Pin trading and tips

[pindecisive]

I either buy my pins directly from Disney or trade for them, so I don't feel that trading something you picked up from a CM to another CM should cause concern. From my memory, if a CM spots a scrapper or fake pin, they simply take it out of circulation after accepting it.

Additionally, I have a Cheshire Cat pin from China (total fake) I got off a CM lanyard years ago that I treasure. It's adorable and one of my favorites. But I definitely won't be trading it back into circulation.

 

[Lizgistix]

I'm obsessed with collecting the Epcot icon pins of the old pavilions, so I pin trade with CMs to add to my collection. I usually find one each trip.
Other than that, if I see a pin that really catches my eye, I'll pin trade off a pin board for it. One of the CMs in Adventureland had pins on a toy pirate sword which I thought was really cute.
Pin trading with CMs is still a thing and a lot of fun! Plus you get that CM interaction which is one of my favorite things about going to Disney.

 

[SnappySerape]

Great to see a fresh thread on pin trading! I'm a fairly casual trader/collector and had no idea about King Pin! How do you all purchase the pins you intend on trading? I usually get a multi-pin pack from WDW but it can be expensive!

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Thanks! Are there any rare or unique pins that are harder to get that we should keep our eye out for?

It is unlikely you will find any CM's with rare or unique pins

 

[starry_solo]

Great to see a fresh thread on pin trading! I'm a fairly casual trader/collector and had no idea about King Pin! How do you all purchase the pins you intend on trading? I usually get a multi-pin pack from WDW but it can be expensive!

There are people on Facebook and IG that sell authentic traders for $2 plus shipping

 

[Alynw]

Thanks! Are there any rare or unique pins that are harder to get that we should keep our eye out for?

If you keep a close eye out, there are still some CM's that have the hard to get or sold out pins, they also sometimes have some older rare pins. We are huge pin collectors and have gotten some of our best pins from CM's. Over at epcot they have a limited supply pin of the "candle light professional" and they sell out extremely fast but u can still get from a pin trading CM sometimes. So if ur looking for something unique besides the everyday pins the parks sell, then a CM is definitely ur best bet or possibly another guest. Good luck and have fun with it and watch ur spending, it can get outa control quick, trust me.

 

[Alynw]

Is pin trading still a big thing with the CM’s? And, what are some good tips and strategies for getting the cool ones?

Just an FYI...I was just at AK yesterday and ran into 2 different people looking to trade pins. Unfortunately, I was only buying and not trading at the moment. Wasn't sure if u knew or not but there are alot of guests that trade pins as well. So, u can trade with CM's, cast members or other guests. Our first year my daughter traded with an older couple from UK and got a really nice older pin and then a pin from Disney Paris as well.

 

[tbholc81]

It is unlikely you will find any CM's with rare or unique pins

Rare, but it does happen. Our DD started pin trading in the last couple years and randomly picked a Peter Pan pin from a CM in AK. When she was trading later that trip another CM asked where she got it and told her to hang onto it because it was really pretty rare. She tries to find PP pins and won't trade them anyway.

We also found pins (that I thought were fake) but were from Hong Kong Disney, which was neat. They had been traded in EPCOT.

 

[CaptainJack4077913]

There are people on Facebook and IG that sell authentic traders for $2 plus shipping

You can also buy them on eBay. I bought 50 pins for less than $25 and they were authentic.

 

[CaptainJack4077913]

It is unlikely you will find any CM's with rare or unique pins

There aren't very many rare pins that you can get from Cam's but always keep a close eye out. Over the years, I've found more than a few rare pins trading with Cm's. A few days ago I found a pin that was limited edition of 300 from Shanghai Disneyland. The most important thing to do after trading for any pin is looking on the back. It will say which Disney resort it came from originally, the year, how many are in the series (if it is a series, like most hidden Mickey pins) and if it is limited edition. That way you know if it is rare.

 

[starry_solo]

You can also buy them on eBay. I bought 50 pins for less than $25 and they were authentic.

That is very unlikely. The majority of those listings have these phrases:
- 100% tradeable
- official (not authentic) Disney pins (scrappers are technically official Disney pins that were supposed to be tossed)
- "traded for" condition, cannot guarantee authenticity (I really like it when it's coming from a state other than FL or CA and they say they trade hundreds of pins in the park monthly)
- Disney copyright (well, yes, even fake pins have the Disney copyright)
- random
- what you see is not what you get and if you buy x amount of pins, you will get duplicates

The pins that come in the flimsy ziploc-y type bags with the red stripe at the top - those are not authentic pins.

 

[xipotec]

Our Pin trading guide:

never trade for value.

ask the cast members about themselves

trade for , theme character, park ,land.

trade for what you like, scrapper or genuine.

be happy

 

[Flagge]

We picked a theme and stuck with it. I went for Star Wars and my niece and sister went for sets or characters. I think the biggest takeaway from our pin trading adventures is it's OK to ask to see pins and then pass and say thanks when you don't find a pin you want, don't just trade to trade or feel like you have to trade. We also sorted our pins nightly so we didn't have anything we did not want to trade on our lanyards. Make sure to have fun!

 

[Alynw]

.

That is very unlikely. The majority of those listings have these phrases:
- 100% tradeable
- official (not authentic) Disney pins (scrappers are technically official Disney pins that were supposed to be tossed)
- "traded for" condition, cannot guarantee authenticity (I really like it when it's coming from a state other than FL or CA and they say they trade hundreds of pins in the park monthly)
- Disney copyright (well, yes, even fake pins have the Disney copyright)
- random
- what you see is not what you get and if you buy x amount of pins, you will get duplicates

The pins that come in the flimsy ziploc-y type bags with the red stripe at the top - those are not authentic pins.

Absolutely agree, no way anyone bought 50 authentic pins of which is equal to about $600 for less than $25, let's be real here. Yea u can buy authentic pins on ebay and they will be in the original packaging as at wdw and will cost just as much as Disney charges or a little more. Those authentic pins on ebay are authentic trading pins not authentic Disney pins.

 

[DuskKodesh]

If it comes in a huge lot for super cheap it's a bad sign.

A good way to find legit cheap pins on Ebay is to watch videos of people shopping at the outlets. You can see what pins are on sale, then search those pins and you can usually find them in official packaging for a not too bad price from resellers. Also have a lovely Disney convention here and they have some nice discounts. I've gotten mystery packs for 10$ and loaded up on traders that way.

(Also, I saw King pin mentioned. Does anyone have his schedule? I'd love to see him during my trip!)

 

[CT Disney]

If it comes in a huge lot for super cheap it's a bad sign.

A good way to find legit cheap pins on Ebay is to watch videos of people shopping at the outlets. You can see what pins are on sale, then search those pins and you can usually find them in official packaging for a not too bad price from resellers. Also have a lovely Disney convention here and they have some nice discounts. I've gotten mystery packs for 10$ and loaded up on traders that way.

(Also, I saw King pin mentioned. Does anyone have his schedule? I'd love to see him during my trip!)

Your best bet is to ask about KingPin’s schedule over on the AKL thread on the resorts board. Someone there will be able to confirm what days and times he’s there.

FYI...whatever time he’s scheduled to be there, I’d get there at least 15 or 20 minutes early. When we saw him in July of 2019 we had to line up outside the gift shop. We were glad to be first in line because the line does build and it’s a pretty slow line if you end up at the back of it.

 

[DuskKodesh]

Your best bet is to ask about KingPin’s schedule over on the AKL thread on the resorts board. Someone there will be able to confirm what days and times he’s there.

FYI...whatever time he’s scheduled to be there, I’d get there at least 15 or 20 minutes early. When we saw him in July of 2019 we had to line up outside the gift shop. We were glad to be first in line because the line does build and it’s a pretty slow line if you end up at the back of it.

Thank you so much!

 

[CT Disney]

Your best bet is to ask about KingPin’s schedule over on the AKL thread on the resorts board. Someone there will be able to confirm what days and times he’s there.

FYI...whatever time he’s scheduled to be there, I’d get there at least 15 or 20 minutes early. When we saw him in July of 2019 we had to line up outside the gift shop. We were glad to be first in line because the line does build and it’s a pretty slow line if you end up at the back of it.

Thank you so much!

Sorry to quote my own response but wanted to say I tried to Google his schedule and it looks like KingPin has a Twitter Account with the handle @KingPinWorld. From what I could gather his schedule is still Monday thru Friday at 2:00 pm. I know this is what the schedule was when we visited last year. It looks like he updates via Twitter if he has days off or vacation scheduled.

 

[DuskKodesh]

Sorry to quote my own response but wanted to say I tried to Google his schedule and it looks like KingPin has a Twitter Account with the handle @KingPinWorld. From what I could gather his schedule is still Monday thru Friday at 2:00 pm. I know this is what the schedule was when we visited last year. It looks like he updates via Twitter if he has days off or vacation scheduled.

Oh I don't mind you adding on at all because when I got to the AKL thread someone else had just asked his schedule so I was hanging around until someone answered them. I'm now pouring over my schedule seeing if there's some way I could get over there at those times. I sadly made all my AK days weekend as to avoid a crowded Magic Kingdom. Thank you again!

 

[finedice]

Good luck and have fun with it and watch ur spending, it can get outa control quick, trust me.

I'll say! I know the lanyard I wear has over $400 worth (collected over the years). Each trip I get 1 to 3 new ones. My DW and DD both have a lanyard too. On our last trip a couple of years ago, my daughter left hers in that darned pouch in the Space Mountain rocket - It was early in the trip and we spent a lot of time back and forth to the ride, the shop lost and found, and main lost and found for the entire week. Whomever found it (it wasn't an honest CM anyway) got a whole lot of very nice pins she had collected over the years. Of course, to quell the tears and try to make magic out of the trip, DW and I ended up buying a new lanyard and about 10 more pins to "re-seed" her collection. By this time, she was a seasoned collector, so a starter set would never do... each one had to be carefully picked out $$$.