By "ripped off" I meant that before I was familiar with the pins I bid on, I ended up paying a whole lot more than they are worth. For instance, I paid a fortune for a pin that I saw on a hat all over the place the next time I visited the parks.
Be skeptical about many sellers claims of a pin being "rare", "hard to find", etc. Go to pinpics.com to get an idea of the real worth of your item and whether it is indeed a limited edition or a common rack.
Recently, I saw a pin I had been looking for, supposed to be obtained only with a purchase of over $600 at the DS, years ago. I bid on it and when I received it, I was infuriated. The seller, advertising it as "rare", sold me exactly the same version sold on cheappins.com for under $4.00. You bet he had to accept it back because I threatened to file a fraud complaint with my credit card company. It is that sort of thing what some dishonest people will do and you have to beware.
Wanda