How to get pins for pin trading ahead of time to save money, time and stress.

Stock up on Disney trading pins before you travel. 

On our first trip to Disney after we had children I noticed a new trend at Disney.  Everyone, especially kids, were walking around carrying books filled with pins or wearing them on lanyards around their necks.  The best part is it's not just something to buy, but a fun activity.  The pins are tradable.  Kids (and adults) can trade with cast members in the park, or even other pin traders around the park.  I was intrigued, but had no idea where to start.  I went to a gift shop to look into buying a pin set for my kids.  I was floored at the price, $4.95-$19.95 for each pin and the multi-packs were more.  Now let me explain, I would have gladly paid the price for the pins, but I didn't want to shell out the money only to have my kids trade them for others I knew nothing about.  All the pins cost different amounts, so truthfully it can be overwhelming.  I saw a gentleman talking with a cast member about pins.  It was obvious he knew what he was doing and he had thousands of pins.  I asked him the best way to get my kids started and he gave me the BEST advice.  He told me to go to amazon or ebay and buy a bulk of pins before our next trip.  That way we would get a lot to start out with at a fraction of the cost.  Plus since we weren't emotionally attached to any of the pins, it would be easier to trade.  Before our next trip I purchased my pins from amazon.  I choose amazon over ebay because amazon is easier to work with if you encounter an issue.  Make sure you read the seller feed back, to pick a reputable seller.  I was able to purchase 100 trading pins for less than $100.00.  There were no duplicates and there were only 1 or 2 unofficial pins.  (Disney cast members will accept unofficial pins to trade from children.)  Here is a link to amazon to look for pin sellers CLICK HERE.  We split the pins evenly between the kids.  They didn't care if they got a pin they didn't like because they new they could trade them.  You will also want a lanyard to hold the pins while in the park.  I personally bought new ones as a treat for my kids while we were in the park, but you can find them online as well.  You can see some choices HERE.  They are perfect for holding and displaying pins in the park, but can easily be placed in a backpack while riding rides. 
To learn more about Disney pin trading, check out this great article HERE from Mouze Kateerz. 

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