Pin trading question

[seagodess]

We will be going to disneyland in a couple months. We have told DS (5yr) that he needs to save whatever money he gets until then, and that is what he can have to buy things at DL. He loves getting those little cheapo toys from the quarter machines and stuff like that. He currently has about $30, but I know that will go fast in DL. So our plan is to let him spend his money on that stuff, then we will buy him other stuff that we would like him to have or something he wants that wont break in a day. I just recently learned about the pin trading. It sounds neat, but not something I would normally do since we dont and wont be able to go to disneyland/world often. However I was thinking about buying a small set (10ish) on ebay or amazon for him. I know sometimes they are fakes, so I have been reading reviews and such. I was thinking if I get him that, he might be more interested in trading them with cast members then searching for something to buy.

Is the pin trading good for kids his age?
Do you think this idea might work?
Any suggestions?

 

[starry_solo]

Trading with cast members is great but be wary, there are a lot of fakes.

For kids only, they can also trade with cast members with teal lanyards.

If you would like a good education on fakes, you can check pinpics and/or disneypinforum.

Enjoy your trading!

 

[seagodess]

Trading with cast members is great but be wary, there are a lot of fakes.

For kids only, they can also trade with cast members with teal lanyards.

If you would like a good education on fakes, you can check pinpics and/or disneypinforum.

Enjoy your trading!

That's why I've been reading reviews and stuff of other people who have bought them to make sure they are real. I read somewhere that sometimes the cast members cant even tell if they are fake and will trade because they look so real. Personally I dont care about the real/fake thing as long as they can be traded.

 

[MinnieSkis]

Personally I dont care about the real/fake thing as long as they can be traded.

I think that it would be unfair to those of use who are careful to buy/trade real pins if you intentionally purchased and traded fake ones but you did say that you were doing research so I appreciate that! We have purchased on Ebay using sellers who have a good reputation on this board and even then I have received an occasional fake one.

With that said, your son will love it!

 

[seagodess]

I think that it would be unfair to those of use who are careful to buy/trade real pins if you intentionally purchased and traded fake ones but you did say that you were doing research so I appreciate that! We have purchased on Ebay using sellers who have a good reputation on this board and even then I have received an occasional fake one.

With that said, your son will love it!

I didn't mean that I didn't care if others got ripped of or anything like that. I wouldn't intentionally trade a fake one. I just meant that this isn't really something I plan on taking seriously, collecting, or spending a lot of time or money on. So if I end up getting one it wont be a big deal to me. I have read that some people do get very into it and will get very upset if they get fake ones.

 

[pixiewings71]

I have a lot of fakes in my collection, I keep them because I like them but mostly because I chose not to circulate scrappers. If you follow the link in my signature you'll find some good eBay sellers but be sure to read at least the first and last few pages, there have been updates but the thread owner is busy so isn't around much to update on the first page. You can find good pins from good sellers on eBay but there are a lot of scrappers as well. Pin trading is a lot of fun, my kids love it. We started when my youngest was 7, she was very very shy so pin trading helped her come out of her shell a bit, we all still enjoy it quite a bit, in fact we've planned trips just to pin trade. Have fun!

 

[Babybears]

What we did for my kids was we bought a starter set at the parks and split it between them and then they started trading the ones that they wanted to. As I recall, the starter set was a pretty reasonable price. My girls really had fun with it!

 

[MinnieSkis]

Ah! Now I get it. We do get fakes ones in trading and it is because DS wanted it. It goes into the keeper pile b/c if he likes it I don't care either. It is a little annoying to receive but only b/c we tried hard to buy real ones and other's could care less about doing the right thing.

 

[seagodess]

What we did for my kids was we bought a starter set at the parks and split it between them and then they started trading the ones that they wanted to. As I recall, the starter set was a pretty reasonable price. My girls really had fun with it!

From what I've found its like $30+ for the starter kit and it only comes with 6 pins. To me that is a horrible price for something that isn't that big of a deal for us. Most the ones I've found on amazon are about $1 per pin. And those are ones with good reviews.

 

[Disney Dreams]

You can get a set of 7 for about $30 in the Park, less if you have an AP discount. Trading with cat members can be a lot of fun for kids, as well as a great way to learn social skills and decision-making (which o keep, which to trade, etc...).

From what I've found its like $30+ for the starter kit and it only comes with 6 pins. To me that is a horrible price for something that isn't that big of a deal for us. Most the ones I've found on amazon are about $1 per pin. And those are ones with good reviews.

If you are paying $1/pin, you are probably getting scrappers --- unless you are buying a huge quantity (100+).

- Dreams

 

[larina]

From what I've found its like $30+ for the starter kit and it only comes with 6 pins. To me that is a horrible price for something that isn't that big of a deal for us. Most the ones I've found on amazon are about $1 per pin. And those are ones with good reviews.

Good reviews from who? Not anyone who knows or cares about real pins vs. scrapers. I can't imagine how many pins you have to buy to get real ones for $1, but I'm guessing at least a couple of hundred. They just aren't ever that cheap. It the old "too good to be true" story.

It is fine for someone to buy those fake pins (not really, it shouldn't go on at all, but that is a whole other thread), but do not then trade them with CMs or other Disney goers who have real pins and want to trade the correct way, with real pins. $30 for 6 REAL pins is a great deal. If you can't afford to get into pin trading like that, or feel it is a waste of money, great, don't do it, but don't mess it for the rest of us. My girls save up for their pins all year long. My 8 year old loves the whole process and in December she happily paid for a couple of expensive pins that she adores (and never plans to trade, LOL). She also bought a starter set to trade with, and used our free AAA pins as well, and had great fun doing that too! Trading isn't for everyone, that's ok, but it isn't ok to trade what you know are fakes.

 

[pixiewings71]

From what I've found its like $30+ for the starter kit and it only comes with 6 pins. To me that is a horrible price for something that isn't that big of a deal for us. Most the ones I've found on amazon are about $1 per pin. And those are ones with good reviews.

Pins for a dollar or less are not good pins......$30 for a starter set of 6 pins is a great price, that breaks down to $5 per pin, if you buy individual pins at the parks they are a minimum of $6.95 and can be as much as $16.95. That's standard rack pin pricing, not including LE pins which can cost much more. I'm sad to see lots on Amazon that seem to be scrappers.

You can get a set of 7 for about $30 in the Park, less if you have an AP discount. Trading with cat members can be a lot of fun for kids, as well as a great way to learn social skills and decision-making (which o keep, which to trade, etc...).


If you are paying $1/pin, you are probably getting scrappers --- unless you are buying a huge quantity (100+).

- Dreams

Actually the large lots are the most suspect to be scrappers. IME they are the most likely to be 100% scrappers, I ask very specific questions before bidding on large lots.

Good reviews from who? Not anyone who knows or cares about real pins vs. scrapers. I can't imagine how many pins you have to buy to get real ones for $1, but I'm guessing at least a couple of hundred. They just aren't ever that cheap. It the old "too good to be true" story.

It is fine for someone to buy those fake pins (not really, it shouldn't go on at all, but that is a whole other thread), but do not then trade them with CMs or other Disney goers who have real pins and want to trade the correct way, with real pins. $30 for 6 REAL pins is a great deal. If you can't afford to get into pin trading like that, or feel it is a waste of money, great, don't do it, but don't mess it for the rest of us. My girls save up for their pins all year long. My 8 year old loves the whole process and in December she happily paid for a couple of expensive pins that she adores (and never plans to trade, LOL). She also bought a starter set to trade with, and used our free AAA pins as well, and had great fun doing that too! Trading isn't for everyone, that's ok, but it isn't ok to trade what you know are fakes.

I just looked on Amazon and see a lot of pin lots for $1 per pin or less, there is one lot of 25 for $16!!! There's NO way those pins are legit!! I totally agree, if one doesn't want to spend the money for real pins don't do it!! Or get your kids the fake pins to wear around the parks but don't let them trade. I got really angry when I found out about scrappers, we'd spent literally hundreds of dollars (we have 4 traders) on real pins that we'd traded for fakes......it was upsetting. That's why I always ask people to not trade scrappers.

Again, the link in my signature has some great information, it's lengthy but helpful.

 

[Scribble Kitty]

Pin trading is alot of fun, and as you've seen people can get real defensive about it. Imagine paying $7 or $8 for a pin that ended up getting you a fake you can buy yourself for less then $1.

I would suggest buying an official starter set that comes with the lanyard and 4 - 8 pins. Ebay has several and it is really a decent price when you add in the $10 lanyard.

 

[starry_solo]

Again, I would refer you to the disneypinforum. There are legitimate people there selling their pins for $2-3 per pin (traders) because they have accumulated too many pins.

There is also a pin store close to DL (about 6 blocks away so you are going to want to drive) - corner of Ball & Beach Boulevard - that sells legitimate pins for $2 per pin.

 

[GeneandCleo]

Pin trading is so much fun!!!

I feel bad that we didn't get involved in it sooner! We've had annual passes off and on for 15 years... and didn't get into pin trading until last May!

My 5 year old loves it. She spent our last trip trading anything she had for pirate pins. (She has a bit of an obsession with pirates right now... )

The best part though is that the kids are SO excited about their pins, they don't ask for anything from the park to purchase - besides a pin or two! So affordable compared to other trips where they wanted everything. They are so busy with pin trading, that's all they really see!

I would totally get a starter set and let him have some fun trading away!

Good luck!

 

[danicaw]

We started pin trading with our 5 and 8 year old this last year. The 5 year old LOVES it.
We got a starter kit, and several mystery packs at the parks.
And purchased some from a ebay seller with good reviews (from the link one of the other posters has in there signature).
After a week of fun in the parks and trading, I am sure we have a few scrapers in our collection. But we are keeping them, DD 5 likes them, and doesn't care about that. I make sure they don't get back into her trading pins, and its all fun.
We had out to DL next week and are looking forward to more pin trading fun
We practiced trading in our family before we hit the parks. We handed out pins for a few weeks with allowance then after we all had a stash of pins, we traded. It was fun and got the kids excited about it. Plus helped them learn the etiquette.
Enjoy it! You will know pretty quick if your kiddo is enjoying it.
And its kind of addicting

 

[MeganAnne]

Before my trip, I bought three sets of new, sealed, 7 pin boosters on eBay for around $35 total; in the parks those same boosters sell for $30 per pack. I bought from a reputable seller, it cost me little more than buying scrappers, and I believe they were 100% authentic. I absolutely traded for scrappers from CMs, which was frustrating, but it's sadly part of the game at this point.

 

[annadette]

We love buying the pins at DL - we got hooked on it our first trip, but after losing a couple of pins off our lanyards because of the rubber backs falling off, my DH started locking them all on with the locking pin backs. So we don't ever trade them, even though we've been asked by several CMs - because our pins are all locked to us and they are a real hassel to remove once they're on there! So we kinda use them for souveniers - buy them to commemorate the dates of our trips, any special occasions, and especially any rides we've tried. We got a really nice pin collecting book for my DD and she uses it to take the pins to show n tell at school after our trip is over.

 

[cutewestie]

I bought pins from Ebay for my first trip to WDW, I think it was lot of 20 or 30. From looking at my pins right now I had 11 scrappers from the lot. But for scrappers some look pretty legit. My collection is small but this is what I know. And most of the legit pins i got in the lot I traded for what you see now.
Here are some pictures

These are all my legit Disney pins

These are the scrappers

(sorry about the book in the background)You know some pin are scrappers if the color is off. like in the scrapper pin on the left. Micky Mouse's face and clothes colors don't look as bright as Mickey's on the right(legit pin).

(sorry about the book)Others look perfectly fine like in this picture. The scrapper pin is on the left and the Legit pin is on the right.

Like I said I'm not a pro at pin collecting, but I hope this info helps.