FAQ & Policies

Click on a topic to jump to the info.

PIN SALES & PRESALES
PAYMENT
SHIPPING
PIN PRODUCTION
PIN GRADES
PIN QUANTITIES
SHARING FT/ISOs
IS THIS PIN IN PRODUCTION / AVAILABLE / SOLD OUT?
DO YOU TRADE YOUR PINS?
CAN I ASK FOR BUSINESS ADVICE?
PIN BOARD RESERVATION INFO


PIN SALES

All pins (both presale and in-hand) are sold in my Shopify store. Sales are scheduled and announced ahead of time. If you do not see an announcement, I do not yet have date/time/specs/price info to share, so please wait.

It is not possible to reserve or pay for a pin beforehand, nor will I hold pins for you to pay late. Pins are made available at the announced time only. If an in-hand sale with a per-person limit does not sell out the day of its release, you are welcome to purchase a second one later on. If you are found attempting to "flip" (resell for profit) an item you've purchased from me before I have shipped it to you, your order will be canceled.

If you miss an in-hand item and it is now indicated as sold out, please tag me in an ISO (“in search of”) story on Instagram and I can share it. Once a pin (or a grade of a pin) says sold out, it is sold out. Please note that I cannot reshare your stories if your account is set to private.

Key points about PRESALE: Payments are due by the date specified on IG.  Two instances of failure to pay and/or backouts (such as deleting claims) will result in a 3-month ineligibility for PinsOnMain presales (any second ban is permanent). If you are waitlisted for a presale spot and then contacted about it, you have 24 hours to respond. Presales must be purchased individually, and separately from in-hand items as I am not able to do holds. The necessary shipping will be invoiced separately if you check out with two separate presale designs in one order, as they cannot be guaranteed to both be ready for fulfillment at the same time. Reselling of presale pins/spots is prohibited (and repeated violation of this rule may result in being blocked). Presale payments are not refundable, as the payments are immediately forwarded to the factory to fund production. Production takes several months and exact length of time cannot be predicted. The physical pin will differ in appearance from the 2D art proof, especially if effects like translucent enamel are included. Presalers will be sent A Grades first, then B Grades if supplies run out, in order of payment received. If you are not comfortable with any of these factors, please wait for the in-hand extras sale.

Presale only address changes: If your address changes after purchasing a presale with me, please send me your updated info as soon as possible. It’s not necessary to wait until the pin has finished production. When I email the group that the pins are in transit to me, that is effectively “last call” to reach out to me about an address change. If a package is already on its way to you with an address that is old, you will need to promptly sign up for mail forwarding or request USPS Package Intercept which is a paid service.

 

PAYMENT

My shop accepts all cards for payment. Pay in 4 and PayPal are not accepted, but Paypal Cash Card or PayPal Mastercard are. Optionally, Shop Pay can securely store your shipping and payment information for quicker checkout. Refunds will be minus the credit card processing fee except in cases of cancelling presale production. Please enter into all purchases thoughtfully, as refunds are only granted for specific extenuating circumstances which do not include buyer remorse. I do not accept payments past their stated deadlines (for presales, pin board invoices, etc).

 

SHIPPING

Shipping is by USPS (and UPS for some international destinations only), and increases based on estimated weight. 

All international orders will have the accurate value indicated on the customs label. Buyers will be responsible upon delivery for any VAT charges. 

Orders ship promptly, no holds please (meaning: orders cannot be held to be shipped later or combined with another order you intend to place at a later date, and as such, in-hand items may not be purchased in the same cart as a presale, as I cannot hold the in-hand portion of the order aside for an extended time). Only items purchased together will ship together. (Multiple presales cannot be combined into one order, as multiple designs cannot be guaranteed to be ready for fulfillment at the same time. When this is not followed, the additional shipping will be invoiced to you when the second design is completed.)

Address changes are not accepted after ordering for in-hand purchases (only presales), so please be sure you enter your address correctly at checkout. If a package is already on its way to you with an address that was not entered correctly at checkout, you’ll need to request USPS Package Intercept, which is a paid service. 

If a package is returned to me because you did not pick it up from your post office within the window of time that they hold items, a new shipping invoice will need to be generated and paid so that I can ship it to you again.

Missing/undelivered orders: If a package gets lost during transit and I have more of that item available, I can file an insurance claim and send you another pin after the refund is processed to me. If I do not have more of that item available, the resolution will be for you to file the claim and be refunded. For domestic U.S. orders, the USPS deadline to file a claim is 60 days after the mailing date for Ground Advantage and Priority (365 days for APO/FPO), so you must contact me before that time frame passes or I cannot help with a resolution. For international orders, a claim cannot be filed until 40 days after the shipping date. Claims cannot be filed for orders where the tracking says "delivered".

 

PIN PRODUCTION

Pin production takes several months (most often 3-5 months) and time can vary greatly depending on design complexity and which manufacturer is producing it. Additionally, there will always be some variation between the art for a pin and the look of the final physical product. Some effects cannot be accurately displayed in the proof, and some color variation will always occur due to the custom nature of the enamel paint.

Current production updates are visible in the “Current Status” story highlight on Instagram, and the Trello board.

 

PIN GRADES

I have a fairly strict grading policy, but please keep in mind that all pins are made by hand. PinsOnMain pins are quality checked in natural daylight. Examining an enamel pin (even an A Grade) up close under a bright light will reveal fine lines and other minor variations and imperfections that are an expected feature of their production processes and should not be considered "flaws".

A GRADE: The fewest/most minor variations. Any imperfections will be visible only on close inspection.

B GRADE: Includes flaws which are small but identifiable at normal view.

C GRADE: Multiple or larger and/or more easily noticeable flaws of any kind. Will not include significantly flawed or missing details that detract from overall appearance, such as large issues with character faces.

Normal imperfections generally include pin pricks, light scratches/scuffs, minor texture/inconsistency in metal plating surfaces, stray glitter flecks, and minor flaws to screenprint such as incomplete paint transfer or smudging.

NOTE: Pins not composed of colored hard enamel (e.g. metal-only 3D molded pins, clear or stained glass pins, etc) are not subject to the types of flaws listed above, and as such they will simply be graded as either Standard or Minor Flawed.

The back side of pins are not graded. Loose pin posts are not a flaw. Pins lower than C Grade are either sold as magnets or disposed of. I cannot provide individual photos of available pins or allow you to choose your specific piece. Please use this grading system as a reference and choose the grade you are comfortable with accordingly.

 

PIN QUANTITIES

All pins made pre-2021 were sold as a single batch/release only, other than occasional "open edition" small pins which were restocked multiple times.

From 2024 onward, pin restock is possible if there turns out to be a very high demand, but this is very infrequent and not guaranteed, so please do not assume that more of any pin will be made later.

 

SHARING FT/ISOs

Your Instagram account must be public for me to be able to share stories you tag me in. Please tag @pinsonmain.iso

I reshare ISOs for anything I no longer have available myself. You're welcome to use my photos. If you wish to use my customers' photos, please comment or DM them to ask their permission.

I reshare FT and FS with the following conditions: The pin must be in your possession and the photo must be of your individual pin and not my stock photo. Please note I will not share FS if I still have the pin for sale myself, if you only accept unprotected payment (such as PayPal FF or the like) and/or if it is encouraging an inflated price (auctions/offers).

 

IS THIS PIN IN PRODUCTION / AVAILABLE / SOLD OUT?

Available/sold out status: Pins that have been posted for in-hand sale already and are therefore either available or already sold out are indicated in the caption of that pin's post on IG, and in the Pin Library page of my Shopify.

In production status: Pins that are in production are indicated in my “Current Status” story highlight on IG, and on my Trello.

 

DO YOU TRADE YOUR PINS?

Yes. I only trade my pins for my specifically posted ISOs (please find this on IG).

 

CAN I ASK FOR BUSINESS ADVICE?

I ask that you respect the huge amount of time and money that was invested in establishing myself, and understand that I will not share my manufacturer contacts and processes. It's important to know that not everyone's circumstances or experiences are the same, so what may be working for me may not work for another and vice versa. I am happy however to discuss more general topics/advice, when and where my work hours permit it.

 

PIN BOARD RESERVATION INFO

Frames are sourced from thrift, consignment, and secondhand sellers and as such, are subject to minor flaws/wear. Frames sourced from vintage/antique sellers are labeled as such and priced accordingly. They will generally have a greater amount of visible wear than the thrifted frames, and have been chosen for their aesthetics despite such wear.

Initial checkout is free. This step is to reserve your frames. You must include your IG name in the cart notes. You may also note preferred fabric color if you have an idea in mind.

I will then DM you to confirm fabric colors and shipping method before invoicing you. If there is a backlog of orders, you may not be contacted immediately, but your reservation will remain held.

Payment is due within 72 hours of final invoice being sent, or the reserved frames will be returned to available inventory. If ordering multiple frames, please do so in the same order to avoid delays / incurring multiple shipping fees, as requests are processed in the order they are received.

Please DO NOT reserve any frames that you don’t intend to purchase, as backouts or nonpayments will exclude you from future participation in reservations.

Please note that shipping costs vary, and the estimates shown are only approximations. Exact costs will vary especially with orders of heavier frames or multiple frames.