Starter pin sets

My four year old wants to get into pin trading. He has a lanyard already, just wondering if there’s a good, economical place to get ‘starter bags’ of authentic Disney pins. Thank you!

Since it’s a child and for entertainment value there are groups of pins at on line places. Maybe pinterest or ebay.

Be aware that there are knock off pins being sold that shouldn’t be used for pin trading.

Apparently there are folks who are serious about the pin trading from perhaps an investment point of view. There are ways to notice if a pin is authentic or a knock off.

Our grandkids pin traded for years with pins I bought on line. They were interested in getting their favorite characters, like Robin Hood or Tinker Bell. Or Stitch. There was a guy in Alabama that sold bundles of miscellaneous pins. It’s been years since I’ve bought pins tho.

We also had some interest in the pressed penny machines and would look up locations before going to Disney.

Sadly, the majority of pins you’ll see in the parks are knockoffs. There are youtube videos on how to spot the fakes. People buy the cheap knockoffs on eBay and trade them at the parks for other knockoffs. I would not buy actual disney pins and trade them at the parks!

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Actually since this is a 4 year old and I don’t want to have to referee what he picks, I would much prefer cheapo pins. I just thought that wasn’t allowed?

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The pin just needs to be a Disney character or theme. The CMs do not police for Disney authenticity.

At 4 years old, he will unlikely be into the Disney authenticity of the pin. If you buy knock offs, you won’t need to supervise his trading!

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And they love trading with kids.

Chat up CMs to get more info. They will likely be happy to help.

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If you want to go authentic - I suggest going to ebay, and using the term “booster set”. You want pins that are on the card and in the plastic. A total cost per pin (including shipping) of $4-$5 is a decent price these days, but if you really scroll through you can find a few that are closer to $3.50. I would go with sellers who have at least a 99% rating.

Otherwise, there are a ton of non-authentic pins on ebay. These will use terms like “tradable” but will not say “authentic”. They usually are not in packaging and simply come in a specific quantity. Just make sure none of the reviews criticize non-shipment or someone not getting their pins. These will have lower reviews as some people will point out that the pins are not authentic, so just read through to see what the issues were.

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All the “knockoffs” are usually copies of actual pins. So they look like Disney pins, front and back. I watched a lot of youtube videos showing the difference and once I went to the parks and saw the same fakes over and over again, I didn’t feel bad trading a fake for a fake on the CM boards. This person has great videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rWhN5WLDiw

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These are excellent points. I would NOT trade a fake for a real one with another disney guest. Seems unethical to me. The CMs very rarely have real ones, probably a result of so many fakes. That being said, it is still fun to trade for something you like or something that reminds you of the trip. My kids have loved doing it at all ages!

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Towards the end of last year, I traded for a DCL 2007/2008 pin. I learned there was a set of 6! It was my mission over 2 trips to get the whole set. :grimacing: I was able to trade for the whole set eventually! :joy:

There were pin traders outside the store under the SSE. One of them told me that one of my DCL pin was a knock off! She showed me for real one. It came down to the vibrancy of the colors, which I honestly couldn’t discern. My set of partial fake and authentic DCL pins made me happy and at the end of the day, that was what mattered to me!

This is also me! I’m not a real pin trader but when I trade, I trade with authentic Disney pins I buy at the Disney outlet for $3-$4 each.

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I got some from eBay. Not sure if they’re real, but I think I would probably just be up front before any trading happens that I don’t know if they’re authentic. We just want him to have a fun new hobby in the parks. :slight_smile:

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The eBay listing said: This lot will come with a random assortment of the amount of pins you choose that may or may not be pictured. There will be no duplicate pins and they are all 100% tradable. Each pin is individually bagged and comes with the rubber mickey back. They are metal and stamped on the back.

These come directly from a Disney licensed manufacturer. They are authentic and 100% tradable.

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My feeling is that kid only cares about the pin and it’s authenticity matters not.

The CM is interested in guests having a magical time.

A serious pin trader ought to be able to discern fake from authentic - essentially buyer beware.

I’d say you did a good job especially if your child doesn’t mind parting with some of the ebay pins.

I once bought 25 of the exact same Incredibles pin since the pins were for trading.

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You don’t need to say anything. The CMs have told me they are not allowed to reject non authentic pins. They just need to be Disney themed or Disney characters. I had some authentic Marvel pins I picked up at the Disney outlet. One time, the CM picked it up to look at the character to make sure it was a Disney character but she never turned the pin around to see the waffle pattern or feel the pin.

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This

There is an etiquette that your child has the back on the pin when the pin is handed to the CM.

Each day our grandkids would pick out 2 or 3 traders from their pin stashes and a pin or two to wear (not for trading), leaving the bulk of their pin inventory at the resort. We would take a midday break during which more pin inspecting would take place. One kid was all about Stitch while another was after Robin Hood. One wanted Pooh and all his friends. Pin trading was often as important as rides. :wink:

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:thinking: Was this awhile back?

Last year, people just took the pin off the boards and replaced it with one they are trading. The CMs bought the pin board to the child’s level.

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It was awhile back. Like the 2000s. Youngest grandson went with us in Sept 2008 which was the beginning of his senior year of high school

And the backs bit was more about CMs with lanyards in the parks.

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That makes sense! Thanks for the clarification! I only traded with the boards.

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When I trade at the boards I know which are real and which are fake. I have a few fake pins I have traded for in the past, and will trade those for another fake I like better. I do real pin for real pin and let the CM choose which one they want.

We definitely know which is what!

We have found that starting theme is fun! One trip was pins with fruit on them!

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I have seen some discussions that fake pins lead everyone astray and shouldn’t be allowed. Which seems specious to me. Thankfully they don’t make the rules

The kids in our family thoroughly enjoyed trading