Where can I get CHEAP pins?

[liveforthemagic]

I am going to have a basket for my DS (9) and DD (7) for our arrival in May. I want to give them each a lanyard with 3 - 5 pins to start their collection. But to get the lanyards alone is $8.95 at the laugingplacestore.com.

Any suggestions on where I can get just a plain lanyard and cheap pins? I know e-bay--I've checked it out a few times--but seems like with shipping its going to run as much as buying through dis shoppers.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[nuzmom]

We get our traders off of ebay. I know you said you looked there, but there are some "tricks". These are just my suggestions:

First, don't by the Sedemo (sp?) pins - they're CHEAPLY made and may or may not be tradeable.

Second, look at pins that are up for auction from one dealer. That way if you buy quite a few single pins from one place, they usually give good breaks on shipping.

Third, look at buying a group of pins. The cost per pin is usually pretty good.

We got all of our pins from ebay. Some we kept and some we traded. We bought all of ours as "singles" and got all of them off of just a few dealers. Our pins AVERAGED around $3.40 each, including shipping.

I was willing to pay more for a pin that I thought our boys would keep (or at least be really happy with) and less for a pin that we would trade.

I usually bid for the ones I REALLY wanted and then just tried to see how many more I could get from that dealer auctions for no more than $2.75 - $3.00 each.

Hey, compared to the $6.00 and up price at the parks, ebay's not bad.

Also, everyone in our family bought a lanyard pin trading set at WDW when we first started getting into pins. They had 4 pins and a lanyard for $25. That's not too bad.

However, no one in our family reallly likes the lanyards - they hurt your neck after a while. For our kids, we put one or two traders on their hat and carried their lanyards in our backpack. For my husband and I, we got pin trading hats. They were about $35 but included 6 pins. My mom went with the pin traders fanny pack. That's great for starting out. All I'm saying is to really concider how you think they'll carry the pins before spending money on the lanyards (unless it's just to get the "free" pins).

If you're the "crafty" type of person, you could probably even make them a little pouch type thing to hang off a belt loop. Hmmmm - I'll have to give that some more thought.

Well, I hope that something I said is helpfull.
Good luck with getting those pins.

 

[goofyforlife]

I've gotten cheap "official Disney" pins from the Disney Outlet store at Belz outlets in Orlando. They had pins that were around $3.00 (that would usually retail for $7-8). I usually get my daughter a couple sets of the cheaper ones for trading. Then I worry less about "what" she trading them for.

She does have some pins we have bought in the park that are more expensive but I make her keep those in her pin book.

Have you looked in Walmart in the accessories section for plain lanyards? (Like with keychains and such)

 

[4orm]

I just bought a bunch of pins from three sisters that sell them for $2.25 each in multiples of 10 on the dizpins.com boards. I got the pins fast (and I live in Canada!) and they are great! PM me if you'd like their email or check out dizpins.com and look at the sale boards. Their username is 'threewhitehats'

 

[Asuneda]

We get them at the Prime Outlet Malls, Character Warehouse. Usually about $2-3 a pin. We buy a couple of each being offerred so that we have stuff to trade. They come and go in stock though, so they may not have any available. Just depends, but a good bet.

 

[agnes!]

Try getting some of the Disney Stamp pins from the Post Office. Some individual Post Offices have them in stock, but they are mainly being sold at usps.com. When I priced out the cost per pin, it came to about $4.25 or so each.

You might want to also post this question on the Collectors Board.

agnes!

 

[lovethattink]

We get them mostly through ebay. We feel we are doing great if we can find them for under $4.

 

[smilingmouse]

I'll be listing some WDW pins on the DISauctions soon....you can check there or PM me.

Hope this helps....

 

[~Kathie]

Claire's has some Disney lanyards for under $5.00. They're made for kids and are pretty cute. Last time I was there they had Tinker Bell and Princesses.

I know of a couple of online places you can buy Disney pins inexpensively.

I can't PM or email you as you don't have that functioning but you can PM me.

 

[Grand Canyon]

DH just ordered a bunch of pins from Disney Direct. They came out to $2.38 each - including shipping. I think the sale is over now though. You just have to keep checking and watch for their sales. We bought 61 pins. We buy almost NO pins when at WDW.
We bought a stitch lanyard on Disney Deals for, I think, $5.00

I agree, though, my DS (9 and 5) don't like wearing them around their neck. We end up carrying them in a bag - or not at all. When we go home at night they put their pins on their lanyard. They each pick out a few pins in the morning before we go to the parks and DH or I usually carry the ones they trade for. It is important to get Disney pins or you won't be able to trade them - not all, but most, of the castmembers were checking the backs for the Disney trademark. We purchased our pins on sale last year, too, and they were from the early cartoons - many of the castmembers simply wouldn't believe they were Disney pins until they checked.

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

We also go through E-bay. I've gotten lots of 25 pins, for under $75.00/lot.

It seems that the larger lots go for less per pin, than the smaller lots do.

I see that you maybe did not want that many, but if your kids get the pin fever like mine do, you may be glad to have them.

Good luck