It's easy to forget sometimes, but many things aren't made by machines! Enamel pins are one of those things.

Enamel pins are made by hand, individually painted and individually polished. Due to this process, no two pins are alike and 'perfection' is very rare.

I will always do my best to send out the best pins available. If there is a major issue, please contact me and I will do my best to help.

Collector Grade Pins

I save Collector Grade (aka "perfect") Pins for people who curate their collections. These pins are the cream of the crop of the run. We rarely find more than 5 pins per 100 that we would consider "Perfect". These pins are the finest pins available, displaying proper fill, metal finish and no noticable flaws. These pins are best for collector's who seek the best display pieces that will not be handled or worn often.

Due to the extreme rarity of Collector Grade pins, they're priced at a premium so they can be reserved for the most dedicated Sushi Tomodachi collectors.

After the grading process has been completed, any perfect pins, if found, will be framed, numbered and signed by the artist, including the batch number.

Collector Grade pins are only available if the product listing displays the "Grade" drop down.

A Grade (Standard) Pins

These are the pins you recieve when you place an order for a specific pin from the website, or pick out pins when visiting the Sushi Tomodachi Sushi Bar in person at an event or convention.

These pins are high quality and are close to perfection, but may still exhibit some very minor imperfections. Any flaw not immediately noticable from 18" away is considered acceptable, and these flaws can include but are not limited to:

Superficial marks or scratches on metal or enamel surface.
Superficial specks, dots, or bubbles on enamel.
Slightly low or uneven fills.
Imperfections on the back or side of pin.
Slight darker flecks of glitter and/or small specks of stray glitter (on glitter pins).
Slightly misaligned screen-printing if screen-printing processes are used.
Small 'cut' areas where metal is not entirely removed from inside.
Very small contaminants only visible upon very close inspection.
Very, very small areas of missing fill (less than 1% of the design).
Slightly crooked but still firmly attached posts.
Other superficial imperfections that are only visible upon very close-up inspection and/or from looking at the pin under certain lighting or from a specific angle.

When we say "not immediately noticable", we quantify this by asking someone unaware of the flaw to look at the pin, and they must be able to see it on their own, without it being pointed out within 5 seconds or less.

Standard Pins may exhibit some flaws that are only visible under magnification. This means that if you take a photo with your phone, size of the pin on your screen must be the same size as the pin in real life. If a flaw requires zooming in or taking macro photos to show, it is considered minor enough to be considered acceptable by our standards.

Please feel free to attempt to repair minor imperfections as you desire, however I cannot accept returns or exchanges for failed attempted repairs.

B Grade (Seconds) Pins

These are pins that have minor flaws that we consider acceptable for collectors who wear their pins on bags unprotected. People who accept the risk of scratches, damage or loss when wearing pins can wear B-grades, and many of our collectors even seek out Perfects or A Grades to display at home while owning a second B-Grade to designate for wearing.

We set aside 30% of every run for Mystery Boxes and we fill this quota using B-Grade Pins first, only adding Standard Pins if needed to reach our goal of 30%. This means there is always a chance that one or more pins inside a Mystery Box are considered Seconds by our standards. We do not fulfill online orders for specific pins or stock the booth at conventions with B-Grade Pins.

B Grade pins have one or multiple defects exhibited below:

Noticeable smudges and/or staining on the metal or enamel surface.
Minor oxidization marks on the metal.
Larger contaminants immediately visible without close inspection.
Noticeable and/or deep scratches that span across the metal and/or enamel.
Very low fills in larger or visually important areas.
Very crooked but still firmly attached posts.
Missing or incorrect enamel in very small design areas

Special Pins

Special pins are pins that are, by definition, B-Grade, but the flaw on the pin is particularly unique in a way that gives the pin more character. These pins are often set aside and offered for sale to Tasting Room Members first, VIPs second, and the general public last if not purchased.

Special pins may have the following defects:

Incorrect fill color (unique to this pin specifically, such as a pin with unintentional heterochromia)
"Markings" that were not part of the original artwork and that are not reflected in the rest of the production.
Missing or extra screenprinting

Failed Pins

Fail pins are not distributed whatsoever, and are not even given away for free to uphold our product standards.

Fail pins have one or multiple defects exhibited below:

Damaged/missing enamel
Broken pieces
Loose or Missing posts
Massive contaminants immediately visible

If you receive a Fail pin that was misgraded, we are happy to replace the pin at no cost. Just reach out with photo proof of the issue and we'll add a replacement to your next order.

Returns & Exchanges

I offer returns or exchanges, however you must pay for all shipping & handling charges required to return and re-ship any pin.

I can exchange any pin purchased in-person only at the time of purchase. Exchanges after purchase are considered on a case-by-case basis, and are not guaranteed.

Online orders may be exchanged at events with advance notice only. I need advance notice to ensure that I can bring a replacement.