Pin Trading question

[AudreyW]

Hi, my family and I will be making our first trip to WDW this Dec and in all the things I've been planning, once I heard about pin trading I thought it would be fun, and so I bought each of us several pins, being sure to follow the guidelines for trading (officially licensed pins). Since then, I've seen so many posts in groups encouraging people to buy the cheap ebay pins, and reading about how pin boards are basically filled with fakes. Now I'm seconding guessing bringing those more expensive pins to trade and maybe keeping those. Is there still a good chance at trading official pins for official pins with the cast members/pin boards? Is it worth it all, or should I not bother and just buy pins I like?

My kids are teens and we love collectibles, so while I thought the trading would be a fun thing to do, it's not like they are 5 years old and won't know the difference/feel slighted. For those who actually collect pins, do you still trade in the park?

 

[RapunzelIsMyHomeGirl]

Yes, definitely! I just traded through 50 pins on my last trip-- all real. Almost all 50 I brought back are real. The ones that aren't are ones I specifically wanted even though they are fake.

Two tips and words of advice:
1. Trade often. I am able to find great pins b/c I am constantly looking and trading. You meet so many wonderful cast members this way too!
2. Go in with as much knowledge as you can. I recommend watching youtube videos on fake pins. I don't know if I'm allowed to mention a specific channel, but there is one woman who makes videos for beginner pin traders and she does a fantastic job.
3. Words of advice: Just have fun! Trade for what you like or have fun looking for the signs of real pins that you will learn from the pin videos. The more you trade, the more you will get the hang of it.

 

[AudreyW]

Ok, thank you so much for the reassurance.