How prevalent are pins at WDW?

[furb & dez]

My apologies in advance if this is the wrong forum...

How prevalent are pins/pin stores at WDW? I know at Disneyland you can't swing Figaro around without hitting a dozen stores/carts.

I'm mostly interested in finding a few specific characters that are special to me but not necessarily "popular" characters these days.

Do I have a fighting chance, or will this trip be a bust?

 

[WizardLarz]

There is a posted Pin Spot in each Park. The best place is probably in DownTown Disney. You'll quite often see people standing around the area with their big padded pin trading books. The shop in Future World in Epcot is also a good place.

 

[figment_jii]

WDW is just like DL in that there are pins everywhere. Each of the parks has a main pin store, but the other stores usually carry a few pins and there are carts/kiosks around as well.

As for finding specific characters, that's harder to tell. You might look at Disneypins.com to see what's current - hopefuly you'll find your favorite character(s).

Also, pin trading seems much more prevalent at WDW (that might be the fact that there are so many more cast members at WDW).

 

[Michael623]

The best place is probably in DownTown Disney. You'll quite often see people standing around the area with their big padded pin trading books.

Actually the tables at DTD have been removed and there is now no guest trading in that area. The tables in front of the pin station at Epcot is the only place I saw guest trading when I was there a couple of weeks ago. There is still plenty of CM trading going on across the property though.

To answer the OP pin trading is bigger with more and bigger points of sale than DL. the DTD pin store at WDW is much bigger than the one at DL. There is a main pin station at each park:
MK-Frontierland Trading Post
EP-Pen Central
HS-Sorcerer's Hat
AK-Island Mercantile

Plus smaller store scattered throughout including at each resort. Long story short, there will be no shortage of places to separate you from your money regarding pins. If you'll have a car check the outlets too. I've gotten some nice pins at a decent discount there.

 

[furb & dez]

Excellent, thanks for the tips, everyone. I don't have any interest in pin trading—I just have a few favorites that I would love to have.

Thanks!

 

[andycat]

How prevalent are pins/pin stores at WDW?

Viral...


You'll find pins everywhere, although each location has a "prime" pin store. In MK it's the Trading Post in Frontier Land; Epcot is behind Spaceship Earth; HS is under the Sorcerer's Hat; and there's the Pin Store in DTD. Just watch out for the pin sharks at the Epcot trading tables.

If you're looking for specific characters, research where those characters are featured in the parks, and check the general merchandise stores in those areas.

If you happen to be going to WDW on Feb 5, there's the "Love is Magical" pin trading event.

 

[vette79]

Everywhere you turn your head....

 

[shafke]

The main pin shops in each park, for the most part, have the pins you can find elswhere in the individual shops or carts scattered around. However, occasionally you will find a pin at one of these smaller locations that you might not find at the main pin locations.
For example, DW saw the stitch sandal pins but did not pick them up right away. We spent the better part of a week looking for this pin after that. We finally found the pin in a cart around World Showcase near Canada I believe.

 

[Pumbaa7287]

Why did they get rid of the tables at Downtown? There used to be some really nice traders there, they've helped me finish a few sets. My fave is the Pumbaa and Timon safety pins and the soda cap series

 

[andycat]

Why did they get rid of the tables at Downtown?

Apparently they were getting too many complaints about all the pin sharks. This thread http://reviews.ebay.com/WDW-and-Disney-Shark-Pin-Scammers-Update_W0QQugidZ10000000013627355, has some interesting opinions and speculation, but it does make sense, and describes one of the common scams.

 

[Micca]

I don't collect the pins, but I think they're cool. I'm pretty sure the average distance from one pin display to another is approximately 16 feet.

 

[joxer1014]

Was there last week and its true about the tables, gone from Downtown. EPCOT still is set up and there were 2 traders w/ wheelchairs but not sitting in them. My daughter was seeking a certain pin or two and she casually looked over a traders items. They started talking but I made sure he knew I was the mom and a visiting CM.

Everything worked out to my daughter's satisfaction but I did keep an eye on the entire transaction. I did get a feeling that it could have turned out differently if I didn't pay attention.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[andycat]

Was there last week and its true about the tables, gone from Downtown. EPCOT still is set up and there were 2 traders w/ wheelchairs but not sitting in them.

We were there over MLK weekend and saw two traders, a man and a woman, at Epcot with scooters. They appeared to be about the same age - I wondered if they might be married. Apparently traders aren't allowed to bring chairs, but Disney can't discriminate against people who use (need?) mobility assistance devices.

My daughter was seeking a certain pin or two and she casually looked over a traders items. They started talking but I made sure he knew I was the mom and a visiting CM.

So did you just tell them you're a CM or did you flash ID? While I would never try to impersonate a CM for official purposes, that could be an interesting ruse to level the playing field if one suspected they're dealing with a pin shark!

 

[furb & dez]

Just got back from my trip - what a major disappointment.

I went to all 4 parks and scoured every retail location (stores, kiosks...). Their pin selection was a complete joke. Minor pin locations had the same 20 pins at every park. Major pin locations had those same 20 pins, an additional 20 pins featuring princesses, and 10-15 pins that were attraction-specific or park-specific. If there were Vinylmation products within 10 feet, there would be an additional 5-10 Vinylmation-themed pins.

Absolutely no variation whatsoever. By the third day, I could tell precisely what pins they were going to have at a glance from 30 feet away.

What a waste.

 

[figment_jii]

I'm sorry to hear that you had such bad luck with the pin selection at WDW. When I was there in December there was a lot of variety, and yes, lots of princesses, attraction specific, and fab 5 pins. Still there were far more than 40 designs.

Did you get over to DTD? There is a whole stand alone store that much have had hundreds of pins.

 

[debranator]

Just got back from my trip - what a major disappointment.

I went to all 4 parks and scoured every retail location (stores, kiosks...). Their pin selection was a complete joke. Minor pin locations had the same 20 pins at every park. Major pin locations had those same 20 pins, an additional 20 pins featuring princesses, and 10-15 pins that were attraction-specific or park-specific. If there were Vinylmation products within 10 feet, there would be an additional 5-10 Vinylmation-themed pins.

Absolutely no variation whatsoever. By the third day, I could tell precisely what pins they were going to have at a glance from 30 feet away.

What a waste.

Wow!
you are right in that they saturate the parks with the same stuff over and over..
but..if you know how and where to look...
there are treasure troves in every park..
I wish you had mentioned this problem..
WHILE you were there as I could have helped you find where the good stuff is..
You were these last Sat?
The "love is magical event" was on and there were tons of interesting pins.

 

[STARDIVA]

My apologies in advance if this is the wrong forum...

How prevalent are pins/pin stores at WDW? I know at Disneyland you can't swing Figaro around without hitting a dozen stores/carts.

I'm mostly interested in finding a few specific characters that are special to me but not necessarily "popular" characters these days.

Do I have a fighting chance, or will this trip be a bust?

what charactors are you looking for? i have found a number of older charactor pins such as Mis C devil from 101 and others.
don;t give up , I find the fun is in the looking for the pins