While at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, enjoy the 1000s of pins they have for sale.  But watch out, for there are unethical "sharks" out there looking to scam you out of your money.  Thankfully, as of April 2009, Disney has made some changes that SHOULD help.

We usually spend two weeks a year at Walt Disney World, enjoying the atmosphere and trading pins.  Over the years, we have seen the same scams being run and we try our best to warn others.

Downtown Disney

The trading area just outside the Disney's Pin Traders store in Downtown Disney is a prime location for unethical sharks.  Not everyone who trades out there are Sharks, but the majority of time I've been by there, it's the Professionals who I've seen out there...people who are there almost every day, year-round, acting as those they are common traders like you and me.  They may not consider what they do as being unethical, but in my opinion, many of their actions come across very "Shark-like."

What practices do I consider unethical?  When a person knowingly takes advantage of a person's lack of knowledge to scam them, or when a person uses misinformation or hides information in their attempt to trade away their cheap pins for brand new ones, I consider that both unethical and totally anti-Disney spirit.

Here's how one of the scams works (I'll give you an example I saw on our last trip)...

There are plenty of new pin traders out there.  Many of them get into trading the Cast Lanyards, which are easily available to anyone who lives in the Orlando area and who walk the parks regularly.  But for the casual Guest to Walt Disney World, finding such pins are more difficult.  This is where the sharks take advantage of the unsuspecting pin trader.  The shark will take a look at the Guest's small number of pins, then inevitably tell them, "You don't have anything I need...but if you go into Pin Traders and purchase [fill in the blank] pin, I'll trade you for that."  (I saw an older gray-haired lady - who is constantly found in the trading area - who would routinely lead Guests by the hand into Pin Traders, picking out the pins she wanted the Guest to buy for her.  In this case, the woman ended up buying three pins to trade for fairly common ones.)

Now, Disney won't allow selling of pins to take place on their property, but what's actually happening here?  Guests are being told, "Buy this $12.50 pin, new, in the store and then give it to me...then, I'll give you my pin."  No, it wouldn't hold up in court as being a sale, but it might as well be called one.  And then what does the Shark do with the new pins?  Probably a lot of them end up on eBay.  Sad.

In the rare event you have a rarer pin the Shark wants, they will try to get you to trade that valuable pin for one of their common ones.  Stealing candy from babies.

Here's another scam, in my opinion...

When someone takes pins that are used and places them on a sale card, Guests assume that the pin is new and uncirculated.  But many times, they are not.  The Shark uses this ploy to display their pins, making them look new when they're really not.  Now, sometimes, some of the pins of the Shark's collection may be new...but if a person is placing ANY used pin on a card (giving it the appearance of being new), that is unethical and the characteristic of a Shark.  I would tell you to ASK THE PERSON IF THE PIN IS NEW, but if a Shark is willing to lie about other things, do you think they're going to tell you the truth about this?

Finally, there's Lies, Half-Truths and More Lies

The Sharks know that the pins they're offering are - for the most part - cheap and relatively common...but they're presenting them as rare in many cases and attaching crazy high price values to them.  THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WITH CAST LANYARD PINS (the ones not for sale but only available, originally, off Cast Member lanyards).  One woman I watched told a trader - with a straight face that the Reuben (Experiment 625) Lilo & Stitch lanyard pin "goes for $36 on eBay."  That was a shocker to me, so I looked it up...99 cents to $4 is the range you'll find for this pin.  Either this person was totally ignorant or purposely deceptive.  I saw this took place time and time again.

This is a HUGE BUSINESS FOR SHARKS.  They have 1000s of pins they bring to Downtown Disney and I'm amazed by the number of "suckers" caught in their traps.  It would not surprise me if some of these Sharks aren't making six-figure profits annually.

My suggestion: Identify the characteristics of the traders in Downtown Disney and if the people exhibit the characteristics listed and you agree those practices are unethical, simply STAY AS FAR AWAY FROM THEM AS YOU CAN!  Unless you're an extremely savvy pin trader who can spot a fraud, don't risk it.

On eBay, when I list a pin, I try to list how common or rare the pin is, using a Pinpics "Wants" vs. "Willing to Part With" ratio to give an idea of how valuable a pin is.  If a pin is more common, I list it at a reduced opening bid price.  And at all times, I list the Pinpics number so that Bidders can do the research on the pin before bidding.

Both eBay and places like Pinpics are great places to find the pins you're wanting for your collection.  Don't lose your shirt by falling prey to the Sharks at Downtown Disney.

UPDATE

In April 2009, Disney made some changes to the way people can conduct themselves at Disney pin locations...INCLUDING DOWNTOWN DISNEY.  (I'll let you know if they're enforcing these guidelines after our September vacation...).  Hooray!!!

• They took away the park benches at the trading area.
• Limit of one table for each Pin Trader.
• Limit of one bag/binder on the Pin Trading Table.
• Limit of one bag/binder in the Pin Trading location.
• Tables may not be moved, and please...
• Be courteous and always remember to follow Disney Pin Trading etiquette as outlined above.

These new guidelines should at least somewhat discourage the "professionals."  It's a change that has been a long time coming and I for one am VERY thankful for it.  THAT SAID, SHARKS ARE FINDING WAYS AROUND THE RULES, SO BE AWARE!  THEY'RE COMING WITH WHEELCHAIRS, AS IF THEY WERE LAME...AND THEY'RE TRADING BAGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY HUGE 9"-12" THICK FOLDERS. 

If you're a Shark, you're not going to like this article...good.  If you're not, and you do ethical pin trading in Downtown Disney, you should be fighting with me to expose the Sharks.

If you agree with this article - or if you learned something - please mark the article HELPFUL below so that others will be able to read it and not get ripped off.  THANK YOU!