Authenticity

How to know a Disney pin is real

You are right to ask. It is the most searched question in this hobby and it is searched that often for a reason.

The counterfeit problem.

The Disney pin market has a counterfeit problem, and it is stranger than most counterfeit problems.

There are outright fakes, made from scratch to look like a real pin. Those are usually the easy ones. The enamel sits wrong, the colours are slightly off, the back is too smooth or too rough, the edges have a seam.

Then there are scrappers.

A scrapper is made on real Disney moulds, at a real factory, and then rejected at quality control or run off the books after hours. It is not a copy of a pin. It is a pin, made by the people who make the pins, that was never supposed to leave the building. Collectors have a word for it because it needed one.

So "is it real" is a harder question here than it looks, and a seller typing "100% authentic" into a product description tells you nothing at all.

Every pin on this site was opened on camera.

Not sourced from a trusted supplier. Not authenticated by our team. Opened, on a live stream, out of sealed Disney mystery product, in front of whoever was watching that night. Most of the people who buy from this site were in that room.

There is no point in the chain where a pin could have been swapped, because there is no chain. It came out of the pack, it went in the box, it is on this page.

Check the photographs.

Then every pin is photographed three times. Front, back, and a close shot of the backstamp. On the same setup, every time.

Look at any other Disney pin listing and count the pictures of the back.

The backstamp is what a collector inspects, so it is what we show. Every listing, whether the pin is five dollars or five hundred.

If we get it wrong.

If a pin arrives and it is not what the listing said it was, tell us and we will replace it or refund it. The same few thousand people watch this stream every night, which is a stronger reason to get it right than any policy would be.

1 · Front
1 · Front
2 · Back
2 · Back
3 · Backstamp
3 · Backstamp

Illustration A made-up pin, shown the way every listing is photographed: the front, the back, then the backstamp up close.

Every pin, photographed from the back.

The backstamp is what a collector inspects, so it is what we show. Every listing, whether the pin is five dollars or five hundred.

See what's listed

What buyers say on Whatnot

  • Love these sellers. Pins are always authentic and in perfect condition. They always have such a fun attitude during shows that brings me back for more again and again.
    happy_haunt

    Verified buyer

  • This seller is so good that my mail carrier now knows me as “the pin person.” Amazing pins, awesome community, and packaging that protected my treasures better than some banks protect money.
    ddil23756

    Verified buyer

  • My orders consistently arrive quickly, even though they’re shipping from across the country, which is always impressive. The pins are packaged with care and always arrive in excellent condition.
    susan210555

    Verified buyer

  • I have been looking for the “Key to Disneyland hunny pot” pin for months ... In this show, they made sure I was able to leave with my pin and several other people were able to finish their sets and leave with pins they had been in search of as well.
    hgirlsobsessions

    Verified buyer

  • You literally cannot find nicer and better sellers anywhere on whatnot. They are awesome, they have great pins, great customer service they treat you more like family than buyers.
    eldoza

    Verified buyer

  • They’re one of the only sellers who doesn’t overcharge for the Disneyland Keys ... My kids are going to be so excited when they find these Easter morning!!
    dreamuponatrip_nicole

    Verified buyer

  • The pins are always packaged well and delivered in perfect condition. ... This isn’t our first purchase and it definitely won’t be our last.
    micayla1722

    Verified buyer

  • Always going above and beyond for their customers and bringing hard to find Disney park exclusive items. Items ship and arrive very quickly.
    prep_uofa

    Verified buyer

  • As someone who doesn’t get to the Disney Parks often, this has been a fun way to be a part of some Disney magic.
    liviebell209

    Verified buyer

Watch the packs get opened.

Every night at 6pm Pacific on Whatnot. Pins start at a dollar and it costs nothing to sit in. Whatever nobody claims on the night ends up here.

Watch live
A phone showing SoCal Pin Traders live on Whatnot, a pack of pins just opened on the mat.