Before we took our first trip to Disney World, I did a lot of research. I wanted to learn about rides so that we could schedule Fast Passes, restaurants so that we could make reservations and anything else that we could learn to make our trip easier. One of the most interesting things I learned about was Disney Pin Trading. We tried it out so here are our tips for the Disney Pin Trading Newbie.
Disney Pin Trading: Frugal, Space-Saving Souvenirs
I read online that Disney Pin Trading is apparently a huge thing. People even come to Disney World for the sole purpose of trading pins. I love trading things, in general, and I love the idea of cheap souvenirs, so I knew this would be something I would love to try.
Be Careful Of Pin Buying Online
So, I went on Amazon and bought some souvenirs to start my collection out and have pins to trade. One note: please be careful and only buy from reputable sellers. There are apparently tons of sellers online selling fake pins to cheat you out of your money. There are many ways to tell if a pin you have is real or fake. I am definitely no expert in this area, but one good place to look and see if your pin is a fake is Pin Pics.
There are also rules to Disney Pin Trading. Be sure that you know them before trading with Disney Cast Members. You can trade with any cast member that has pins on them {on their lanyard or around their waste}. We each took pins to trade and we each traded almost our entire collections. I only came back with like 3 pins that I went to Disney with as I loved the ones they had and just kept trading until I got only ones that I wanted to keep. You can trade in all the parks, at the Disney hotels and even in the Disney stores.
Lanyards For Disney Pin Trading Do Not Have To Cost A Lot
The best way that we have found to pin trade is to carry your pins around on a lanyard. You can buy these just about anywhere on and off Disney property ranging from about $3.50 to $5.00 or more, but the cheapest place that we have found to buy them is at Dollar Tree for $1 each. Dollar Tree has a nice variety of Disney themed lanyards, too, so that you can stay with your theme. We picked up Monsters University, Disney Princesses, Disney Planes and Mickey Mouse and Friends. Dollar Tree lanyards also come with the clear holders that you can put your tickets in {which were not available with the more expensive lanyards that we found}.
You Can Find Deals On The Pins, Too
We also bought a lot of pins. I bought a few Stitch pins, a Finding Nemo collection of pins, a Dumbo pin and an Olaf pin. My husband also got a really nice set of Star Wars pins. All of them came from either my Disney hotel, the parks or a Disney store with the exception of the Dumbo pin that came from Walmart. I did find that if you check the Disney Stores in the surrounding Orlando area, you can find some great deals on the pins. I also bought a really nice Disney Pin Trading case at the Disney Character Store at one of the factory outlets.
There are many videos on YouTube about Disney Pin Trading and some people have some collections that are really worth a lot. There are also people who come to the parks and trade with each other. I, personally, only traded with Disney Cast Members this time so that I could get the hang of it my first time around. Also, right now, I am only trying to trade for pins that I like with no real emphasis on what the pins are actually worth – so I assume that my collection doesn’t have a huge monetary value yet. That might change once I get a nice collection going, though.
I buy old pins in bulk on ebay before we go and that way the kids have a ton to trade with.
i didn’t know they were so collectible. i have a set that was a limited edition tucked away
I’ve seen their pins before but had no idea anything like this was going on! My son would love this!
Pin trading is such a great way to get inexpensive souvenirs at Disney! I’ve heard you can trade with characters too!
Oh we didn’t try that. How very cool!
I’m the kind of person that would buy the pins but never trade them. I don’t part with my stuff very easily!
I love all your cute pins! I need some for my camera strap!
I had no idea about pin trading. I guess that is why all my little cousins had so many!
I was just telling someone about pin trading today! There is an awesome and reliable company I order from before we go..
My son always loved pin trading when he was little. He would spend half the day in the park trading pins with Disney employees .
We’ve never done the Disney pins, but that could always change so I appreciate having this information. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this . I had a friend who loved doing this when she was younger.
I have not traded any Disney pins, I did not know there was so many designs available. Trading them would be fun.
How fun! You have such a great collection. Thanks for all this info!
We started collecting pins this year. We have star wars ones so far and are so excited about getting more.
We had a hard time finding Star Wars ones to trade, but we did buy several of them. 🙂
What a nice collection you have. I only learned about Disney Pins and trading the last time I was at Disney World, and that was nearly 2 years ago. I want to go back so badly so I can see what kind of pins I can find.
We just got back from Disney on Sunday. I didn’t even think to do the pin trading. Darn it!
I literally JUST started last weekend! I bought a starter kit and traded them all for cooler pins with cast members. It was fun, but I need a new lanyard. I don’t like the standard one I got!
That is a cool idea! I have never heard of pin trading. I guess it is like baseball cards – only cuter
I haven’t gotten into pin trading, but it’s definitely popular! Great way to start a conversation too 🙂
Trading Disney pins is always so much fun! Thanks so much for this handy beginner’s resource!
Oh I love This. I’ve never seen these pins and I want them ALL!!! Adorable!
I have never been involved in any pin trading. To be honest I did not even know people traded pins.
Oh how fun! I havent ever seen these before and they are all so cute! What a fun idea!
I think this would be so fun. We lived right there and never did it, I’m kicking myself now. 😉
Oh I wish I knew this before we went. I’ll have to do this next year. That sounds like fun.
I had no idea this “underpinning” of Disney existed. Thanks for opening my eyes. I’ll need to check it out before our next trip there.
Love the Disney pins. I didn’t realize it went way beyond being at the park. Amazing.
Very cool. I had so many character pins as a kid. I wish I had held on to them.
Thanks for these tips on Disney pin trading. I didn’t realize you could buy them at places other than Disney.
How fun! I didn’t know about disney pin trading.
Very cool! I have always seen the pins but wasn’t sure how it all worked!
Interesting and super fun! I had no idea Disney did pin trading, but I can see how children and adults alike must enjoy it.
I didn’t know about the pin trading. Looks like a lot of fun. Will do that next time I go.
We will be going to Disney world for new years so I am going to have to get some pins for the kids to trade.
Too much fun!
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