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View Full Version : Disneyland pin trading: Do or don't?



ima_mickeyfan
03-09-2005, 12:32 PM
I am wondering if it is a good idea to get my kids into pin trading? do people (guest) really come up to you and offer trades? I don't know that I would want my kids to trade them, since they are going to be new and the prices of some of the pins are spendy. has anyone ever been turned down from a CM on pin trading?

kohl
03-09-2005, 12:47 PM
My daughter collects only Sleeping Beauty pins, and my son collects Toy Story, or whatever else he kinda likes. Anyway, they don't trade them, they just buy the ones they like and put them in the book when we get home.
It does cost a lot of money when you see a lot of new ones out, but what doesn't cost a lot in Disneyland :)

bradk
03-09-2005, 12:49 PM
there's a fairly recent and extensive thread on pin trading somewhere here if you want to look. i don't, so here's a quick response.

you have to initiate with CMs. kids will be able to trade with any CM (there's a color scheme for the CM lanyards - some are kids only). yes, occasionally you will be approached by guests, but i think kids are less likely to be approached by guests than an adult would be. CMs do 'have' to trade (perhaps i should say should) as long as (1) they aren't busy doing something that requires their full attention at the moment and (2) they don't already have the pin being offered on their lanyard.

there's advice on acquiring pins to start trading with (i.e., avoiding the starter kits, going on ebay, etc.).

you might also want to consider checking out disneyauctions.com, where you can purchase pins directly through disney, many of which are limited editions (they range from say about $6.50 - $10.00), which would make for good trading pins.

MrsPooh
03-09-2005, 02:26 PM
Mr. Pooh went to DL for the 35th anniversary and got a commerative pin. Then he went for 40, 45 and now he wants 50. When we were last at DL he picked up some others that he liked. I suggested he might like pin trading. His answer was, "No way! I like my pins! I want to keep them!"

Sheesh, I only suggested......... :geek:

bradk
03-09-2005, 03:33 PM
a lot of collectors often buy two of each pin. one to keep and one to trade.

alternatively, since a lot of people concentrate on particular types of pins, if the opportunity comes up to buy a cheap lot on ebay or whatnot, they can always be used to trade for pins you actually do want.

MrsG
03-09-2005, 03:50 PM
you have to initiate with CMs. kids will be able to trade with any CM (there's a color scheme for the CM lanyards - some are kids only).
Look for the CMs wearing the turquoise color lanyards. They are for kids only, and there can be some pretty good pins on these (limited editions, etc.) that don't always get on the everyone (black) lanyards.

cstephens
03-09-2005, 08:33 PM
FYI, here's a recent thread about pin trading: http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=37608&highlight=trading.

nsyncitnd1787
03-09-2005, 09:38 PM
a lot of collectors often buy two of each pin. one to keep and one to trade.

that's what i do.. i like the pins i buy, that's why i buy them. so if i see one i really like, i get 2. i know someone must feel the same way. i say if your starting to collect pins just to trade, go on ebay and get some for cheap. as long as they have some kind of official disney logo on the back, then they are tradeable. if you want more info, go to the Official Disney Pin Trading Website (http://psc.disney.go.com/eventservices/index.html) if you want to farmiliarize yourself w/ all the info you should know when trading. if you do let your kids start collecting pins and trading them, you might want to set a limit of how much money they can spend each trip on pins. if not, they might spend $100 each trip (shame on me!)...

just my opinion... hope it helps!

CoasterChickie
03-09-2005, 09:44 PM
We have never traded with other guests, but my family and I love trading with the CM's. We usualy end up getting into some great conversations with them! :)

justlittleoldme
03-10-2005, 07:47 AM
Just my $.02. Me and my SD get a pin each time we go. Makes for a nice memory of each time we went. $6.50 each trip isn't bad.

miss_sonja
03-15-2005, 04:28 PM
(hope this thread isn't too old to reply to...)

On our last trip, December 2003, we bought Disney packages for hotel & tickets and they came with pin lanyards and starter pins. We didn't realize that they were for trading until our third day, when DH wore his and started trading. It turned out to be great fun for him and our then-4 year old. They had some great interactions with CMs (who were open to taking the starter pins, thank goodness). Ended up buying mucho pins on our last evening...

Note to self: pack the pin lanyards!

(next trip, April 21-25)

bradk
03-15-2005, 04:38 PM
as long as the CM doesn't already have the pin in question, they should have no problem trading for it. the starter threat is that many people have those pins in particular so the chance of a CM getting them is greater.

MsYumiBr
03-15-2005, 08:41 PM
Well that depends. My girls are at an age where toys are too babyish and shopping for souveniers is not that interesting since what they like are cool hats and gloves that are for adults and too big, so pins won out. They both got Tink starter sets because it matched their tink gift baskets I got for them and the Tink hotel room key, it was a theme thing. So the problem was we had to stop at EVERY pin kiosk and store display rack to investigate the pins. This must have taken up literally hours of our trip. The good thing was we got to know the CMs, especially the ones in New Orleans Square. The bad thing was the plastic backs kept falling off. We lost one of the pins. So, if you don't want to spend a lot of time looking at pins, don't. If that's okay and you set a limit it's something the juniors can do. Penny presses were the other activity that took a lot of time (and quarters).

Shinku
03-15-2005, 08:48 PM
AJTW- You might want to invest in a pack (or two) of the locking pin backs next time you go. They replace the little rubber pin backs and come with a tiny wrench in case you want to trade and need to take them off.

marktips
03-15-2005, 08:51 PM
I actually prefered the rubber backs with the mouse ears - but only if they weren't handled a lot. Who knew there were screw backs? *shrug* You learn somethin every day.

MsYumiBr
03-15-2005, 09:09 PM
I actually prefered the rubber backs with the mouse ears - but only if they weren't handled a lot. Who knew there were screw backs? *shrug* You learn somethin every day.

I'll bring clear nail polish and buy the screw on backs next time we go. I did see them but DD opted to put the lanyard in her backpack after she lost one of the pins. I thought the rubber mouse ears were cute! Part of the problem was the backpack strap and the rain poncho. "Not handled a lot" and "9 year old" do not belong in the same sentence :D

mkcbunny
04-07-2005, 10:45 PM
Pin trading is kind of like "The Force." There's a light side and a dark side.

The "light side" is: It's fun, you can do it with CMs pretty easily [see above], and sometimes guests [see below], and it you don't feel like trading, so what, you have a good souvenier for $6.50, as the nice person indicated above. Plus, kids' tastes can be ever-changing, so trading gives them a way to get rid of something they wanted one day and didn't want the next.

The "dark side" is: You can spend a lot of money if you become a completist [and even kids can get obsessive about that], sometimes the avid pin collectors [I would qualify, but I am polite] are obnoxious, the collectible mentality means that kids can't always get what they see as an equitable trade because adults know the pin they have is worth more than what the little kid wants.

I have done a lot of trading, and a CM has never denied me a trade. As mentioned above, they aren't supposed to take a pin they already have, and they are limited to two pin-trades per guest, but they are always willing to do it. The kids-only lanyards are great because they keep adult collectors from getting some pins that kids might like. Just approach the CMS nicely when they aren't in the middle of a sale or something, and they are always ready to help -- ESPECIALLY with kids.

As for Guests, well, many adult guests wear pins they aren't willing to trade. They like to wear their favorite pins, and they only have certain pins that are tradeable. Kid-traders are different. If you meet a kid trader, they are probably more willing to swap. So I'd recommend focusing on CMs and kids, and if you meet an adult who seems into trading, then maybe you'll get lucky.

In the end, if you spend $30 on some pins and the trading keeps a child occupied/entertained, that's more fun and a lot less expensive than piling on other souveniers. Plus, it's something they can do from trip to trip.

mkcbunny
04-07-2005, 10:57 PM
P.S. On my recent trip to WDW, my friend an I were in line for Mission Space and there was a cute family in front of us with three kids. They had just started pin trading, and they were awed by our very full pin lanyards. They didn't have anything to trade yet, and they liked exactly what we liked. So we gave each of the kids a pin.

Price of pin: $6.50
Look on kid's face: Priceless

So if you are lucky, you can meet some cool pin traders whose hearts melt and do nice things for polite kids. :)