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View Full Version : new pin trader needs advice!



thejens
03-27-2007, 10:10 PM
Based on this discussion topic, I just bought some pins of ebay for my sons and nephews to trade. I have not received them yet. Who do they trade pins with? Just cast members? Will others approach them? Are there certain times or places for this? Will cast members ever refuse to trade with a child or will they always? I am wishing I had a pin to commemorate my first trip to Disney World last year - is it too late? I'd appreciate any tips to help me make this fun for my boys!

kakn7294
03-27-2007, 10:56 PM
They can trade with anyone! A CM will not refuse to trade although they may not take the pin being offered if they already have the same pin on their lanyard. Last trip, we ran across some really rude guests who refused to trade. Now, I'm not saying that everyone should trade and I have pins that I won't trade either, but you can refuse nicely. I suggest taking any pins that they want to keep off of the lanyard each night as those lanyards quickly get heavy and it minimizes the risk of losing a favorite. There are occasional pin trading events, but they are few and far between these days so they can trade anytime. I always try to be sure that we are not interfering with a CM trying to do his/her job while trading or holding up a line. If you have any more questions, send me a PM and I'll try to help!

tink2006
03-28-2007, 09:05 AM
My son loves to trade/collect pins. Theoretically, you can approach anybody with a lanyard and ask if they are interested in a trade. However, my son has limited his trading to CM. We have had a couple of times where people are just not very friendly ...

CM with a green lanyard can only trade with children under the age of 12 (I think this is the cutoff).

Happy Pin Trading :mickey: :thumbsup:

Splash_Lover
03-31-2007, 10:17 PM
pay attention to cast members who are walking past you and then slow down or stop and look at you, they may see your lanyard and try to give you a chance to trade if you walk up to them, this happened to us a few times.Also, there are CM who have their pins hanging from a belt or we also saw a few that had pins attached to a briefcase that makes it harder for you to see. They generally had limited pins because you had to work harder to find them.

biodtl
04-10-2007, 09:15 PM
I'm new here, but I couldn't resist chiming in. Although I have been to WDW quite a few times, my last trip was the first that I participated in pin trading. My kids each got a starter set and my son (10) had a ball trading with CMs, though we were hesitant to approach guests, for the reasons mentioned above. However, I wore my daughter's (3) lanyard a lot and my favorite moment from the trip was when a little girl about 6 or 7 approached me and asked me to trade. I can't imagine being rude or even saying no.

One thing I wouold recommend is getting the pin locks. It can slow down the trading process, but we had several pins fall off without them and it was worth it.

tink2006
04-27-2007, 04:15 PM
Mt DS limits his pin trading to CM. He has encountered, on more than one occasion, guests that have not been very nice. He also went to a pin trading event once and the adults would not give him the time of day.

tinksmom02
04-28-2007, 09:50 PM
It may not be too late to get a pin to commemorate your first trip...you can try eBay, of course, or you can try WDW Merchandise (number is floating around Intercot somewhere).

I did this when we got home in Feb and DD4 had become an avid collector. I called WDW Merch for a bunch of other stuff I could cram in my suitcase :blush: and just on a hunch had her look to see if there were any pins available for Coronado Springs (where we had stayed in 2004). Turns out, they had one! It's dated 2006, I think, but I want to collect a pin from each resort we stay at, so it worked out for me. Hmmm...or maybe each resort we VISIT...that might be an easier goal :mickey:

Good luck! And I, personally, have had a lot of luck buying pins off of eBay, both individually and grab bag lots. As long as you check the feedback, you should be fine, and get a great deal.

celebrationasheley
05-04-2007, 04:48 PM
At downtown disney in front of the pin store.. beware of the pin traders! They are looking for limited edition pins and don't trade with just any rack pins. And yes come off rude. I had one guy laugh. RUDE! But one younger woman there said, if you like one I will tell you which pin I want inside the store to trade. The pins she had were very rare and I thought how wonderful.
If you bought special pins online, I wouldn't trade them. Buy basic 6.00 pins once you get there and trade those. Or those starter lanyard and pin sets. Cast members have to trade. Unless,like stated before, they have it. But even sometimes trade and put it backwards on the lanyard. They have replacement pins in their office.
You can usually point out pin collectors that WON'T trade. Usually if their pins are REAL BIG, they won't trade. If they carry a rolling suitcase behind them full of pins, they are looking for specific pins.
People walk up to you wanting to look at your pins. Just keep in mind some people are so serious about pin trading, you may want to leave saying"if you don't want to trade,than hide your pins!"

psychotekkie
05-14-2007, 10:44 PM
Tip for buying pins from e-bay. If you watch the pin auctions for a few days, you will notice certain pins that seem to really be in abundance, from multiple sellers, and sometimes the seller is offering a bunch of lots that include the same set of pins. These pins are often "scrappers" meaning that they were not meant to be produced and sold by Disney, but the people in the factories illegally made extra copies or sold pins that had errors in the die lot, that were supposed to be scrapped.
That does not mean you will not be able to trade those pins, but just be aware that #1 You could be supporting illegal activity, and #2 there could be a huge saturation of those pins in the parks, making them more difficult to trade.

Clotho
05-15-2007, 02:57 AM
I have been doing "hobby" pin trading since 2001. I am always intimidated by the idea of approaching other guests, because I fear the really snarky rude "serious" pin traders, which I am certainly not. But you learn to spot them--they often have "double wide" lanyards, vests festooned with them, hats covered in them, carry a folder or briefcase or suitcase! I just avoid them!

But when I see someone else "like me", who has a simple lanyard or little pack (mine is like the size of a postcard, with a few pages of tradables in it), I will sometimes get the nerve to approach them. I simply say, "May take a look at your pins?" Smiles exchanged, sometimes a little chat about where we got this or that pin. If I find one I like, I ask if there are any they would like to trade for. And tada. I have gotten some nice pins that way, and some I would never have gotten (like Disneyland Paris pins or something at least with a little story from the person who traded it with me that made it more special).

I feel very very free to approach CM's, and most are soooo nice and helpful and enthusiastic. I get the occasional CM that looks completely bored and put out by it, but they will always hold out the lanyard for me to see, and if I feel put off, I will give it a cursory glance and say "thank you" and leave.

It is a really easy and fun hobby to get into.

One of the biggest and most important tips I can give, which is a common tip, is to limit yourself to a theme or character. There are SO MANY PINS it gets really overwhelming if you try to look at all of them and try to decide what you will get! For instance, I love Stitch, Tigger, Alice in Wonderland (specifically the Cheshire Cat), and I buy pins for rides, attractions, or resorts I particularly enjoyed on a given trip.

So for instance, on our WDW trip in 2004, we fell in love with Philharmagic, enjoyed tea at the Grand Floridian, and stayed at the Boardwalk. So we got pins for all those. And it was my first WDW trip, so I got a pin for that too (I only wish it had the year printed on it someplace). When we went to DLR for New Years, we got New Years Eve and Day pins from both parks which were limited edition of course, as well as a birthday pin, since New Years is hubby's birthday which we were there to celebrate.

I have found some STYLES of pins have caught my eye as well. I really loved the retro stuff coming out in 2004-2006, as well as the villains series that is just so lovely. So despite them not fitting one of my limited themes, I did get some that spoke to me on an aesthetic level.

Gee, I hope that rambling was helpful! HAVE FUN!

thejens
05-24-2007, 11:24 PM
I appreciate all your comments and suggestions. I did buy a lot of pins off ebay and it was fun. Like a grab bag! My boys are excited about trading. We are leaving TOMORROW FOR THE WORLD!!! So I'll let you know how it goes!

ghost999
06-17-2007, 12:18 PM
here's a tip for saving money, don't buy the ones that you see at the first place. buy the cheap ones that are maybe a package of six for 25.00 and see if you can find it with a cm. this helps alot.:mickey:

mjm12000
06-26-2007, 04:34 PM
I am pretty new to trading as well and got into it a lot on my last trip. As an adult I can not even imagine saying no to a child! But like others have said, the serious people with their books and rolling cases tend to be a bit rude even to adults! I found that any pins I wanted to keep I would either put on one side of my lanyard so I could say that any pins on this side I will not trade but anything else you can trade. I also let the person I am trading with do the same, so if they have a pin I would like but they do not want to trade it I respect that and take something else they have. I found that trading with Cast members was the best way to get really rare pins, and also was the least intimidating way to trade. The staff in the stores often have some of the best pins, so don't forget to ask them to trade. Ultimately I found it was a lot of fun and a great way to meet people.