pin trading in the parks

[Vickie46]

What is your best tip for each park in regards to pin trading?

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

My DD is the pin trader in the family, but my advice would be to just do it!

Not only are there CM's with pins, in some locations (MouseGears comes to mind), there are "boards" where you can trade from a larger selection with a CM.

[princessfigment]

Epcot: When in Epcot (world showcase), try going to the Kid cot stations, they usually have the most and coolest pins.
When you are in future world, try going to the cast members at Inoventions (they are usually not too busy, so they can really take time with you).

Magic Kingdom: When in MK, I really have some trouble with pins, since they are usually SUPER busy so I usually have no luck.

Hollywood studios: In DHS, the hat has a pin store underneath it, so I go there to buy new pins and trade with other people or the cast members that work there (also, I went to ToT and while I was waiting for my dad to get off the ride I went to the photo pick up place at the end of the line and got a very small euro Disney pin)

Animal kingdom: In AK I go to Hester’s and Chester’s and ask the CM's at the carnival games they usually have some.


And also, at the resorts they have pin trading time, usually a couple of hours long, where there is a big board (like 200 pins on it), great to trade, and also at some resorts they might have a trading book where you can trade some pins (but they usually have a limit), and also ALL the CM's have pins at the resorts so ask them

Hope this helped
:mickey:

[Quadstriker]

The best tip was given to me by a pin trading cast member at POR. "If you're not a pin trader, don't start."

[azcavalier]

The best tip was given to me by a pin trading cast member at POR. "If you're not a pin trader, don't start."

That's great advice, actually. My DW decided to let the kids trade pins when we first started going, in hopes that would deter them from wanting to be "autograph collectors". She really, really didn't want to stand in meet 'n' greet lines and get autographs in little notebooks....she thinks (and I concur) that it's the biggest waste of time at a Disney Park.

But, she created a monster. Herself. The kids now call her "the Crazy Pin Lady".

Every year before we go, she goes to ebay and buys a few "lots" of pins.....usually lots of 150 or 200. She can usually find them for $.75 a pin, maybe a little more. Then she divides those among the family, and we have cheap "trader" pins to take into the park. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying pins at the park to trade. The only time we buy pins is when there's no chance of finding them on a lanyard somewhere. Anyway, we easily have over $1000 invested in pins alone. At home we have pin books, pin boards, pin artwork....In any case, we can go through a few hundred pins in a week, and we only trade with cast members (with rare exceptions).

Sometimes we'll give pins out to kids we see on the buses or in the park. One time on the way out of the park on our last day, a family was walking in, and they had a little girl with a virtually empty pin lanyard. So, I stopped and talked to them, and then gave her every pin I had left (maybe ten pins). It's nice to be able to do that. Whenever we go with another family, my wife will buy them all lanyards and set them up with around 20 pins each. And then, when I get a feel for what the kids want, i'll trade for pins they'd like whenever I see something. So I wind up giving most of my pins away to the kids. It's fund to do that.

[MrPeetrie]

I talked my DD8 into buying pins last trip and she loves it. I got her a small pin purse to carry her pins with her to the park. She has no plans to trade, though. Just collect.

[Cjsmom1811]

I also get my pins from ebay! I usualy pay $15 for 25!!!

I work in EPCOT, and ive only had five people trade with me in a month! Never be scared to come up to us! It makes my day to trade pins! :cloud9:
The fam and I are actualy going to mgm (it will ALWAYS be mgm to me!) Tonight to trade :)

[zipadeedoodah]

The fam and I are actualy going to mgm (it will ALWAYS be mgm to me!) Tonight to trade :)

It'll always be MGM to me too! And most of the time I still end up saying "Epcot Center" too. I had a little girl on one of the buses correct me one time. "Excuse me, but it's just called EPCOT." :laughing:

[IloveJack]

Trade with CMs. They aren't stingy, like some "collectors." And yes, ebay for traders! I've got 25 traders to take on our upcoming trip. I rarely buy pins. I trade for the categories that I collect, and then keep them. For example, I keep a pin from our resort for every trip. I'll be looking for an ASM pin (or one specific to the movie building we stay in) on this trip. I also collect Tink and Pirates pins, and DH collects Stitch and NBC pins. We'll be looking for those specifically. Oh, and if you're trading to keep, don't display what you won't trade.

[kohlby]

The problem with ordering off of ebay is that a lot of scrappers. So, though they're cheap there, you're often not getting legal pins. The CM's will trade either way. But ethically, I have trouble supporting the scrappers.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

So, I stopped and talked to them, and then gave her every pin I had left (maybe ten pins). It's nice to be able to do that.

Aw, love this story! Way to spread a little Disney magic and kindness. :magic: That kind of stuff really makes a trip special. The family will be talking about that for a long time.

[azcavalier]

The problem with ordering off of ebay is that a lot of scrappers. So, though they're cheap there, you're often not getting legal pins. The CM's will trade either way. But ethically, I have trouble supporting the scrappers.

We usually only buy from people who list specifically that there are no foreign, non-park, or Sedesma pins. And, they've been reliable.

[PlutoToo]

Guest relations at each park has a pin trading book. All you have
to do is ask, and they'll bring it out for you to look at.

[azcavalier]

Guest relations at each park has a pin trading book. All you have
to do is ask, and they'll bring it out for you to look at.

And each resort, as well.

One time, on a whim, we stopped at the security/information booth right at the boat docks at the Magic Kingdom if they had any pins (my wife was looking for a particular pin to complete a set), and the security guards pulled out books and books. The guy had *everything*. It was awesome.

[cer]

We usually only buy from people who list specifically that there are no foreign, non-park, or Sedesma pins. And, they've been reliable.

Ditto. No scrappers from ebay here. :thumbsup:

[BigRedDad]

Advice: Don't start unless you want an addiction.

I am no pin trader and will not get into it. I appease my DD and let her trade when she wants. She can get any pin she wants, even if it is a double, triple, or whatever.

In all honesty, if you do start, get pins from eBay to trade. We buy them 200 at a time for about $100. These are legal, real Disney pins, not the foreigh/sedesma/fake pins. There are many reputable dealers on eBay and some from FL that will ship to your hotel and be there in 1 day with standard UPS delivery.

Be polite and courteous. My DD traded with a character on Main Street (I cannot recall his name at the moment). He had about 40-50 pins for trade. She asked "please", "may I", and "thank you" and was given a special pin he gives out once a day (so he says).

Another piece of advice is to have kids available as well. There are CMs with a green pad with pins. They can only be traded with kids.

[BigRedDad]

My DD traded with a character on Main Street (I cannot recall his name at the moment).

I think his name was Scoop now that I think about it.

[Cjsmom1811]

Ive noticed recently that clean up crews in the park have the best pins!

I was walking through MK a few weeks ago with my family and had a cast member come and walk beside me, and he actualy asked if he could see my pins! Turned out I had a "founders day" pin. He told that it was a pin for the day that MK opened. The man told me that he had traded his before he found out the meaning behind it. He told me to keep it, and never let go! The rest of the day I actualy got A LOT of compliments on it!