Pin Trading Tips?

[ariel94]

I bought my first pin trading set this past weekend, and I was excited to learn different tips of the best places to trade! I've seen blogs about stores or resorts with pin boards, but I'm not sure if all of them are 100% reliable. For example, I went into Main Street Confectionery to find their "pin oven mitt" that I read about online, but the cast member said he'd been working there for 5 years and didn't know anything about it...but, I did find the pin trading treasure chest in Adventureland. Are there anymore places like this with special pin boards? Thanks!

 

[billyjobobb]

any cast member with a lanyard and pins trades. Some cast members have a square hanging off their waist. Just look around and you can see the trader boards. Eventually you can get a feel for what the good pins are and which ones you want. If the cast member is busy either doing their job or talking to someone else, they might not be able to trade, but there are alot of opportunities.

 

[EdmondD]

I saw someone on here once say the best tip anyone could ever get about pin trading was: don't start pin trading.

Sounds like you've lost that battle.

 

[momma2ethan]

Pop Century has a trading board at the gift shop. I believe it's only out during certain hours but DS has asked about it when it wasn't out and the CM happily got it for him.

The gift shop at Space Mountain also has a board. DS trades there every trip, usually multiple times.

 

[Dumbo7]

AK lodge is great for pin trading . Look for the trash can in animal
Kingdom. There’s a board at the desk in grand Floridian.

 

[rteetz]

Go to different resorts. The gift shops, dining locations and even in the lobbies there will be pin boards fairly often. I also suggest Disney springs. Many of the stores have pin boards even the bus stop has one most of the time.

 

[Kevlar10]

How do the pin boards work?

 

[china mom]

The pin boards work the same way the cast member lanyard trades do. Two trades per guest. Just point out the pin(s) you want and give the CM a pin in return.

 

[Hisgirl]

I would also strongly suggest before you go, order stronger backs.

There are different ones you can try besides the rubber backs. I tried the ones that sorta click into place, but now use the ones that use a teeny tiny wrench to screw them shut.

In April, there was not ONE package of these backs in all of the parks. You can find them online but the parks usually do have them.

Also, think about how you want to display your pins. Sometimes a lanyard is fun and you can also use a backpack, or a Kavu bag strap.

 

[CrazyHare]

All the Kidcot stations in Epcot have boards. My daughter enjoyed trading with them.

And I just have to mention this, in case it matters to you. Lots we saw on the board were fakes (also called scrappers). Which isn’t a big deal for us. I bought the pins we trade at the Disney outlet for cheap. My daughter just trades for what she likes. But I would hesitate to trade expensive pins in the parks without inspecting the pin, if it matters to you.

 

[ShelliRenee]

Guest services in each park also has books.

 

[billyjobobb]

We lost a very nice pin in Disneyland because the rubber backs just aren't that good.

The people trading at Epcot by the fountain are almost all sharks. Be very careful. They want to take the pins they can sell for $$ and leave you with garbage pins. I wanted to trade a pin for a different pin from the same set and instead he wanted a Limited Edition pin that I knew sells for around $50. His pin was maybe a $5 pin......

 

[kuhltiffany]

How can you tell if the pins are fake?

All the Kidcot stations in Epcot have boards. My daughter enjoyed trading with them.

And I just have to mention this, in case it matters to you. Lots we saw on the board were fakes (also called scrappers). Which isn’t a big deal for us. I bought the pins we trade at the Disney outlet for cheap. My daughter just trades for what she likes. But I would hesitate to trade expensive pins in the parks without inspecting the pin, if it matters to you.

 

[wfjny]

We lost a very nice pin in Disneyland because the rubber backs just aren't that good.

The people trading at Epcot by the fountain are almost all sharks. Be very careful. They want to take the pins they can sell for $$ and leave you with garbage pins. I wanted to trade a pin for a different pin from the same set and instead he wanted a Limited Edition pin that I knew sells for around $50. His pin was maybe a $5 pin......

So, not really into pin trading myself, my kids have a few…

Never really traded other than a few starter sets. Only traded with CMs. The rest were bought at the parks.

Not talking about a lot of pins, maybe each of my kids have 10-15. Most of these were done 5-10 years ago. But between the three of them, I guess we have about 50, so not a small amount.

I have bought a few over the years at the character warehouse. Some as low as a dollar. Always thought we would trade them away, never really do. Nobody wants to carry a heavy lanyard into the parks, so they never got into trading.

But, I do wonder, what is the best place to see what some of them are worth? We do have a couple of special ones, including the Keys to the Kingdom and the Behind the Steam Train Tour. We also have one from the Lights Motor Action Show when my son got to “drive” the remote control car. I am not sure Ebay is the best source, but perhaps I am wrong.

 

[ninathegreat]

There's sometimes a life rescue ring made out of foam at the Epcot stop for the Crescent Lake friendship boats that's fun to look at. I think either Beach Club or Yacht Club had a nautical themed board in their gift shop. Also, I've spotted a Cast Member with a pin-trading trash can in Frontierland before! I agree, the themed boards are really fun. If you look at the recreation calendars for the resorts, some of them have scheduled pin trading times in the gift shop - I think Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of them. Others will just let you see the board when you ask.

 

[billyjobobb]

So, not really into pin trading myself, my kids have a few…

Never really traded other than a few starter sets. Only traded with CMs. The rest were bought at the parks.

Not talking about a lot of pins, maybe each of my kids have 10-15. Most of these were done 5-10 years ago. But between the three of them, I guess we have about 50, so not a small amount.

I have bought a few over the years at the character warehouse. Some as low as a dollar. Always thought we would trade them away, never really do. Nobody wants to carry a heavy lanyard into the parks, so they never got into trading.

But, I do wonder, what is the best place to see what some of them are worth? We do have a couple of special ones, including the Keys to the Kingdom and the Behind the Steam Train Tour. We also have one from the Lights Motor Action Show when my son got to “drive” the remote control car. I am not sure Ebay is the best source, but perhaps I am wrong.

ebay can be a decent place to find out what they're worth. One thing about Disney pins is that the put out so many that few really take off in value. Limited Editions, special events..... pinpics will give you info about the pins, but not really a value.

 

[only hope]

How can you tell if the pins are fake?

Imperfections, other than normal wear and tear. Rough edges, imperfectly shaped surface, etc.

https://www.ebay.com/gds/HOW-TO-SPO...-TAKEN-ADVANTAGE-OF-/10000000178004390/g.html

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Check out Tim Tracker's recent vlog on pin trading. He hits up the Poly and a few other spots to trade. Even the gift shops CM.

He also mentioned that when you trade with a CM, since they "have" to, they only have to trade up to two pins with you. I would presume most CM that trade/wear pins keep their pins they value at home to avoid losing them.

 

[Brandilla]

We lost a very nice pin in Disneyland because the rubber backs just aren't that good.

The people trading at Epcot by the fountain are almost all sharks. Be very careful. They want to take the pins they can sell for $$ and leave you with garbage pins. I wanted to trade a pin for a different pin from the same set and instead he wanted a Limited Edition pin that I knew sells for around $50. His pin was maybe a $5 pin......

You can trade whichever ones you want though, right? And they have to trade?

 

[billyjobobb]

That rule is only for Disney employees.