Pin trading

[Dopey's MIL]

What has been your experience with pin trading with cast members? How does it work?

 

[kkmcan]

We have never had a bad experience with pin trading with cast members. In fact those are the only people my kids are allowed to trade with. My kids know that they ask the cm if they can look at his/her pins. They take turns and do one trade at a time. They must thank the cm when they are done.

We've had a few cm's go out of their way to tell my kids some info about hidden mickeys or new pins on his/her lanyard. We had one cm who offered to go get her other lanyards out of her locker since my kids were looking for specific pins to complete their collections.

We like to pin trade when the lines are long. It's a ways to still do something and avoid crankiness of having to wait in lines.

Have fun with it!

 

[DizNee Luver]

I'm still pretty new at it, but my last 2 trips.... I'd go & buy a starter set with lanyard & then everytime I went into a shop & was checking out.... I'd check out the pins of the CM's lanyard. If you see one you like, just ask politely if you can trade a pin with them. Show them the one you want & hand them one of yours. Ta-Da you're done.
I also would look for "suits" supposedly they have some nicer pins. You can start a conversation with any of the CM's & ask to see their pins. If you don't see any you like, just thank them & go on. You'll also run into other guests that are always looking to trade.

It really is fun, but I don't spend my time looking for trades....just when there's a pause in the action, waiting in lines, checking out, etc. etc. I've come home with a couple really cool ones!!!

Have fun & happy trading!!

 

[dreamin_disney]

its fun and totally addicting. My dd (10) started in Nov our 1st trip to wdw and by the middle of the trip i got addicted-lol! we both had our own lanyards. I think if the CM has a green puch with pins those are only allowed to be traded with kids, the blue is for everyone. My favorites were the decal family - I found the MOM, dad, dd and just needed the baby. The baby was hard to find so hopefully i'll find it when i go back to DL

 

[Sherwin]

Someone's gonna have to write a guide to pin trading for noobs.

 

[pixiewings71]

Pin trading is fun and addictive. We all do it, with both CM's and park goers/pin traders. Yes, we trade with the dreaded traders that set up their bags in the parks, not often but sometimes. There are a few who we don't like and don't trade with but there are a few (Hello Shawna!!!!) that we LOVE to trade with. We are first basis with them. Trading is fun!

 

[SeattleTink]

I am by no means an expert...but we love pin trading.

We started out with a lanyard and a free pin from Costco Travel. When CM's see your lanyard they will often ask you if you want to trade. It is a great way to make friends in the parks.

I probably have 15 - 20 pins now and most of them I really love! A really good way to get "traders" is to buy a batch off of ebay.

Here is a link on pin trading. I found it very useful.

http://eventservices.disney.go.com/pintrading/page?id=getStarted

 

[pixiewings71]

Just be cautious with eBay, some of the sellers are not selling authentic pins.

 

[Disney Dreams]

SOMEWHERE on this board, I typed a sort of detailed pin trading "how to" in reply to someone's similar question. I am trying to find it. If I can, I'll post here. If not, I'll re-type it in a day or 2.

- Dreams

 

[Sherwin]

SOMEWHERE on this board, I typed a sort of detailed pin trading "how to" in reply to someone's similar question. I am trying to find it. If I can, I'll post here. If not, I'll re-type it in a day or 2.

- Dreams

LOL, that was probably mine. It was back when I was still a newb on Dis and a newb at Pin Trading, though I clearly still am! Your answer was great though. I'll try to find it.

 

[Disney Dreams]

LOL, that was probably mine. It was back when I was still a newb on Dis and a newb at Pin Trading, though I clearly still am! Your answer was great though. I'll try to find it.

Glad my answer helped. And YES, it was your original thread, which was great info because I found it! Thank you.

What has been your experience with pin trading with cast members? How does it work?

Pin trading is something to do for fun. It can become addicting VERY easily.

The basic comcept:
1. You buy Disney pins from a variety of places. Many people put them on a lanyard to wear around the park. You don't have to wear a lanyard though.

2. At the Park, many Disney CMs wear lanyards or hip panels with pins. They are ALL for trading with guests. They do not belong to the CM personally. They HAVE to trade with you if you ask them. (Exception: Teal lanyards are for trading with kids under 12 only.)

3. You can trade up to 2 pins with 1 CM off of their lanyard and cannot offer them a pin they already have or a pin with a person's name on it (i.e. Kelly, Michael, etc....).

So.... let's say you are a pirate fan. You have your pins. You see a CM with a lanyard. You ask if you could look at his/her lanyard. You see a cool pirate pin. You ask to trade for "that" pin and hand him/her one of your pins, but not one they already have. Voila, the pirate pin is yours.

Now... Hidden Mickey pins:
There are special pins that are never for sale and only enter the circulation of pin trading through cast lanyards. They have a little tiny silver Mickey head on them somewhere. They are called Cast Lanyard or Hidden Mickey pins. Many consider them "valuable," but I am one that tries to encourage people to collect what they like, not just what is perceived as valuable. New hidden mickeys come out every month and you can view them all over the internet.

That said, Disneyland has started something in the last month or so that some people like and some people do not, but they are now selling "mystery pouches" for a nominal amount ($10-$15???) that contain 2 retired hidden mickeys. You don't know what you are getting, but you do know they are formally "cast member only" pins. So, if you wait for the grab bag pouches to come out, technically, hidden mickey pins are now also buy-able.

You can also trade with fellow guests. Many big-time traders sit at various places in the Park with their books of pins and trade all day long. I only trade with CM (aside from the very rare exception) because I hate getting into a "value" debate with people over pins.

My final word of advice from experience: Pin trading can get very addictive (and add up $-wise) very quickly. However, if you enjoy it, it's a fun thing to do and a nice way to build up a Disney pin collection. I started out knowing nothing about pin trading. About a year ago, I asked a VERY active pin trading friend to explain the basics. She gave me a Nemo pin and before you knew it - I was on the hunt for the other pins in the series! I now have probably somewhere in the realm of 300+ pins and had "Pins" on my packing list for our WDW trip! Yeah, I'm hooked.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions - ask away!

- Dreams

 

[Dopey's MIL]

Thanks for all the experiences and hints! I'm going to begin in April when I go with my family and then again in May with 2 very dear friends...we'll all get hooked I'm sure!