Just Now Starting...

[Panda_Girl]

I'm thinking about starting out in pin trading and was wondering how much they can cost and how much it would cost to start out. I dont want to spend to much money do to the low amount of it right now.

I was wondering if any one had any good advice on for a new pin trader. I think the next time I'm gonna go to WDW would be from now to the next 7 months, I'm not sure when it will be but it should be some time between that time.

[mritty]

Individual pins can cost anywhere from about $6.95 up to $17.95, depending on things like whether it's open or limited edition, whether it's for a specific event or celebration, whether it's only available to purchase to certain groups (AP Holders, Disney Visa, DVC, etc).

You can also buy starter kits that come with a lanyard and between 4 and 12 pins on them. The pins might be the absolute cheapest, "worst" you can find, or they might be fairly decent. Of course, "worst" is irrelevant, because you're just going to trade them for ones you'd like better anyway. I've seen these range from around $35 or $40 up to $80 or $90, depending on how many pins and what type.

Another option is to buy a bulk lot of pins from eBay. I bought about 15 at once for less than $40 a couple years ago. The problem there, of course, is that you're risking getting counterfeit, unauthorized pins. Make sure you check the feedback, obviously, but unfortunately, it's not enough. An honest person may still be trading you pins he/she doesn't know to be counterfeit. The only way to be *sure* is to buy direct from Disney.

As for generic advice, mine is to simply have fun with it. I'm up to about 40 or so pins. I generally take one lanyard-full with me when I go to the parks. I take about 3 or 4 that I just want to wear (my AP holder pins, or my favorite attractions, maybe), and the rest are ones that I'll trade if I see something I like better or if some small child asks me to trade. I don't get the people who obsessively collect, or are concerned about the "value" of their pins. I just buy or trade for whatever I like, whatever strikes my fancy at that particular moment.

[GIOny]

There are many places on the internet to buy them but like mritty said you have to be careful who your dealing with. Here is a reputable site that sells them.......Disney Shopping: Pins and Accessories - The LaughingPlace Store
They sell individual pins and the packages with the lanyards, you have to look around the site. The only thing I suggest is that you buy the package of locks, they are an extra lock so your pins don't fall off the lanyard. I just looked for the locks on a couple websites and couldn't find them but I know you can buy them at the parks. Some people are fine with the back that you get with the pin but I've had some fall off. You could start off with just a small starter kit and then when you get to the parks you can have alot of fun looking for the pins, especially at the store in DTD with just pins (forgot the name of the store). There are so many different types of pins that you may want to focus on something in particular, like the ride pins or the resort pins or whatever. Have a good time collecting

[Panda_Girl]

Sorry wrong button... Real post is after this one.

[Panda_Girl]

Wow, $90. Thats a lot. my mom's friend at her work is a passholder and he go's all the time and he's given her a light-up Buzz Lightyear pin and a Chip or Dale pin. I can never tell which one is which.

[wdw4us2]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney pin trading - a hopeless addiction!

If your Mom has a friend who is a Cast Member, should she see if her friend would be willing to go to a Cast Pin Blast for you. She can purchase some pins there that are usually 75% off and you could use those for trading. That's a great way to get started with lanyard trading.

Make sure you put away the pins you want to keep after you've traded with a CM at WDW. Sometimes, if you put them back on your lanyard it's hard to remember which are your keepers and which are your traders. Go to the parks early in the morning and look for supervisors - they generally have the best pins for trade.

Good luck and have fun!

[GoofTrooper]

Yeah I only have a few pins I picked up one trip about 7 years ago. I'd like to get more of them, just so pricey... Definitely for my next trip I'm budgeting some pin money.
BTW Chip has the smaller, black nose and Dale has the two buck teeth.

[Smack81]

I can tell Chip and Dale apart 'cause Chip has the "Chocolate Chip" nose.

That notwithstanding, I buy pins from ebay before I go. I can't afford to buy them in the parks (not a lot of them), but I have a lot of fun with the ones I get beforehand. As others have said in other threads, you've got to be really careful about who you buy them from, and you might get burned. It's a calculated risk. I buy my pins from a guy named Gene on ebay. I think his store's name is Pins, Pins, and More Pins. I haven't had a problem yet (knock on wood).