Pin Trading in Disney - Not What it Used to Be

[bytheblood]

We just returned from an 11-day trip. For 11 days, my daughter and I had 230 pins between the two of us for trading. We came home with 193 pins for trading. We traded a total of 37 pins in 11 days. We did not expect to trade all of them, but we had that many so we took them all.

In years past, all of the CMs had great cast lanyard pins on and there was a lot of variety. Some trips, we would take 50 pins each for a week and run out before the trip was over.

This go, we noticed that almost all of the CM lanyards had the same pins on them, and maybe 1/4 of them had duplicates and a few with triplicates. Most were not even cast lanyard pins, there were old pins from 2006/2007/2008 - like lots purchased from ebay.

This is not a huge deal and certainly did not impact how much fun we had on our trip, but it left me with a question - - Has pin trading gone the way of merchandise where everything is the same and variety has gone out the door? Maybe the scrappers/ebay lots have gotten out of control and this is how they are dealing with it at Disney?

 

[lions1995]

Have you ever stopped at any of the parks Guest Relations or at any Disney resort concierge counter and asked to see their pin book? They have dozens of pins to trade.

 

[Moira222]

I think the more crowded the parks are, the faster the "good" pins get traded for the not so good. though I did think that as a trader, you were not supposed to give a pin that was already on the lanyard --for sure that is the rule when you are going through a pin book. We did some of our best pin trading early in the day and at the pin traders in the resorts where they had a binder.

 

[delmar411]

we've found if you don't trade early in the day, you'll only see the same pins on all the lanyards.

Looking at the pin books or pin boards in the resorts or shops is a good way to find traders too.

 

[Praise2Him]

As a CM who pin trades, early in the day doesn't really matter. I work at night, so I'm just getting there at 5 or 6 pm. There are CMs coming in to work at all hours of the day & night.

We aren't supposed to take duplicates but if it's a small child I sometimes will (or sometimes I forget what I've got and take one by mistake). When that happens I turn it around backward and make it a "mystery" pin.

As to not finding pins you like, well that happens. It's amazing to me how different people like different pins. I've gotten some that I thought were hideous and thought I'd never get rid of, but lo and behold someone goes crazy over it and can't wait to have it!

 

[bytheblood]

As a CM who pin trades, early in the day doesn't really matter. I work at night, so I'm just getting there at 5 or 6 pm. There are CMs coming in to work at all hours of the day & night.

We aren't supposed to take duplicates but if it's a small child I sometimes will (or sometimes I forget what I've got and take one by mistake). When that happens I turn it around backward and make it a "mystery" pin.

As to not finding pins you like, well that happens. It's amazing to me how different people like different pins. I've gotten some that I thought were hideous and thought I'd never get rid of, but lo and behold someone goes crazy over it and can't wait to have it!

Love love love your username!!!

I agree on the last part - we all like different pins. I think I was just more surprised by the lack of variety this time. Even some of the CMs told me that they keep seeing the same pins. One guy (said he hated Donald when I took his Donald pin) said that he had been traded the same pin 3x that morning after getting rid of it.

 

[Kakikomori]

I've got a few pins from my last trip and a couple from Disneyland that I was planning to bring on my upcoming trip. They're all real Disney pins, so I know they're ok for trading. Is it bad form to trade them for ones I really like and then just keep them? Is that bad form? I already know that I'd feel pretty guilty trading a small one for a big one.

Also, can you really just go up to Guest Services or the Concierge desks and ask to see their pins? If so, that's awesome.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

We just returned from an 11-day trip. For 11 days, my daughter and I had 230 pins between the two of us for trading. We came home with 193 pins for trading. We traded a total of 37 pins in 11 days. We did not expect to trade all of them, but we had that many so we took them all.

In years past, all of the CMs had great cast lanyard pins on and there was a lot of variety. Some trips, we would take 50 pins each for a week and run out before the trip was over.

This go, we noticed that almost all of the CM lanyards had the same pins on them, and maybe 1/4 of them had duplicates and a few with triplicates. Most were not even cast lanyard pins, there were old pins from 2006/2007/2008 - like lots purchased from ebay.

This is not a huge deal and certainly did not impact how much fun we had on our trip, but it left me with a question - - Has pin trading gone the way of merchandise where everything is the same and variety has gone out the door? Maybe the scrappers/ebay lots have gotten out of control and this is how they are dealing with it at Disney?

And you bought YOUR 230 pins retail? At Disney? Or did you also get yours off Ebay?

 

[Oglet]

And you bought YOUR 230 pins retail? At Disney? Or did you also get yours off Ebay?

Good question.

 

[delmar411]

I've got a few pins from my last trip and a couple from Disneyland that I was planning to bring on my upcoming trip. They're all real Disney pins, so I know they're ok for trading. Is it bad form to trade them for ones I really like and then just keep them? Is that bad form? I already know that I'd feel pretty guilty trading a small one for a big one.

Also, can you really just go up to Guest Services or the Concierge desks and ask to see their pins? If so, that's awesome.

I'm not sure what your question is. You trade with the CMs. They don't care what pin you take or leave. And of course you just keep whatever pins you like. The kids sort theirs out into keepers and traders. That's kind of the point of the trading. To get ones you want.

 

[lucas]

We just returned from an 11-day trip. For 11 days, my daughter and I had 230 pins between the two of us for trading. We came home with 193 pins for trading. We traded a total of 37 pins in 11 days. We did not expect to trade all of them, but we had that many so we took them all.

In years past, all of the CMs had great cast lanyard pins on and there was a lot of variety. Some trips, we would take 50 pins each for a week and run out before the trip was over.

This go, we noticed that almost all of the CM lanyards had the same pins on them, and maybe 1/4 of them had duplicates and a few with triplicates. Most were not even cast lanyard pins, there were old pins from 2006/2007/2008 - like lots purchased from ebay.

This is not a huge deal and certainly did not impact how much fun we had on our trip, but it left me with a question - - Has pin trading gone the way of merchandise where everything is the same and variety has gone out the door? Maybe the scrappers/ebay lots have gotten out of control and this is how they are dealing with it at Disney?

Totally agree - it has gone waaaaaay down.

 

[lucas]

And you bought YOUR 230 pins retail? At Disney? Or did you also get yours off Ebay?

I've never bought off Ebay. And, I don't split sets (years ago that wasn't even allowed).

We have a Disney outlet close to us and go to their pin trading nights because they have pins on sale.

 

[mountdew1]

And you hit the nail on the head. People always try to get the cheapest pins possible to trade. Be it from lots on eBay, pins given away as a promotion, or sets that can be bought and then split up for a cheaper per pin cost. Doesn't matter, any way that people find to get pins for cheap, they do it. Which then leads to a glut of that pin. When they sold the pin set of "cute" character heads, it worked out to like 3 bucks a pin, those ended up on every single lanyard in a heartbeat. They had a lanyard as a gift with purcahse last year, every lanyard had those pins on it. The ones that people from China email me to buy? Those end up on the lanyards in large quantities a month or two after that. It just happens. Everyone is trying to get the cheapest pin so they can trade for a more valuable pin.

I remember going to Disneyland years ago, and it seemed like every single pin I got off the lanyards was a LE, or a CE pin. (And I didn't know that til after I traded for them, I just liked them) I saw so many different pins it was crazy.

 

[jlevis]

CM's now get their pins from ebay.

 

[minniebeth]

Have you ever stopped at any of the parks Guest Relations or at any Disney resort concierge counter and asked to see their pin book? They have dozens of pins to trade.

That's a great tip!

I have to agree that you see more repeats than ever before. Last trip, we had a small bag full of pins and came home with a lot of them. We do only look for certain pins/characters though and would rather come home with them untraded.

 

[lucas]

CM's now get their pins from ebay.

How do you know that?

 

[jlevis]

How do you know that?

It's a joke lucas.

 

[WTDing]

What...a joke? How dare you sir!

Really a pins a pin. if you like it trade for it. Doesn't matter if its "real" or not. I have seen pins selling in Disney stores that are hideous and they want $12.95 each. And then I have seen supposed scrappers that I loved.

I don't care where it was made or by whom as long as I like the art or the shape. I would venture to guess that most people are like me.

True collectors don't trade anyway. They find what they want and buy it and keep it.

If you just trade for fun as we do then it doesn't really matter.

Now the variety issue is most likely caused by the cheap pin sets that everyone buys and then uses for trade. There is a reason these are called starter sets.

Most people aren't going to buy the $8-15 pins and start trading them.

 

[lucas]

It's a joke lucas.

Don't go stirrin' up us pin traders!

Guess it was over my head.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I think it's a scrapper problem. More and more people have discovered they can get Jr 100 pins for $100 on ebay and pawn them off on the CM's in the park. Many know they are fakes but don't care b/c Jr wants to trade pins and they want to make Jr happy and save money. I actually see people encouraging others to buy pins off ebay alot more on other Disney boards than in the past. Disney is so customer service oriented they don't want to upset customers and it would involved alot of money to train all the CM's to recognize scrappers and how to tactfully deal with the probelm without upsetting guests.


For our kids we get the starter packs and pins on sale at the Disney stores and outlets, but we never buy something we want to keep if we couldn't get rid of it. They may not all be the kids top picks but we don't buy the pins that are useless to trade like the name or personalized or ABC pins I see alot of now in the outelt. If they see one they really want to get we buy it and they keep it.