah, I mean, I understand why they don't go after scrappers...I don't like it, but I understand it. But these "buy in store" pins- those, I would think that they would try and shut down. They might not be able to put a dent in online/internet side of it, but it seems like they would have a person assigned to go in to these stores around the Parks and up 192 and ask to see their invoices/license agreement and shut down any illegal sales. I mean, if the tourists are buying from these places, then they're not buying in the Parks (or Disney's official outlets).

We've heard of Disney being fiercely protective of their copyright and merchandise in the past...so why is it different in this case? Strange.

pretty Omi said:

The seller who flat out told me this said she was offered the Windows scrappers too, which she turned down. "I won't touch the LE stuff, only OE's"

I do often wonder why Disney doesn't want to pursue the scrapper issue either... they kinda tried with the Windows scrapper issue, and I've heard whispers that they changed factories for WDI pins too in an effort to aid that... My one friend who works at WDI who has talked to some of the merch team did sort of echo what @stratasfan said in another thread, that basically Disney doesn't care if the trading boards are full of scrappers/fakes or not, because they hold the guest/CM interaction above all of that. They want the guest to be forced to interact with CMs because they think it builds the experience more? Also they figure yeah even if they come armed with a bag full of scrappers, they'll likely end up buying real pins during their visit, or they'll meet someone at the park, tell them about pin trading, and then those guests go spend money on legit pins. Still frustrating as a collector they don't bother trying to fix it.

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I have also pretty much concluded the same. Disney makes too much on pins from the casuel park visitor to risk turning pin trading into a bad experience for any of them.

The ACTUAL Disney stores have real pins at real discounts - sometimes large discounts. Anything with a date on it, like 2019, will be very cheap when that date expires. You can usually find pins and magnets in the REAL outlet stores for like a dollar in February of the following year. Tote bags, sweatshirts - anything dated will be cheaper the next year.

Pins that didn't sell well show up there, discounted. The discounts are varied. Occasionally, a pin shows up in the outlet store for the same price as the parks. I assume there's a reason, but I don't know what it is.

There are stores that advertise themselves as Disney outlets that aren't. It's very obvious when you walk in that it isn't really Disney.

Every few years, someone comes to visit me and wants to go into the cheesy stores. So I've seen a lot of the junk they sell. I've also known people who've worked in a couple and they are doing things that are...less than legal...with both their pay structures and merchandise. My advice is to avoid them! Buy your souvenirs at Disney World or the REAL Disney outlet. Avoid the cheesy stores.

If you want cheaper stuff (and I get that!!), go to Wal-Mart.

I bought pins on eBay back in the day and got scammed, so I avoid that, too. Caveat emptor!!