Your Pin Trading Style?

[Rememberingthe70s]

I just bought my first several pins from a trusted eBay seller, after getting advice from this forum, and I am SO thankful! And excited! (So you'll have to forgive my enthusiasm. )

I'm wondering what your pin buying/trading style is? Do you have a certain type of pin you keep for yourself, and the others go on the lanyard?

I like blues/purples/greys/blacks, which works out well, since I love the bad guys. So I tend to keep (and buy individually) those colors and characters. I figure when I'm trading, if I get one I love I'll stick it in my pocket and have a few others with me to fill the lanyard back up. I think also probably since I'm an adult, I'll likely let a kid give me whatever they want for one of my pins. I can do my picking-and-choosing with cast members.

How about you?

 

[pixiewings71]

I trade for what catches my eye. I do have certain pins I collect, such as Tink, Maleficent (especially as a dragon), Jessica Rabbit, Aurora (mainly in blue) but I also have other pins that I just really really like and I have those in a book for safe keeping. I wear pins on lanyards for trading and for showing off. I have a PotC lanyard that has some really amazing pins on it, they are not available for trade. I also have a lanyard that just has pins to trade and another lanyard that has about half and half. What I wear depends on my mood.

 

[kamik86]

I have traded with other guests were I got to pick (a nice family in front of us at AK that only had traders on their lanyard as all their keepers were in the room in a binder, this was our first trip so I didn't have much then) and where I let them (mostly children or others starting out)

 

[cousinbb]

I have on lanyard filled with goofy pins that I keep in safety. I have another lanyard filled with my "favorites" like Belle and Tigger and I wear that lanyard to show off. Then I have a pack that I use for trades and collections

 

[CheshireGato]

I keep any and all Alice in Wonderland pins I find (or buy) for my collection.

I tend to keep any "cute" style pins I find, especially Chip and Dale, but I will trade them if I find something else that catches my eye.

 

[Rememberingthe70s]

I totally have to STOP! LOL

Everyone gave me such good advice concerning trusted sellers and such ... I've bought 62 pins in the last week!

That's the part you didn't warn me about - becoming obsessed! And the free shipping at Disney Store and many trusted sellers on eBay! I keeping thinking, "Oh, it's just $1.20," "Oh, it's just $.99," "Oh, it's just $2.50," "Oh, it's just $5.00" LOL I'll keep the hand picks of course, but I'll have to come up with a spread the magic scheme for the extras. Maybe give each non-CM trader two pins just to see a big smile.

I have to stop!

Okay, maybe I'll go out and buy a cork board and frame to hold the avalanche of pins currently doing battle with my mailbox.

 

[Mom loves Disney]

I usually just trade when I see a fastpass pin. This trip though Bob the Pin Man had a Epcot 30th anniversary pin and he just gave it to me. i was so excited.

 

[cristen72]

I don't collect anything in particular - just whatever catches my eye that I like. I organize my lanyard as I trade and try to put keepers on one side and traders on the other side. That way its easy to grab a pin to hand over if I'm trading quickly with a CM at a cash register, etc.

When I find a pin I absolutely MUST keep (like my treasured Si and Am pins!) I immediately put locking backs on them.

I also don't wear my lanyard all day. I find them annoying after a while. My son and I keep our lanyards in ziplock bags in my purse. Every so often we'll get them out and wear them for a half hour or so to do some trading then we put them away again.

 

[disneycrazi]

I only buy to collect, have never traded. It seems daunting to me. I collect MNSSHP pins, food and wine, haunted mansions, small world and have a few other sets that just caught my eye. Really love love my Epcot 30th pins.....ESP the jumbo limited edition that I waited in line for 2 hours to buy!!!

 

[Yellosno]

I ususually buy from a trusted ebay seller. I really like to try and complete collections, I also have a pecking order on my pins and if I like one better than I like another I trade it away, even if i am pretty sure im gonna end up trading it away.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I just started but I bought an EPCOT World Showcase set totally meaning to keep it together. UNTIL an adorable little girl approached me wanting to trade with me and she wanted the Japanese Minnie Mouse. I traded her that for a Taurus Eeyore which I traded later for Max from Country Bear Jamboree.
I'm not in pin trading for any financial reasons...I'm just trading for what I like the looks of at this point (although I do tend to prefer animal pins - 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, Pluto, etc. over the princesses or other human characters - but I'm an animal lover anyway, so that makes sense.) I'm also not going to get extremely upset if I end up with a scrapper if I like the scrapper.

 

[pixiewings71]

I just started but I bought an EPCOT World Showcase set totally meaning to keep it together. UNTIL an adorable little girl approached me wanting to trade with me and she wanted the Japanese Minnie Mouse. I traded her that for a Taurus Eeyore which I traded later for Max from Country Bear Jamboree.
I'm not in pin trading for any financial reasons...I'm just trading for what I like the looks of at this point (although I do tend to prefer animal pins - 101 Dalmatians, Bambi, Pluto, etc. over the princesses or other human characters - but I'm an animal lover anyway, so that makes sense.) I'm also not going to get extremely upset if I end up with a scrapper if I like the scrapper.

No one should ever get into pin trading for financial reasons, there really isn't much of a resale market due to the many scrappers on the market.

 

[DisneyFairytale]

This is so hard. I have never bought pins before, and I want to start soooo bad! I think it would so amazing to be able to start, but I fear my lack of ability to stop pin trading

 

[pixiewings71]

Pin trading is absolutely addicting. LOL And not cheap. But it is a lot of fun as well.

 

[waltdavinci]

I do not trade, not online nor the parks since I can not go every week to trade . I do collect though...And its only the pins I like. I have the DDP CW Pin, New Groove LE Pin from 2000, stuff like that.

 

[SupernaturalMommy]

Don't get into it for financial reasons. Do it for fun. I buy and sell, but I only sell off my duplicates that I haven't been able to trade away, or pins I decide I don't want anymore. I buy WAY TOO MANY PINS because it is ADDICTING. There was a solid year straight I bought EVERY pin DisneyShopping produced and Disneyland put out in multiples. I was on-line every morning when Disney released the pins, and had a friend in Cali at the time who went to the park and got them for me each week. I could afford it that year and was obsessed and wasn't able to trade away many of them, even after all this time, so they go to eBay for much less than what I paid even though pin prices have skyrocketed since then.

My other problem is mystery sets. I am obsessed with them, but won't buy them from eBay. I want sure fire legit sets not at jacked up prices. So, I buy tons of the boxes and my duplicates that I can't trade go to eBay. I only know a few people who collect the mystery sets so we usually trade with each other to try to complete our collections without buying more boxes and pouches.

When trading, I have my show-off lanyard, usually either my Maleficent purple lanyard, or a pirate lanyard. I put medallions on those and use them to attract people to ask questions about pin trading and get them into the hobby. I usually give away a couple pins to get people started as well. Then I have my trader lanyard. If I see a little kid I'll let them pick anything they want. If an adult wants to trade, then I am open and easy about it because I figure it is my trader lanyard. But, if I suspect a shark I won't trade. When I see something I REALLY want to keep it goes in my pocket or purse so I don't lose it or trade it back accidentally. I'm lucky enough to have a local trade meet that meets monthly and a lot of those people go to the parks much more frequently than I do so it is a lot of fun. When I see kids and teens at the pin racks (or adults for that matter) looking at fancy expensive pins and complaining how expensive they are to just trade away, I usually steer them toward the booster packs or pin with purchase promotions as the most economical pins to trade and tell them buy them if they want to keep them. Lord knows I buy a lot in the parks. But I keep them on the card and bring them home to my pin books. A lot of people don't know the cast members have to trade. A lot are worried that if they don't have a nice pin they won't be able to trade.

 

[Sundancer UK]

I find the idea of trading pins so exciting We've only been to WDW once before and in preparation I bought my kids a lanyard each and some pins from ebay. I hoped they might get in to trading but I guess maybe they were too young and shy. If we go back I might have to just get myself a lanyard

 

[Foxxie52]

I collect Peter Pan pins. Not Tink or Wendy or Hook, just Peter. Sometimes one will have another character on it as well as Peter but he's the main focus. I don't collect for any reason other than I enjoy it. The only trouble is Peter isn't that popular so I've had the same 60 pins for ages.

I also have a small collection of event pins. You know, ones with dates that I was there for.

I never thought I'd be a pin collector.

 

[KMarston]

I bought some starter packs for my son several years ago just to introduce pin trading to take the place of standing in lines for autographs! I really had no idea how much he would love it! It was a great way to meet CMs and others. There was not much rhyme or reason to his trading! He'd choose one then trade for it the next time. He did end up scouring the parks for one that would complete his set! My avatar is his first trade with a custodian who was so interested in showing off all of his pins. We even ran into a group of employees in suits and ties who stopped to trade and speak! Going back a few weeks shy of 16 and he's already brought his lanyard with the tradable pins on it, two months out!

Not sure how well my 6'1", over 200 lb gentle giant will be received this time but he is even more enthusiastic about it this time around.

 

[pixiewings71]

Don't get into it for financial reasons. Do it for fun. I buy and sell, but I only sell off my duplicates that I haven't been able to trade away, or pins I decide I don't want anymore. I buy WAY TOO MANY PINS because it is ADDICTING. There was a solid year straight I bought EVERY pin DisneyShopping produced and Disneyland put out in multiples. I was on-line every morning when Disney released the pins, and had a friend in Cali at the time who went to the park and got them for me each week. I could afford it that year and was obsessed and wasn't able to trade away many of them, even after all this time, so they go to eBay for much less than what I paid even though pin prices have skyrocketed since then.

My other problem is mystery sets. I am obsessed with them, but won't buy them from eBay. I want sure fire legit sets not at jacked up prices. So, I buy tons of the boxes and my duplicates that I can't trade go to eBay. I only know a few people who collect the mystery sets so we usually trade with each other to try to complete our collections without buying more boxes and pouches.

When trading, I have my show-off lanyard, usually either my Maleficent purple lanyard, or a pirate lanyard. I put medallions on those and use them to attract people to ask questions about pin trading and get them into the hobby. I usually give away a couple pins to get people started as well. Then I have my trader lanyard. If I see a little kid I'll let them pick anything they want. If an adult wants to trade, then I am open and easy about it because I figure it is my trader lanyard. But, if I suspect a shark I won't trade. When I see something I REALLY want to keep it goes in my pocket or purse so I don't lose it or trade it back accidentally. I'm lucky enough to have a local trade meet that meets monthly and a lot of those people go to the parks much more frequently than I do so it is a lot of fun. When I see kids and teens at the pin racks (or adults for that matter) looking at fancy expensive pins and complaining how expensive they are to just trade away, I usually steer them toward the booster packs or pin with purchase promotions as the most economical pins to trade and tell them buy them if they want to keep them. Lord knows I buy a lot in the parks. But I keep them on the card and bring them home to my pin books. A lot of people don't know the cast members have to trade. A lot are worried that if they don't have a nice pin they won't be able to trade.

I would love to see some of your Maleficent pins! She is my favorite, I love her.

I find the idea of trading pins so exciting We've only been to WDW once before and in preparation I bought my kids a lanyard each and some pins from ebay. I hoped they might get in to trading but I guess maybe they were too young and shy. If we go back I might have to just get myself a lanyard

Get yourself one, and don't discount the kids on the next trip, they may really love it.

I collect Peter Pan pins. Not Tink or Wendy or Hook, just Peter. Sometimes one will have another character on it as well as Peter but he's the main focus. I don't collect for any reason other than I enjoy it. The only trouble is Peter isn't that popular so I've had the same 60 pins for ages.

I also have a small collection of event pins. You know, ones with dates that I was there for.

I never thought I'd be a pin collector.

DBF collects Alice, she's very hard to find. lol I never thought I'd be a collector either, I thought it wouldn't be that much fun but man, I do enjoy it!