Trading pins?

[itzmecharlie]

I haven't been to the magic kingdom in 15 years, finally heading down there in a couple of weeks with my almost five year old and wife.

First question is do the parks still have the pins everywhere? If so are the starter sets with the lanyard easy to find or should I get one on eBay before I go down?

 

[china mom]

Yes, there are pins in every store. Yes, you can get a starter set and lanyard in almost every store (I think they all run around $25-30 for a 5-6 pins. Yes, you should buy them on eBay before you go.

 

[itzmecharlie]

Ok thank you China Moon that helps. Have a good one.

 

[Lothlórien]

I haven't been to the magic kingdom in 15 years, finally heading down there in a couple of weeks with my almost five year old and wife.

First question is do the parks still have the pins everywhere? If so are the starter sets with the lanyard easy to find or should I get one on eBay before I go down?

Pins are sold by Disney in stores and at stands everywhere. You can get starter sets as well as individual pins you want.

If you purchase pins on ebay, your chances of getting scrappers is very very high. Even those with 97% - 100% feedback are selling scrappers and most do not know any better when they get the pins. The only way to ensure legit pins is to purchase them from Disney or a place like Booster Packs and Beyond. Themepark Connection in Florida also sells legit pins, but stay away from their grab-bags.

Additionally, almost all of the pins on the CM lanyards in the parks are the same scrappers over and over again that were purchased on ebay or from MousePinsOnline. All Scrappers/Fakes.

 

[Horizons16]

I have noticed in recent trips that pin trading is not being as pushed as it was in the past. Cast Members used to have rules about the number of pins that you had to have on lanyards (12 minimum) and not having doubles. Seems those regulations have either changed or the are not enforced. Pins on CM lanyards would also get swapped out often backstage to bring new / different pins into circulation, this happened usually in the morning and then afternoon for their big full time / college program shift changes.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

we always order pins online before going from mousepinsonline dot com - we get their grab bags and have a blast looking through the pins before trading them in the parks. The pins we've gotten have always looked legit so I highly recommend them

 

[bbjunkie]

You will also be able to purchase a starter set with the lanyard in your resort shop. I recommend heading to the pin store in Disney Springs; it is so, so fun to look through all the pins! You can also get a pin-trader badge for your child in a photo booth type setting.

 

[TML2012]

We have purchased pins from bizzybee1 on eBay. They seem to be a reliable seller. The pins are sold in lots of 25. The lots are made up of full sets in original packaging (4-7 pins per set). They are not sold loose like the other sellers who have scrapers.

 

[Lothlórien]

we always order pins online before going from mousepinsonline dot com - we get their grab bags and have a blast looking through the pins before trading them in the parks. The pins we've gotten have always looked legit so I highly recommend them

I can tell you with absolute certainty that their pins are scrappers. Pins that are sold in individual baggies is almost always a sign of scrappers that are being sold from China to the US.


Here are just a few pins from MousePinsOnline

 

[Lothlórien]

Here is one more example from MousePinsOnline.....

 

[disneybounddd]

On getting starter packs, sometimes there is a purchase with purchase offer at the gift shops where you can get 8 pins and a lanyard for around $20, you have to spend on other things to get the offer, but it's totally worth it if you are buying anyway. There are also plenty of themed starter packs and packs with lanyards that you can buy, but they are often very pricey! I would avoid ebay or anywhere that sells pins in lots, I've never found a legitimate one and it's a shame to bring more scrappers into the parks. Last time before I went to WDW I stopped by a local Disney outlet store and they had a starter pack of six pins on clearance for $5!

 

[trauva]

So just a question -- we're heading down with our 4 year old in April.. If most of the pins on the CM lanyards are scrappers at this point, is it worth it to trade at all, or should we just go and buy ones that we like? I don't want to spend money buying original ones and then end up with super cheapo not real ones... I guess others probably feel that way too, hence the buying of pins on ebay...

 

[courtneybeth]

If most of the pins on the CM lanyards are scrappers at this point, is it worth it to trade at all, or should we just go and buy ones that we like?

Don't even bother trading with CM at this point -- the bulk of pins out there are scrapper pins. Go and buy the ones you like - you'll end up with authentic merchandise that way.

 

[Lothlórien]

So just a question -- we're heading down with our 4 year old in April.. If most of the pins on the CM lanyards are scrappers at this point, is it worth it to trade at all, or should we just go and buy ones that we like? I don't want to spend money buying original ones and then end up with super cheapo not real ones... I guess others probably feel that way too, hence the buying of pins on ebay...

It is not worth it to trade with CMs anymore. The number of scrappers is ridiculous. Sadly, Disney does little to nothing to control this and therefore trading has pretty much gone down the tubes.

Buy what you like and skip trading.

 

[Crystal824]

I know I am probably going to get flamed for this, but if you just want pins to let your kid pintrade, buy pins on ebay. They are a lot cheaper. Yes, they are probably scrappers. I used to be one who would complain about trading scrappers, but the thing is if you buy real pins and let you kid trade, you are going to get scrappers. Your kid isn't going to know or care. They just want the pin they like. The CM lanyards are filled with scrappers at this point. Why spend a lot of money on real pins and trade for fakes that are essentially worthless? Just my two cents. We always buy a few pins to commemorate each trip at Disney. We don't trade those. We bought a set of 25 pins on ebay a number of years ago. My daughter continues to trade those pins (or the pins she traded for those pins) each trip.

It is just something fun for her to do. We aren't looking to get collectibles or rare pins, etc.

 

[Lothlórien]

I know I am probably going to get flamed for this, but if you just want pins to let your kid pintrade, buy pins on ebay. They are a lot cheaper. Yes, they are probably scrappers. I used to be one who would complain about trading scrappers, but the thing is if you buy real pins and let you kid trade, you are going to get scrappers. Your kid isn't going to know or care. They just want the pin they like. The CM lanyards are filled with scrappers at this point. Why spend a lot of money on real pins and trade for fakes that are essentially worthless? Just my two cents. We always buy a few pins to commemorate each trip at Disney. We don't trade those. We bought a set of 25 pins on ebay a number of years ago. My daughter continues to trade those pins (or the pins she traded for those pins) each trip.

It is just something fun for her to do. We aren't looking to get collectibles or rare pins, etc.

No flames, just logic.....

I understand where you are coming from about CM lanyards and kids, but at the same time, if people continue to take that approach, trading will forever be ruined because there will be nothing but scrappers. However, to be fair, Disney does absolutely nothing to stop the trading or manufacturing of scrappers. It is true that they have shut down a few groups, but overall they are fully aware of who is doing it and they do nothing.

My approach is this, and it is really a moral issue, if you know something is a fake, essentially it means it is stolen. If I am buying pins that a group in China should not have been making and I purchase them for the sake of selling online (ebay stores), then I am a part of that process. If I purchase them from ebay stores knowing they are fakes/scrappers, then I am also a part of that process. The only way to stop it is to stop buying.

 

[monorailrabbit]

I know I am probably going to get flamed for this, but if you just want pins to let your kid pintrade, buy pins on ebay. They are a lot cheaper. Yes, they are probably scrappers. I used to be one who would complain about trading scrappers, but the thing is if you buy real pins and let you kid trade, you are going to get scrappers. Your kid isn't going to know or care. They just want the pin they like. The CM lanyards are filled with scrappers at this point. Why spend a lot of money on real pins and trade for fakes that are essentially worthless? Just my two cents. We always buy a few pins to commemorate each trip at Disney. We don't trade those. We bought a set of 25 pins on ebay a number of years ago. My daughter continues to trade those pins (or the pins she traded for those pins) each trip.

It is just something fun for her to do. We aren't looking to get collectibles or rare pins, etc.

I tend to agree with you on this. Especially since a lot of the pins we have received from CMs are scrappers. We do it for a fun activity as well, but we collect on the side. We purchase a few ones per trip and we have a bag in our backpack for keepers vs. traders. If we see a good one we want for a CM they get a good one from us. But DH and I like to trade just to talk with CMs too, so if we are clearly getting a scrapper in return, we don't worry too much if the one from us is real. That may not be the best approach, but I'm not going to give you one I just spent $12 on for one you got for $.50 on ebay.

 

[alliecat523]

Pin trading is definitely not as big as it use to be. We still will collect a few each trip as a memento. I buy pins that I love so I don't want to trade them anyway.