Do you trade with the non cm people at DTD?

[TheDisneyBunch]

I am just curious if anyone here trades with the people who set up outside of of the Pin Traders shop in DTD?

Have you had good luck with them? Thought they were fair? Friendly?


We are not into pin trading for the greedy side of it or to try and make any money off of our pins for sure. We started on our first trip in 2005 and just bought a few off of ebay to try it out. We loved it so we bought more for the trip last year and had even more fun with it. This year I bought more pins from ebay so we would have some traders at the parks and b/c ds (4) was really getting into the idea more this year than he was the previous 2.

Anyways, we were there Sept 9-16th and had so much fun trading with the nice cm's. DS was so funny he walked up to almost every single cm (and some people who I guess he thought were cm's ) asking to see their pins. He would say "I see your pins?" and some would say they did not have any..he did not bother looking to see if they had any first.. If they did have some and showed him he would point to what he liked and we would talk with him about if he wanted to trade. We tried to just keep one or 2 on his shirt most of the time just to be safe. The lanyard we had was really long on him. Anyways, sometimes he would trade, then sometimes say thank you very much and we would be on our way. It was cute to watch.

So of coarse, pin trading is so fun for me. I got addicted after the first year.

So we are in dtd one night and we see them set up with the books out there. I knew about them and that they were not cm's and did not have to trade with you. Fine, no biggie. I will just see if they have anything I like and if they want to make a trade if I find anything.

One pin I was looking for was the hat/ears pin that matches the hat I bought ds last year..the colorful one with a character on the front and one on each ear. It is just a $6.95 pin. Not a big deal but I had rather trade for it than to buy it from the rack if I can. So I walk up and am browsing a book and the guy there just seems to be giving me unfriendly looks while I am looking. Did he think I was going to take his pins or what?

I spot after a few pages the hat pin and keep looking. I then see that he has two of them so I figure he will have no trouble trading it. I ask him to come over and he waits for a minute then comes over and asks what I have found? I tell him I had been looking for this hat pin to match my sons hat for a while now and would he like to trade anything for it. He tells me to show him what I have so I share my lanyard with him. He tells me he does not see anything he wants and I say ok. He asks me do I want to go in the store and buy him a pin? UM, NO! I kinda expected he would ask me that. I told him if I wanted to do that I would go in there and buy THAT pin since they still sell it. He says ok then, no. I just thought it was so rude and greedy to say the least. I had some decent pins on my lanyard and all he wanted was me to go buy him a brand new pin for his used pin No thank you dude.

Ok, so I know this is what they do, not looking to get yelled at for bringing that up. I just thought that the way he went about it was rude. Ya know?

So later in the week I gave it a second chance with a different person. This time dh was standing there holding ds while we were looking. Ds sees a Donald pin he likes so I ask the guy..who I thought seemed friendlier if he would be willing to trade anything for the pin. Ds takes the pin off of his shirt and tries to hand it to him to trade him. I am trying to tell him he can't do that with them, they are not cm's. Well the guy shakes his head and loudly says "no, I don't want your pin". Goodness man, he is just a kid, no need to be mean. He did not know any better. He then looks at my pins and again I get the ..no nothing you have but you can go in and buy me something new.

Am I the only one who gets annoyed by this?

I mean, I know these are there personal collections and all but they have book after book after book of them and tons of doubles so what makes them think we should go buy them brand new pins on cards for their used and possibly scratched up pins not on cards? AND...why are they so unfriendly?

Boy, it would be nice if I could trade off some of my used pins for brand new pins right on the card! Wonder if I had sat my lanyard out on the table if people would want to do that for me?

I gave a little boy a pin off my lanyard that I was SOOOO happy to have found earlier that day b/c I did not have the heart to tell him no. I wanted that pin and I should have not had it on my lanyard but when I saw a little one ask me for it I hated to tell him no. DS also gave away 2 tink pins to little girls while we were there. I guess I just don't get the greed part of it by some, ya know?


Anyone ever had any luck with them actually wanting something off of your lanyard? Do they always expect you to buy them something?

I could understand that if I were wanting some huge old pin that was really valuable but goodness, it was cheap pins.


Don't flame me please! I was just curious over it all.

 

[wilde_oscar]

pin trading is not just an addiction, it is an afilction. this year I traded with someone set up in front of the pin booth at Epcot, the one with the times boards on the back. She was great, helpful, and have a couple pins that completed some of the sets I was working on.

I know that answers none of your questions. but it was fun.

 

[tkd lisa]

Those guys are the ones I call "pros". They definitely are a different type of person. Living in Tampa, we are in Disney a LOT! I'm not any kind of expert. I enjoy trading with the CMs, and I typically just trade for something I like. However, I now look at the pins AFTER I've traded for them to see if they are anything special, such as a CM exclusive or a limited edition.

My DD was looking for a very specific pin for almost 18 months. It was one of the "best friend" sets of pins, and was based on the fox and the hound. One pin has Copper and it says "best" and the other has Tod and it says "friends". (I may have them backwards). Anyway, she had originally had one half, but traded it away, then ended up with the other half. She then decided that she really wanted the set. But it had just been discontinued. I stopped by to see the "pros" every trip for that 18 months. When I got a LE pin, I would ask them if they'd be interested in it, on a two for one swap. I had a 500 LE Kwanzaa pin that I thought would be a hot item, but the one guy was completely disinterested. He said he had it before and it took forever to get rid of.

We probably stopped 6 or 7 times to see if anyone had the pin we were looking for. Twice during that time, I was able to do a "two for one" type swap for a limited edition pin I had. I also left my email address in case anyone found the pin DD was looking for.

Finally, in early September, we stopped down there again. I think the guy in the scooter was just tired of me bugging him, so he dug down into his stuff, and found the pin that DD wanted. The best pin I had on me was a 2500LE pin from last years MNSSHP. He looked at DD's (she's 15) lanyard, and asked if she would be willing to trade one that she was wearing. She really didn't want to trade it. I said "You know, you've been looking for this other pin for a long time!" But the "pro" said "It's okay. If she doesn't want to trade that one, I'll take the halloween party one." Later on, I checked the one he wanted, and it was a 2500 LE from Disney Land, so it was probably something he had been looking for.

I guess the bottom line I've found is that the "pros" aren't particularly friendly, but if you're persistent, you can eventually work with them. Just don't expect a "magical" experience.

 

[ScottNBecky]

We never have. Always seen them but never have. Maybe because we dont have all the limited edition pins that they have.

 

[BankBunny]

We've seen them and flipped through a book or two, but never tried to deal. On our last trip we took the DVC tour. When we were having our ice cream at the end a little boy came over to look at my DH's pins. He saw a pirate pin that he really liked (it was a glow in the dark skull and crossbones). My DH didn't have the heart to say no(even though the mom said it was OK if he didn't want to), so he traded it for a Herbie pin. Needless to say I bought a replacement for my DH, but we sure made that little boy happy.

 

[Mickey&Donald]

And this is why I almost never trade with other guests, ONLY CMs. I find guests to be somewhat snobbish and rude about their pins a lot of the time. It's just easier and a more pleasant experience to trade with CMs. However, if another guest wants to trade with me, I am always friendly and usually accomodating! A guest wanted one of my pins on my last trip, and it was a pin that I loved for no particular reason. But, he was collecting airplane pins, and mine had a plane theme. He was so passionate about collecting airplanes that I couldn't deny him the trade.

 

[WDWAurora]

We traded with a pro at DTD once. He was so nice and friendly...he didn't accept our first offer of trade, but he worked with us. The other people were not so nice there.

At Epcot, one of the pros was super rude. We found one we definitely wanted, he looked at our lanyards, and told us no unless we bought him something new. Which is fine, I guess, but it was like we were dismissed-and we keep the good stuff in my bag! We keep standard traders on the lanyard, and LEs, etc. in there. Whatever. He probably figured we didn't know what we were doing and didn't have anything else.

 

[GinnyFavers]

We tried trading with a woman set up in front of the Epcot pin central, and it left such a yucky feeling with my husband he almost gave up pin trading entirely after that. She bragged to us that she used this "trading" to fund her Disney vacations down there from New Jersey several times a year.

Now he'll only trade with CM's, but this last trip, all the CM's who had anything we hadn't seen before had them on green "kids only" lanyards, and so couldn't trade with him. We hadn't heard about the "kids only" lanyards, and frankly, it was embarassing for us to ask.

I think overall it's a bit of a bust for us.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I have been collecting and trading WDW pins since May 2001, so I would consider myself to be an expert when it comes to trading with other guests who are not Cast Members. However one place I will not trade at in WDW is at Disney's Pin Traders, because I just get a vibe that I would not enjoy trading there and that some of the people don't look that friendly. I do know some people who trade there the odd time and they are very nice, however there are also some pin traders who trade there that might not want to trade with guests who are in experienced with pin trading or might not have many pins for trade.

 

[PhotobearSam]

We traded at DTD once with a pro. We had to buy him a new pin because the CM exclusives I had were of no interest to him. I really wanted the pin he had as I had been looking for it for three 2 week long trips...Cost me $9 but I thought it was worth it but still a SLIMY feeling. I won't make a habit out of the trading there.

 

[DianeV]

We traded with a mother and son duo at DTD about a year ago. My daughter had an older pin on her lanyard and evidently the mom needed it to complete a set. She let my daughter pick any pin in her books and we sat there for a while so she could decide. She told the lady she liked two and the lady let her have both. Maybe the pin she traded was worth alot not sure but maybe it was just because the lady needed it but she was really nice about it and it was actually a pin my daughter didnt want. I think it was back a while when the Disney Store sold some kind of celebration type pins..it was from a Princess collection

But..we havent tried to trade with any of them since..we just arent that crazy/serious about the whole thing like they are

 

[JessRabbit]

I have never had any luck with the "pros" at DTD. They only asked for CM pins or limited Disneyland pins when I have tried to trade. I found a Wonders of Life pin that was very old and one guy told me he had heard of it but had never seen one in person I showed him it and he told me that's nice. He wasn't interested in the least. Oh well, I stick to only CM's now.

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

Well I am at least glad to know it was not just our experience with them that was not good.

Those types of people would sure ruin the fun in pin trading. I must stay away from them in the future..lol I would not want to loose my desire to pin trade b/c of them. The cm's are always so nice and fun to deal with.

 

[Figment2]

Believe me, those pins were not their "collection." Those were for trading only.

Not sure why you all have a problem with going in and buying a pin for the one you want. I've been trading since the beginning and although I have many traders (2 bags worth plus the ones that I can't fit in the bag just yet), I understand that there may not be a pin in my bag that someone wants. If I can get the pin they have by buying one, I'll do it. I go to pin meets/events and have had people tell me no and I've told people no. It's all a part of the game.

JMHO

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

My 9 yo son was looking for a certain pin all trip long and found it at the DTD trading spot. It was a teenage girl at the booth and DS asked if she would trade. Well the girl told him to buy her the treasure chest for ($25) and he could have his pin. my DH told him how this girl was not being in the Disney spirit in her trading. My poor DS cried but we did not trade. Next to her was a woman from England sho was so nice. She told my son which pins he should look for and she told him how the girl was not being nce too. She ended up giving my son a pin. Anyway by the end of the trip he found that Mickey pin he was looking for and it was a fair trade too. So there are definitely bad eggs out there when it comes to trading.

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

Believe me, those pins were not their "collection." Those were for trading only.

Not sure why you all have a problem with going in and buying a pin for the one you want. I've been trading since the beginning and although I have many traders (2 bags worth plus the ones that I can't fit in the bag just yet), I understand that there may not be a pin in my bag that someone wants. If I can get the pin they have by buying one, I'll do it. I go to pin meets/events and have had people tell me no and I've told people no. It's all a part of the game.

JMHO

I can understand your opinion on it but this is what I feel...

If these pins are not their personal collections then that makes it even worse to be so greedy about it. On the first visit.. the guy had a double of the pin I wanted in his books. It was a $6.95 pin that was still on the rack to buy so nothing old, rare or le. (I can see buying them one if they have something old and something that is an le that I am badly wanting and can not buy anymore..sure) I told him it was still on the rack to buy. If I wanted to BUY a pin I would go buy that pin instead of buying him a new pin to get his old one. KWIM? I just wanted to trade for it. I mean, if these are just his traders and he has doubles of it what would it have hurt him to trade me a pin for it? It was not even like I had crappy pins on. I had 2 Halloween Party pins on that were LE to 2000 from 2002 and 2005 plus a passholder exclusive le pin. I just thought it was rude of him and made him seem so very greedy...and that takes the fun out of it. I pin trade for fun, to make me smile, to make other people smile, definitely to make my little one smile and also to meet nice people. These people seem to want to make it something that is not fun. They are so unfriendly and this is where my problem comes in.

Sure, they can tell me no. No big deal. It is the fact that they are so rude about it all. Being loud and rude to a 4 year old b/c he tries to trade a pin with you is just downright hateful and makes me boil to be honest.

I collect things for the fun of it. Like when I was collecting beanie babies..lol Oh my, that was so fun. The chase on the weekends when we would head up to the places that had some in at 5am to wait in line and chat with other people. All the nice people I would meet each time I waited in a line to see what was new. The excitement of rushing out to Hallmark and other local shops when I would call and they had something new in. It was exciting and fun. I loved it.

Like I said, they have the right to do as they wish but I just can't imagine they have any FUN doing what they do. Playing hardball over pins?? I guess it is what some people like to do..it is just not for me and that is my opinion.

Again, not trying to make anyone mad. I just wondered if I were alone in feeling like this and if anyone else had any experience with them being so very unfriendly.

 

[bord1niowa]

We did some trading with the "pros" at DTD. We were fortunate that we had some very nice large pins of Cinderella with the slipper on a pillow hanging down too. We traded for pretty much what we wanted from him too. We are lucky we bought 24 more of these for next year too. They were the easiest pins to trade. The CM's even made them their hidden pins. I guess they do that with ones they think are special or more desirable. May have to buy some more too. The kids really loved them too. We traded anybody for anything just for the fun of it. We did keep the ones we wanted to keep separate though.

 

[wdw4us2]

Not if I can help it.

I have seen all of the behavior listed in these posts. The thing that appalls me the most is the way these people treat kids. Even if I don't want to trade the pin the kid wants, I generally give the kid one of my pins just so they can have something else to trade.

After all, if you have books and books of pins you can occasionally do something just out of the goodness of your heart rather than looking for what you can get out of it.

 

[GinnyFavers]

If I wanted to BUY a pin I would go buy that pin instead of buying him a new pin to get his old one. KWIM? I just wanted to trade for it. I mean, if these are just his traders and he has doubles of it what would it have hurt him to trade me a pin for it?

They want you to go buy new rack pins so they can put them on eBay. They will not go into the book as traders. The book "traders" they get for less than retail some way, some how. probably buying up lots or by trading the cheapest rack pins they can find for pins they know cost more, and keep trying to up the value.

The end goal is always an eBay sale.

No thanks, I don't want to play that game.

 

[NHMickey]

Now I am not a regular DTD trader (as I live in NH) but I do a lot of trading there. I find some of the best pins there. It does take a lot sometimes to trade but if I want it I will do what it takes.

Now as for buying a pin to trade for one I want.. Well I have flown from NH to Fla twice to buy pis to get one pin I wanted. If you want it you will do what it takes. I have not bought a new rack pin in forever. I have them but I won't buy them I will trade a pin from my book or lanyard for a pin that I have asked someone to buy. Why spend more of my money if I can trade for it. I look in the trade books but don't always see what I want or I will see a fair trader But I may already have it so why get another.

You want real sharks... Go to the pin events and look at all the people who only trade of "Ebay Value" or "Pin Pics Wants-V-Traders" (that is real accurate. When was the last time everyone updated their wants list). Or better yet they have the "Lap-Tops" out or on on the "Cell" and only trade for Value. And I really don't think they are sharks but just HARD CORE.

This just kills me. How many people here have a pin that was SUPER SUPER HOT.... Now ya can't give it away? What is hot now never stays hot... Except 1 out of 1000.

You really want to Trade? Really. Well the next time you are sitting or standing across from another trader. Talk to them about other things than pins. Remember they are people too and may be looking at you the way you are looking at them. A little small talk can change everthing. In fact one of my best friends and I always start out to trade but we never seem to get to the books. We always end up on the Mini Golf course instead.

Yup traded some talk and got one of my best friends. In fact I have done it a few times. I have made friends all over the world. Funny thing is I don't trade a lot of pins anymore... Talk a lot though.