Lanyards and pins please explain

[jessica29]

So I have seen these and seen people on the boards people talking about them. What exactly do you do? So you trade with anyone that has pins on? Can you refuse trades?

Is it worth it for kids 6 and 9. This seems like an expensive ordeal after looking at the disneystore site. Starting @ $10.00 a pin! The pins seem expensive especially if the child trades with someone else who's was worth less. Also is their a inexpensive way to do it?

So I will go to Hollywood Studios my first day. Is their a store that carries the lanyards or should I buy one offline if I choose to do it? Also are pins different at everystore? Or do only certain stores sell pins?

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Your kids will LOVE pin trading!!!

CMs HAVE to trade with children if the child asks. They also have to take whatever the child offers. Everyone else has a say

My DD started trading this past trip and was hooked. She decided on a series that she wanted to try to find all of and did really good.

DO NOT buy trading pins on Disney sites/parks unless it's for a specific occasion. You can get lots of trading pins on Ebay for around $1/pin. We started with 10 pins for DD last trip and will be bringing more this trip. She loved it and we made a shadowbox when we got home off all her treasured pins. Just make sure you use a reputable seller on Ebay. There are fake pins out there

 

[jlearn]

So I have seen these and seen people on the boards people talking about them. What exactly do you do? So you trade with anyone that has pins on? Can you refuse trades?

Yes, you trade with anyone willing to do so. In the parks you would be best to trade with the CM's, but there are some trading rules with them.
1. a person can only make 2 consecutive trades with one CM.
2. you cant trade a CM a pin that they already have on their lanyard
there are also two different color lanyards that cast members wear. One is specifically for children and the other is for anyone. You can refuse a trade from other park guests and CM's will not approach you to trade. You have to start the transaction. If you go to Disney.com you can find the rules to pin trading.

Is it worth it for kids 6 and 9.

It depends on the child. My 11 year old loves it and can do it without my assistance. My 6 year old needs my help.

This seems like an expensive ordeal after looking at the disneystore site. Starting @ $10.00 a pin! The pins seem expensive especially if the child trades with someone else who's was worth less. Also is their a inexpensive way to do it?

LOL! It can get very expensive. Look on eBay for some less expensive starter sets.

So I will go to Hollywood Studios my first day. Is their a store that carries the lanyards or should I buy one offline if I choose to do it?

You can do either. At Hollywood Studios, go to the big Mickey Sorcerer Hat. That is the Pin Place, but any gift shop at the Parks or the Resorts sell starter sets and individual pins.

Also are pins different at everystore? Or do only certain stores sell pins?

All stores sell pins I believe and they all sell the same ones. You have a better chance of getting specific pins at the related store. I.E. a Test Track pin at the Test Track gift store. It is a fun hobby. If you have other questions, check out pinpics.com for more info. I encourage my kids to trade for what they like. My older son collects Stitch pins and my younger son collects pins of the rides/attractions that he goes on. I hope this helps and feel free to ask me anything else if you would like.

 

[WizardLarz]

So I have seen these and seen people on the boards people talking about them. What exactly do you do? So you trade with anyone that has pins on? Can you refuse trades?

Most people trade with Cms, but if you see someone with a nice 'Tink" pin you can ask if they will trade with you. Yes if you don't see a pin you like or the pin that the other person wants is a favorite of yours, you can say No Thank You to the trade.


Is it worth it for kids 6 and 9. This seems like an expensive ordeal after looking at the disneystore site. Starting @ $10.00 a pin! The pins seem expensive especially if the child trades with someone else who's was worth less. Also is their a inexpensive way to do it?

Your Kid may be at the perfect age for pin trading, I'm sure they'll have a blast once they get started. Only the Limited Editions sell in the $10+ range. Disney sell starter kits that have 4 or 5 pins with a lanyard for around $25 at the Online Disney Store. There are also a few places online that will sell even larger amounts. The more you by the less the cost per pin.

So I will go to Hollywood Studios my first day. Is their a store that carries the lanyards or should I buy one offline if I choose to do it? Also are pins different at everystore? Or do only certain stores sell pins?

All Stores sell Pins. Each park usually has an all pin shop or kiosk. I know that DHS has a Pin spot under Mikey's Sorcerer's Hat. Plus one of the shops ion Hollywood Blvd. will have a large selection also.

Don't forget to have Fun!

 

[jessica29]

Thank you for your help. This might be fun for them. Maybe I will buy some off of ebay. After further research I am afraid I will get scammed with fake pins

 

[Virtucomp]

If you want to play it safe get a lanyard that has the starter pins at the park and have them trade with CMs only until they get the pins they really like.

They do NOT trade with other park guests. The kids initiate the trade with the CM. The child has the four starter pins that they should agree they will part with to get better pins.

They walk up to a CM with a lanyard and ask "May I please see your pins"
If they see one they like they ask to trade one of thier pins with for that one.
Swap away and move on.

They may get a pin they kind of like and then want to part with it.

We took pictures of them wearing their lanyard once in a while since the pins change all day long. If they get a pin they REALLY like remind them not to trade it. It is the child's choice which pin they trade for the CM pin.

It is loads of fun for that age and it is very safe. Also the cost of the starter lanyard is not that bad for the hours of fun they get. I think it kind of distracts them from wanting other things since they keep getting new pins so it's like a new souvenir.

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

One idea is to think which kind of pins you're going to look for/trade for, i.e. princesses, parks, holidays, mickey mouse, rides,.... etc! There are SO many and some focus helps a lot! It's a fun game and the interaction with the CMs is wonderful!

 

[Lissypiggy]

Your kids will LOVE pin trading! It is denfinetly worth it. Buy the pins on ebay or on amazon because Disney is WAY over priced. You might want to buy a lanyard at Disney but that is up to you. If you see a CM with a lanyard and pins you can walk up to him/her and trade. The people wearing the green landyards only trade with kids. If you see a pin you like on a CM YOU picka a pin to trade for it. The CM cannot refuse. But you wish to trade with a tourist then you have the right to refuse and they have the right to refuse trading. If you become a hard core trader then you must go early in the morning to get the best pins. When you see a super trader in front of the pin store in Downtown Disney you might not want to trade with him. He only wants pins he doesn't have and he has A LOT of pins. We usually just trade with CM's but again your choice. When you see a small cart that sells pins there is usually a pin book where you can make to trades. Lots of choices! Again you cannot be refused.
Hope you have fun pin trading!

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Thank you for your help. This might be fun for them. Maybe I will buy some off of ebay. After further research I am afraid I will get scammed with fake pins

We never have...again, just make sure that you are only buying from someone with great feedback.

 

[danagirl]

We bought ours off of ebay...pm me if u want to know who sold me ours...i bought alot.We bought 100 last year and my DD only took about 50 because she wanted to keep the rest we bought even more this year and i paid less than 1.00 a pin.We took ten to the park a day and my daughter started trying to find certain sets so it was a lot of fun especially when she found the last one to complete the set she was looking for. When we got home we put them on a huge cork board and hung it on her wall. She loves it and will take one off to wear once in awhile. We buy a few special pins while we are there also but never trade those.

 

[danagirl]

Your kids will LOVE pin trading! It is denfinetly worth it. Buy the pins on ebay or on amazon because Disney is WAY over priced. You might want to buy a lanyard at Disney but that is up to you. If you see a CM with a lanyard and pins you can walk up to him/her and trade. The people wearing the green landyards only trade with kids. If you see a pin you like on a CM YOU picka a pin to trade for it. The CM cannot refuse. But you wish to trade with a tourist then you have the right to refuse and they have the right to refuse trading. If you become a hard core trader then you must go early in the morning to get the best pins. When you see a super trader in front of the pin store in Downtown Disney you might not want to trade with him. He only wants pins he doesn't have and he has A LOT of pins. We usually just trade with CM's but again your choice. When you see a small cart that sells pins there is usually a pin book where you can make to trades. Lots of choices! Again you cannot be refused.
Hope you have fun pin trading!

Also when you buy pins on ebay you sometimes get disneyland pins..those are good if you are trading in downtown disney as sometimes super traders don't have some of them...that's how my daughter got one that we were having so much trouble finding.

 

[jessica29]

Wow I have been on the boards for months and dismissed this trading stuff now 30 days to go I better find some pins to take. My kids are interested when I explained it and showed them the stuff.

 

[jlearn]

I have bought pins off of eBay as well and never had an issue with fakes. AS a PP mentioned, if you buy from a seller that has a very respectable rating it will be fine.

Also, if you want to get more info on pins, go to this site http://www.pinpics.com/
they have a HUGE picture diary of all disney pins. I use it all the time and it is very helpful.

 

[#1 Goofy Fan]

My 7 & 8 year loved the pin trading. One thing it did for them - is reduce the stress of all that walking - they were so busy looking for CM's they didn't realize how much walking they were really doing. We started them with the Lanyard starter sets and went from there. They really had a blast and can't wait to go back trade some more.

 

[Maddie2]

I agree with everything everyone else has said.

Our kids were 6 and 9 for our first trip and now - at 15 and 12, they still love pin trading! Evidently more pins are more "valuable"/collectible than others, but we have no idea which ones. They just like what they like.

One time my then DS11 was approached by an adult for a pin trade, but we simply said no and moved on. The guy was a bit odd and perhaps my son had a pin that he thought was valuable. Just a heads up, other guests do occasionally try to make trades.

Our first pins were from our AAA TA as part of our package. Little did we know what we were getting into.... .... lots of fun!

 

[Lifeangel1]

Our whole family got into pin trading with the CMs. We each bought a lanyard and chose a theme. I chose Nightmare before Christmas. I locked those on my lanyard and those were not for trading. I bought a set of cheap pins for trading and we had a lot of fun. . It made for great conversation in line with people who loved NbC. We also bought pins and built our lanyards around our likes. My son loves New York City and found a pin that was a subway car with Mickey Mouse and Donald behind opening doors. I love Dumbo and found a pin of him. I wish we had discovered pin collecting/trading a long time ago.

 

[somethingblue]

If you go to the Disney Collectors forum here on the Disboards there is a thread that lists a ton of ebay sellers that are no-gos, that are maybes, and that are excellent, trustworthy sellers. I've linked it for you here.

Check it out!

 

[Chrisbeary]

My kids loved doing this on our trip in November. It can get expensive though if you buy the pins at Disney to trade. We spent way more than we wanted to on the sets just so the kids could trade them. We have already started purchasing some on eBay for our next trip for trading and have told the kids they can buy a couple special ones to keep while we are there. You might want to get some of the locking pin backs for the ones that they want to keep. My 5 year old daughter lost her pin standing in line for a ride 10 minutes after we bought it because it fell off her lanyard. By the time she told me the pin was missing, it was gone and it cost $9.95.

 

[paul_toria96]

My 7 & 8 year loved the pin trading. One thing it did for them - is reduce the stress of all that walking - they were so busy looking for CM's they didn't realize how much walking they were really doing. We started them with the Lanyard starter sets and went from there. They really had a blast and can't wait to go back trade some more.

My kids love it as well, we have traded at DLP and WDW, we are going back in Aug this year and I have already purchased over 140 pins from Ebay to take with us. It's a great way to get the kids talking to CM's.

 

[seadd67]

Its funny my DS just does It one way!,buys them. everytime he Is approached about his pins you would think they where asking for part of his body. Oh he's funny about his pins he has two lanyards full and yes they are a bit pricey but better then naveing a t shirt collection Imagin the luggage Issues we would have!