Whether you are new to pin trading or have been trading since the last century, there is always something to be learned about this fun and exciting hobby for Disney fans.
(In case you are unfamiliar with Pin Trading, it is the act of trading Disney pins with Disney Park Cast Members throughout the parks and resorts including the Downtown Disney Area AKA Disney Springs in Disney World)
Here are some tips for getting started and making the best out of pin trading on your next Disney Trip!
1. Acquiring pins for your trip
If you want to get started for your next trip, or want some more traders for your visit, you can purchase sets off of eBay. However this can be tricky and dangerous if not done correctly. eBay is a well-known market for counterfeit pins being sold at a very cheap price, usually a price that seems all too good to be true. STAY AWAY from these sellers - they are 99.99% counterfeit pins being sold to them directly from factories in China who are no longer authorized to make those pins. Regardless if they advertise as 100% authentic, if the prices are too good, stay away.
This does not mean you cannot purchase pins off of eBay before your magical journey. There are several sellers who offer pin starter sets and booster packs for a reasonable price. These prices are higher than the counterfeit pins however, if you want to maintain the integrity (and magic!) of pin trading, these are the pins you will want to purchase. For example, counterfeit pins will usually be offered for $25 per 50 pins whereas official Disney pin sets will be offered for $25 for 10 pins. Nobody ever said pin trading was cheap, but it sure is worth the money! Not only is it a fun hobby for Disney lovers, it is a way of collecting works of art designed by Disney artists themselves!
2. Purchasing pins in the Parks/Types of pins for collecting
There are thousands of pins available for purchase in the parks and there are many ways to save money if you are only looking to trade. Disney sells several booster packs and starter sets that include both pins and a lanyard. However do not think you need a lanyard to trade - I have never used one in fear that my pins will fall off sometime throughout the day. I have seen it happen all too often so I simply keep my pins in a small backpack or ziplock bag.
If you are looking to start collecting, I recommend looking for limited edition pins in specific pin trading locations throughout the parks and at the pin trading station at Disney Springs. These are more expensive, yet they hold much more value than open edition pins. This does not mean that you should not buy the pins you see everywhere. It is great to buy pins of your favorite characters or as a means of remembering one of your favorite attractions or experiences. One last tip about buying pins would be that if you see a pin you really like at a certain store or attraction, BUY IT! You may not see it again! This goes for most Disney merchandise as well. Not everything is sold in every park!
The reason for pin trading is to trade pins you do not care much for in exchange for pins that you like or otherwise cannot be purchased. Specific pins, like Hidden Mickey pins, can only be found through pin trading. They are released in sets and the idea is for you to try and complete the sets! You do not have to trade for these sets if you don't like them, but it is always fun to try and complete them! Likewise, Hidden Mickey pins are not the only ones you can trade for. Whatever is on the lanyard or board is available for trade. If you see something you have not seen before on a lanyard or board, and you like it, get it! Chances are you will not see that pin again!
3. How to pin trade
Pin trading is very simple: approach a Cast Member who is wearing pins, either on a lanyard or a pouch connected to their waist, and ask politely to see their pins. If you see one or two you like, ask politely to trade for those pin(s). There is a two-pin limit per Cast Member each day, therefore you can only acquire a maximum of two pins from each Cast Member per day. I recommend that you ask anyone you see with pins - it never hurts to ask!
Many stores and front desks now have pin boards or pin displays that you can ask to see. Simply ask a Cast Member if they have one!
4. Best Times and Areas for Pin Trading
As a trader who trades between 200-300 pins per week-long trip, I have to dedicate a lot of time to trading around the parks and resorts.
One strategy that I use more often than not is to trade in the mornings. If you like going to the parks in the morning, then this is ideal. Based on my own experiences, Cast Members usually have the best pins in the morning at rope drop. Whether you're looking for certain Hidden Mickeys or hard-to-find pins that will get traded fast by other knowledgable pin traders throughout the day, the morning hours are perfect for finding the best pins.
Another strategy, if you're staying on Disney property, is trading around your resort hotel. Personally I have traded a lot at Old Key West (this is the only resort I have stayed at in all 18 Disney trips). Many of the front desks at the resorts will have pin books or a pin board you can look at. At Old Key West, the front desk has a pin board, as well as the General Store, Olivia's Restaurant, and Community Hall. I have also traded at various shops at the Polynesian Resort, Saratoga Springs, and the Grand Floridian. I expect that most resorts have opportunities to pin trade.
While in the parks, I would guess that about 75% of the Cast Members wear pins. If you are one who skips the parks in the morning and opts to go to the parks in the evening like my family usually does, look for the "hidden spots" around the parks, as I like to call them. This includes kiosks in odd places, smaller shops, DVC kiosks, shops in the World Showcase, and post-ride stores. Even when I am just in the parks to trade, I always make these types of places my first stops. One of my favorite hot-spots is the shop across from the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area - it never fails me!
5. Pin Trading Secrets
Depending on the pin trading experience of you, the reader, these may not be pin trading secretes after all. However, I always find out something new about pin trading each time I go to Disney World!
One secret that not many people know about is Main Street Pin Trading Extraordinaire Scoop Sanderson. Scoop is a Cast Member, but not specifically for pin trading - he is the writed/editor of the Main Street Gazette. He usually is out at rope drop, and I have found him out and about trading at 9:45 and 12:45 on specific days (there is a facebook group that tells you when he is out - Scoop Sanderson Trading Times). Not only does Scoop have the biggest and best pin collection of all the Cast Members, he is one of the nicest Cast Members that you will find in Walt Disney World. He is the guy to go to about pin trading - he will teach you all about the hobby and how much time and effort is put into these pieces of artwork. Plus, if you're polite and interactive with Scoop, you never know what he may treat you too!
Another secret spot is the pin trading board at the Disney Springs Marketplace Trading Station. To my knowledge, this is opened up at totally random times and it is a huge board filled with all types of pins. I have also run into the board near the bus stop/docks near the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. This is also a hotspot for completing sets and finding unique pins!
Where are your favorite spots to pin trade and what do you like looking for? I would love to hear your tips and strategies!
(In case you are unfamiliar with Pin Trading, it is the act of trading Disney pins with Disney Park Cast Members throughout the parks and resorts including the Downtown Disney Area AKA Disney Springs in Disney World)
Here are some tips for getting started and making the best out of pin trading on your next Disney Trip!
1. Acquiring pins for your trip
If you want to get started for your next trip, or want some more traders for your visit, you can purchase sets off of eBay. However this can be tricky and dangerous if not done correctly. eBay is a well-known market for counterfeit pins being sold at a very cheap price, usually a price that seems all too good to be true. STAY AWAY from these sellers - they are 99.99% counterfeit pins being sold to them directly from factories in China who are no longer authorized to make those pins. Regardless if they advertise as 100% authentic, if the prices are too good, stay away.
This does not mean you cannot purchase pins off of eBay before your magical journey. There are several sellers who offer pin starter sets and booster packs for a reasonable price. These prices are higher than the counterfeit pins however, if you want to maintain the integrity (and magic!) of pin trading, these are the pins you will want to purchase. For example, counterfeit pins will usually be offered for $25 per 50 pins whereas official Disney pin sets will be offered for $25 for 10 pins. Nobody ever said pin trading was cheap, but it sure is worth the money! Not only is it a fun hobby for Disney lovers, it is a way of collecting works of art designed by Disney artists themselves!
2. Purchasing pins in the Parks/Types of pins for collecting
There are thousands of pins available for purchase in the parks and there are many ways to save money if you are only looking to trade. Disney sells several booster packs and starter sets that include both pins and a lanyard. However do not think you need a lanyard to trade - I have never used one in fear that my pins will fall off sometime throughout the day. I have seen it happen all too often so I simply keep my pins in a small backpack or ziplock bag.
If you are looking to start collecting, I recommend looking for limited edition pins in specific pin trading locations throughout the parks and at the pin trading station at Disney Springs. These are more expensive, yet they hold much more value than open edition pins. This does not mean that you should not buy the pins you see everywhere. It is great to buy pins of your favorite characters or as a means of remembering one of your favorite attractions or experiences. One last tip about buying pins would be that if you see a pin you really like at a certain store or attraction, BUY IT! You may not see it again! This goes for most Disney merchandise as well. Not everything is sold in every park!
The reason for pin trading is to trade pins you do not care much for in exchange for pins that you like or otherwise cannot be purchased. Specific pins, like Hidden Mickey pins, can only be found through pin trading. They are released in sets and the idea is for you to try and complete the sets! You do not have to trade for these sets if you don't like them, but it is always fun to try and complete them! Likewise, Hidden Mickey pins are not the only ones you can trade for. Whatever is on the lanyard or board is available for trade. If you see something you have not seen before on a lanyard or board, and you like it, get it! Chances are you will not see that pin again!
3. How to pin trade
Pin trading is very simple: approach a Cast Member who is wearing pins, either on a lanyard or a pouch connected to their waist, and ask politely to see their pins. If you see one or two you like, ask politely to trade for those pin(s). There is a two-pin limit per Cast Member each day, therefore you can only acquire a maximum of two pins from each Cast Member per day. I recommend that you ask anyone you see with pins - it never hurts to ask!
Many stores and front desks now have pin boards or pin displays that you can ask to see. Simply ask a Cast Member if they have one!
4. Best Times and Areas for Pin Trading
As a trader who trades between 200-300 pins per week-long trip, I have to dedicate a lot of time to trading around the parks and resorts.
One strategy that I use more often than not is to trade in the mornings. If you like going to the parks in the morning, then this is ideal. Based on my own experiences, Cast Members usually have the best pins in the morning at rope drop. Whether you're looking for certain Hidden Mickeys or hard-to-find pins that will get traded fast by other knowledgable pin traders throughout the day, the morning hours are perfect for finding the best pins.
Another strategy, if you're staying on Disney property, is trading around your resort hotel. Personally I have traded a lot at Old Key West (this is the only resort I have stayed at in all 18 Disney trips). Many of the front desks at the resorts will have pin books or a pin board you can look at. At Old Key West, the front desk has a pin board, as well as the General Store, Olivia's Restaurant, and Community Hall. I have also traded at various shops at the Polynesian Resort, Saratoga Springs, and the Grand Floridian. I expect that most resorts have opportunities to pin trade.
While in the parks, I would guess that about 75% of the Cast Members wear pins. If you are one who skips the parks in the morning and opts to go to the parks in the evening like my family usually does, look for the "hidden spots" around the parks, as I like to call them. This includes kiosks in odd places, smaller shops, DVC kiosks, shops in the World Showcase, and post-ride stores. Even when I am just in the parks to trade, I always make these types of places my first stops. One of my favorite hot-spots is the shop across from the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area - it never fails me!
5. Pin Trading Secrets
Depending on the pin trading experience of you, the reader, these may not be pin trading secretes after all. However, I always find out something new about pin trading each time I go to Disney World!
One secret that not many people know about is Main Street Pin Trading Extraordinaire Scoop Sanderson. Scoop is a Cast Member, but not specifically for pin trading - he is the writed/editor of the Main Street Gazette. He usually is out at rope drop, and I have found him out and about trading at 9:45 and 12:45 on specific days (there is a facebook group that tells you when he is out - Scoop Sanderson Trading Times). Not only does Scoop have the biggest and best pin collection of all the Cast Members, he is one of the nicest Cast Members that you will find in Walt Disney World. He is the guy to go to about pin trading - he will teach you all about the hobby and how much time and effort is put into these pieces of artwork. Plus, if you're polite and interactive with Scoop, you never know what he may treat you too!
Another secret spot is the pin trading board at the Disney Springs Marketplace Trading Station. To my knowledge, this is opened up at totally random times and it is a huge board filled with all types of pins. I have also run into the board near the bus stop/docks near the entrance of the Magic Kingdom. This is also a hotspot for completing sets and finding unique pins!
Where are your favorite spots to pin trade and what do you like looking for? I would love to hear your tips and strategies!
