Pin trading started around 2000 and is still going very strong. You purchase pins (cloisonné, semi- cloisonné, or hard enamel metal) and a lanyard and you can trade with guests or cast members if you see a pin you like. Almost every store sells pins and “starter sets” which is a lanyard with a few pins to start trading. Other guests are very unlikely to trade their pins, but cast members always trade. You are allowed 2 trades per cast member. If the cast member is wearing a green badge near their pins, this means they only trade with children.
Prior to your trip, you can buy pins on eBay for trading. People sell lots of anywhere between 10 – 100+ pins. This way you go down with pins to trade without having to spend a ton of money on pins while you are down there. Mystery packs of 2 pins can run you around $5 – $7+ in the parks and they only have 2 pins in them. Pins must be in good condition to be traded.
Guest Services in all 4 of the parks as well as Downtown Disney have books that you can go through to trade pins. You just need to go to Guest Services and ask.
Fair warning – it can be very addicting! But you can get some really great pins as souvenirs from purchasing them and trading. And the pins are really nice! You can purchase sets of pins or individual pins. Individual pins can range anywhere from $6 – $20. Pin sets can range anywhere from $14 and up. You can also buy books to store your pins in (which you can also purchase on eBay).
We have found the most affordable way to enjoy pin trading is to buy a couple lots off eBay, go through and see if there any we want to actually keep. You never know what you are going to get. Then we fill up some old lanyards with all the pins we don't want and that way we have plenty of pins to trade with. Trust me when you are going through the parks you will be surprised at how many cast members are wearing pins for trade and even though we said they don't trade, it doesn't hurt to ask guests, some just might.
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