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What is Disney Pin Trading?
Disney pin trading is one of the most enjoyable things you can do with your Disney pin collection. If you are tired of your old collection and would like to have other kinds of pins, it’s time to learn how to trade them.
How to trade and where to trade?
You can easily have your kids trade their pins when at the park because other people are also looking for other collectors to trade with. This is a great practice to get your kids to socialize and grow their confidence levels while mingling with likeminded people. They are going to have a blast collecting new pins and trading them.
Kids aged 12 and below are especially sincere about their desire to trade and collect, and they take great pride in being able to build their collections through purchasing and trading with other people. As a parent, you can help them trade by bringing them to the park whenever you can because this is the best place to do trades specifically for Disney pins.
Disney pin production is at an all-time high, and you will be able to find Disney pins for all occasions, events, themes, etc. There are thousands of different designs available online too, so if your kids don’t have that many pins yet to trade, you can help build their collection by buying from other collectors who are letting go of their stock of Disney pins.
When you are in a Disney park, we recommend approaching Disney Cast Members because these folks are always ready to make a trade, whoever is approaching them. Disney employees are all over parks, and all you have to do is ask them if you can make a trade. They will say yes! Approaching Disney park employees is a great way for smaller children to be able to interact and “wheel and deal” in their cute ways.
If you are the collector, keep in mind that you can be selective about the pins that you trade and you can pick which employee to trade with. Often you can check out what pins they have for trading and you can request for specific trades to complete your collection. The second type of trade that you can make is with casual traders.
You are an example of a casual trader – you trade mainly for enjoyment, which is what other people also want to do. Take note that the majority of casual traders are comprised of kids. One thing you should remember, however, is that with casual traders, you won’t always get a yes from other traders. Some casual traders are interested only in rare pins, and if your kid has a starter set that is composed of pins that are easy to find online or in parks, likely, the more experienced traders won’t agree to outright trades.
How much are Disney pins worth?
Disney pins cost $5.95 and above when you buy them in parks. Admittedly, it is not the cheapest of hobbies and for a kid’s collection; many parents might find it too expensive.
But hold on to your hats, there is a way to get into the game without spending too much. People sell Disney pins on Amazon and eBay, and when you buy Disney pins by bulk (100 pieces and above), you can save a lot of money. Packs of one hundred Disney pins are sold for as low as $30 online.
Take note that as you buy from online sellers on places like eBay, you will likely come across scrappers or Disney pins that are production overruns. These production overruns are a little controversial in the community because people don’t have to get or trade them from parks, and they can buy them online for cents compared to the individual retail prices.
We think that it’s fine to trade scrappers especially if the kids are doing it. Kids don’t have their own money to buy expensive brand new ones, and if they don’t have a series of Disney pins going forward, how are they going to start trading anyway? This problem takes away the fun in trading because parents will be forced to spend a lot of money from the get-go just for their kids to start trading Disney pins.
Granted, the Disney pins that you are going to get aren’t going to be stellar, but at least your kids will have something to start their collections with. Tradable packs of Disney pins are cheap because they are from past seasons, and the designs are common, widespread, or old. There will be some great finds here and there, but for the most part, they’re fine for kids who are just starting with trading Disney pins.
There is a consistent supply online, and if you are planning to trade, make sure that you buy ahead of time so your pins will be available before the trip to the Disney park that you will be visiting.
While it’s fine to have pins at home, your kids will have a lot of fun trading when they visit the park. When you are at the park there is no specific location for trading Disney pins. Bring out your collection and ask people if they would like to trade, or if they are familiar with trading.
As long as you have your eyes on the kids, there is no reason for them not to find at least one other person to trade with. Food carts are a great place to start finding potential casual traders because people swarm food carts daily.
And as we have mentioned before, you can always approach employees and ask for a trade. Usually, employees have anywhere from twenty to thirty different pins on them at any one time. Don’t forget to check out the stores as well as many stores put up large boards of Disney pins because they want people to approach and trade. It’s a great way to promote the business and people have a little fun in between.
