Explain pin trading

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

I keep seeing all kinds of stuff about pin trading on here. I've never been into pins of any kind, and I'm not a collector of anything either, so this isn't something that's ever been something I was remotely curious about. But on the FE Facebook page I've seen several people planning to give pins, especially to the kids. And there have been lots of recommendations to get the kids into pin trading because they'll apparently love it?
What exactly is this and is this something I would regret not doing with my kids? I'm assuming that they would need something to actually trade if we do it...is there some sort of starter kit or a good place to get a few relatively cheaply? The kids are 5 and 6. Are they old enough for this? Are the pins relatively safe or will I need to be watchful with them? Any info or suggestions would be helpful since I really have no idea what this all entails. Thanks!

 

[Westcoastwild]

So cast members (at least some) wear lanyards with pins. Kids with pins can ask the cast member to trade pins. In theory, it's a way to pick up a pin you can't otherwise get. Or maybe for young kids, it's a way to interact with cast members. Something to do while hanging out on Main Street. You could trade with other guests but I wouldn't do it unless it's kid to kid. And maybe not even then. Fake pins are a big business and serious collectors know how much pins are worth or what they are looking for. I think it's one of those Disney things that started out really a cute idea but the hobbyists take it way too seriously.

There are starter sets. Like themed ones? You know, princesses or haunted mansion ghosts or something. But generally they aren't the coolest pins. They're pretty basic. And not cheap. I would instead buy a lanyard and then give your kids a budget. Of one pin per day or something. That way they can get different ones- favorite characters or rides or whatever.

I don't pin trade really. I just collect. The coolest pins are also the most expensive pins. If I like it enough to buy it, I like it enough to not trade it.

Anyway the key thing you need to be aware of is the pins are all different prices. Color coded by price. If you let your kid collect pins, check the price of the ones they are looking at. My mother, the first trip, thought something so small would not be expensive. But pins can be like 13 dollars each so if your kid only collects on of each ride or something, that's like $100+ for just one kid. It adds up quick.

I love pin collecting but from the perspective of a parent it is not a game I would encourage. The pins are pretty cool but even if that's their only Disney vice, it can be a very expensive Disney vice. I usually buy about $100 every trip- they come out with new characters or rides or special event pins. Last trip to DL was the 60th Birthday, so I also got a really cool lanyard for that.

But I've been collecting since I was a kid, and I will say that it's a great souvenir. It isn't the sort of thing you throw out- I had my pins in my college dorm room and now they have their own shadow box.

 

[Dug720]

Adults can participate in Officer Pin Trading as well if they choose. It's not a kid exclusive thing.

 

[PurplePencil]

For kids, buying some of the lowest level pin and trading up is the way to go. All of the stores have a big book of pins for trading.
Fun fact: In 2015 I found a limited edition pin from a cruise in 2013 I had been on. You never know what pins your kids will find (I also traded for a New Years Cruise pin)

 

[FigmentSpark]

If you are planning to trade, make sure you know the value you paid for your pins. You don't want to trade an exclusive for an $8 pin, for example. And, yes. I spent $500 one trip. I just kept buying a few at a time and didn't think about the total until I had to add up my purchases for customs declaration. Now, I allow myself one trip to the pins per trip and maybe one special one, like Star Wars exclusive. That was just too much to spend.

 

[SDJEL]

I buy a big bag of pins on eBay for $25 or so. They may or may not be fake but my kids love to sort through them and trade with each other. It is a good way to chat with the officers on the ship and my kids like to flip through the book in the gift shop. Also in the parks many of the attendants have pins and have to trade with children. We've traded with other people as a way to pass time on line. It can be as serious or as lighthearted as you'd like it to be. And, it doesn't have to be expensive.

 

[dcassetta]

Adults can participate in Officer Pin Trading as well if they choose. It's not a kid exclusive thing.

Officer pin trading can be especially good on the Wonder and Magic. As those ships have unique itineraries, officer pin trading often includes the pins from the European, Alaskan, PC and TA Salings

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

I buy a big bag of pins on eBay for $25 or so. They may or may not be fake but my kids love to sort through them and trade with each other. It is a good way to chat with the officers on the ship and my kids like to flip through the book in the gift shop. Also in the parks many of the attendants have pins and have to trade with children. We've traded with other people as a way to pass time on line. It can be as serious or as lighthearted as you'd like it to be. And, it doesn't have to be expensive.

Thanks! This kind of trading sounds doable for us. Honestly, at the moment anyway, right now I don't care that much about a pin being fake or not. My kids won't care at all. They won't know the difference. Actually, I wouldn't be able to tell a fake pin from a real one if you paid me, so we wouldn't lose any enjoyment from finding out we'd gotten a whole bunch of fake ones. I think if either of the kids got really into the collecting aspect later, we could worry about it then. For this trip it sounds like we could just use this as a way for them to have some fun interractions and maybe a couple cool souvenirs. Now if we can just figure out a way to make sure we don't lose them the instant we get home (or on the ship for that matter), we'll be set.
One more quick question though, obviously there are people who care deeply about the authenticity of a pin. If my kids have a fake pin without knowing it, will a CM still let them trade it? Or will they get turned down?

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

Adults can participate in Officer Pin Trading as well if they choose. It's not a kid exclusive thing.

Thanks. I'm not sure if it's something I'd do, since I'm more likely to lose them than even my kids. But if I did, do I have to research what pins are fake and real? To clarify, I don't care at all about the value of a pin. If I decided to get some and trade, it would be completely based on aesthetic appeal and if I thought I could incorporate it into a costume or not. But if I try to trade one that turns out to not be real, will I get in trouble or irritate a CM?

 

[Westcoastwild]

Thanks. I'm not sure if it's something I'd do, since I'm more likely to lose them than even my kids. But if I did, do I have to research what pins are fake and real? To clarify, I don't care at all about the value of a pin. If I decided to get some and trade, it would be completely based on aesthetic appeal and if I thought I could incorporate it into a costume or not. But if I try to trade one that turns out to not be real, will I get in trouble or irritate a CM?

I've heard CMs usually trade no questions asked. For one thing, mostly, I doubt they are experts. It really is about the fun interaction for them, and they don't want to hurt a kids feelings. Other people might call you on a fake- they probably call CMs on fakes too. You wouldn't get in trouble- likely if the cm saw the fake, he'd tell you and offer your kid a "real" pin so he could take the fake out of circulation. If you're worried about it, don't buy on eBay at all. Buy starter sets.



Btw. I don't know about the ships, but the parks sell these lock backs that you lock on with a special tool. They're a beast to get on and off, but well worth the investment. It potentially prevents a meltdown from an active kid who insisted on wearing his lanyard all day and now has just noticed that his favorite pin is long gone. The Mickey ear backs don't stay on well at all.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Officer pin trading can be especially good on the Wonder and Magic. As those ships have unique itineraries, officer pin trading often includes the pins from the European, Alaskan, PC and TA Salings

Okay, I've got to say that's really cool. Now I want to do a Disney cruise just for the pin trading lol

 

[elvispursley]

We started our kids out when they were younger buying a large bag of pins on eBay. My oldest DS was probably around 3 or 4 when we started and he traded a few and then it got to where I couldn't part with the pins! Also, when he was really nervous to ride a ride, we would "bribe" him with buying a pin of the ride he managed to ride as bravery pin to put on his lanyard. Now we just buy pins we think are cool and for resorts we stay at. Occasionally I'll bring the "old" pins we bought all those years ago so if I see a pin on a CM that I think is cool, I'll have one of the kids trade for our collections!

 

[Dug720]

I've heard CMs usually trade no questions asked. For one thing, mostly, I doubt they are experts. It really is about the fun interaction for them, and they don't want to hurt a kids feelings. Other people might call you on a fake- they probably call CMs on fakes too. You wouldn't get in trouble- likely if the cm saw the fake, he'd tell you and offer your kid a "real" pin so he could take the fake out of circulation. If you're worried about it, don't buy on eBay at all. Buy starter sets.

Trust me - based on my knowledge of them, they are NOT experts. Someone has the job between sessions of reorganizing the officer lanyards so that pins are more evenly distributed between them - my guess is that whoever that is knows what to look for and would pull fakes (honestly I never knew anyone was making fakes), but I don't know.

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

Btw. I don't know about the ships, but the parks sell these lock backs that you lock on with a special tool. They're a beast to get on and off, but well worth the investment. It potentially prevents a meltdown from an active kid who insisted on wearing his lanyard all day and now has just noticed that his favorite pin is long gone. The Mickey ear backs don't stay on well at all.

Thank you for that tip! You just saved me from an almost definite meltdown!

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

Also, when he was really nervous to ride a ride, we would "bribe" him with buying a pin of the ride he managed to ride as bravery pin to put on his lanyard.

This is genius! You've just given me my first truly solid reason to start the whole pin collecting thing.
One of these days I'm going to have to compile a book of One Thousand Ways to Bribe Your Child. I remember reading a parenting book when my son was a baby that said that bribing shouldn't never be used. Sadly, that went right out the window pretty early. I may be a terrible mother, but little tips like this are sanity savers. Thanks for my latest survival tool!

 

[lklgoodman]

My dd bought a few pins on our last cruise. She didn't care about trading them, just wanted some because she saw others with them and wanted them as keepsakes. She came back from the kid's club on the last night of the cruise and had lost the Moana pin we had just bought, I was more upset that she lost it, that thing cost nearly $20!!! They searched the club looking for it, but couldn't find it. I will definitely look to see if I can find the lock bar that was mentioned. I don't remember seeing anything like it on the ships, though so might have to search ebay. And any pin over $15 will not be worn to the kids club, dd said there were other kids in there that were constantly bothering her and others trying to get them to trade pins even though they didn't want to trade. You can get sets of 4 pins for $5 or less in the shops on the ship that are real that you could get for your kids to use to trade, I plan on doing that on our next cruise if my dd decides she wants to trade them.

 

[Westcoastwild]

My dd bought a few pins on our last cruise. She didn't care about trading them, just wanted some because she saw others with them and wanted them as keepsakes. She came back from the kid's club on the last night of the cruise and had lost the Moana pin we had just bought, I was more upset that she lost it, that thing cost nearly $20!!! They searched the club looking for it, but couldn't find it. I will definitely look to see if I can find the lock bar that was mentioned. I don't remember seeing anything like it on the ships, though so might have to search ebay. And any pin over $15 will not be worn to the kids club, dd said there were other kids in there that were constantly bothering her and others trying to get them to trade pins even though they didn't want to trade. You can get sets of 4 pins for $5 or less in the shops on the ship that are real that you could get for your kids to use to trade, I plan on doing that on our next cruise if my dd decides she wants to trade them.

This is what those backs look like...

https://www.amazon.com/Disney-MBPB-10-Brass-Locking-Pins/dp/B00DPL6N84

And yeah, your last bit is why I don't trade. Canny traders aren't in it for the fun- they're in it for finding a newbie to give them a cool expensive pin in exchange for the cheap ones.

Thank you for that tip! You just saved me from an almost definite meltdown!

See above, to know what they look like! Generic backs might work too

 

[cadien]

I've never collected pins but I belong to the Disney Movie Club and they're always offering 'special' pins with each order. Is it worth starting to accumulate those before our cruise? Are they actually uncommon designs that people would be excited to trade for?

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

My dd bought a few pins on our last cruise. She didn't care about trading them, just wanted some because she saw others with them and wanted them as keepsakes. She came back from the kid's club on the last night of the cruise and had lost the Moana pin we had just bought, I was more upset that she lost it, that thing cost nearly $20!!! They searched the club looking for it, but couldn't find it. I will definitely look to see if I can find the lock bar that was mentioned. I don't remember seeing anything like it on the ships, though so might have to search ebay. And any pin over $15 will not be worn to the kids club, dd said there were other kids in there that were constantly bothering her and others trying to get them to trade pins even though they didn't want to trade. You can get sets of 4 pins for $5 or less in the shops on the ship that are real that you could get for your kids to use to trade, I plan on doing that on our next cruise if my dd decides she wants to trade them.

Oh that's really good to know too! My DD will give away almost anything if someone asks her to, so keeping the "good" pins in the room is smart.

 

[Mighty Mouse Mama]

This is what those backs look like...

https://www.amazon.com/Disney-MBPB-10-Brass-Locking-Pins/dp/B00DPL6N84

And yeah, your last bit is why I don't trade. Canny traders aren't in it for the fun- they're in it for finding a newbie to give them a cool expensive pin in exchange for the cheap ones.


See above, to know what they look like! Generic backs might work too

Thanks for the link! And the warning.