Disney pin help

[hunter281]

We will be visiting Disney World at the end of May. Concerning pin trading, is it a good idea to buy a few pins prior to our visit? What are the cost of the pins at WDW? As far is cost is concerned is it better to buy a few through auctions before we arrive?
For trading purposes do we wear the pins, or is that a big no no?
Thanks,
JH

 

[LoveMickey]

They use to sell pins at the Disney stores that you could buy and could trade.

I have not seen them at the disney stores recently.

You can only trade Disney pins (with the castmembers). I have the cutest little Timothy Mouse (from Dumbo) pin. It is so small that the Disney name could not be printed on it. CM's will not trade with me.

I know that some "sites" have Disney pins you can buy, but I've never done that, so I do not know what the links are.

Good Luck

 

[webmomom]

I usually try and find some pins before I leave that are cheap enough to trade. Basically the rack pins start at 8.50 and up.

Yes you do wear them. There are landyards that you can buy to put them on and wear or I have seen people put them on what ever they want. A lot the CM"S wear lanyard's with pins and they must trade with you . The CM"S with the green lanyards are for the children to trade with and adults are off limits to them.

You may interrupt them to ask to see their pins. Do it politely. Do not touch them, they will usually hold the lanyard out for you to look at. If you find a pin you like you trade one of yours for the one you like. Supposly if they have on their lanyard the same pin that you want to give them they are not suppose to accept it, but I have seen many do it. It is basically up to them.

I know there are alot more to do's and not to do's and i am sure someone here on the board will let you know what they are. There are severeal sites you can go to, to learn more about the pins and I will have to ask someone else to list them as I have lost all my info on the old computer due to a crash.

It is a great way to meet people. I have meet and made friends just by wearing my lanyard and having them ask to see my pins. By-the-way, if the person wearing a lanyard in a vistor to WDW they do not have to trade with you. You can ask if they want to, but like the CM"s they do not have to do any trading.

Have fun and enjoy the pin trading experience.

 

[Eeyore1954]

Disney pins (onsite) can average $6 to $10 a pin (occasionally more). It's nice to have some pins to start with. You may be able to find some on eBay, but most of these are usually priced right at the current price charged by Disney. Occasionally, you may find a bargain.

I've purchased several pins through auctions and so far had only good experiences. However, I've heard that is not always the case. Check out the seller's feedback before you bid. I usually only bid on auctions where someone has sold/auctioned pins a lot.

For trading, I'd suggest buying a pin lanyard. That way you can display your pins easily. If you have a pin that is a "keeper" (i.e., you don't want to trade it), either don't put it on your lanyard or be prepared to tell people that pin is for display only.

 

[kmcdougan]

Ebay has some pretty good deals on them, you just have to watch the price and the add on for shipping. The Disnmey pins I have seen at WDW and elsewhere that sells official merchandise run $6.50 and up, depending on how intricate the pin is. I am currently "stocking up" before my trip in November.

As far as pin trading etiquette goes - I have not done any trading with CMs, as I just found out about the whole deal just before Christmas 2002. I have become "book smart" on it, though, reading everything I can get my hands on. Generally, it seems as if the lanyard is the preferred method of trading with CMs (pins must be displayed on the lanyard), with the trading being initiated by you. I would refer you to officialdisneypintrading.com for more information. They have a guide, as well as a detailed list of what pins are available (both regular and special issue), and they regularly update the site with the new pins when the come out.

 

[Ratpack]

Ebay is about the only place left to find decently priced pins for trading, cheappins.com was great but they no longer carry the Disney pins. As far as wearing the pins, it isn't really necessary unless you want others to see that you are a trader and see what you have. At times when I don't feel like wearing my lanyard, I just carry some trader in a pouch in my backpack or camera bag and when I see a pin on a CM lanyard I want, I initiate the trade and then just pull one out. Works great for me because I mostly only trade with CM's most of the time.