I have always loved planning vacations, especially to Walt Disney World, so I am sharing my best planning secrets and some great free Walt Disney World planning printables, every month leading up to our trip in a series: One Year Countdown to Walt Disney World
- 12 Months: Introduction // The 3 Big Questions // Free Printable Budget Planner
- 11 Months: 11 Month Update // Best Free Planning Resources // Printable Journal Cards
- 10 Months: 10 Month Update // Top Planning Websites // Free Printable Stroller Tags
- 9 Months: Disney Dining Plan Review // Free Printable Top 10 Attractions List
- 8 Months: 8 Month Update // Top 10 Tinker Bell Gifts // Printable Tinker Bell Gift Tags
- 7 Months: 7 Month Update // Best Disney World Planning Books // Travel Info Sheet
- 6 Months: 6 Month Update // Touring Plan Spreadsheet
- 5 Months: 5 Month Update // Pin Trading Guide
- 4 Months: Disney Movie Countdown // Free Printable Daily Disney Planner
- 3 Months: Best Gear for Traveling with Kids // Printable Guide to Rides by Height
- 2 Months: All About FastPass+ // Free Printable Character Autograph Print
- 1 Month: Disney World Packing List
- Countdown to Walt Disney World: Disney World Trip Report
Beginner’s Guide to Disney Pin Trading
I LOVE Pin Trading! I’m not a serious collector, I mostly trade for fun (and sometimes competition). Here are 4 reasons I love Pin trading:
- Kids can get involved and excited about planning an upcoming Disney trip.
- Shy kiddos will come out of their shell and interact with cast members.
- It can be one of the cheapest and most unique souvenirs.
- It gives everyone something to do during “down times”.
Disney Trading Pin Tip #1
Unless you want to spend a fortune when you arrive at the parks, look around online for deals online before your trip. Pins in the parks are at least $6 each, but you can find them on Amazon, eBay, or the Disney Store for significantly cheaper. Also, don’t forget a lanyard!
Disney Trading Pin Tip #2
Plan a strategy. Some kids will just love trading, but some people will want to trade with a theme in mind like princesses, villains, or resorts. On our last trip, my aunt and cousin tried to trade all their pins for Chip and Dale pins. My dad was able to find a 1955 anniversary pin, which was the year he was born. One mom suggested to have kids wear the pins they want to trade on one side of their lanyard and the pins they can’t let go of on the other side of their lanyard.
Disney Trading Pin Tip #3
Know the rules. Cast Members must trade the pins on their lanyard, but they will only trade 2 pins per person per day and you are supposed to offer them something they don’t already have. Cast Members with green lanyards will only trade with kids age 3-12.
Disney Trading Pin Tip #4
Displaying trading pins after your trip is half of the fun! One great idea is to use them on a tradition pin board like unique push pins. I have also seen creative Disney moms create custom display boards with embroidery hoops or stretched canvas. One last idea is to make a shadow box to display your pins.
Did I leave anything out? If you have another tip for Disney Pin Trading Beginners, leave it in the comments below!
Don’t miss the 5 Month Planning Update. Next, I am sharing a Free Printable Disney Movie Countdown Checklist. You can see the latest posts from this series by clicking here.
If you have anything to add to the conversation, don’t be shy! I would love to answer any of your Disney planning questions and if you share a tip I love, I might just include you in next month’s countdown.
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The Staff is required to trade if you ask them. I got an aztec gold piece from a saleswoman
That’s an awesome find!
Thank you for this article! My son is wanting to start pin trading, but we’ve never done it before! Something to do on our next trip! Thanks!
It’s so fun! You and your son will have a blast! Everyone in my party loved it from age 5 to 75!
I read your tip on buying pins on eBay. I just received them in the mail today. I’m a little concerned because I just read a tip yesterday that the pins require a specific Disney mark on the back to be traded. Mine say Disney china?. Do you know if they will still work?
I am planning to start pin trading on my first DisneyWorld trip. Where do you reccommend buying cheap pins on Amazon and Ebay? I have been searching and keep finding reviews that say the pins are not “authentic” Any suggestions?
This was my daughter’s absolute favorite part of our trip! I had ordered a lot of 24 prior to leaving, but will order more for next time–my daughter ended up collecting the Duffy Bear pins and she found so many that by the time we got home, she only had 4 non-Duffy pins left for trading.
We ended up buying a second lanyard so she could keep the traders on one and the non-traders on the other. We also invested in the locking backs for the ones she didn’t want to trade.
One thing we didn’t realize was that cast members at ANY Disney store or property may have pins available for trading. We had dinner at the Grand Floridian and didn’t bring the pins because we didn’t realize we would need them. Same for when we went to the Disney Outlet store. We did plan ahead and brought them with when we went to Downtown Disney.
i really feel that pin-trading cut down on the “I wants” and the “i needs” because every time my daughter traded a pin, she felt like she got a new souvenir!