Disney Pin Trading

There are a lot of unauthorized pins available for purchase on eBay and through other sources. Some are obvious, made with materials and images of poor quality, like the Belle pin at right. Others are very well made and nearly indistinguishable from the originals they copy. If you plan to buy traders on eBay (and you should), look very carefully at auction descriptions and photos and seller feedback to be sure you are getting real Disney pins that are tradable with Cast Members.

Another potential problem is pins that are too common. When trading with a Cast Member, you will need to offer a pin that is not already on the Cast Member's lanyard. There are certain pins, such as the Millennium Dancer and Kodak pins below, that were produced in such large quantities that you will have trouble finding anyone to trade them with.

Keep reading for tips on how to avoid problem pins when buying traders on eBay.

Check the seller's feedback. Of course this is always a good practice on eBay, but it is particularly helpful when looking for high quality traders. Many very busy pin sellers have lots of feedback comments with complaints related to fake pins.

Avoid pin lots with large quantities of the same pin. You have to wonder what is up with these... Why does a seller have so many of the same pin? They are probably scrappers or too common to be traded easily.

Don't bother with the really common pins. The Millennium Dancers, the blue Kodak pins, and the Cuties (babyish versions of the Fab 5 and Pooh characters) are found on too many Cast Member lanyards.

If it sounds to good to be true... If you find a listing for a lot of pins with a Buy It Now price of $1.50 per pin, a photo of a bunch of popular Cast Lanyard-exclusive pins, and a description that states that you "may receive some of the pins pictured" and maybe some others not pictured, hit the back button, fast.

When buying traders on eBay, the best defense against bad pins is research. Pay attention, and you can get great traders at reasonable prices.

Mickey's Mystery Pin Machine arrived at Epcot on September 6, 2007. For $5, you can play a game and win a pin. The gameplay involves rolling a ball back and forth against gravity to try to get it in the hole at the top. You get three balls per play, and regardless of your success at the game, you win one of a collection of new pins that are exclusive to the game!

Mickey's Mystery Pin Machine is expected to be coming soon to more Walt Disney World locations.

Disney Dollars turned twenty years old in 2007. To celebrate the occasion, this Limited Edition pin was released at the Walt Disney World Resort on October 2, 2007. The pin features Mickey Mouse holding up a replica of the original 1987 $1-denomination Disney Dollar. This pin has an edition size of 500.

Learn more about Disney Dollars and Disney Dollar pins

Save it.
Add this lens to your Squidoo favorites.

Link it.
If you're a Lensmaster with a related lens, add a link to this lens on your Lensroll.

Send it.
Email this lens to a friend.

Digg it.
Submit this lens to digg.com and share it with the world.

Tag it.
Bookmark this lens on del.icio.us.

 

What's Here

Getting Started | Spotlight Pin | Learn the Lingo | Pin Trading Etiquette
Get a Lanyard | Problem Pins | Tomart's Pin Trading Guide
Buy Trading Pins | Disney Pin Collections & Rare Disney Pins
Pin Bags & Books | More Disney Pin Trading Websites | Limited Edition Pins
Comments | Spotlight Pin Archive | Like this Lens?