Pin trading 101

[Aliceacc]

I just stole this from SOMEWHERE on this forum and printed it up for my sister and for me. Then I realized that other enquiring minds probably want to know as well.

For the record, I got 25 pins at www.mousepinsonline.com for $1.75 each.

"PIN TRADING
The Walt Disney Company has always offered collectible Disney pins in each of its Parks and Resorts around the world. With the start of the Millennium Celebration in October 1999, we introduced the tradition of Disney Pin Trading. Today, thousands of Guests trade pins with other Guests and Cast Members from around the world.

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THIS PIN?
The true value of a particular pin is different for everyone. Every Disney pin is special and unique, and every Disney pin has a story. That is the exciting part about Disney Pin Trading and Collecting- we offer an amazing variety of pins. Guests can select pins that are important to them, and build a priceless collection full of Disney memories, stories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

HOW MANY PINS EXIST?
Thousands of unique Disney pins have been created over the years. And that is part of the fun of Disney Pin Trading - our incredible assortment. Guests may find pins from Disney Parks & Resorts, as well as pins from other divisions of the Walt Disney Company, such as DisneyShopping.com. The key to Disney Pin Trading is finding favorite pins to personalize a Disney Pin Collection.

WHAT PINS SHOULD I COLLECT OR TRADE?
With any collection, the key is collecting or trading pins that are important to you. The best part about Disney Pin Trading and Collecting is that we offer an amazing variety of pins. You can select pins that are important, and build a priceless collection full of Disney memories, stories and friendships that will last a lifetime.

WHERE IS (THIS) PIN FROM?
The back stamp (or back side of a pin) is the best place to gather information about a pin's origin. The back stamp will usually contain information such as manufacturing year, limited edition size, series number, etc.

WHAT IS THE LIMITED EDITION PURCHASE POLICY?
Guests may purchase up to two (2) Limited Edition pins of a particular style (i.e. SKU), per Guest, per day. In other words, if a Limited Edition Mickey Mouse pin is released, a Guest may purchase up to two (2) of those pins per day. The next day, a Guest can purchase another two of those Limited Edition Mickey Mouse pins.
Disney reserves the right to modify this policy. In the rare instance a modification is made, this information will be communicated via DisneyPins.com.






HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Disney Pin Trading is as easy as 1-2-3.
1. Meet a Disney Cast Member wearing a pin trading lanyard.
2. Find a Disney pin with your favorite Disney character, attraction, movie or design.
3. Trade your Disney Pin with the Cast Member.
We also offer a variety Disney Pin Trading "Starter Sets." These "Starter Sets" feature a uniquely themed Pin Trading lanyard and four Disney pins. You can keep some pins and trade others with Guests or Cast Members. Visit our "Tools of the Trade" page for details on these "Starter Sets." They are a fun way to join the exciting world of Disney Pin Trading!
IS IT TRUE DISNEY CAST MEMBERS HAVE TO TRADE THEIR PINS?
Yes. Cast Members at our Theme Parks and Resorts have to trade their pins displayed on their Company issued lanyards. Guests can make up to two (2) trades per "lanyard," per Cast Member, per day. When trading with Cast Members, Guests should offer a pin that is not already displayed on the Cast Member's lanyard.

WHY ARE SOME CAST MEMBERS WEARING GREEN/TEAL LANYARDS?
Disney Pin Trading is fun for people of all ages. However, kids, ages 3-12, get an extra trading treat. Look for Kids Only lanyards - Disneyland® Resort uses "teal" lanyards and Walt Disney World® Resort uses "green" lanyards. This means that Kids are the only Guests allowed to trade from these special lanyards. Kids can also trade from Cast Members wearing blue lanyards. "

 

[BrittBritt]

Thanks for all the good info. I've never done the pin trading before, but I'm taking my sis(9) in Dec., and I think this would be something she'd enjoy. Great tip about buying the starter set of pins. What about the lanyard? Did you buy that online as well?

I'm so jealous of your stay at the Poly. I was lucky enough to stay there in Jan. 06 with my DH, and we absolutely loved it! Have a great time!

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm not sure about the whole lanyard thing yet. I haven't seen pictures of them. But what I envision as a lanyard (worn around the neck with pins along the side) just seems so hot and heavy for August. I'm thinking of having the kids put their pins on their fanny packs.

Anyone care to comment or offer suggestions??

With 5 of us, our resort options were limited. I was pretty much set on either the All Star Music Family Suites or POR, but kept coming back to the convenience of the monorail. So we threw the budget away (well, not really, but tabled it for a while) and booked the Contemporary. Then when we got the 40% off PIN, we went for the Poly(and saved $500)

This is NOT going to be an annual event in my house; next year it's back to the lake upstate that we love. So we're doing it up this year.

Thanks for your good wishes!

 

[disneyfanforlife]

Thanks for all the good info. I've never done the pin trading before, but I'm taking my sis(9) in Dec., and I think this would be something she'd enjoy. Great tip about buying the starter set of pins. What about the lanyard? Did you buy that online as well?
QUOTE]

You can get a lanyard on line. If you can't find one send me a private message. I have one I can send you for your sister.

I'm not sure about the whole lanyard thing yet. I haven't seen pictures of them. But what I envision as a lanyard (worn around the neck with pins along the side) just seems so hot and heavy for August. I'm thinking of having the kids put their pins on their fanny packs.

Anyone care to comment or offer suggestions??

With 5 of us, our resort options were limited. I was pretty much set on either the All Star Music Family Suites or POR, but kept coming back to the convenience of the monorail. So we threw the budget away (well, not really, but tabled it for a while) and booked the Contemporary. Then when we got the 40% off PIN, we went for the Poly(and saved $500)

This is NOT going to be an annual event in my house; next year it's back to the lake upstate that we love. So we're doing it up this year.

Thanks for your good wishes!

The lanyards can be hot & havey if there are alot of pins on it. But if you feel better about putting the pins on their fanny packs do it. Just keep an eye that none of the pins have fallen off.

I trade and love it. it is so much fun and can make some great memories of the parks. The cast members are great about trading.

 

[shellybelly72]

thanks for the info!

 

[collcass]

I just stole this from SOMEWHERE on this forum and printed it up for my sister and for me. Then I realized that other enquiring minds probably want to know as well.

It is actually from the FAQ (or getting started page) from the official Disney page.

Glad to see it in one place so I can just print it out. Think I'm going to let dd do this. Sounds like a blast.

Great tip about mousepinsonline. Thx

 

[BrittBritt]

For the record, I got 25 pins at www.mousepinsonline.com for $1.75 each.

Thanks for the info. This is where I will definitely order my pins.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

I just started looking into pin trading a week ago for our upcoming trip. I decided a few days ago that we were going to do it. It really does sound like fun.
I bought 4 pins from disneyshopping.com the other day. Then when I read this post this morning went on mousepinsonline and bought 3 more. Now I already have 7 pins on the way. I'm very excited.

Any good suggestions on where to buy the lanyards besides disneyshopping.com.

 

[postesf]

I just started looking into pin trading a week ago for our upcoming trip. I decided a few days ago that we were going to do it. It really does sound like fun.
I bought 4 pins from disneyshopping.com the other day. Then when I read this post this morning went on mousepinsonline and bought 3 more. Now I already have 7 pins on the way. I'm very excited.

Any good suggestions on where to buy the lanyards besides disneyshopping.com.

The parks have a bunch of lanyards!!!

 

[wilde_oscar]

my advice is don't start... it is an addiction, a very expensive addiction.

 

[Nlbnikki]

We started DD5 out with a lanyard last year and within the first day had lost 2 pins. We then invested in a pin bag and haven't lost another. It was more money but we have 50 pins in it and the piece of mind knowing they are ziped tight is worth the cost of the bag. Even if a back falls off a pin it is sealed safe in the bag. I'm ordering 20 pins off the website everyone was talking about for our 2 day trip to DL next month. It is very addictive. Have fun.

 

[t_catt11]

We usually carry a backpack with us into the parks; everyone in our family has multiple lanyards, so we usually pick one to wear, and keep the others either at the resort or in the backpack. Naturally, they go into the backpack on any semi-intense rides.

The pin books and such are very nice, but I really enjoy wearing the darned things, too (though it requires a lot of checking and rechecking to ensure none are dropped).

The mousepinsonline.com deal is fantastic - I'll defintiely be looking into their grabs bags for some trader pins for the future.. I also took advantage of the disneyshopping up to 70% off sale (plus another 20% for President's Day) to get a couple of keepers.

A lot of people are intimidated when they first get into (or think about getting into) pin trading. So, for those who are new to it, I give you the following link:

http://www.wdwinsiders.com/view_article.php?articleid=23

We LOVE pin trading, so feel free to post questions here, or to PM me!

 

[chessie2008]

How many pins would you say we would need to start out trading? We will have 3 kids and 2 adults (of course dh and I will want to trade as well). I was going to buy a bunch off ebay - I was thinking of 20-30 so that would be 5 or 6 each to start. Do you think that is enough?

 

[t_catt11]

How much do you want to spend? How long is your stay going to be?

Early in your trip, it will be easy to fly through your pins, even if you have a theme you like - be it Stitch, Mickey, Princesses, what have you.

We try to hold everyone to buying one pin per day, and we give the kids a couple of tradeable pins per day. Of course, they may trade any of their pins at any time; it's not uncommon for them to burn through their "tradeable" pins and then swap one of the pins they bought as a souvenir if that pin was easy to find... they'll buy it again on another day.

Later in the trip, if you have a fairly narrow theme, it may be much tougher - my wife only does Tinkerbell, so by the time a week is done, she has already bought most of the Tink pins she likes, and has traded for all of the easily findable ones.

Now, if you don't have a theme of any sort; you just go for anything that strikes your fancy (kids are prone to this), you might just bleed pins all trip long.

Bringing pins with you is super smart; I wish we had thought to do that (though starter sets aren't that bad). Really, you just need to set some sort of guideline that you feel comfortable with and try to stick to it. You may find that you need to adjust it a bit, or make an exception once or twice, but if you just go willy nilly, you can spend hundreds of dollars before you realize what you have done.