Subsonic Radio

Do You Like Disny's Pin Trading????? I Think that it is a very good thing that you can do at Disneyland and Disney World. 8)

I never really saw the appeal of it, but to each their own

*stands up* Hello, my name is Megan and I've been pin trading for a little over a year. My last pin trade was friday night.




....oh wait, this isn't my support group, is it? Darn.

okay if you love disney pins
Whats wrong with this pin?

eagle4life69 wrote:okay if you love disney pins
Whats wrong with this pin?

TV was black and white in 1947.

The answer you were looking for is that Davy Crockett wasn't on TV in 1947. It looks like the website you got that from might be wrong though - everything I've found says it premiered in 1954, not 1955.

I enjoyed pin trading in the begining when the cast was into it but the last time I went they acted like I was trying to cheat them. I never did it again. And I was trading good pins, not the cheap ones.

I got into it the first year we went to WDW sans children--early 2002. It was new and exciting, and I filled up a few lanyards between then and our second trip. Kinda got tired of toting lanyards around and eventually just lost interest. I do still proudly display my pins at home, and will occassionally buy ones I think are neat--wouldn't consider myself an official "pin trader" anymore, however!

I had a similar experience, Rick--last time we went when I was still into trading, I came across a few cast members who seemed genuinely annoyed with the whole thing. Kinda wondered why they bothered wearing them if they weren't into it! Hmmm...

I think the pins are very cool.

But with everything you have your fanatics. Some of those pin traders are insane.

I'm not a pin trader, just buy the ones i think are cool.

Rich

I pin trade, but I trade more as a sideline. I have some pins I don't want to keep and I look to CM's for pins that remind me of something special that I do plan to keep. Like a favorite attraction, a specific time of year, Mrs. Potts, . . .

I don't trade with other pin traders, though. They are a tough bunch! The ones my kids met have been very picky as to what they'll trade. A few have been helpful in explaining to them how to trade for better pins though. My family has found that trading with CM's is the best - they are very nice and sometimes even throw in an extra pin! That's what Disney Magic is all about - the unexpected delightful surprise! Last year my 16 year old son just finished his 2nd year of Spanish and he tried speaking a little Spanish to a CM @ the Contemporary along with just general pin trading talking with her and she not only traded with him, but went in the back and got him a 3-pin set. He couldn't stop smiling for the next 3 days!

I AM A PIN FANATIC!!!

I'll have to take a picture of all of my lanyards to show you guys.

November 2002 is when I was first introduced to the pins. I didn't have too much money to spend on them then, so I only came home with one full lanyard. Last time, November 2004, I came home with four full lanyards. I have, wait, let me count them... a total of eight collections of pins. Two collections are complete, and six aren't. It's very hard to complete a collection, because, for example, a new collection from November 2004 is four Disney villains: Maleficent, the Wicked Queen, Hades, and Jafar, with their heads sideways. If you looked at them, you could tell they were all part of a collection. Well, I got Maleficent, the Wicked Queen, and Hades, but Jafar was nowhere to be found. I bought the Disney Pin Trading book while on my trip, and saw Jafar in the book. I went to the Contemporary (one of the best pin trading spots) and asked the girl about Jafar, and said that he is only found in Disneyland! I was upset. But she went to the basement just for me and looked if there were any there. She came back up, and she one! The only one there was!

I love the pins so much. They're so addictive. Last trip in November 2004, they had just released Disney Pin Book Bags to put your pins on, and a Trading Book that lets you keep pins in pages so you can have people look at them while not on the lanyard. I'll be getting that next time, so I can increase my collection. Wait, let me go count how many pins I have together... okay, I have 57. Man, I thought I had more than that. Oh well, I'll get more.

I love the Disney Trading Pins and I think they're a great idea! Trading with the CM's is so much fun. On both trips, November 2002 and November 2004, my best friend Heather and both her parents were just as crazy as I were. Every CM we saw, we would stop them to look at their lanyards. And whenever one of us needs a pin for a collection that we're working on, we all help each other and try to scout out the pin. It's so much fun! I can't wait until November 2005 for more Pin Trading!!!

Pin collector might be a better term for me - I'm not into trading but I'll buy pins that I like.

mickster68 wrote:I had a similar experience, Rick--last time we went when I was still into trading, I came across a few cast members who seemed genuinely annoyed with the whole thing. Kinda wondered why they bothered wearing them if they weren't into it! Hmmm...

That's a good question, mickster68. Let me answer that honestly:

Cast Members don't have a choice about pin trading. A certain number of us in each area were given lanyards each day and were required to trade with guests. The pins the CMs are using are provided by the company and the lanyards are replenished each evening. In other words, we were forced into pin trading servitude! Not that it was all that bad in the beginning...

When pin trading first started, most of us loved it. It was a great way to interact with guests, especially children, and was a tremendous boost for merchandise income. However, as time went on and more adults became avid collectors, pin trading began to lose its charm for many of us. Instead of being a fun hobby and nice way to collect vacation souvenirs, it became a competition about having the best pin collection, the biggest pin collection, the most expensive pins, etc... The worst part was when we began seeing people bringing their entire extended families to wait in line for the new pin releases (because usually you could only buy a certain number of pins per person). Then, later that day, you would see the pins showing up on ebay for twice or three times their cost or more. We would find these "pin hawks" roaming the parks and Downtown Disney, looking for unsuspecting guests with valuble pins they could trade for and turn a profit. When we began seeing that stuff, that's when a lot of us were turned off. Here's what did it for me: Many times if I saw a child who was wearing a lanyard and was excited to trade pins, I would give them an extra pin or two to help their collection grow. However, these adult pin traders began seeing that and would approach me, saying that they should get two or three pins in exchange for one, also. When I would deny them their request, they would become verbally abusive. It was riddiculous. If there are any of you out there reading this, GROW UP!

There was another awful thing I remember happening on several occasions: Young, female CMs filing witness statements about male guests touching them and using the excuse of wanting to see their pin lanyards.

Anyway, I hope that sheds some light on why some Cast Members don't seem to be having much fun while pin trading. Sorry to cast such a dour cloud on it all! If done with the right attitude, pin trading is a great activity! I know that as long as people keep buying the pins, Disney will keep cranking them out. I mean, if you could sell something for ten times what it costs to manufacture and the item continues to fly off the shelves, why would you stop?

Wow, I never really thought of it that way. The major of CM's I have come across were very enthusiastic about the pins and were very nice about us looking at their laynard. But we have come across a few people who were very agitated. I can see their point of view now. But the CM's who are truly magic with the pins can sometimes make a whole part of the trip! I know they did for me.

Siriuslydead wrote: But the CM's who are truly magic with the pins can sometimes make a whole part of the trip! I know they did for me.

I'm very happy that you've had good experiences, and I do hope that almost all Cast Members are enthusiastic while on stage, no matter how they feel about it personally. That's what maintains the magic!