Pin trading

[AustinTink]

Is pin trading as popular at DL as it is at WDW? DH and DS are major pin traders so I'm wondering if I need to bring their pin books or just bring lanyards for trading.

Thanks!!

 

[shyboy72]

I haven't been to DW in such a long time. But I love pin trading and its very popular.. I'm hooked hahaha

 

[PrincessYessenia]

I've got a little over 500 pins so I'm HUGE into pins. Never been to DL, but will be going in June. Don't know if I should lug all my pin books on my plane with me since they're well over 50 pounds combined! Probably just gonna bring a lanyard with a few. I don't even wear pin lanyards anymore. I'm just sooo afraid to lose a pin

 

[mechurchlady]

Dont bring anything you would not trade away. Transporting them and pin book bangers can damage pins. I had people spinning my spinners bald. People love to play with pins and wore out the music ones eventually.

Read the pin trading rules and be wary of sharks. Know your pins so that you are not ripped off. DLR had a clan of 6 people including one CM and they were notorious for five finger discounts and for ripping people off. One CM had a pin worth at least $50 and they gave him a garbage junky pin worth $3 at most. I would have told him to take more pins and tried to get him to where it was around $40 to $60 worth of pins for his valuable pin. Even if you want that $3 pin be sure to get other pins with it so you get similar value.

 

[PrincessYessenia]

Dont bring anything you would not trade away. Transporting them and pin book bangers can damage pins. I had people spinning my spinners bald. People love to play with pins and wore out the music ones eventually.

Read the pin trading rules and be wary of sharks. Know your pins so that you are not ripped off. DLR had a clan of 6 people including one CM and they were notorious for five finger discounts and for ripping people off. One CM had a pin worth at least $50 and they gave him a garbage junky pin worth $3 at most. I would have told him to take more pins and tried to get him to where it was around $40 to $60 worth of pins for his valuable pin. Even if you want that $3 pin be sure to get other pins with it so you get similar value.

Thanx for the advice! Kinda sad that people would do things like that. They have no lives.

 

[AustinTink]

DLR had a clan of 6 people including one CM and they were notorious for five finger discounts and for ripping people off. One CM had a pin worth at least $50 and they gave him a garbage junky pin worth $3 at most.

Wow! That's so wrong! Well, we traded 112 pins this past March at WDW. So I think we may just take about 20 pins with us to DL to trade. We're only there for a day. But one day at DL is better than none!

One thing, it seems like I didn't see as many CMs with lanyards at DL. Is that just my imagination?

 

[jemilah]

I trade because I like the pin not for the value and we always trade with cm's not "professional" traders. We have the messenger type bags ....the small sized ones for the pin trading stores and that has eliminated loss. And all the keepers have locking backs from e-bay I can pull of the ones from Disney with little effort. Lanyards get so hot to wear the bags were well worth the $.

 

[pixiewings71]

We trade, in fact we were there last weekend and we were able to find all of the new April Ariel series and got a few extras. We saw a lot of CMs wearing lanyards and had no problems trading. We did not see very many of the "pros" out tho. There are 3 or 4 "pros" that we won't trade with but there are a few that we are on first name basis with. lol Not everyone who stands with their books are trying to "shark" anyone out of pins but you never know until you approach someone and ask. One particular lady loves to tell us how fake all of our pins are....very frustrating!!! Anyway, yes, trading is big at DL/DCA/DTD and it's one of our favorite things to do. Enjoy your trading!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

My kids traded for the 1st time last month ~ they had fun with it. We only traded with CMs (they did trade with a fellow UT girl who was there with her mom while we waited on Main St. for our MM) ~ we trade like jemilah ~ if they like a pin they'll trade for it. DS left his lanyard in the pouch on Space Mtn. nobody turned it in ~ somebody got a lanyard with at least 20 pins. I need to figure out a different way to store them for DS & DD while we're at the parks ~ those lanyards get heavy. DD traded almost all of her pins (about 20).

 

[wideeyedwonder]

Is pin trading as popular at DL as it is at WDW? DH and DS are major pin traders so I'm wondering if I need to bring their pin books or just bring lanyards for trading.

Thanks!!

IMHO, DL is more of a pins-on-lanyard trading place, and WDW is more of a pins-in-book trading place.

I was initially disappointed with WDW re: pin trading until I realized that most were carrying their pins in books! At DL, most use their lanyards, with a subset of their pins (although there are always a few locations with pin traders set up with open books).

I don't even wear pin lanyards anymore. I'm just sooo afraid to lose a pin

We get those metal locking backings that come with the tiny alen wrenches to tighten them that you can get at any pin cart. They keep the pins secure, although we once had a pin BREAK OFF (the backing and the pin were still attached to the lanyard, but the front was on the ground!)

One thing, it seems like I didn't see as many CMs with lanyards at DL. Is that just my imagination?

I see many CMs at DL with pins to trade...at the parks, at the hotels, manning the DVC kiosks...

 

[leslie_537]

I have lanyards for my kids so they can trade pins. They only wear the pins that they want to trade at DL each trip. They are young (6 and 3) and could leave them behind or lose them so this saves money and worry. Plus they get too heavy to wear with all the pins on the lanyard. We always buy the kids expensive new pins each trip so I bring locking backs for those so they don't get lost. Last time I forgot the locking backs and we just waited to put them on their lanyards until we were in the car on the way home. My kids really love to trade pins and I am surprised at some of the pins they pick. We only trade with cast members or other little kids. Some of the littlest cheapest looking pins have been my daughters (6 yrs) favorites! As for my son(3 yrs) he want the biggest one the CM has.

 

[jtl2411]

Just be careful who u trade with. We were talking with a CM his past Saturday and he warned they've seen a recent influx of counterfit pins. They actually cought a person with ten books full of fake pins. I only trade with CM's or people I know and have had past experince with.

 

[AngieWin]

Do the cm wear the different colored lanyards to trade with kids like they do at wdw?

 

[pixiewings71]

CM's have a teal lanyard, that's for kids 12 and under only.

There isn't a "recent influx" of scrappers, it's always been that way. Invariably we trade for bad pins from CMs more than we do "regular" people. I certainly hope they removed him from the park and if applicable removed his AP priveledges as well.

 

[Disney Dreams]

My advice is the same that I followed when we went to WDW. Don't take any pins (or anything else for that matter) that you will be sad if it gets lost. There is a lot of pin trading at DLR if you seek it out. If you bring your books, you are sure to find people to trade with.

DisneyMomma81, sorry to hear your DS lost his lanyard. Always best to wear them and not ever put them down. They are so easy to accidentally leave behind. Sorry again for your DS.

 

[bumbershoot]

I only collect, but hubby likes to trade. After kinda sorta being "taken" for an AP Dining pin series pin (he had NO idea that they were coveted, but he really loves the pin he got, so it's 49% "taken" and 51% happy with it for him...for me it's 99% negative but it WAS his pin) he really only trades with CMs. If we're in a store and the CM is willing to trade, he'll look at their pins. He doesn't really do it with anyone else, now.

The serious traders LOVE one of his pins, and he's asked to trade for it several times a trip. He knows better...before our big '07 trip, I bought DS and DH some pins that were from my heart. Two Cars pins for DS b/c he was really into Cars. A Mr Incredible pin for hubby b/c he was working SO SO SO hard for us to be able to afford that trip. And a special ying yang Hong Kong CM pin, b/c hubby is Korean and lived in Hong Kong. That's the pin that is very much wanted by traders. I think people drool over it!


We too buy the "mini allen wrench" pin backs.

 

[Disney Dreams]

...After kinda sorta being "taken" for an AP Dining pin series pin (he had NO idea that they were coveted, but he really loves the pin he got, so it's 49% "taken" and 51% happy with it for him...for me it's 99% negative but it WAS his pin)...

The dining pins are really wanted by some. Don't feel taken though. If he's happy with the pin he now has, that's what matters.

 

[ryanmcin]

There are less CMs with pins. I have noticed that a lot lately and it is clear as day when you spend a few days at Disneyland after spending a week at Disney World. It's not really hard to find CMs with pins, but there are quite a few that just don't wear any.

The upside is that there are a lot of "suits" wearing pins, they usually have good pins and they usually get annoyed when people ask to see their pins so its a win-win!

 

[AustinTink]

The upside is that there are a lot of "suits" wearing pins, they usually have good pins and they usually get annoyed when people ask to see their pins so its a win-win!

We always try to find the "suits" to trade with at WDW. The have the best pins! Where did you see them at DL? Any spots in particular? We always flag them down at parade time.

 

[glendalais]

One thing, it seems like I didn't see as many CMs with lanyards at DL. Is that just my imagination?

There's actually a very good explanation for this.

Walt Disney World Resort Merchandise Cast Members, under their Collective Bargaining Agreement, are required to wear Pin Trading Lanyards at all times while working in Onstage areas.

http://www.uniteherelocal362.org/ftcontract.asp

Sales Host/Hostesses working in an on-stage area will be required to wear a Company provided pin trading lanyard or accessory. Management will not require an on-stage Sales Host/Hostess to wear a pin trading lanyard if it will jeopardize the safety of the Sales Host/Hostess. A Sales Host/Hostess will not be required to wear a pin trading lanyard or accessory if the majority of his/her shift will be spent working in a backstage area.

No similar requirement exists for Merchandise Cast Members, or for any Cast Member, at the Disneyland Resort.

Disneyland Resort Cast Members may voluntarily choose of their own initiative to engage in Pin Trading with our Guests so long as it does not interfere with their duties or put the safety of themselves or other Guests and Cast Members at risk.