4 Places to Buy Discontinued Girl Scout Badges and Pins

Finding discontinued Girl Scout badges and pins is a relatively easy task when you know where to look. Here are four places to help you on your search.

Updated January 2022

*This post contains affiliate links.

In my last blog post, I shared with you four reasons why your troop can still earn retired Girl Scout badges. In sum, the reasons are:

1. A larger variety of badges from which to choose
2. More options are available within each badge
3. More basic life skills are taught
4. Retired badges teach history (without needing a history book)

As far back as 2013, I wrote blog posts about how to find discontinued Girl Scout badges. At that time, when the Girl Scouts of the USA announced that the badge program as leaders had known it was now being replaced, Council shops began slashing prices on the old badges. They were as little as 25 cents a badge! I remember going over the list of badges my girls wanted to earn and searching for these in the various shops that leaders shared were selling them. For a quarter, I bought them all!

As the years passed, finding retired Girl Scout cookie pins has been a challenge as well. Stores only bought so many, and when they were out, leaders had to buy them online at the GSUSA online shop if they still carried them.

While you can no longer find discontinued Girl Scout badges for a quarter, you can find them online for as little as $1.00 each. That is 2/3 less than the badges sold at the Girl Scout Shop! Cookie pins will cost more money, and I have heard complaints about this. I will get into more detail about the cost.

Here are the places to start your search.

Check eBay For Discontinued Girl Scout Badges and Pins

If you are on the hunt for an individual retired Girl Scout badge or pin, eBay is one of the first places to look. There are sellers who have them in their shops for a reasonable price plus shipping. Many of them will take offers as well.

I know when I shop on eBay, I sometimes will ask a seller about shipping costs. Not everything needs to be shipped Priority Mail when a padded First Class mailer will do. I have had much success with this, especially with lighter items.

One tip for searching is to narrow it down. You can look for “retired Girl Scout Junior badges” and only those will pop up. Sometimes sellers have one and other times you may luck out with a larger quantity.

In this blog post, I shared the ins and out of buying and selling retired Girl Scout badges on eBay. eBay penalizes sellers who do not track a shipment, so sending with a stamp, while cheaper, is not the way most sellers choose to do business. If you are looking for multiple single badges, then a seller can combine shipping and that reduces your cost. Badges are light in weight so this can be done easily.

Retired Girl Scout pins are plentiful on eBay as well. This item must be shipped in a First Class padded mailer, as it will not lie flat and it can be crushed is being placed in a regular sized envelope. Again, all this needs is a First Class padded mailer.

Check out My Etsy Store, Simply Scouts

For years I have bought, collected, traded and sold retired Girl Scout badges and pins. This year, I opened my Etsy Store, Simply Scouts. You can buy badges, pins and other Girl Scout items that I find along the way. Inventory is added weekly, so follow me and find out what is new.

Search Facebook Groups for Discontinued Girl Scout Badges and Pins

There are many different Buy and Sell Girl Scout Facebook groups. Not only will you find badges, you will find cookie rewards, uniforms, vintage items, and handmade items as well. I enjoy those crafty leader entrepreneurs and girls! They raise funds for their troops or for their daughter’s higher awards.

If you are interested in joining, this blog post has a list of them.

Once you join, write a post and let the others know what you are in search of. This is particularly helpful when you are looking for a larger quantity for your troop. Let’s say you are looking for the retired Girl Scout Brownie Manners Brownie Try It. You can ask in several groups to get the quantity you need-your bang for your buck!

Search Mercari for Discontinued Girl Scout Badges and Pins

Another online site to buy Girl Scout items is Mercari. Unlike eBay, it is not a place for auctions. If you see an item you want, you can make an offer to the seller the s/he can accept or decline. The selection is growing and has many retired items.

If you have decided to earn discontinued Girl Scout badges and pins, there are 12 different places to look for the requirements. You can find those places here in the next blog post.

Is your troop earning retired badges? If so, where have you found retired Girl Scout badges and pins for your troop?