If you’ve visited Disneyland or Walt Disney World in the past decade, chances are you’ve seen Disney Pins at some point in time or another. Pins are sold in every shop and many of the cast members wear lanyards with pins on them for trading. Pin trading has taken off in popularity. For some people it’s just a fun activity. Others take it a lot more seriously. Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, pin trading can be a lot of fun.
To get started, all you need are some pins. You can purchase these directly at Disney Parks or before your trip via eBay or the Disney website. A word of warning, if you purchase your pins through eBay you’ll want to read the reviews of the pins to be sure they’re not ‘scrappers.’ Scrappers are pins that were turned down as not being acceptable for one reason or another (sometimes you’ll find a misprinted word, sometimes the coloring is just off). Typically pins that are not scrappers are a minimum of $1 each versus the large pin auctions that sell pins for closer to 25 cents each. Once you have some pins, you’re ready to start trading!
Some people trade for whatever pins catch their eyes, while others try to make a collection of a certain pin type. Collections can be as complicated as every pin from a certain movie, pin group, character, or even something simple like pins that depict Disney rides.
Trading pins with Disney Cast Members is extremely easy. You just approach them and ask if you can swap a pin. But please follow some basic courtesy rules. Don’t approach a Cast Member that’s with another guest or extremely busy. Each guest is limited to trading two pins per Cast Member. Do not touch the Cast Member’s lanyard, allow them to show you the pins and remove the pin of your choice. When you offer the Cast Member your pin, be sure that the rubber backing is on so no one accidentally gets stuck. All the rules are put into place for everyone’s safety.
Now that you have a few pins and are really building a collection, how do you carry them? Lanyards are a popular option, but be aware that especially for wiggly children the pins can fall off very easily. They do have locking backs for pins on lanyards if you’d like to wear your collection and ensure none of your pins will fall off. If you’d like to avoid the lanyard route, there are pin trading cases of various sizes and shapes where you can safely store your pins. Once you have your pins safely home, display boards can easily be created if you’d like to showcase your collection.
Ready to get started pin trading? Contact us today for more information and to start planning your next trip!
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