What's the best way to start pin trading?

[LisaZoe]

My DD, not yet 3, and I will be making our first trip to WDW in September. I've never really gotten into collecting anything although I have started buying a Christmas ornament on each vacation we take. After reading through some threads on this forum, I thought pins might be a fun collection as they take little space and don't cost a lot as collectibles go. Also, trading sounds like a fun way to get some we may not find in stores and make them more special than just ones you buy. It will also be a great hobby for us to share as she grows up (hopefully she'll never feel she's "too old" for it)

I've seen some inexpensive pins on ebay (I've got a "think" for Tinker Bell and am leaning toward starting with a few of those) and am about ready to take the plunge. However, I want to be sure I know all the basics so would greatly appreciate any pointers - if only to some good sites for trading etiquette, how-tos, and any other general information for a novice.

Thanks!

 

[Raulandpinboy]

LisaZoe when you come down to the event in September or if your coming down not during the event.

First thing is go see Scoop Sanderson at one of his pin talks, he will tell you all about pin trading and he is the nicest man on the planet loves new pin traders, and is a sucker for kids.

Scoop can be found in the Magic Kingdom at the Expo hall just as you enter the parks he holds a pin talk at 1:00pm from Sundays to Thursday.

Scoop works for Mr Disney. and is a avid pin collector himself. Tell him Ed sent you and he will make you at home.

Next you can hit the pin trading nights Thursday at the All Star Sports in the food courts, and Friday's at the Contemporary on the 4th floor.

Then there is always the DTD pin trading area that all 7 days of the week.

Ask around for me or any of my group and we will make you feel at home and introduce you around to al the pin folks down here.

Our group is called the un-holy 8 but dont let that fool you we are the nicest bunch of pin collecting nuts on the planet. You can ask for Ed, Donna, Bob, June, Manny, Michelle, Dana & Michael (here from time to time) we are known all over the place someone will point us out to you, or just follow Michelle's laugh you cant miss that one.

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

This is a tough question, even though it comes around all the time on this board.

What do you need to start?
<b>Lanyard</b>
You can buy one in WDW/DLR, or buy a starter set which comes with a lanyard and four pins, $20 or $25.
You can also buy a lanyard at Walmart for about $3.

<b>Pins</b>
You can try looking for pin lots on eBay to start yourself with a bunch of traders, but that can be a bit dicey if you don't know what you're buying.
We just started by buying pins that we liked in WDW, and traded them off to Cast Members when we saw something we liked better. And yes, some of those early trades were not that smart -- but everyone has to learn as they go.

<b>Trading Beyond a CM Lanyard</b>
Local pin meets are a great place to learn and grow in this hobby. You will meet lots of friendly people who tend to be in more patient mood because the local meet is a <i>Magical Moment</i> interlude, and not part of a tightly scheduled trip.
There are weekly pin meets at WDW and every few weeks at DLR. You will come across all types of traders at these meets, from the newbies to the pros. We're being honest here: You do have to be careful. Some pintraders are <i>cut from a different cloth. . . like <b>sharkskin.</b></i>
If you're planning to attend a meet at WDW, you can post here on the board, and usually one of our local DIS pinpals will volunteer to meet/greet/chaperone you through your debut.

Good luck!

 

[LisaZoe]

raulandpinboy, I think we arrive just a day or two after the pin trading event. We'll get in around 6PM on 9/14. Also, since this our first trip to WDW, I'm not sure I could drag myself away from the rides long enough to attend a meet. We do plan on trying to get to DTD so will definitely be on the lookout for pin trading opportunities there. I'll try to be sure to wear lime green somewhere when we head over there.

Eeyore's Pal, thanks for the information on the lanyards. That sounds like a reasonable price for one with 4 pins so that may be our first souvenir to buy at a park. We'll probably be sticking to mostly CM trades until I feel comfortable with my knowledge of the pins. Not that I'm looking at this as an investment, of course, but I don't like the feeling that somone has taken advantage of me so I don't let it happen if I can avoid it by not putting myself into a situation where it could happen.

I've kind of looked at the eBay pins as a way to get a few for DD that are low cost. Hopefully she'll like to wear the lanyard but I'd hate to spend much money on it and her pins to only discover it got put down somewhere in a park/restaurant/bus/etc. that day

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

The best piece of advice I can give is to pick a theme and stick to it. You mentioned Tink. There are alot of great Tink pins out there right now. The problem is when you begin to collect Tink and think, "oh, I'll get some Pooh, too .. and some Pluto .. and some Stitch .. and some Princesses .. and some .....". This will leave a big hole in your wallet!

 

[KatieKate16]

DD4 LOVED this last year! I had bought pins at TDS on clearance, between .50-1.25 so we had an excellent start (nearly 40 pins for 4 of us!!). The best part was not worrying about what she traded with/for. If you have a thing for Tink, I wouldn't buy them to trade. Buy something you don't want to keep and have fun searching for Tinks. She is so looking forward to doing this again in Sept. Since last year I've kept my eyes peeled for inexpensive pins we'll be glad to trade. The Disney Catalog outlet while we were on vacation was a great deal!
On a side note, we went to lunch at the Columbia house in MK. DD had a TDS cheshire cat pin she decided was for me and kept referring to it as that. She said "I saw a girl I want to trade with!" but then we lost her. She (in her stroller) is guiding me through the restaurant to find this particular CM. The CM gladly knelt down and traded with her, she traded "my" cheshire cat for one on her lanyard that DD had spied from afar. Next pin trading cart we stop at CM says "that's a CM lanyard pin, that's a great one! don't trade it!!" I guess she was born to trade....

 

[LisaZoe]

Thanks again. I must admit I've jumped into a couple of eBay bids but I am (so far) being careful to keep the pin price to no more than a couple of dollars each, including S&H. At this point I think I'll be OK with DD and me making trades of less expensive pins, at least initially. I have bid on a few Tinker Bell pins to start my collection but also picked a couple of larger assorted lots so DD and I will have a variety for trading. Also, I want to give her a chance to decide on her own what she might want to collect or just keep rotating pins as the mood hits her

I don't think I noticed any pins at the TDS stores I've gone to locally. Does anyone know if they usually have them or is this one of the items they used to carry but no longer do? I know it seems to me the stores have gone from having a great variety of collectibles as well as kids things to mostly just kid stuff.

 

[LisaZoe]

Sorry, double post.