How / Where to Start

[tydna]

I want to get a pin collection started for my DD. She got a pin from a CM during the Year of a Million Dreams (it was Tinkerbelle) last year. She loves it -- it came with one to give away and she gave it to a little girl who was crying for some reason.

Anyway, we got her a couple of additional pins to go with her first one.

Now, I want to help her collect them -- a lanyard of some sort -- but I don't want it to be a high-end collection, since she is only 5yo.

The Disney Store has a lanyard for collecting pins, but it's $10. Is this a good buy or can we find a better value somewhere else? Is the lanyard in the park a better buy, not in price range, but quality?

Any advice for a first-time pin buyer would be appreciated.

Also, am I going to get hooked an buy them for myself?!

 

[2xlechemom]

Also, am I going to get hooked an buy them for myself?!

YES!

About Lanyards:

You can find lanyards online in several places, I think they are the same quality/kinds we saw at WDW. I however favor the ones with the velcro closure, in case my kids get hung on something, it will breakaway. (Even our dream fastpass had a breakaway) My tink one does not, and I am keeping an eye out to replace it.

 

[tami82]

I have found nice ones on e-bay. I got a water bottle holder/lanyard for my kids for 2.99 each

 

[tami82]

Yes you are going to get addicted also. I bought some for my kids, some pretty basic ones from mousepinsonline. After that i looked on e-bay and like i said got some very nice lanyards for a cheap price. I love rhinestone type jewelry and wound up buying myself a bunch of different characters which had pretty stones on them. I also bought some of the fancier pins for my kids such as spinners or movable pins. So far i think i spent around $150 over the past few days on pins between myself & my kids. I cant believe i got myself into it also. I think for now I am done and found everything I needed for the moment. For my lanyard im going to have some awesome looking pins and i definitely dont see myself trading any of them ,they are mostly for my enjoyment and to show off once. The kids have some which i dont want them to trade and then i have the plain ones which im hoping they would like to trade.
Oh yeah the lanyard i got for 2.99 on e-bay had a WDW tag on it so it was an original one. I say go to e-bay

 

[Luv2Roam]

I have some extras, but they really aren't kids size. Some can be downright heavy for a kid if they have a medallion at the bottom. Although I would be happy to send one along for you and another a child could use in a pinch. You probably will want to buy a child's size lanyard. There are all sorts in the parks, from light up to specific characters and themes. And many come with multiple pins, some for trading specifically. (One to keep, one to share.)
The extra lanyards I have are pretty basic and boring. And I would not be able to mail them until late next week though. But the offer is there.
And yes, you will be instantly hooked.

 

[NHMickey]

Hooked... I wish I was only hooked.