5 Mistakes That Scream "This Is My First Time Pin Trading in Disney World"

While pins and buttons have been sold at Walt Disney World from the start , and likely unofficially collected and traded by fans since, official Disney Pin Trading only came to be in 1999.

Pin trading at the Disney Parks

The hobby — along with an emphasis on product, trading with Cast Members, and official trading and spots around the resort — has remained massively popular, with new collectors entering the hobby seemingly every day. However, it’s often easy to identify those new collectors…

They Try to Trade with the Same Cast Member Too Many Times

First off, you can only trade a maximum of TWO pins per Cast Member lanyard or trading board, per day. This means that if a Cast Member’s lanyard or board has multiple pins that you want, you’ll need to be selective in choosing which ones you want to trade.

©Disney

They Offer to Trade a Cast Member Multiple Pins for One

Speaking of Cast Member rules, there’s also a strict one stating that only one-for-one trades are allowed. In other words, someone can’t swap a full set of pins for a different full set or offer multiple pins in return for the one pin they really want, nor can they try getting a haul of multiple pins back in return for any perceived “holy grail” in their young collection.

Pinster, the pin trading trashcan

They Think ESPN/ABC Pins are Always Eligible for Trade

The main criteria for trading a Disney pin with a Cast Member is that the “metal pin bears a “©Disney” mark on the back — representing an official Disney event, place, location, character or icon.” Cast Members have the discretion to decide whether to trade for a pin “from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (e.g., ABC, ESPN), so while they MAY accept them in trade, it’s not a guarantee.

©Disney

They’re Still Learning the Ropes of Online Shopping

Online shopping for Disney Pins can be a lot to get the hang of. From an official standpoint, Disney just altered the rules of their online store, adding safeguards that require customers to log in before being able to buy new pins when they drop, which should help prevent misuse and create a fairer experience for snagging limited-edition items.

©Disney Store

As far as outside the Disney bubble, new collectors should be wary of any pins they find online, ESPECIALLY those priced too good to be true, as they’re usually counterfeit.

They Think Their Collection is Automatically Going to Increase in Value.

Let’s be clear here: Some official Disney Pins, be the older, out-of-print designs or numbered limited editions, are quite valuable. However, like any other collectible — think comic books, action figures, Funko Pops!, or etc. — their value will often fluctuate, and in reality, the collection can only really be counted on to bring joy, not financial gain or increased value.