Pin Trading to be "Phased Out" by 2014????

[Jafar24/7]

I recently read an interesting article in a business magazine regarding Disney's long-term strategic plan. In the article, they mentioned Disney considered "phasing out" pin trading by 2014 due to the lack of profitability. Any truth to this?

 

[debranator]

I recently read an interesting article in a business magazine regarding Disney's long-term strategic plan. In the article, they mentioned Disney considered "phasing out" pin trading by 2014 due to the lack of profitability. Any truth to this?

I seriously doubt this..
although..I am sure that Universal would not mind.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Disney sold pins for many years before Pin Trading was considered a separate Profit Center. This was October 1, 1999.

I remember during one of the early Disneyana Conventions Judy and a few other Guests were pin trading in the Contemporary's lobby and they were told they had to move from the area as they were blocking pedestrian flow.

 

[carebee21]

I recently read an interesting article in a business magazine regarding Disney's long-term strategic plan. In the article, they mentioned Disney considered "phasing out" pin trading by 2014 due to the lack of profitability. Any truth to this?

I find that hard to believe. Many people start buying pins, solely because they see people and cast members trading and think it would be fun (that's how my son got suckered in, and then started my husband on it...) Without the pin trading, we probably wouldn't have ever paid attention. So, even though it may take away from the productivity of the employee for a small amount of time to trade, it also brings in a huge profit from people who would otherwise not have noticed or bought the pins.

 

[w0rM]

No way... the PIN shops are full of people buying stuff. I find it hard to believe those pins cost more than a $1 or $2 to manufacture and they sell them for $10+. Seems like a pretty good profit to me.

 

[DiZBrad11]

I have actually spoken to a Disney Imagineer, he told me that the pins since they are made outside of the us and with pretty cheap materials dont cost over $2 a pin and $2 is for the jumbo or really nice looking ones but he told me that the cheap small rack pins sometimes even cost $0.18-.30 each.

Oh... and just like the people before me have posted there is no way on this world that they will stop making them or even making a profit off of them. I personally collect them and there are sometimes that people will pay excess of the original price just to get that pin which in turn means other people will buy more to trade more for them.

On Feb 5th there is a pin event and my fiancee and I with 7 other people are going to it... that means $50/person plus the pins that we want which equal to $140 for us alone and the extra food that we buy and so on and so forth!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I remember during one of the early Disneyana Conventions Judy and a few other Guests were pin trading in the Contemporary's lobby and they were told they had to move from the area as they were blocking pedestrian flow.

I thought guests were told to stop pin trading in the Polynesian lobby, because I remember a long time ago when they use to have unofficial pin meets there every Saturday and were told to stop having them. I also remember when PTN at the Contemporary Friday night use to be an unofficial event on the 4th floor and then eventually WDW took it over.