The Dark Side of the Disney Pin Community | How to Keep Yourself Safe From Scams

The Disney pin community is by and large filled with lovely people, but unfortunately there are some unsavory characters that can slip through the cracks. In today's video, I wanted to talk about the most common scams you'll come across in the Disney pin community. Be aware of in-person scams and 'Pin Sharks.' When trading online, be sure to follow through with the proper steps if someone doesn't follow through with their end of the trade. If buying a pin, ONLY send payment via PayPal as Goods/Services. And make sure to refund/resend your payment if you are getting near the 180 day PayPal protection limit. Thankfully these bad encounters are far and few between, but it's good to be aware of the types of scams you may encounter.
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[@MagicallyEmily]

*Feel free to add any other helpful advice you may have regarding Disney pin scams!* It's a bummer that people will take advantage of a fun hobby, but the vast majority of pin collectors and traders are wonderful people!

[@YourLocalReaperBri]

Hey Emily I noticed a typo in your title (save instead of safe) ❤️ Thank you for such an informational video!!

[@natalielenz7574]

Also bought pins for 60 dollars then found them on eBay shipped from China for less than 10 dollars- same exact fantasy pin set with all the same set the lady had. Live and learn! Only buying from the park or direct from fantasy maker from here on, burned too many times already

[@thanku4et449]

U can do PayPal backed trades. For example the pin or pins you’re trading are worth about $50 so you each send $50 to each other and then ship out the pins. Now if one doesn’t receive the others pins they can make a claim. Obviously it has to be goods and services. Reposting here so hopefully you see it.

[@DisneyKittee]

Great video Emily!! You’re the best!! Thanks for speaking to raffles and pin opps and all the crazy fantasy pin drama lately !!

[@patricialopez3772]

Wow, was totally unaware of the fantasy pin presale scams going on.. great thing to be aware of! 👍

[@81artmonk]

I learned early on that just generic pin trading within the parks is pointless. The good pins aren't the ones being traded thus collecting is religated to the unwanted ones. I gave up on trading within the parks for fun years ago. If you want pins just buy them...period

[@RenaKuro]

Also, for trades/sales on my part I keep my receipts from shipping with notes on what pin it was as well as the username/actual name of the person for about 2 months after I ship the pin. This gives me protection in case they try to say in 3 weeks they never recieved it, I can double check delivery myself.

[@megglymade]

I used to constantly trade with other guests while at epcot when I was on my college program. I'm lucky I never ran into a pin shark. I must've radiated cast member energy

[@kaivianhines7890]

Just told my friend to refund her “lot” she orderd from ebay

[@billyjobobb]

Particularly with trades always use tracking. Skip tracking and without proof of delivery it is weird how many get “lost”

[@daniellesantillanes3861]

I have been lucky to not get fake pins from a trade/buy but I have been sharked before. I found a few of the new hidden mickeys from 2019 and was doing my “rounds” of walking around the park looking for pins to trade, at the end of the day I was intrigued by a mans pins and he wanted all of the new hidden Mickey ones and my fantasy that was worth $45 dollars for pins that had 5-10 dollar value. I didn’t noticed he sharked me after he convinced me to try to trade the fantasy pin (I did clarify that it was fantasy) so I lost my new hidden Mickey pins and Immediately regretted it. But I remember his face and his gf/wife face. But now I’m way more aware of it! Yes sharks exist, plz be aware at the parks everyone ☺️

[@cameronlantigua]

Great info as always! I just made my first PayPal pin purchase and it was scary knowing there are bad people out there. Thanks for the tips!

[@tanishahogan9396]

Lots of great tips! A lot of the Paypal stuff can apply to any purchase so that is very helpful!

[@kitkatwombat759]

Thank you for sharing all of this really important information! I have A LOT of thoughts about all of this. First of all, I would like to point out that Fantasy pins can also be faked, and in turn traded to (even well educated) people in the parks. The case that I'm most familiar with is the recent Designer Mermaids scandal, where an ousted fantasy pin maker (joeypins) started producing (very convincing) fakes of the highly valued designer mermaids pins which somehow ended up being traded by guests in the parks in addition to being sold to people all over instagram. In regards to paying as f&f on paypal, there is still a service fee, but that fee gets charged to the buyer rather than the seller (unless using paypal balance). A lot of people who do weekly live sales do request that payments are made as f&f. I have always felt kind of icky about this, because I suspected that the sellers are doing this to avoid being taxed on this "income." This being said, it is hard to gauge how much "net profit" these sellers are actually receiving, since they are constantly buying pin lots in order to resell them. This doesn't make the actions of these sellers "okay," but I will say that I've never had an issue with any well-known live sellers actually delivering product. Regarding opps, I had no idea that those were supposed to be f&f due to paypal banning that type of transaction. I have always recognized opportunities as gambling and have thought that they are kind of sleazy, especially since I have received multiple unsolicited messages from people trying to get me to participate in their "opps." Sorry for the super long comment, but I think that the information that you shared is super important, and I hope that it reaches a lot of people that really need to hear it!

[@CinderAliLovesDisney]

Hi Emily. This was very helpful information. I now know what some of these actions mean, and the tactics behind them. I did have a pin seller request the "F&F" be used during our transaction. They are a big seller too. Thankfully I did receive my pin, but after hearing this, I won't do that option again. -Ali 🎀🏰💖

[@feferi]

This is some great information! I had no idea about the presale stuff for fantasy pins. I'm just getting into Pin Trading so this is really helpful - thanks for making this!

[@Jonathanest90s]

Oh yeah, every fan community has a bad egg or two. But this community has been terrific so far. Never had a single problem with them. Maybe it’s because of you Emily. You seem like a fun and wonderful person.

[@Matt-eb9ne]

Hi Emily! I really appreciate you putting together this video as I do not have a lot of experience buying / trading pins online and even less experience with fantasy pins. This gives me a lot to consider and think about. Thank you!!!

[@nikkileecroft]

When I first started out I found someone locally through a Facebook group who had tons and tons of cork boards full of hidden mickeys and gave me really good deals. As I got more into pins I went back to all these starter pins and realized every single one was fake. And she had charged me $3 and up for them all. It was quite eye opening.

[@pineappleunicorn7729]

Nikki Croft $3 is still pretty cheap though- arent the cheapest Pins at Disney like $5.99?

[@nikkileecroft]

PineappleUnicorn772 she was charging me $3 a pin for fake hidden mickeys. I easily spent $60+ on them before realizing they were just garbage. Very badly faked ones too. She was definitely looking for a new pin collector to pray on

[@pineappleunicorn7729]

Nikki Croft fair enough-

[@howsentimental]

I think I know the scammer you’re referring to. Someone also tried to scam me for a customised lanyard. Three months with zero progress and a boatload of excuses and I filed that claim sharpish.

[@jacqueline9973]

Thank you for posting and educating us!!

[@Jynxxx5]

This is why you should buy things from the official people! I’m always nervous when buying things from Amazon or Etsy.

[@robynpukoszek44]

This is why I limit myself to 1-2 fantasy presales at a time and try to stay with a few people that have been trustworthy so far. It's sad that it's gotten this crazy with pins but if there's money to be made people will do whatever they can, regardless of how terrible it is.

[@Kat-rl1nw]

Great tips, Emily! I mostly buy and trade, but sometimes I sell. PayPal as goods and services protects the seller, too. There is the reverse scam of a buyer saying that they didn't receive anything, to get their $ back and keep the pin(s). Listening to my gut and checking PSA has saved me $ and heartache, for sure. :)

[@dronesaur4328]

I work for a card fraud prevention company. My advice: use a credit card whenever possible. You have much stronger consumer fraud protections with credit cards compared to debit (just make sure you can pay the balance off at the end of the month so your debt doesn't get out of hand).

[@sylviaannekresock6244]

Great information! Very helpful tips to make sure individuals are aware of the scams out there! Unfortunately myself and quite a few others fell for a scam to create pins on Kickstarter...we’ve tried to report the project to Kickstarter and contact the creator, but they won’t respond at all. Even sadder is that a number of backers said that the creator did make the pins, but then turned around and sold them, making an additional profit through those sales, while never sending the pins to their Kickstarter backers. :(

[@witch1154]

Id also add to check the pricing (via sold listings on ebay usually) if possible. I know i have way overpaid on pins when i started and some people are really just trying to make a buck 🙄

[@pinkyyoshimakeup]

Thank you for making such an amazing and informative video. I think that it is crucial to be informed about pin scams. I’ve learned soooo much and now I know what and who to watch out for.

[@danielsandoval4425]

Thanks for making this video it's going to help a lot of people

[@Outtacontextouttatime]

I had no idea about goods and services on PayPal, this is sooo helpful

[@crazeddonkey]

Disney should sponser PSA's like this. Or just disney content creators in general...

[@lovelylinds]

This is a great video, especially for those like me who are new to all this. Thank you!

[@victoriarobinson6152]

Not a scam, but a potential "dark side" to online pin trading is improperly packaged pins. Make sure your pins are packaged in bubble wrap and in a bubble mailer! (Disney stickers are a bonus! 😁)

[@shelbyshoulders7042]

I traded recently with the most lovely couple they had a rapunzle pin I adored and fished over completely I had no clue it’s value or anything I just thought it was stunning so we worked tirelessly to find a good deal and I still didn’t even know it’s worth till after we traded 😂 they knew how amazing it was but seeing the joy of trading and knowing I would put it on a good board because I showed them my exclusive tangled board I was so happy they worked it out and it’s honestly my top trading experience I’ve had some amazing experiences but the pure joy they gave me in being so kind is unbeatable

[@madalenaa9989]

This was a super helpful video (: I'm a beginner so it really helped me! On another note, I have a question about the sell/trade Facebook group that you mentioned: is it only for US residents? I would love to join but I don't know if that's "allowed"... Wishing you an AMAZING day

[@heatherstreasurehunt]

Love your ears!

[@billyjobobb]

Don’t make the mistake as a seller to believe that PayPal has any protections for you. As a buyer you can’t really lose, but that also means that as a seller you can’t win. Plenty of “buyers” know that all they need is a tracking number that they sent something back and it’s a slam dunk. I stopped selling after getting dozens of scrappers returned when I shipped pricy pins. One buyer got over $800 refunded after sending back a few garbage pins instead of the le 250 set they bought. PayPal told me to deal with it and eBay has no real way to report a buyer. That buyer is still buying away.......

[@thanku4et449]

U can do PayPal backed trades. For example the pin or pins you’re trading are worth about $50 so you each send $50 to each other and then ship out the pins. Now if one doesn’t receive the others pins they can make a claim. Obviously it has to be goods and services.

[@van_can2]

Wow great information 😁 Love Disney Pins!!!!

[@lilyfay6320]

Facebook will not let me get to the Disney Kittee group; I don't know why it doesn't show up. I'm part of many other groups and this have never happened. Maybe this is because I tried to join when I was new to Facebook in September. Great Video Regardless.

[@dogseasgod6013]

I never thought about initiating to pay the goods / services paypal fee, would’ve saved me from getting scammed a few times lol

[@CapeSIX]

I collect Oakley sunglasses. Same thing lots of fakes.

[@bethanymarble2049]

during the Disney trip I went on 2 weeks ago I did end up trading for several fakes, however, I still have quite a few of those in my possession because I think it’s worth it if I really like the design. However, I would never do online pin trading. It just seems too risky to me.

[@Potterpuppetpals98]

In your experience have you ever encountered a situation where someone in parks pulled the “if you buy this LE pin for me I’ll trade you” and it ended up being legitimate? I got two of my most favorite pins this way (the Scar Windows of Evil and a stained glass DSSH Simba) I felt they were good deals at the time and now I’m questioning my judgement

[@vanillune]

So far, I’ve only ever traded with cast members, this is good knowledge though

[@brandon_teiad6805]

Vanillama728 Cast Members will never deny a trade (typically). But even though cast members are supposed to remove fake pins when they are brought to their attention they NEVER do. About 70% of what cast member have are fake. Especially later in the day.

[@vanillune]

BranAndTeia D RIP

[@brandon_teiad6805]

Vanillama728 ???

[@ViperVenomComics]

Love the ears!

[@skylangley2000]

One of my trade groups we use paypal for trades so if the other person doesn't send their end you're not losing value. So say I have a pin thats $7 and I'm trading for one thats $8, so the other person sends me $7 and I send them $8 so there's no monetary loss

[@jasonberry9561]

I sometimes buy pins from local conventions at much cheaper prices than at the park. I can get $10-$13 dollar pins for as little as $5. Are the dealers getting these pins legitimately or is there some kind of illegal activity going on?

[@alisasgrotto]

Hi Emily! Thanks for all the great info! My family is taking a trip to Disneyland soon and we’d like to buy some pins for our boys to trade at the park. BUT I know that if I buy several authentic pins they may most likely get traded for fakes. Do you have any recommendations on where I should have my kids trade their pins while in Disneyland to ensure that they’re most likely to get authentic pins? Also, do you have any recommendations of where I can buy several authentic pins before the trip on the cheaper side? We currently only own about 5 and don’t want to trade those. So we’d need to go to Disneyland with new pins to trade. Appreciate any advice. Thanks!!

[@pineappleunicorn7729]

If you have it in texts that you’ve made a deal then can’t you threaten legal action? I mean that’s breach of a written contract

[@brennapailer]

Not to call you out I’m sure it’s an accidental typo but shouldn’t it be keep yourself safe instead of save?

[@allisonjustice678]

Recently a guy on a well known pin group wanted me send the money for the pin via paypal G&S and he also said he wanted me to send money for the fee AFTER i paid for the pin. He said he couldn't quote me on the price of the fee until I paid for the pin. Is that weird??? I told him No.

[@brandon_teiad6805]

Some of those people that hang out in the parks with their volumes of books are a bit rude. I’ve only met a couple that were nice and wanted to educate people. I typically avoid these guys.

[@brandon_teiad6805]

I bought an eBay lot of 25 for the sole purpose of seeing how many were actually real. Well 2 of 25 FYI.

[@GH-uu1sg]

Great Vid!... made me lose interest in trading

[@HamtaroWarriors]

I've only ever encountered 5 DPTs at the parks (I hunt for Wreck-It Ralph pins) and only one couple was kind of rude about me wanting to trade for their only WIR pin (the other three were super nice and helpful with finding new ones I didn't have). Thankfully, I was able to trade for it, but it cost me two of my LE mystery pins. So far, I haven't been scammed by anyone with fakes, but I'm always on my toes with it. I only really buy from ebay stores with stellar and real reviews.

[@meganarbetter6904]

👏👏👏👏