Y'know, Disney could profit from all of the couterfeit/scrappers by offering an authentication service. I'm sure there are some people out there who would be willing to send a bag of pins just for piece of mind. I'm sure some third party could try offering such a service, but I think that only Disney is in a position to say definitively whether a pin is authentic.
Also, can anyone give insight into how Disney "scrubs" or "refreshes" the cast lanyards each night? I've heard that cast members turn in their lanyards each night, and someone goes through them to remove obvious counterfeits/scrappers, non-Disney pins, Sedesmas, etc, and replace them with authentic pins. If this is true, that would mean that the best time to trade pins with Cast Members is first thing in the morning, so you can avoid getting scrappers that would have been traded with the CMs. Even if this were the case, I imagine that the overwhelming number of pins they'd have to go through each night would limit their ability to scrutinize for scrappers. Most of the counterfiets/scrappers I see are very, VERY difficult to spot; they're virtually identical to authentic pins.
I agree with you! I am just wondering if there is anything we can do. Anyone we can write to?? Anyone we can show the pins to...to put pressure on them to change as I am tired of seeing that an older pin of mine has been faked and is no longer worth what I may have invested in it. Or a Lanyard I traded for may not be as good as the pin I traded for it. I still love the hobby - but I am looking at cutting back a lot on buying pins and trading them due to the scrapper situation.
I am suppose to meet friends in September for the Pin trading event and for one friend it will be her first time at a pin event - I want it to be fun for her not a downer due to the scrappers.....