Explain this "pin trading" thing to me, please.

[AskTheChief]

I think it goes like this...


People buy pins and wear them on a lanyard. They wear the lanyard and then the lanyard people go up to one another and yell, "PIN TRADING!", and then they may or may not trade a pin or two.

Is that the fun part? It's just having a collection, like Madame Alexander dolls, or Franklin Mint junk?

I only ask because our friends went to DL in November. It was the dh's first time going since he was a kid. He didn't really want to go. When he got there, he loved it. Then they came to dinner here shortly after their trip and he went on and on about pin trading. Had his own lanyard of pins and was talking about the ones he had already traded on his first trip. He was crazed with the pin trading thing.

Do you do this? How about your kids (and if your kids do it, how old are they?).

I saw some 50th lanyards and a TON of different 50th pins when I went to the character warehouse yesterday. They were priced from 2-6, with most of them being about five bucks. I was thinking of maybe getting my 6 year old a lanyard and some pins. I mean, it doesn't look fun to me, but maybe I'm abnormal...


ok, no comments on that last part.

 

[hlbtimes2]

Some people enjoy it, some dont- it not that you are abnormal. My 8 year old enjoys it. Its not a huge part of our trip, but we do trade a few each time, as well as buy a few each trip. We usually book thru Disney travel and they give you a pin and lanyard. Since there are 4 of us, that gives us a couple pins to trade and a couple to keep. For a while they were giving 2 pins per lanyard with the travel package. That gave us a lot to trade!

You can either trade with guests in the park. There are a few that are there all the time. I know there is one large man that rides one of the those carts (ECV?). He has a huge collection- some in books, some on a vest and some on a lanyard. My daughter did one trade with him. Guests are a bit more picky about what they trade. They want to make sure they are getting something equal in value to what they are trading.

You can also trade with cm's. There are two types to trade with- regular cm's and ones that trade with kids. The regular ones will limit the number of trades they will do with you and can say no to a trade like a guests can. They will tell you know if you are wanting to trade for something they all ready have on their vest. The specials trades, that work with the kids, wear teal colored lanyards and won't tell a child no to a trade.

There are more "rules" and things posted on the Disney site if you do a search.

Be sure to use locking backs on pins you dont want to trade, so it can't happen on accident. Leave really special pins at home!

 

[LynnythePooh]

2002 we visited WDW, thanks to the DIS we learned about trading before our trip. I went to Ebay and bought some pins for my boys 9 & 6 (at the time). They had a great time trading with CM - they were more interested in trading than going on rides!

For our Spring Break trip I've already started picking up some more pins and will give them out before we go and a few each morning before we leave our hotel.

It gives the kids something to do while we're in line, waiting for parades, etc. and helps them relive the memories after we return home!

Have fun!

 

[Adi12982]

I have been going to WDW my whole life and got into pin trading just this past December. What I did was buy a lot of 10 on eBay - from a reputable seller - for about $30 (with free shipping). I got some I loved and some that were for trading. I traded the ones I did not like so much with CM's for ones that I LOVED. . . (I still have a couple that I want to trade). Towards the end of the trip my mom and brother's GF bought me some - they are great ones that I will not trade. I love wearing my lanyard and collecting the pins, and only trade the inexpensive pins for pins that I like better. . . but I am more into collecting than trading.

 

[SunshinesDad]

Is it only Disney pins people trade? I was thinking that if we did this I would buy some Canadian Flag pins or Alberta pins and we would trade those with people but I guess that won't work if it is only Disney pins they trade.

 

[Albort]

Is it only Disney pins people trade? I was thinking that if we did this I would buy some Canadian Flag pins or Alberta pins and we would trade those with people but I guess that won't work if it is only Disney pins they trade.

CM will only trade for Disney Pins... to tell if its Disney Pins, the back of pin has the Disneyland logo on it...

 

[Hambletfamily]

On Disneys Website they give all the information about Pin Trading. Here is the link to find out more...
http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/index

Have fun Trading.