How does pin trading work?

[RxforDisney]

I think my DD(6) would really enjoy pin trading. I thought about buying a few to get started with, but I know she will want to keep her favorites. So, how does that work. Can someone take any pin from you when you trade, or are there "off limits" pins?

[SLEEPING BELLE]

I am also interested in knowing this, thansk :)

[Aliceacc]

I ordered a grab bag of 25 pins for about $50 at www.mousepinsonline.com

This should get you started:http://www.wdwinsiders.com/view_article.php?articleid=23

[Donald is #1]

My first recommendation would be to let your daughter only trade with cast members. When trading with cast members, your daughter will decide which pin she wants to trade for. Also the cast members with green lanyards will only trade with children. Another tip (this confused me at first) is that not all cast members who trade pins wear a laynard. Sometimes they wear a pin board from their belt, etc.

Also, since you are new to trading, I would recommend avoiding the professional traders at Epcot and at DTD. They set up at the tables near the pin stations and I have heard some reports that some of them will either trade one of their common pins for one of your expensive/rare pins or will ask the person to buy them a limited edition pin at the pin station for a common pin. That bit over, please don't get turned off. Trading is a lot of fun. just stick to the CMs.

[SLEEPING BELLE]

how do you tell if pins are rare/retired? lol... i haven't heard of collecting pins until today!

[MommyBuzz909]

I got my first 2 pins in the mail today - do I need to get a lanyard? Should I buy some more and then wait to trade or what??

[Aliceacc]

I'm not planning on getting lanyards; it will be August and too hot to have anything around the kids' necks.

I'm thinking of getting a piece of felt or something they can put the pins on, and having them keep it in their fanny packs. I have 27 pins and 3 kids; I figure they can leave some pins back at the resort (say bring 4 or 5 per day to trade) and it should work out OK.

[Sacha_L]

My ds (6) LOVED pin trading last year, I think buying some pins ahead of time is a great idea, because we did not and easily spent $100 on his new addiction! We only traded with cast members and I have to say every single one of them was fantastic to him. Its hard for little boys to make up their minds sometime but as soon as he approached any of them from a soda boy to an exec walking down the street they stoped, talked to him and never rushed him. It was one of the best parts of our trip. Have Fun!

[SoonipiLady]

My ds (6) LOVED pin trading last year, I think buying some pins ahead of time is a great idea, because we did not and easily spent $100 on his new addiction! We only traded with cast members and I have to say every single one of them was fantastic to him. Its hard for little boys to make up their minds sometime but as soon as he approached any of them from a soda boy to an exec walking down the street they stoped, talked to him and never rushed him. It was one of the best parts of our trip. Have Fun!

I bought a bunch of pins for DD(11) and DS(6-will be 7 when we go). I was a bit worried about the way my DS would deal with it, as he also can be a little slow to makde up his mind when having lots of choices. It's good to hear that the CM's are good about that!

[t_catt11]

When trading with cast members, they don't just pick anything to take from you. Instead, if you see one of their pins that you'd like, you simply ask them to trade, and offer them ANY pin which they currently do not own. Provided you are offering a legitimate Disney pin in trade, they will always accept it.

A primer to pin trading can be found here:

http://www.wdwinsiders.com/view_article.php?articleid=23

If yo have any questions, feel free to post them here or to PM me. I love pin trading, and would love to help!

[RxforDisney]

Thanks to all. I have read some of the info on the links provided. That helped alot. Good to know that the cast members are patient, as boys are not the only ones that cannot make up there mind when they are 6 years old. My daughter has the same problem.;)

[t_catt11]

While Disney encourages pin trading for guests of any age, they are indeed quite patient with younger ones. Have no fear, it's a no-pressure, fun activity.

[3mickeymom]

My 10 yr old son decided that he wanted to do pin trading on our vacation last summer. I was not as informed about pin trading as you are(learning from all the smart people on the boards) It was quite an investment -the lanyard, pins that he wanted(like a Mickey Yankee pin), pins that he would trade that he bought in a set. Also, it took some time looking at pins to buy, BIG decisions on which pin he wanted to part with, time having conversations about the regret he had when he traded a pin that he should have kept--OH BOY!!! SO ANYWAY, we decided that the pins are a really cool thing, especially since you can surely find one that suits your personality and favorites. BUT, we will not trade them. We will keep them and stick them on his Disney Baseball Cap that he keeps on his shelf as momentos of our trips to Disney. The trading part was not for us and took up way too much time while the rest of our group(there were 7 of us) waited. Also, some cast members were very nice and helpful, while others didn't say a word and just held out their pins for us to see. If I was more informed, I probably would have had a better idea of what to expect.