Pin trading is fun and exciting. Disney started Pin trading in 1999 as part of the WDW Millennium Celebration. My family started innocently collecting and trading pins in 2002. My kids enjoy searching Cast Member’s lanyards for a specific character or pin. I’m not sure how many pins we have since each of us has their own collection, but I am sure we have hundreds. We started letting the kids trade pins when they were very young, it helped them enjoy the World Showcase in Epcot. They would explore every nook and cranny of any country, looking for pins to trade. It also helped them learn how to politely interact with adults. Even now that they are teens they still enjoy searching for pins to trade.
How it works?
Cast Members and most guests trade for fun. Any Cast Member wearing a lanyard will trade with you, one pin for one pin. Politely ask a Cast Member if you can see their pins and they will hold them out for you. If you see a pin you like ask to trade for it. The pin you give them must be a Disney pin, and it can’t already be on their lanyard. If you don’t see a pin you’d like to trade for just say thank-you and move on. If you want to trade with another Guest there is only one rule, no money can be exchanged for the trade. There are more complete rules for Pin Trading on Disney’s website.
Where to get pins?
Just about every gift shop in Disney sells pins, they are everywhere on Disney property. If you are planning on trading, buy the cheapest pins you can find. In the parks, this usually is a box set of 7 pins for approximately $32.95. However, if you plan ahead, you can find pins for sale on auction sites for about $2 per pin. These pins won’t be new and you should exercise caution, as you should with any online auction site. Once you have some pins you want to trade, put them on your lanyard and let the fun begin.
A Good Trade
Any trade that make you happy is a good trade. Each of my kids likes different pins, one daughter trades for Chip n’ Dale, the other daughter trades for Mickey Mouse & Pluto, while my son trades for Monorail pins. If they find one they like they make the trade and are happy.
Special Pins
Some pins have a little Mickey head on them. These pins are Cast Member only pins and cannot be bought. You can only get them by trading with a Cast Member. Other special pins are Exclusive to a particular park or only sold to a particular group, such as Annual Passholders. Limited edition pins are also more rare and the can make a pin more valuable to some traders. Most limited edition or Cast Member pins are stamped on the back with this information. You can always ask to see the back of any pins you are considering trading for.
Other Tips
Some Cast Members wear green lanyards (WDW) or Teal (DL). These are for kids under the age of 12 to trade with. These Cast Members go out of their way to help out the young trader and generally have pins that younger guests like.
Keep track of those lanyards! Especially when exiting rides. We left one behind on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and we never saw it again. Luckily, we didn’t lose any special pins. When anyone trades for a pins they think is special we do not put it back onto their lanyard; we put it into my bag. We do this to prevent loss. We’ve have some pins just fall off the lanyard while walking. A lost pin can is not fun!
Make sure your kids know when it’s ok to trade. At park opening, when we are heading to a ride like Soarin’ with a huge crowd, is not the time to stop and trade. So before hand we tell the kids if this is a time when we will not stop to trade.
Once home, you can display your pins on a cork board or store them away in a pin bag. Either way, it’s fun to look through your pins and remember your magical Disney vacation.
