Are you into Disney Pin Trading yet? If you haven’t heard of this fun collectors activity or have but don’t know where to start, this post is for you! Included below are my favorite Disney Pin Trading tips, tricks and ideas. Most of my thoughts are geared toward families with kids but you can certainly adapt to suit your needs.
What are Disney Pins and what is Disney Pin Trading all about?
Disney Pins are beautiful metal and enamel pins, usually colorful and creative, celebrating all kinds of Disney favorites. Pins often come in series, sets or collections making up groups of pins that Disney lovers love to collect. Trading pins has become a favorite Disney past time with many park goers and is a way to showcase your love for various Disney details all the time- not just at the parks.
How do I start my Disney pin trading collection?
I have a great method for first-time Disney pin traders and collectors that I always recommend to friends. Whats the big secret? Buy a cheap ”lot” of pins off of ebay! A good price on a pack of pins would be anything around $30 for 50 pins or an equivalent of that in any amounts. These pins may not be the cutest or most special Disney pins but they will work perfectly as your starter pins for trading! You can easily divide these up among a few kids and have plenty to start trading once you get to the Parks (or Disney Springs!). My only word or caution is to make sure you are getting real Disney pins. Check the listing and check the backs when they arrive.
You can only trade Disney brand pins on Disney property. Other brands ”Disney” pins are cute and fun to have but not good for trading.
My second recommendation for building up your Disney Pin collection is to buy ”blind bag” style pins. These are usually the least expensive pins. You’ll be able to see the set of pins of the bag but not which pin is actually inside until you open it! My girls LOVE to open these blind bag pins (and who am I kidding- so do I!) and if you get a duplicate or one you don’t like you can just trade it! I’ll explain the trading part in a minute. Don’t be fooled by the Disney website… there are SO MANY options for blind bags once you’re on Disney property!
We loved the Kingdom of Cute mystery collection!
How do I carry around all these pins?
When it comes to Disney Pin Trading in the parks there are a few great ways to carry them around.
- Use a Pin Lanyard. You could DIY one – check out this post for an example! – or use one like this.
- Display them in an ”ita” bag. Ita bags have a clear vinyl pocket of sorts designed specifically for pins. This one is so cute!
- Keep them in a handy fanny pack for easy access. This style of iridescent fanny pack is my favorite. So fun!
- Keep them in a zipper pouch inside your regular bag. If you are going to invest in many beautiful pins this is generally the safest option. No danger of the pins falling off or getting damaged.
If you want to actually pin them on a regular backpack or bag I highly recommend investing in some locking pin backs like these so they are less likely to fall off. These backs are not fail safe but they so help to keep your Disney Pin Collection as safe as possible.
Now that I’ve got pins, how do I trade them?
This is the fun part! In Disney World/Land (and Disney Resort gift shops, Disney Springs, Disney Cruise Ships ect.) all cast members usually wear lanyards with pins or have their pins secured to them in some way. You can walk up to any cast member and ask to trade! They can’t refuse pin trades and there is no danger of them saying no. This is a great confidence boosting activity for kids and a fun little time occupier/i spy sort of activity while you are walking around, waiting for buses in the morning or browsing the gift shops. You can bring your cheap lot of ebay pins on a trip, trade every single one during your trip and leave with completely new to you Disney pins without ever spending another penny!
Make sure to ask shop members if they have a pin trading board! Sometimes they keep the boards hidden and only pull them out if you ask. And if they don’t have a big board or their board is sparse they will tell you where to go to find a better one.
Happy pin trading!
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