Friday 24 August 2012

24/8: Paralympic Opening Ceremony Pin

The Paralympic Opening Ceremony pin is now available. This pin complements the Olympic Opening Ceremony pin in that it too has an array of coloured banners exploding from the Olympic Stadium and uses a white logo.

Pin 2011

This pin is limited to 5,000 pieces, half of that for the Olympic version, and given how quickly that sold out, I would imagine this pin will be popular too.

The pin will be available from some retailers from today and from the official London 2012 shop next Wednesday.

149 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where are they available...

Lauren said...

Please could you let us know which retailers to check for stock?

Anonymous said...

Which places are selling them from today?

London Pins said...

Try Glamorous Living, Pins & Things and Coin Bazaar. They are the most likely I think.

Sleathy said...

I have searched these three retailers - cannot see any ....can anyone else???

Anonymous said...

No, they are not for sale at any of the retailers, looks like the editor of the article has made a mistake.

London Pins said...

I'm afraid I can only repeat what I was told, which was they go on sale today and at the London 2012 shop on Wednesday.

Best I can suggest is that you take a look at the official shop on Wednesday.

Anonymous said...

ok will do, many thanks for your help

Anonymous said...

They are already on eBay for 50 quid so must be available somewhere

Anonymous said...

On eBay already for the princely sum of £49.99 BIN. Getting a bit tired of scalpers buying them up in quantity to sell for a huge profit on eBay. Can't the retail outlets limit them to one per person?

Anonymous said...

exactly right, it is wrong that people are being able to turn these pin badges into a business by ordering a bulk amount and selling that at 5 times what they are worth.
makes me sick too

Unknown said...

Yes, true, the crooks on Ebay have got the badges from somewhere, and somone must know from where! One seller is charging £50 and says there are 'over 10 badges available'. There is a disctinct difference between making a profit and pure, unadulterated greed, one of the human conditions for many.

Sleathy said...

It IS worth emailing the sellers in advance ....I hope ....

noel 9 said...

Why oh why make the issue run soooooooo small. On opening night there will be all the people in the Staduim wanting one, all the volunteers helping out wanting one, all the performers wanting one and maybe all of the Athletes wanting one. Not to mention those at home and abroad tuning in. So a run of 5000 pieces is going to make a lot of folk unhappy and without pins. Who is responsible for this crazy marketing idea. The only people to get rich from this pin will be the buggers who buy just to sell. If they had done this as a subject on 2012 no one would have believed it ... the short sightedness of the commitee who decided this one. How much money could have been made to help balance the books. The funny thing is both the openning and closing pins will cost £15.00 each. This Again is wrong, More Pins at a Lower Price adds up to more profit..... with many more happier collectors also.

Anonymous said...

People who actually want these pins to keep and show to future generations don't care how many are made or how much they are worth. The only people that only making 5000 will benefit are the greedy sods who want to make a tidy profit selling them on. Makes me wonder if the manufactures have something to do with it, especially if no retailers seem to be selling them.

Sleathy said...

Gents and Ladies

Talk to the Glam Fairies direct and they should be able to help. I have just paid an invoice from them - they are SO helpful ( Other sellers are available of course ... )

Sleathy said...

and you may find they go live tomorrow ...

Anonymous said...

Although I fully agree about the unscrupulous out there, I have to pick up on the comment about limitation. There's not much point in collecting something like these pins unless they are limited or hard to get hold of. If there are thousands of them out there, where's the exclusivity in having one? Swatch did this in the 80's and 90's but in the early days, they tended to produce around 50000 pieces of certain designs. Eventually, they got wise to the demand and reduced the runs to 10000 pieces or less. It sucks but it's a sad fact of collecting that limitation drives demand...

piscean62 said...

The eBay seller "j-bsales", who charges £49.99 for this pin, is none other than Pins & Things. (as I know because I have bought from them on eBay before.)

noel 9 said...

Not Bad for a retailer who must buy his Pin Stock at a retailers discount in the first place.

Talk about cutting out the middle man. over a 100% plus profit for selling to yourself, then selling on. with people like that we will be out of the resession in no time. Oh I forgot, selling this way you don't pay any tax. Well hopefully the Seller will remember to put this on next years Tax return..... Must dash as think I saw a flying pig outside.

Anonymous said...

I think that's absolutely disgusting that Pins and Things are selling these badges at over 200% mark up on eBay instead of offering them through their website at retail. Talk about greedy. I got caught out with them a couple of weeks ago as I bought some stuff on the website but also some stuff through eBay. I only realised it was the same company because both packages came with a postcard sized' pins and things' mailer. Bit of a slip up there. I can understand a collector selling for profit but a retailer selling for profit because they are fully aware of demand is bad form.

Anonymous said...

Me again (last post). Does anybody know if they are doing a 'days of the games' pin set for the Paralympics like they did with the Olympics? Cheers.

Anonymous said...

Maybe someone should let the tax office know, I am sure they would be very interested, as I am guessing pins and things will not be declaring the stuff they sell on eBay

Anonymous said...

The pin has just become available on Glamorous Living. Limited to 3 per customer.

Anonymous said...

I can understand some peoples frustration but rather than post rants about profiteers, I have to ask the question....

Why, when you buy one for yourself, are you not buying another and doing exactly the same thing, i.e. selling it for profit?

I've done it myself this last few weeks and it has enabled me to now have a wonderful collection of London 2012 pins I and others can look back on and enjoy for a lifetime; and they didn't cost me a penny!

Anonymous said...

Um, because we're not greedy? Just sayin'...

Mikeyboy said...

I must admit that I have no problem with people selling for £50 on eBay. If the market will support it, then that's the going rate. Supply and demand. The RRP is simply that - recommended, not mandatory! Other (more popular) retailers have sold other pins higher than Honav's RRP, so what's the difference?

How many of us will bemoan the high prices charged by Pins & Things, only to purchase 3 pins from Glam Living and flog two on eBay to help fund our own collections? Lots, I'm sure! Pot, kettle, black.

OK, some will keep the duplicates and trade a pin for a pin. Fair enough. But I've also heard plenty of traders refusing a trade on the grounds that "my pin will sell for £30 on eBay, whereas yours is only worth £20", etc. At the end of the day it's all about profit for a lot of peeps, any way you slice it.

What annoys me is the fact, like Noel says, that restricting the issue size will disappoint a lot of individuals merely looking for a nice keepsake of a wonderful day out. Lots of people who are after these Ceremony pins are not collectors - they simply want to purchase a memento. IMHO restricting issue size only drives demand for those pins which will not have mass-market appeal. Retail-wise, I feel London 2012 has rather dropped the baton.

My lasting memory of retail pins during the games (and the test events) will be of bemused punters wondering why they cannot purchase a pin of the sport they love, or of the venue or day they visited.

Anonymous said...

Ther I can certainly agree. Limited Edition Venue Collection pins, 3,000 of each, that sold out on the first day of competition (the Athletics were gone three days before the first track day) of a 17 day Games was a ridiculous state of affairs.

Anonymous said...

What pin and rip off is doing is disgusting? Such individuals can do that but they have completely cornered the market? Is do so with an initial issue is appalling? Imagine how we would feel if the London shop did the same!! They should be investigated. Bravo glam living..

Mikeyboy said...

London 2012 retail pin strategy:
1. Ensure that no-one, not even the staff, know what's available in the product range. Info is on a need-to-know basis, and clearly no-one could ever, ever NEED this gen.

2. Don't allow the different stores the capability of ordering extra of the in-demand products, or to satisfy individual requests. This will only throw a spanner in the works.

3. Everyone likes surprises! The store manager will simply love not knowing exactly what the delivery trucks will be bringing every night.

4. Online sales are unnecessary. This internet fad'll blow over in no time.

5. If you simply must sell pins via the web on behalf of a major 2012 sponsor: create a PR fudge-up by taking the customers' money and then forgetting to actually send the product. Said major sponsor will be over the moon to have their brand reported to Trading Standards. No such thing as bad publicity, remember.

6. Customers will love visiting your retail outlet if you site it in a glorified tent with no air-con and no lavatories.

7. The staff outside the main entrance need to be fed a diet of disco biscuits to maintain the OTT energy levels. Staff on the shop floor must be fed gorilla biscuits to ensure that they are as dopey as possible. That way they won't complain about the oppressive heat inside.

8. London 2012 wants customers and ticket holders to enjoy as wide a variety of sports as possible. The best way to achieve this is to sell only Gymnastics pins at the Badminton.

9. The Brits are a nation of eccentrics. Watch those Grecian Teapot pins and goldfish pins fly off the shelves. The public will lap it up.

10. The Brits are a nation of couch potatoes. Those Athletics pins will never sell! Better to only make a handful, then.

11. The hardcore collectors love a challenge, so don't forget to make some of the RETAIL pins completely unavailable to purchase.

Where are Alan Sugar and Mary Portas when you really need them!

Anonymous said...

Believe me 'The London 2012 Shop' has done it. Pins that were SOLD OUT at the Olympic Park in the first few days where ticket paying punter wanted them are suddenly available by the box load at St Pancras a week after the Games ended.....

Anonymous said...

For those who are interesting glam living are selling the complete collection of Olympic days pins for 160 quid.

Anonymous said...

Even better, the coke store in Hyde Park have reduced the pin of the day to £5 each so £85 for the set of 17 :)

Anonymous said...

Would rather buy the official pin of the day set for 160 than the Coca cola set for half that price (yes the set with Coca Cola written all over it !)

Anonymous said...

Glam living have sold out. Any other suggestions?

Sleathy said...

I did give you all the heads up last night ... ... ...

Anonymous said...

Mikey, there is a difference between starting a pin at £9.99 and letting the market decide a pin is worth £50 and listing the pin buy it now at £50.

Especially when you only have the pin as you are in the privileged position of being a retailer and have been given the pins by Honav to sell as a retailer

Add in the fact that the aforementioned pins are not even available on your website for your customers that have bought from you, and given you plenty of profit for the past 3 years, and it is an abuse of powers, the pin version of insider trading, if you will

Anonymous said...

The official London 2012 shop - does this mean the online shop? That sells out of anything decent before it is even listed?

Anonymous said...

The venue collection Athletics pins were available on day 1 of track action - because I bought a few of them. Both the pictogram and the sprinter ones.

Anonymous said...

Question for LONDON PINS..

You really seem to know your stuff about these pins. The when's and where? I am curious. What is your source?

Anonymous said...

it's normally ketchup but at weekends, sometimes he goes for brown

injuredturtle said...

Just became available again on Pins And Things.

Anonymous said...

Available on pins & things right now

DJ said...

Got one, thanks for the heads up.

New Pin Addict said...

Gee Go away olympics, I want my life back. I have spent £200 on pins, I thought pin collecting was sad and now i am hooked. Please, someone help me qet my life back.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately sold out now on pins and things

Anonymous said...

Managed to get hold of one but I'm really glad I read the earlier post about the eBay auction. I'd have been pretty furious if I'd paid £50 and then had the chance to get one from the same guy today for retail. That's where the earlier argument for making a profit on these pins falls apart.

Anonymous said...

Got no issue with people selling on eBay as long as auction starts at zero and then Market forces play out ....I don't agree however with BUY IT NOW inflated prices...unfortunately unless buyers refuse to pay those BIN prices, they will sadly continue to exist....

However LOCOG must take some blame for agreeing to the selling of memorabilia on a limited issue basis...this was meant to be an Olympics for everyone..that philosophy sadly hasn't carried through to things like memorabilia and when you get a 5k/10k issue item ...manic panic kicks in ...where price becomes almost an irrelevance as long as it can be purchased...to the smiles of the EBAY sellers !!

Anonymous said...

It's gone from red to green on pins and things ..maybe still some available

Anonymous said...

What does the official London 2012 shop mean? The online shop? Please confirm. Thanks - John

Anonymous said...

Official London 2012 Shop:

http://shop.london2012.com/

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the answer. I had to ask, as eveytime I look and they have more badges, they are usually already out of the interesting ones! I quite liked the look of the Chalk Hills pins, but can you actually buy them anywhere? Not on London2012, P&T, GL. Nowhere! Cheers - John

Kevin Moss said...

Can't believed fiancée who is in a wheelchair can't get one :( shes even going to the opening Ceremony with me, but as I was working in Stoke as a Steward today I wasn't able to get it :( hopefully will get one from the online shop on Wednesday with some luck at least I hope do

Anonymous said...

Is there a good time to check this online shop? Obviously not whenever I've been looking!

TJ said...

There has been a lot of debate on here since Paul posted re pin. Has nobody ever emailed pins and things to ask when available or if etc as I am sure they read this like many others. Eg people who want to make money and where better than in for insider info than here where we openly have given over the years for new and old pin collectors valuable info for others to jump on the band wagon and sell on good ole eBay making lots of money. At the end of the day we all knew what we were doing when we started this and I like many others have spent a small fortune and at times I had thought of buying an extra one could of saved me a lot of money but that wasnt for me. As,usual the glam stars came up trumps and have been more than happy to give them my continued custom. Going back to the pin I think this is nicer than the Olympic one.

Anonymous said...

If anyone gets a heads up on a Paralympic pin of the day collection can they please let me know
Thanks

London Pins said...

Anonymous, you asked where I received my information from...

Since I started the website back in 2009, I have worked hard to develop a relationship with LOCOG, Honav, Aminco, retailers and sponsors. I've made it clear to all these groups that I'm in this as a collector looking to share information with other collectors. It's never been about the money for me. In fact I'm convinced that if I had sold pins, and I've had plenty of requests, then none of those groups would have viewed me in the same way that they do when I'm not making a profit.

Some of these groups have been very open and welcoming, others a little reticent but have seen that I am trying to promote pin collecting and London 2012 and warmed to the website, and then there are some that are just not willing to engage.

So to answer your question, the information I post on the blog and website has come from any one of those organisations I mentioned and the details are only used with their permission. Wherever possible I try to validate information.

Sometimes I am sent details by other collectors which I have used, but I always (try) and state that the information is subject to confirmation or a rumour.

Sometimes too, I post an opinion, but again I try to make it clear that is is just that - my opinion.

Hope this answers your question.

Anonymous said...

And very grateful we are too for all your hard work Paul. Thank you

Sleathy said...

Here Here! we are very grateful!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for answering my question. It really is great and as the others said, good on you for your hard work..

TJ said...

Hi anonymous I asked where I normally buy my pins from and they said coca cola were selling pin of the day and they were not whether that's honav or coca cola Paul would be the best person to answer if they are doing a pin,of the day for the Paralympics. Think it's a shame,if they are not.

John_Honav said...

Coca Cola will be doing a Paralympic pin of the Day

Anonymous said...

Stirred up quite a hornets nest this topic, hasn't it? I wonder if it prompted Pins and Things to make some of these pins available yesterday. Seems odd they would stick 'more than 10' on eBay at £49.99 apiece and then offer them through their website at £15 retail several days later.

The London 2012 shop has been a bit lacking since the Olympics ended. I thought they'd have had a Paralympic torch relay pin for sale by now. The guys and girls doing the cauldrons seem to be sporting a nice blue coloured badge. I'm guessing that's for participants only.

Anonymous said...

can anyone tell me the website for pins and things please, thankyou.

Anonymous said...

The website is pinsandthings.com

Anonymous said...

Were there 3000 of the Venue Collection pins? I bought a number of them (Athletics, Boxing, Rowing, Road Cycling etc), but haven't been able to get any details from online. Where did you see the issue numbers? Cheers - John

noel 9 said...

Be fair Guys or should I say Anonymous, Paul of London Pins fame has done a lot of good over the last few years, Not only providing info of what is available and where you can get it... Also if it was not for his help MANY maybe ALL the Coke Traders inside the Olympic Park and Inside the Olympic Village would not have had an easy introduction to Frankie and the Coke Team. Remember He did all this himself, providing a Blog, a Bible of all things 2012 Pins related for everyone to use (free of charge) .... WITHOUT any payment or kick backs from anyone. He has been careful not to advertise one pin provider over another as being best or better.
Just think without Paul I would have never got to meet John from Honav.... and he meet me !!! I would have never fallen I love with the Glam Fairy... (well maybe that is an overstatement..... but Ann knows I love her !)

Also without Paul and his Blog I would have never got the chance to indulge the hidden poet in me. And that in its self has allowed me a chance to meet many wonderful traders from all over the counrty and the world. Many I got to meet in person during the Olympics.

Back to the subject.... PINS for PROFIT !

Retailers selling privately at inflated prices is wrong. Holding back stock, and informing customers it has sold out is wrong. Especially when by doing so puts collectors in a postion that they will pay higher prices to get a certain pin. Its called supply and demand .... but it is also called fiddling the figures and manipulating the market. Which is not just wrong .... this can be seen as A very illegal Practise TOO.

Anonymous said...

what time will the pins be available at on london 2012 website tomorrow?

Anonymous said...

I've asked this - for no answer to come back! Maybe the anons don't get a reply!

Anonymous said...

SOMEONE MUST KNOW - WHAT TIME ROUGHLY WILL THEY GO ON SALE ON LONDON 2012 WEBSITE? !!!!!!

Anonymous said...

From one anon to another...It's very hard to predict when things go on the 2012 shop. I've looked in the morning and then two hours later, it's been updated with new pins and they've sold out already. That happened to me with both the opening and closing ceremony pins for the Olympics. You just have to keep checking and keep your fingers crossed. Bit like the tickets for the events 😃

Anonymous said...

Oh, and don't just check the first page of pin badges. Check ALL of the pages. The tend to bury the good stuff on pages 2 and 3!

Anonymous said...

Thank you very very much. I appreciate it :) I will be on the ball tomorrow to get mine!

Anonymous said...

:(

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why they are doing such a limited run. Collectors don't just buy limited edition pins, they buy pins that they like, or which mean something to them or which are momentos of an event or moment in their life.

The sale of merchandise is a key element in funding the games. 5,000 x £15 is a lot less than 50,000 x £7

Kevin Moss said...

PIN NOW ON THE LONDON 2012 ONLINE SHOP, I just ordered mine do good luck everyone I hope I helped you before it was gone :)

Tim said...

REALLY nice Closing Ceremony pin also available NOW! Go, go, go!!!

Anonymous said...

All gone

Anonymous said...

I've just tried to order and it put me through the checkout procedure FIVE times, asking me to input card details over and over again. Now they haven't got any left. What is the point? Just what is the point? eBay again for me. Really, REALLY annoyed about this. The 2012 shop has put NO limit on purchase quantity. I only wanted ONE badge. I could swear but this is a respectable blog so I'll refrain. I wish I'd never started collecting these pins.

Why the heck are they selling the closing ceremony pin today?

Anonymous said...

I agree, I checked out 4 times, each time getting to the last page to input my credit card details and then it says i have to update my basket because the quantity isnt available. I also only wanted one of each and there are GREEDY people who buy 10 of each with no limit on purchases from the shop - very disappointing

Anonymous said...

Absolutely agree with Anonymous 11:36 - I've been waiting for these pins to go on sale since midnight and ot up early this morning to see if they were on the site yet.

Why no limit to the number people can buy? And as expected, people are flogging the closing ceremony pins on ebay aleady.

I'm so cross - what chance do regular collectors have when we can't even buy ONE PIN when up against greedy profiteering people?

:(

Dan said...

Agree I just had the same ...card details entered time after time to be told eventually out of stock ..I only wanted one of each and ended up with nothing...but I refuse to buy on eBay ....would rather sadly go without, than fuel the greed of eBay sellers..

Agree they should have limited the numbers allowed to purchase....

Anonymous said...

It's ridiculous. My girlfriend was in the Olympic Closing Ceremony and was desperate for just one pin to remind her of her amazing experience.

I couldn't get her one anywhere and there's no chance I'll be paying £50 for one off eBay. It's a shambles.

Anonymous said...

Why allow you to put in in your basket and checkout, if the item is not held for you until you put your credit card details in - even if they were to give you a 5 minute deadline to checkout.
And yes, should have limited to 3 per customer.

Anonymous said...

I was one of the lucky ones and sorry guys I did buy a few extras to flog on ebay....but I have spent so much over the past few weeks buying the ones I missed out on via ebay that I need to claw some of it back somehow.

Anonymous said...

If the Shop limited it to 2 per person, you cold buy one for you, one for a friend or one to sell and there would still be plenty to go round.
GREED GREED GREED

Anonymous said...

Buy it now on Ebay £80 for a closing pin - what a joke!
People who buy at these prices - when a week after the paralympics is over prices will fall.....remember the Olympics closing ceremony pins were going for £50? Now they are easily bought for £26 on ebay. In 6 months time you will probably get for a tenner.
I will bide my time, not buy in the heat of the moment from ebay at overinflated prices to fund other people's spending!

Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous 11:50 - so you bought extras to "flog on ebay" to claw back some of the money you've paid getting other pins on ebay. That makes you as bad as the other greedy ebay people who no doubt annoyed you when you weren't able to get the pins you wanted from the official shop.

Thanks for helping to exacerbate the problem for the rest of us who only wanted one pin for ourselves.

GREEDY GREEDY PEOPLE :(

Anonymous said...

Well I don't expect any outcome but I've emailed the official shop to let them know how much disappointment has been caused by them not limiting the number of pins people could buy and tell them they're already on ebay.

Anonymous said...

I had the same problem. I tried to order by phone and she took my order and card details but then the order wouldn't go through. I even tried another card just in case there was a problem with the fist (even though i knew it was very unlikely). In the end she just said she couldn't process it and to try again in about 30 mins. Now i realise the problem must have been that they sold out while i was placing my order before it was actually confirmed. What makes me really cross is hearing someone who bought 20 of each on another message board boasting about it and all the money they will make from them!.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully they will be available at the stadium tonight. I wanted to get one online just in case.

Anonymous said...

Just found out from a friend that works at the park that both pins will go on sale tonight before the opening ceremony.

Anonymous said...

I tried many times too to checkout and it wouldn't work - very frustrating!!! I actually rang the London shop up and the lady who answered said she didn't know what the problem was as she hadn't worked there long!! She suggested I try an hour later......great advice.

Does anyone know if Glamerous Living are getting any in today?

BevR said...

I only wanted one as my husband is taking part in the ceremony tonight. He is going to try at the Park shop but doesn't hold out much hope. He was in the Olympic Opening Ceremony and we lucked out there - ended up paying over the odds on ebay to get one, which I did as a surprise - he was so pleased but cross at what I'd paid. We don't collect, just simply wanted a couple as a reminder of what he had done this year. Very disappointing and unfair.

wookie said...

Both are now showing as available on the 2012 shop website

Anonymous said...

I've been looking all afternoon and many times ..and they've been out of stock since this mornings release..if they came on, they went off as quickly !

Anonymous said...

They are but when you click on the link for each badge it says out of stock.

Sleathy said...

Frustration in the extreme! Did anyone manage to get a closing ceremony ticket today? I am due to be going so really need to get some .... hopefully our Glam friends will come up trumps ...

Amanda said...

Hi,
I'm new to all this but have been reading all your comments with interest. I went to the closing ceremony and wanted to get the pin for that. I just missed out online (despite regularly checking the site). I also tried the shop at St Pancras but they were also sold out. I did hope to get one at the event itself but the queue for the shop was HUUUGE - and with no guarantee that the pin was available inside and we didn't have time to queue (our bus broke down on the way there....)
I then decided that I fancied getting the set of opening and closing pins for the olympics and paralympcs. I was keen to get a paralymics opening ceremony badge today (to trade - see below), like many of you, and had been regularly checking the site for the last few days. I had a meeting at work at 11am today - just when they went on sale! My dad did try to get one for me but he kept getting error messages. He ws very apologetic - he's not had his comuter long and thought he wasn't doing it right, so he was very reassured when I could relay your comments and tell him that he wasn't alone!
Again, thanks to your great information on here, I have actually already managed to get two spare paralympics opening ceremony pins from the "glam fairy" and also three "pin of the day" closing ceremony pins, from the same site. I was going to put these on ebay and use the profit to but the pin I actually wanted in the first place but now I'd be very keen to swap these instead. I would like the olympic opening and closing ceremony pins and the paralympic closing ceremony pin. I'm not sure if people do trades via this site but I have noted some comments about possible trades on here. I'm also going to the olympic park on Saturday to see some athletics so I hope the trading centres are still operating so I can see if I can make some trades there.
Thanks again for such great info - is encouraging to know I'm not the only one gettng frustrated with the shop and the greedy ebay sellers!

Anonymous said...

Opening Ceremony Paralympic now available on Pins and Things website!

Ike said...

There's a limited stock of Paralympics Opening Ceremony Pin Badges at the 'Our Greatest Team' shop just outside Westfield Stratford. It's 2 per customer. I'm not sure how long they'll last though. GoGoGo!!!

Anonymous said...

At the Olympic park, guy in front of me got 20 opening ceremony pins. I got two just in case I can't get a paralympic closingceremony pin then I can do a swap. One you get into the stadium bit they are limited to one per person. Does anyone know when the closing ones will be on sale asked in the shop and they said they are only being released on the day

Jukes said...

I was at the Opening ceremony this evening. They didn't have any badges at all at the shop buy the Orbit. It once I got over the access bridge and through the ticket barrier, the 2012 kiosks there had LOADS of opening badges. The one I went must have had at least 200 behind the counter and they weren't exactly flying of the shelves. I asked about the closing pin but they said they hadn't had any. I bought two so I could trade on in case I can't get a closing pin but they didn't seem to be limiting people on quantity.

Anonymous said...

ok, went to the opening ceremony last night and as I got there very early went to the 2012 megastore.
Asked staff where the opening pins were and could not believe how many they had.
The display was completely full! The young girl said they had a delivery of 2,000 of them that day in time for the ceremony.
I bought a few spares to TRADE ONLY as I still need the first opening ceremony pin and the paralympics closing pin if anyone can help?
The guy in front on me at the till spent £600 on 40 opening pins! They were priced at £15 each.
Within I would say 30mins they were almost all gone!
They will be selling the closing pin on the day of the ceremony at the shop and will have a very large stock also according the staff.

Anonymous said...

i got my opening ceremony pin but not a closing. didn't know they were available. is there another day they will come out or is that it :(

bobnevermind said...

Hi, I was at the stadium last night and got to the shop quickly. I purchased 5 pins even though people around me were getting 20. I only purchased extra to trade and not to sell at a profit. If anyone wants one of these and has either the Olympics Opening or Closing or Paralympics opening or Coca Coca ones I would be happy to swayp

Anonymous said...

Hi bobnevermind. I have a Coca Cola Opening Ceremony I would be happy to swap. E-mail me toojohnny@hotmail.com Cheers - John

Martin said...

Bob ...I have a are Paralympics Opening ceremony which I'd happily trade for a Paralympics Closing ceremony...if you are interested email me on ...ontheleveltiling.info@gmail.com

Many thanks

Martin

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Does anyone know if they doing a Paralympic- pin of the day set- if so does anyone know how to get hold of them?

Thanks

Jules said...

I hope not LOL! I've spent far too much already.

Anonymous said...

I wrote and complained to the 2012 shop and got a reply today. They said they were not aware of any problems with the ordering system. BS! They also said they received only a fraction of the pins that other outlets received and they all sold out within minutes. And they said there is nothing they can do about the high demand for these badges. I've just replied and said yes, there is something you can do. Limit the purchase quantity and take them off stock as soon as they go in the basket. Seems pretty straightforward to me...

Unknown said...

Hi. I also have a Paralympic open ceremony pin badge to trade for a open ceremony pin. If anyone is interested or has a similar badge they would like to trade. Let me know at golfb10@hotmail.co.uk. Thanks guys.

Niall said...

Hey guys,

I've put a message up on the forum, but here it is again:

After all the scrambling, I managed to grab this pin yesterday! It looks nice, but going by the pictures on this website, the *Olympic* opening ceremony pin looks far sexier than the Paralympic one (can you use that word to describe badges...?).

Anyway, please message me (and just to be safe, use my email too at tgim@hotmail.co.uk) if anyone is interested in trading your *Olympic* opening pin for my *Paralympic* opening pin.

Many thanks,

Niall

Andy G said...

Hi I am really interested in getting an Olympic Opening ceremony badge and am willing to swap either an opening or closing ceremony Paralympic pin badge. If anyone wants to swap to allow me to complete my set please email pins@xtremevortex.co.uk. Many thanks.

Anonymous said...

I'm also looking at swapping an opening Paralympic pin for an Olympic closing ceremony pin if anyone is interested.

Anonymous said...

And we have a true idiot eBay seller. Someone is asking £300 BIN for the Paralympic opening pin. Doh!

Drew said...

Hi got a opening ceremony pin badge from the Paralympics in packaging if anyone wants to trade my email is drewjames10@hotmail.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Hey guys I've brought loads to sell on eBay it's great I'm making so much money yes!

Anonymous said...

Hello! I'm looking for a Paralympic Closing Ceremony pin and I have a Olympic Closing Ceremony pin to swap. Please e-mail hlphuar@gmail.com if you are interested in this swap. Thanks a lot! :)

The dreg said...

I've got loads of money from eBay Paralympics opening ceremony pins I've brought about 20 of them and I don't even collect pins #easy money

Anonymous said...

Hi, I performed at the Olympic Opening (OOC), however, I have only got a Paralympic (POC) pin. If anyone have got any OOC for trading, would you please let me know elmokuang@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

The tax man is watching ebay HMRC guidelines to all those who think its ok to buy and flog on pin badges purposely to make a profit you then become a trader and not a private seller. The taxman will come after you and you will be caught. So I wouldn't be too gleeful to the ones rubbing your hands together thinking your making lots of money unless you've declared your extra income then nothing to worry about.

Anonymous said...

Hello everyone, I have a para opening pin and a para closing pin. I am willing to trade them both in return for an Olympic opening pin or a day 1 of the games opening pin
My email is bradprice14@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested. Many thanks
Brad

Meg said...

Anonymous @9:58 your just unhappy because you ain't got any pin badges well better luck next olympics

Anonymous said...

To the guy giving out warnings to the people just trying to make some money on Ebay: Do you not think that everyone 'scalps' everyone? When you go to your nice shopping centre, are you not paying a seriously inflated price to pay the staffs wages, and the rip-off rents charged by the landlords? Cloud Cuckoo Land my friend.

If I get a knock from the taxman, and he wants to take some cash - for which I've sweated blood - then he can treat me as self-employed. Then I will be able to claim for every expense under the sun. I will want my travel re-imbursed (where I travelled to London more than once to buy stock) and I will be entitled to 'employ' my wife, as it was her packing all the enevelopes.

And surely I can take all the previous losses into account?

On balance, I think they will owe me money.

Unless you're a tax expert of course?

J

Meg said...

Thank you

Anonymous said...

No problem Meg. I agree with you. It's just jealousy. I have picked up a lot of the rarer pins - but I've really had to go out of my way to do it. I have 25 Para OC pins, and NONE were bought either at the park, or online. I did my homework and bought from 4 different sources. Even if someone made a £1000 net profit, how much could the taxman take? I'm not self employed, but I know many claim and fiddle for everything. They can't just tax you willy nilly. With that would come a status that allowed people to claim back. I'll have £85 of travel, and 2 half days off work (which technically cost me money)

If there are any tax experts, rather than just bitter individuals, I'd be keen to hear how much and what I can claim back.

J

bobnevermind said...

Yes, I am a tax expert. Selling items for profit comes under Capital Gains Tax. It has nothing to do with being self employed.

Capital Gain has a £10600 per year allowance, so you would have to sell a lot to have to pay tax.

The only other way would be if you are selling lots of these then the HMRC could class this as being a trade.

So selling the old thing on ebay for profit would not really make any difference to most people.

Anonymous said...

Well if they class it as a trade, then surely that would come under 'self-employed', or if it's under cgt, then it's well within the limits anyway.

So in essence a moot point, but a handy bit of melodrama for certain people. Hopefully they'll stop going on about it now!

Cheers 'Bob'

Anonymous said...

And anyway, if that was your job 9-5 then it would be exactly that - self employed!

But most people only do it on top of their usual jobs, and I'm a johnny-come-lately when it comes to pin selling anyway. I'll be done when the Olympics is over!

It would be great to be worried about exceeding my cgt allowance, but it's just not going to happen!

And even if it did, they have to take previous losses into account.

I must be an expert too.

Anonymous said...

I have a Paralympic opening ceremony pin to swap for an Olympic opening or closing ceremony pin badge, email tonyintheocean@hotmail.co.uk

Anonymous said...

if anybody has an opening ceremony pin badge from the olympics, I am willing to trade a paralympic opening and a paralympic closing pin badge for it.
email me at bradprice14@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested.
many thanks

Anonymous said...

if anybody has an opening ceremony pin badge from the olympics, I am willing to trade a paralympic opening and a paralympic closing pin badge for it.
email me at bradprice14@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested.
many thanks

t.c. said...

paralympic opening ceremony pin back on sale at Glamorous living....good luck !

Anonymous said...

Hi if anyone can get me a wheelchair rugby and road cycling from the new Paralympic venue range that cost £5 each I will be more then happy to exchange an opening ceremony Paralympic badge, let me know if interested and I will send you my e mail

KD said...

Hi. My comment is on a slightly different note. I have bought the badge from a licensed online retailer but one of the pins I bought to trade is a bit defective. It doesn't have full glitter coverage on the bit that says "opening ceremony" and while you can see the number "29", it isn't "raised" the way the other text is. I've not had any pins like this from Honav before which I've found to be really good quality and wondered if anyone had encounted any other such pins?

Anonymous said...

I also noticed that there wasn't full glitter below 'opening ceremony' These were on the pins that arrived from Pins & Things especially. I had a trade box from another source and they seem fine. I'm sure there is nothing in it - unless anyone else could spot a similar pattern? For something to be fake, they'd had to be rushed out pretty quick wouldn't they?

Also fakes (with anything) are usually more noticeable than this. We are talking a tiny bit - which I can sort of understand below the writing in such a small area. Apart from a couple of pinheads worth missing, the rest of the badge seems fine, and I would say they were genuine.

bobnevermind said...

Hi, I am going to the stadium on the day of the closing ceremony, so I can get any pins that people want.

Amanda said...

Hi,

I have been trying to get an Olympics closing ceremony badge, as I attended the closing ceremony. I got a bit carried away with my e-bay bidding and accidentally bought three at the weekend...! Does anyone have an Olympics opening ceremony badge that they would like to swap for one of my spares?
I also have a day 17, days of the games, closing ceremony badge and paralympic opening and closing ceremony badges, if anyone would like any of those in exchange for the Olynpics opening ceremony pin (I'd like it on the original card, if possible please).
If interested, please email me on amanda_prest@btinternet.com

skowrop said...

Does anyone could buy me pin with wheelchair basketball? I do not have tickets...

Dan said...

Glamorous living have a limited stock of both opening and closing paralympic pins available right now

Anonymous said...

For those of you gloating about making a pretty penny on eBay. If you making that much money you think you would be off spending it rather than purposely making people mad and upset on here. Always though that people that do that must be seriously lacking in there own lives.

Anonymous said...

To anon 10:22 pm

Do you think everyone on here is some sort of angel then? Even the long-standing regulars?

There is all sorts of one-upmanship that goes on. When someone says "Do anyone know where I can get one of those?" someone usually pipes in with "oh, I was lucky enough to get one" with a certain sense of smugness.

Or people that want to do a trade, and then back out at the last minute citing some really really lame reason.

The dog ate the pin.

The reason really was almost as sad as that.

If anyone is looking to get all 2000 pins, then it could be said you have more money than sense - and to paraphrase you "must have something lacking in their lives"

Next time you go shopping, tell the shop that you will only pay the cost price for everything, as you can't abide people making money.

If people want to pay inflated prices on Ebay, that is up to them. No one is forcing them.

And if the people that fanatically want to get all 2012 have that much money, then they can surely spend some on Ebay. Or do you want Honav to deliver them on a plate?

I've had some of the rarities (which I've been selling) but boy have I had to run around to get them.

I asked about a particular pin on here. And you get a reply from someone saying they'll trade it for everything under the sun.

The salt of the Earth on here.

Just wanted to make a few things clear to you.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now.

I'll pop on tomorrow to see who's moaning about the latest employee only pin that they can't grab hold of, or who is boasting that they have a pin that everyone else doesn't.

Anonymous said...

Take a look at Chalk Hills posts if you want to see greedy in action. "I will listen to offers"

As long as they are very bloated ones....

Anonymous said...

Wow if you were lucky and very quick, you could just have picked up 3 olympics opening ceremony pins for TEN POUNDS ont the London 2012 official shop website... Wow

Dan said...

Re post above.....thats incorrect ...they had a very small supply at weekend but since then have sold out..hence the reason sold out is plastered across the image and has been for 3 days...

Anonymous said...

Oh yes dan, I didn't mean you were still able to do it. I was just surprised to see it there. I mean I looked on eBay and they are now selling at 115 pounds so I think it's funny that someone bought them for just over three pounds.

Dan said...

Anyone who pays 115 for a pin badge either has money to burn or is totally deluded ...the psychy is totally wrong and people have been duped...

Both the opening and closing pins were limited to 10k circulation..yet you can get a closing pin for c£30 yet pay £115 for opening?? ...one isnt rarer than the other ...just herd mentality and sadly mug punters believing the hype written on ebay...

..to think you could buy the full 18 pin of the day set for £145...puts it into perspective

..if anything the paralympic ones are the ones to buy as only 5k of each were produced so rarer than the olympic ones ......

Anonymous said...

I note that Pins & Things are out of stock of both the paralympics opening and closing pins priced at £15 on their official site...but have them readily available at £25 plus £4 postage on Amazon .....tut tut