Pin collecting

[earthfairy]

Hi! Any tips for first time Disney pin collectors? We are going to WDW in November and I wanted to buy myself and my daughter starter sets. Should we wait until we get there to buy them or buy them online before we go? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! TIA!

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[Tinkerbellfan25]

buy a set online its cheaper, but just make sure its an authentic disney pins. some people have fake ones out there

 

[Ginny Favers]

Be prepared for your daughter to NOT want to trade. Mine loved her pins so much that she refused to part with any of them. So we leave the pins at home and just collect news ones during every trip.

I also recommend buying online, but love getting a new pin to commemorate every trip.

 

[trying2photo]

You might check at the Disney Outlet Stores. We found a great deal on the starter sets. And like the PP stated, my daughter wanted to keep them, so we bought 2 starter sets. She can keep one set, then use the others to trade.

 

[earthfairy]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I'll check online before our trip. I like the idea of 2 sets, 'cause I have a feeling my DD won't want to trade either!

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[ChitownFamily]

buy a set online its cheaper, but just make sure its an authentic disney pins. some people have fake ones out there

We bought a "lot" of 25 pins online. We sorted them ahead of time, leaving favorites at home. Each of my kids chose a theme- my DS was mickey, my DD was pink & purple pins (i think- that's at least how it ended up)
i pin trade as well. BUT i also buy commemorative pins while in DW. (I really need to start saving myself some money & buy the commemorative trip pins on Ebay once i'm home.
the commemorative pins- special rides, experiences & a dated pin.

Once home, i place the pins in shadow boxes

 

[Thebubba2000]

I recommend getting your starter pin set at in the parks.
Best place to get your pin starter set is at Downtown Disney.

 

[earthfairy]

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

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[seagodess]

We bought a "lot" of 25 pins online. We sorted them ahead of time, leaving favorites at home. Each of my kids chose a theme- my DS was mickey, my DD was pink & purple pins (i think- that's at least how it ended up)
i pin trade as well. BUT i also buy commemorative pins while in DW. (I really need to start saving myself some money & buy the commemorative trip pins on Ebay once i'm home.
the commemorative pins- special rides, experiences & a dated pin.

Once home, i place the pins in shadow boxes

We also bought from ebay. We got 50 of them for $40. I haven't inspected all of them yet, but from what I can see no scrappers.

 

[EeyoreME]

Silly question... But how do you go about pin trading and with whom? I've been to disney a number of times but never thought of doing this?

 

[seagodess]

Silly question... But how do you go about pin trading and with whom? I've been to disney a number of times but never thought of doing this?

From my understanding (my next trip will be the first time doing it), all cast members have a lanyard with pin's. You ask to look at their pins and if they have one you want, to trade one of yours for it. From what I've heard is that the only time they dont have to trade is if they already have what you want to give them, or your's is a fake.

 

[beck02]

We're going to try pin trading this time. Only certain CM have a lanyard to do pin trading--they have to want to do it, basically. And it can't interfer with their regular job, so no ride attendents, etc, or if a sales clerk is ringing up a sale, you should wait until that's finished. I can't remember which, but some lanyards (by color) signal that they will ONLY trade with kids. There's also a trading station or two in the parks.

I'd recommend buying them beforehand. The ones at the parks can get VERY expensive, and part of the fun is finding & trading for ones you want.

You can only do 2 trades with the same cast member, per day (there's hundreds of cast members, so I don't see this as any sort of problem!). And they cannot trade if they already have the pin you're trying to trade them, or if it's not a valid disney pin.

 

[DanielsMom]

Pin trading is great fun for kids. My son has done it on two trips at age 10 and 12.

A majority of CMs will have either a lanyard around their necks or something that looks like a small black hanging from their belt displaying pins that they trade. All a child (or an adult) needs to do is approach the CM and politely ask if they would like to trade pins. They are always willing to trade.

We got our starter pins from ebay and only put ones on the lanyard that my son was willing to trade. Each night he would review the pins that he had traded for during the day and decide which ones were "keepers".

Good luck. It is a great thing for any child to do.

 

[LJONES1102]

I was going to let my 3 year trade with cast members this upcoming trip, but maybe that is too young. Does anyone have experience with young kids pin trading?

 

[gwilliamc]

I was going to let my 3 year trade with cast members this upcoming trip, but maybe that is too young. Does anyone have experience with young kids pin trading?

My 2 year old began trading when she was 8 months old. I give her two or three pins and she just continues to trade those three. She thinks she is a big girl and I know it's good practice. The last trip (this June) was the first trip she would trade and want to keep her trade because it was "special" to her. So even though we may already have the pin she traded for I made sure we put those pins in her keep pile she has better pin trading manners than my 6 and 8 year old.