Tell me about pin trading....

[To the honeypots]

My 4 year old wants to try this in September. I am looking at some new booster sets on eBay. 25 pins are $50 or I can get 70 pins for $100. I'm not sure how many to buy though? How many trades do you normally do in week? Is this the best place to buy them. I am only looking for ones in their original packaging as I don't want to contribute to the scrapper problem.

 

[Tinkerbellerella84]

Following I'd like to know this as well

 

[angierae]

There will be those who tell you not to buy cheap pins on Ebay because they are "scrappers" (fake pins that look very real, often cast-offs from the factories that make the real pins.) Only you can decide if that influences your decision.

As for how many, it really depends on your kid. If he's just looking for pins he likes, he could easily trade 25 in a couple of days. I tend to be looking for specific things (Muppets, Lilo and Stitch) so I find that I need to take fewer traders than I used to because I'm pickier about what I get. 70 might be too many, but you might decide you enjoy trading, too, and get in on the action.

 

[colagirl]

Smart to buy some in advance as their cost really adds up in the parks. I think 70 would be an unwieldy number for a small child. My 6 year old had a lanyard with about 15 pins, and really enjoyed it and was happy. So the 25 would be just fine.

 

[figment_jii]

How many days will you be in WDW? Do you plan to go back in the near(ish) future? If you are spending several days (e.g., a week) and/or will be making more than one trip, I would probably go with the 70 pin lot. I don't think you'll want to carry all 70 pins with you at one time, but you can replenish your stock as your little one trades for ones he likes. My family enjoys pin trading and we can easily trade 25 per day, but there are several of us. I carry my pins in a little bag; I tried the lanyard for a while, but I kept hitting things with it and getting it tangled up with the other stuff I was carrying (not to mention the pin backings hurt when they jabbed into my chest).

 

[ksinniger]

We had 75 that lasted 5 of us through 3 trips (14 days). So I think 25 for one week for one child would be more than enough.

 

[Tinkerbellerella84]

This may sound silly but first time to Disney. When trading who do you trade with? Walk to a random person and ask? Lol my soon to be 5 yr old and myself are interested in trading. Also where is the best place to buy pins in advance to take to trade?

 

[pad406]

My son started when he was six. He was quite shy so we weren't sure how it would go. After 5 mins he was no longer shy, lol. He likes to trade to keep and build collections of whatever he's interested in at the time, sometimes he later trades them but mostly he doesn't. Because of that he does go through quite a few in a trip. If you plan to go back, I'd buy the 100 as you can always use them again, he most likely will want to, it's quite addictive!

 

[pad406]

This may sound silly but first time to Disney. When trading who do you trade with? Walk to a random person and ask? Lol my soon to be 5 yr old and myself are interested in trading. Also where is the best place to buy pins in advance to take to trade?

Pretty much all CM's trade, they will either have laynards, pouches or sometimes a pin board behind the counter. Those with green laynards will only trade with kids. The obvious etiquette points apply, wait till they are not dealing with a guest, ask before touching, etc, pretty normal stuff. They will trade upto 2 pins with each person but are not supposed to take a pin they already have, though many do. Sometimes they will have a pin on backwards, like a lucky dip. They will accept any Disney pin as a trade.

You can trade with other guests, but they do not have to trade unless they want a pin you have. I think for beginners stick with the CMs for a while at least.

It is great fun and lovely to find that elusive pin you have been oooking for

 

[sunflowerblooms]

We love pin trading. It's great to watch your "shy" child light up talking to the CMs as they are trading pins.
Find a seller on eBay with a good solid reputation.
Lots of folks talk about scrapers. I just went thru our pins to get ready for our next trip - found 3 obvious scrapers in our pins we traded for at Disney bag. No biggie. They are in the trash. But just be careful who you buy from and go over them carefully. I am determined to only trade good quality pins at Disney since it's an activity that we love.
Also be prepared to buy pins at Disney. Which again for us is a huge part of disney pin collecting (ok not trading) fun.
Also think about getting some pin back locks. Nothing is more horrible than loosing the favorite pin. My DD has some how trained her ears to hear when her pin falls off. Not sure how she does it but we still lock the favorites on her lanyard.
Don't be afraid to ask for pin trading books where ever you go. It's just another great way to interact with CMs.
And most importantly - have fun.

 

[TinksMyGirl]

A lot of great advice especially sunflowerblooms. My youngest DD (22 soon to be 23) and I love to pin trade. I always order from Amazon - looking for a reputable dealer. 25 should be enough, and if you run out your DC can always trade one you had previously traded for - a trade up if you will. Pin trading is great for lines... our in our case (Disney a minimum of at least once a year) an added dimension to our Disney trip.

 

[To the honeypots]

Thanks for all the great advice and insight. You all made a great point about upcoming trips as well. We will be going back in November so I think I will get the larger pack and hold some back.

Thanks again! You guys rock!

 

[To the honeypots]

We love pin trading. It's great to watch your "shy" child light up talking to the CMs as they are trading pins.
Find a seller on eBay with a good solid reputation.
Lots of folks talk about scrapers. I just went thru our pins to get ready for our next trip - found 3 obvious scrapers in our pins we traded for at Disney bag. No biggie. They are in the trash. But just be careful who you buy from and go over them carefully. I am determined to only trade good quality pins at Disney since it's an activity that we love.
Also be prepared to buy pins at Disney. Which again for us is a huge part of disney pin collecting (ok not trading) fun.
Also think about getting some pin back locks. Nothing is more horrible than loosing the favorite pin. My DD has some how trained her ears to hear when her pin falls off. Not sure how she does it but we still lock the favorites on her lanyard.
Don't be afraid to ask for pin trading books where ever you go. It's just another great way to interact with CMs.
And most importantly - have fun.

Do you have any particular sellers that you have had good luck with?