Pin Trading at the parks, is there any protocol or customs i should know?!

[AndyMil]

Hey guys,

Just a quick post....I have got more and more into collecting Disney pins over my last few trips to WDW and when I next visit I want to do some trading in the parks/resorts.

I am looking through the net to purchase a small selection of pins to trade...

I have read how to see if a pin is real or not on some other posts, but is there any advice on protocols/procedures/customs in the pin trading community that i should be aware of? e.g. is it cool to just approach a cast member or fellow guest even and ask for a trade if they have a pin i like? What sorts of pins generally trade well?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

thank you

Andy

 

[Nakkira]

I FIND THIS TO BE A PRETTY SOLID GUIDE:
http://blogs.disney.com/insider/articles/2013/04/02/perfect-pointers-for-disney-pin-traders/

 

[figment_jii]

I agree that the Blog is a pretty good starting point. I have just a few things to add:

1. You'll find CMs wearing different colored lanyards. Use green/teal ones are for children traders only. Sometimes the CMs won't hold to the rule, but many do, so it's something to keep in mind.

2. I would avoid the "professional traders" unless you are very sure of what you are doing. I'm sure there are some honest ones, but most that I've come across are in it to make a profit. So if they ask you to purchase a pin (or pins) for them in exchange for one of their's, I would walk away.

3. You've read about scrapper pins. They look like legitimate Disney pins, but they're often overruns or rejected pins. Sometimes if easy to tell (e.g., Belle's ball gown is green instead of yellow or Ariel's hair is brown instead of red), but other times the differences are very subtle.

4. I'm sorry to be a downer, but if you're going to trade with CMs, you will get scrappers. Sadly, CMS lanyards tend to be filled with scrappers. Obviously, there are some real pins on CM lanyards, but the majority seem to be scrappers.