Pin trading?

[Dsnymouse]

Total newbie here, tell what this is all about... I always try to do something fun for our DD(8) while at Disney. I know you can get starter sets on ebay. We are staying offsite this trip. Will we still have opportunity to trade since we are not staying onsite? What are the rules? Any help would be great.
Thanks!

 

[dzneelvr]

I wouldn't think where you stay has anything to do with pin trading. There is a main pin station at each park and DTD. You can also ask any CM at a park or resort what the protocol is. We were all hot to do this when DS and DD were small as well, but soon learned that the backs come off the pins during the wear and tear around the World and the lanyards become quite heavy and uncomfortable. After taking 15 minutes to find a missing "back" at the Buzz attraction in MK, all pins and lanyards went into the backpacks never to come out again.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

You do not have to stay on site to trade. Each park has numerous pin stations to buy/trade. You may trade with any CM that has pins. CMs with Green lanyards for for children...but, we are all kids at WDW .

 

[ChristusG]

You do not have to stay onsite for pin trading. Most pin trading is done in the parks or at Downtown Disney. I think your daughter will love it. My 4 year old daughter discovered pin trading on our trip in October. Now she's hooked! She said that was her best part of the trip LOL! We're going back at the end of this month (staying offsite this time) and I have already purchased some more cheap pins on eBay for her to trade.

 

[erincon23]

HI! Pin trading is a really fun, but very expensive hobby (if you let it be). I would suggest you buy a bunch of pins from e-bay (look for lots of 10 or more, don't pay more than $2 a pin) or other sites -- find some of the other threads on these boards that have to do with pin trading (and there are quite a few). Basics -- bring a ziploc bag with you to put pins in that the kids definitely don't want to trade, or keep the entire lanyard in there and pull it out when you want to trade if the lanyard is too heavy or hot.

If you want to check out the CM's lanyard (green lanyards are only for kids), approach the CM, ask if you can see their pins. They'll generally hold the lanyard out for you to look at. Don't touch their pins. If you don't see anything you like, say thank you and go on. If you do see a pin you want to trade for, take one off your lanyard, tell teh CM which pin you want, they'll take the pin off their lanyard, and you'll trade hand to hand.

Have fun! Kids will often pick a theme they want to look for -- Mickey, princesses, Winnie the Pooh, sports, attractions, anything!

Erin

 

[junebugTN]

You need to use caution when buying pins on Ebay. It's been my experience that if it's a lot for less than $2 per pin, there is a good chance you'll be buying fake or scrapper pins. Here's a link that gives a good explanation:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Disney-Pin-...p-Bootleg-Rip-Offs_W0QQugidZ10000000000934426

I hope I won't be flamed for this, but even if your kids aren't "serious" collectors, it still hurts the hobby when people bring those pins to Disney. If you want to get a good deal on several pins, consider buying a booster or starter set. You can get them for not much more than $2 per pin, too.

Here's another thread that gives better details about pin buying on Ebay, as well as recommendations for honest sellers. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2099864

Good luck to you -- it's a fun and addictive hobby!!!!
June

 

[bellebud]

my dd9 loves pin trading. i bought her a starter set while at disney, and once in a while we'll get a pin we want to keep forever, but for the most part we just keep trading the 5 or so she has. it isn't expensive if you don't want it to be.

we'll also make it fun by searching for a particular character or type of pin. 1 trip she only wanted to find princess pins, then the next trip she was "too old for princess pins, so we traded them all for another character. and I'm always on the lookout for transportation pins or walt pins.

enjoy!

 

[bellebud]

oh yeah, as another pp mentioned, our backs fall off a lot.* so when we get a pin we want to take home, it comes off the lanyard and into my backpack.* the pins on the lanyard are ones we don't care about (not that it's ok to lose them and the money they cost, but we won't be upset because we LOVED the pin).* I've tried to think of a way to not lose the pins, but it happens every trip.* I was putting the few pins I loved on my tiny purse I carry around, but the pins would get caught on something and I'd lose them.* I thought of somehow attaching a clear piece of something over the front of my purse to 'cover' the pins, while still being able to see them.* but I'm not too crafty, and can't think of the proper material (well, plastic, but how to attach it to a purse??)

 

[Stitch76]

You can buy locking pin backs at the Disney shops (sometimes you can also find them online). We use these when we get a pin we really want to keep, so we can still display them on our lanyards. We have not lost a pin using this method. Don't use these on pins you want to trade though, it takes a small allen wrench and some time to remove them.
We just keep the rubber backs on the ones we want to trade, so they can be removed easily, there is a risk of losing them, but no big deal, because they are for trading anyway.

Another tip about buying on E-bay, is that I found if you watch, you can find lots where people have just returned from a trip and found pin trading wasn't for them. I purchased 2 lots of pins and lanyards like this, and all were certified trading pins.

Hope this helps!