What is pin trading???

[collcass]

and recommend it. I was going to order today, unfortunately, I had to buy oil. After the $600 for that, well, the pins will wait but I did order 12 of them from disney store online last week using a promo code and only purched the ones on sale.

I'll see if I can find the post that recommends the mouspins.


ETAhere's the link Ther eis also another link within that thread that is very informative.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1709329

 

[DiSZYme]

Thank you CollCass! I went ahead and ordered the smallest grabbag of 25 pins. I hope there's a nice balance of keeps and trades, but I'll see...that' part of the fun

 

[t_catt11]

We had this explained to us in December 2006; of course, it may have changed since then, but it's more recent than the 1998 info posted earlier (thanks for that tip, regardless!).

From what we understand, lanyards are pre-filled and given out prior to each shift (though it seems that cast members may have some say as to whether or not they wish to participate, the vast majority do). They may swap out a few before they start work, but by and large, they just pick up their lanyard and go.

If you didn't already know this, cast members have pins that can only be obtained by trading with them - pins in the "cast lanyard" series. You can spot these by seeing a tiny Mickey head on the front of the pin, and on the back, it will have "cast lanyard" or "CL" stamped on it. Note that the "hidden Mickey" series of trading pins (which are limited editions) also have a Mickey head on the front, and while these are less common than regular pins (sometimes far less common), these are available for purchase to the general public.

I have read that Disney will be merging cast lanyard and hidden Mickey pin lines in the future. (why?)

Finally, cast members can purchase cast exclusive pins. While these are frequently inexpensive, they are almost always very limited in edition, and are not available to the public. Odds of finding one of these in the parks are pretty much nil, since these must be purchased. I can't imagine a cast member trading one of these away unless they were specifically trying to make someone's day.

 

[collcass]

We had this explained to us in December 2006; of course, it may have changed since then, but it's more recent than the 1998 info posted earlier (thanks for that tip, regardless!).

From what we understand, lanyards are pre-filled and given out prior to each shift (though it seems that cast members may have some say as to whether or not they wish to participate, the vast majority do). They may swap out a few before they start work, but by and large, they just pick up their lanyard and go.

If you didn't already know this, cast members have pins that can only be obtained by trading with them - pins in the "cast lanyard" series. You can spot these by seeing a tiny Mickey head on the front of the pin, and on the back, it will have "cast lanyard" or "CL" stamped on it. Note that the "hidden Mickey" series of trading pins (which are limited editions) also have a Mickey head on the front, and while these are less common than regular pins (sometimes far less common), these are available for purchase to the general public.

I have read that Disney will be merging cast lanyard and hidden Mickey pin lines in the future. (why?)

Finally, cast members can purchase cast exclusive pins. While these are frequently inexpensive, they are almost always very limited in edition, and are not available to the public. Odds of finding one of these in the parks are pretty much nil, since these must be purchased. I can't imagine a cast member trading one of these away unless they were specifically trying to make someone's day.

How many pins is sufficient for a a 9 & 11 yr old to start trading. I don't want them to go crazy, but we want them to have enough to trade with.

 

[kscottiemom]

Cast member lanyards can be more than one color.
I didn't know this and attempted to trade with a "green" lanyard. The CM told me, rather firmly, that those pins were for children. I was embarassed, but learned to avoid looking at green lanyards.

Most cast members are really friendly and it's fun to do.
One day we were looking at a lanyard and buying sweatshirts at the same time and were invited to ride in the parade. It was too incredible! They gave us ears, cameras, certificates, and an unforgettable memory.

Also, if there is a pin you want from a pin trader who has set up his/her display, you might be asked to trade multiple pins (which you can purchase at the pin shop) for one of theirs. I did this twice but would be unlikely to do it again. They were very expensive trades. (but we do things at WDW that we wouldn't dream of doing in the "real" world.

One thing more, I now keep my trading pins in a ziploc bag because I lost my lanyard once, and they can get heavy.

 

[t_catt11]

...if you purchase a starter lanyard, you get four pins. This is definitely enough to get you going.

If you are going to buy pins in the park for the sole purpose of trading them, don't buy singles - at $8-$12 each, the cost gets prohibitive quickly. The way we have done it in the past is to buy each of the kids a starter pin set at the beginning of the trip; in these, you get a handful of small, common pins for a great price (if you look, you can get seven pins for $25). During the course of the trip, we buy "refill" starter sets. Of course, my wife and I also trade, so we often buy one starter set each day... two pins for each child, with my wife and I alternating on who gets two one day, and who gets only one.

Finally, we allow everyone to purchase one "keeper" pin per day - though they may, of course, trade it if they so desire, we encourage the kids to limit doing so to only other "keeper" pins. It gets old buying the same pin again and again, only to see it get traded away.

Now, do we do it the "right" way? It works for us. It may not be the way you wish to do it. The last time we went, we were unaware on places like http://mousepinsonline.com that allow you to buy grab bags of pins for about $2 per pin... we'll definitely invest in those before we go again.

The key is to set a limit and try to stick to it; it is easy to get carried away. And don't be surprised when family members want to stop at every pin trader cart in every park... stock varies from cart to cart, and you can find some neat things if you are willing to look!

 

[collcass]

thanks a bunch. I got 12 pins at Disney store for $55. I only purchased ones that were on sale plus we will get a grab bag from mousepins.

I bet my older two will have a blast with it - they have their own money for the trip and know anything they want comes out of that. I'm a mean mommy - we are even making them pay for ice cream

 

[t_catt11]

Glad to be of help. So, when do you go?

We are hoping to go again this December. Since Jungle Book was re-released on DVD, I'll have a range of new pins to collect. It's silly, but I'm excited about that.

 

[collcass]

We will be in FL 7/1 - 7/17 and in WDW 7/2-7/14. It's our first trip so we are excited even with the heat and the 100,000 other people :O) there!

 

[t_catt11]

Any time is a good time in Disney. If you are prepared for the crowds, you'll be fine.

If you ned to do any of the big table service meals (esp. fancy ones or cinderella), go on and make your reservations now.

 

[Vickie46]

the more pins you take the better... b/c you can trade them again on line with pinpics... its such a very fun hobby!

 

[t_catt11]

I just received my order from disneyshopping.com - I had ordered three pins on sale. Two were jumbo pins.

I was expecting them to be large, but when they said jumbo, they meant it! Three, three and a half inches wide, with two pin backs! LOL

They are very cool, though.

 

[collcass]

Funny, I was going to use them for easter baskets but Mr USP (as the boys call the UPS man) delivered the box while I was grocery shopping. I come hoe and my 6 yr old is holding the box, standing there with a huge grin saying "mom, the usp guy brought something from Disney".

Wow - they certainly are much larger than I expected. Even the regular size ones are bigger and heavier than I tought. But they are soooo cool.

 

[t_catt11]

I'll be setting these back. I was going to surprise my wife with a couple of nice pins if we manage to swing a trip this year like we are hoping... but of course, the delivery came while she was home, not me.

Now, she didn't open the box, but I'll bet she knows what was in it.