Pin Collecting

[Disneydragonfly]

How old were your kids when you got them started with pin trading? We will be going when my daughter is 17 months old and I was debating whether to start the new tradition. She is pretty smart and aware of all things disney!
And if you bought a starter pack on ebay, any tips for not getting fake pins?
Thank you!!

 

[imthemamahere]

You can certainly start pin trading FOR your daughter at this age, if you want. At 17 months, she isn't really going to be able to do the trading herself, obviously. The pins will just be colorful things she might want to try stuffing into her mouth at that age!

You can also just start a collection for her by buying a few pins that have meaning for your trip - like one with a current favorite character at 17 months, one with the year, one from your resort, etc... Display them somewhere at home, and when she's older and you return, she can add to her collection by trading then.

As for the ebay pin lots, my understanding is that, if you're getting a whole bunch of pins for the cost of one or two in the parks, you aren't likely to be getting "real" ones - they're most likely scrappers/fakes. There is a starter set or two available through the Disney store - you can look at their website, or go into a local Disney store to order them. If you want real pins, you should probably buy from the source. That isn't to say that it's impossible to get real ones on the cheap from a re-seller who's looking to offload a collection. But I wouldn't place any bets on it...

 

[DisneyFan13US]

I agree with the PP 100%. Unfortunately a huge amount of the pin lots on ebay are fake, no matter what the seller says. What I always do before I go is I check out the Disney outlet stores. Sometimes they get pins from DL or WDW and they are usually around 2 dollars a piece. I buy some of those for trading purposes.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

We started pin trading when my oldest was about 5 and my youngest was about 1 1/2. My youngest was quite unhappy that he didn't have a "necklace" too, so we got him a small lanyard and put a few pins on it -- we used the locking backs so he couldn't pluck them off and put them in his mouth. I don't think he did any actual trading himself, but my husband would trade and get him a pin if he showed a particular interest in it.

As for buying pins online, I look for sellers that sell their pins for $2-3 each or are selling unopened sets. I know there are a few on there right now, as I was looking yesterday for our upcoming trip and I flagged a few auctions to "watch." Fortunately for me, my sister is in Orlando with her husband for a business trip so I sent her to the Disney outlet, and she reported to me that she found some of the Vinylmation sets of 7 pins for $15, so I told her to get me 2 packs.