Howdy everyone,
Let's just say I'll be going to WDW at some point in this year XD, and I was wonderin how I trade pins with a CM.

Do I do this:
Me: Hi, are you trading any of your pins today?
CM: Yes, this one, this one, and this one.
Me: Here, I'll give you this for that pin.
CM: Ok thanks.

Is that how it would go? And does every CM trade pins, or do only certain CMs trade?
And can I give them any random pin for their pin? :P

Thanks,
Shall

CM? ... sorry that probably sounds kind of dumb to ask

CM stands for Cast Member :)

When I go to WDW I usually just ask any cast member walking by if I can trade pins with them.

You can ask any Cast member wearing a lanyard, and they will trade with you.

Ok, so anyone with a lanyard then >_< But can I trade them any pin I want?

But can I trade them any pin I want?

Yes You Can :)

Okie doke. And do CMs have exclusive pins that I maybe can't buy?

Ok, so anyone with a lanyard then >_< But can I trade them any pin I want?
Yes. The rules at Disney say that the cast member HAS to trade with you if you ask them, and they have to accept any pin you offer to them.

Hah, there's actually rules to this thing? LOL.

CMs are obliged to trade pins with you. Say you have a pin that you can still buy, but the CM has a pin from 1955. We know this wouldn't be a fair trade, but the CMs have to trade. Hope I helped!

Cast Members wear a lanyard with 12 pins on, some also wear little patches by their waist also. They will trade any of their pins on lanyard.
You: Hi, Can I look at your pins please?
CM: Sure
You: I'd like to trade for this one please.
CM: Sure here you go

You can trade a maximum of 2 pins per CM per day. You may not trade your pin if the CM already has it on their lanyard. You can also get pins called Cast Lanyard pins, and these are given to new CM's with lanyards when they start their job. They get a full lanyard of 12 new Cast Lanyard pins, and you're entitled to 2 of them :). These can be found by (most times) a little silver mickey head on the pin. There is also Cast Exclusive pins, which can only be bought by Cast Members in, for example, Cast Member Only stores. The Cast Member must trade you, regardless of looks. All pins must also be in good condition and have: (C) Disney, engraved on the back.
For LOTS of trading info, and a full database of all Disney pins, check out www.officialdisneypintrading.com or www.odpt.com :)

Yeah, because before castmembers refused to pin trade with kids that went to Disneyworld. So Disney had to make a rule xD

But, you can't trade if they have your pin already.

So I can trade 2 pins with one CM, then 2 with another?

Yup-shortness

So CMs usually have fairly good pins? >_<

Oh, that color thing helps. Thanks GPDOT.

I don't wanna cry when they say no, lol.

Always, they have pins that only CMs can have unless they seing you doing something really nice, they won't give them to you.

Okay here's my little story on how to get a CM pin-

I was at DLR, and a little girl had lost her pin. She was very up set and crying. So I went up tothe conter, and bought her a brand new tinkerbell pin. This made her very happy. I didn't know a CM was watching. So the CM saw what I did and she gave me a specail CM pin. The way to tell if it's a CM pin is it has a silver mickey silloutte at the left corner of the pin.

Oh, how nice of you :)

People said that you're only allowed to trade pins that have Disney on the back (der). If you buy it at WDW I'm guessing it has Disney on it? LOL.

Off topic - Where else can I buy the pirate pin sets besides VMK central?

Yup. But sometimes, you have to get safety backs, you can trade these too.

You can buy the pirate VMK pins at Downtown Disney, in Pin Traders.

I've been pin trading for a while, but lately have dwindled off of it. I have picked up some ways to get the best trade from a CM.

1. Always be polite, even if the CM isn't the nicest.
2. If a CM is wearing a lanyard with pins, they can be stopped for a trade. Just ask.
3. Some CMs wear pins backwards on their lanyards. These pins are "surprise" pins. You can't see what pin this is before you trade for it, which makes it a surprise. These pins are fun to trade for, especially when you have some "bad" pins on your lanyard and want to trade them. Sometimes you will get a really cool pin.
4. Don't spend the $10.95 or $12.95 on a pin inside of a store, look around at CM lanyards. Chances are they will have that pin on a lanyard somewhere. Buy a $6.95 pin instead and trade it for the higher value one.
5. Trade for limited edition pins and ones that look odd, these are the ones that are worth more in the long run.

Always, they have pins that only CMs can have unless they seing you doing something really nice, they won't give them to you.

Okay here's my little story on how to get a CM pin-

I was at DLR, and a little girl had lost her pin. She was very up set and crying. So I went up tothe conter, and bought her a brand new tinkerbell pin. This made her very happy. I didn't know a CM was watching. So the CM saw what I did and she gave me a specail CM pin. The way to tell if it's a CM pin is it has a silver mickey silloutte at the left corner of the pin.
No. You can get Cast Lanyard pins easily. I have about 150 of them, just by trading. They have the pins with silver mickey heads on their lanyard. Ask for it, get it. Done. You don't have to do anything special.
Oh, how nice of you :)

People said that you're only allowed to trade pins that have Disney on the back (der). If you buy it at WDW I'm guessing it has Disney on it? LOL.

Off topic - Where else can I buy the pirate pin sets besides VMK central?
Yes, you can only trade pins with Disney on the back, and they must be in good condition. You can buy pirate pins from every Disney park. I found some in the following places at Easter earlier this year:

MGM - Under the hat
Epcot - Merchandise cart outside the turnstiles
Epcot - Merchandise cart near Innoventions East
Animal Kingdom - Most shops there
Magic Kingdom - Never seen any here
Downtown Disney - Pin Traders
Downtown Disney - Big Disney Store, pin room.


3. Some CMs wear pins backwards on their lanyards. These pins are "surprise" pins. You can't see what pin this is before you trade for it, which makes it a surprise. These pins are fun to trade for, especially when you have some "bad" pins on your lanyard and want to trade them. Sometimes you will get a really cool pin.
4. Don't spend the $10.95 or $12.95 on a pin inside of a store, look around at CM lanyards. Chances are they will have that pin on a lanyard somewhere. Buy a $6.95 pin instead and trade it for the higher value one.
5. Trade for limited edition pins and ones that look odd, these are the ones that are worth more in the long run.
These last three points are where I went wrong when first trading. Thanks for bringing them up! :)

So Stitch, I have to have the back black fuzzy part of my Everest pin with me when I trade?

No. Why would you want the "black fuzzy part" when it's going on your lanyard? You need a back, and the metal pin. Always make sure the back is on the pin when you're handing pins over to each other.

Oh, you mean the black Mickey that you get with the pin? Hehe.

Here's a video I recorded to show you Cast Lanyard pins. Sorry about the quality, but you can make out the silver mickey.

EDITED OUT By StitchMad. Reason: No longer need for it. :)

There are a few more rules.

1. The cast member can refuse your pin, if they allready have the same pin.
This is bad for the starter set, that you get cheaper, or for free with vacation packages.

2. The pin has to be able to "stand alone" . If it is part of a set of pins, be careful. It your set of pins is 4 pins that are say numbers like 2007,
Goofy with a 2
Donald with the 0
Mickey with the other 0
Minnie with the 7. Those cant be traded individually.

But if your set is a set of 4, say Mickey with Winter, Mickey With Summer, Mickey with Autumn, Mickey with Spring, those can be traded individually.

Be careful about buying big pin lots on ebay for trading, alot of those are junk pins that cast members wont take.

I traded Pins as part of my job for 6 years, there are pins that we are allowed to refuse. There are a lot of fake pins on ebay too. Cast members know how to spot them, and most wont take them.

You can get discount pins at the Disney owned Outlet stores in Orlando! But be aware, that lots of others are buying the discounted pins too, and that you will have a hard time finding a CM lanyard that doesnt have them allready.

There are 2 of them

One is at BELZ factory Outlets ( at the end of International Drive), the other is down 535 ( about 2 miles from Disney, it is not the outlets by the big Catholic church, it is further down), I dont remember the address, maybe someone here has it.

3. They wont take pins that have names, or initials or personalization on them.

4. You cant trade for pins that arent on the lanyards or hip packs. Some CM's wear special pins on thier ties or collars, they dont trade those.

TIPS

Look for the Managers ( Cast Member's that are wearing thier own clothes) they usually sit in offices for most of the day, and only venture out into the parks/resorts for a hour or two a day, and almost always have unique pins.

A really good time of day to find special pins is when they start setting up for parades, there are usually a lot of managers and people that are just starting their shift, and they will normally have been given a refreshed ( new pins) lanyards.

AT MGM, in the animation courtyard, is where the CM's have to enter and exit to go to lunch, so a lot of traffic goes through there!

At Epcot, it is by the side of Test Track, lots of CM Traffic!

HAVE FUN!

There are 2 of them

One is at BELZ factory Outlets ( at the end of International Drive), the other is down 535 ( about 2 miles from Disney, it is not the outlets by the big Catholic church, it is further down), I dont remember the address, maybe someone here has it.


The BELZ Outlet has been bought out and is now "Prime Outlets", there is major construction work, building a very big, and full new mall. Still, there's the Disney Store inside the other building.

There is a couple of other discount stores, one of which is the one you mentioned on the 535. That is the one with the cool tree stump chairs in the back right? :D There is also another Disney Clearence Store in the Premium Outlets (the one near the church). It's straight across the food court when you come in the church entrance. The church road is called Vineland Avenue, and that is off the 535.

ive always wanted to start a pin trade lanyard..but never bought one :\ still have time though but idk.but uhmm...do most cm's have the limeted ones?

Lots of great tips from everyone here. :D

We stated pin trading as a family this year and have had some ups and downs with it.

One thing we noticed is if you are looking for "special" pins, you should try to get to the park right when it opens. So many times we have gotten in an hour after opening and the cast lanyards all have the same pins on them. It's rather frustrating for young kids when that happends.

Another good time to trade is as the park is closing. I have noticed that there are most cast members on duty to assist with purchases and we have even seen some csat members wearing 2 or 3 lanyards. Note: if you try to trade with cast members at registers during the evening rush, you may have to wait for a while (or get in line ;)).

Have fun with your trading!

Anybody know how cheap Disney pins are in the park? Like the lowest price possible >_<

I got a VMK pin from a CM at VMK Central in WDW.
I was quite excited cause I knew it was rare.
That was a year ago.
Not many people have that pin.

Cast Members wear a lanyard with 12 pins on, some also wear little patches by their waist also. They will trade any of their pins on lanyard.
You: Hi, Can I look at your pins please?
CM: Sure
You: I'd like to trade for this one please.
CM: Sure here you go

You can trade a maximum of 2 pins per CM per day. You may not trade your pin if the CM already has it on their lanyard. You can also get pins called Cast Lanyard pins, and these are given to new CM's with lanyards when they start their job. They get a full lanyard of 12 new Cast Lanyard pins, and you're entitled to 2 of them :). These can be found by (most times) a little silver mickey head on the pin. There is also Cast Exclusive pins, which can only be bought by Cast Members in, for example, Cast Member Only stores. The Cast Member must trade you, regardless of looks. All pins must also be in good condition and have: (C) Disney, engraved on the back.
For LOTS of trading info, and a full database of all Disney pins, check out www.officialdisneypintrading.com or www.odpt.com :)

stitchmad im sorry but i think you are wrong i am a big time pin collector and i have a bunch of the pins you say have tiny silver mickey heads on them, i once asked a castmember what they are for they said they are hidden mickeys which means they only make them for a very short period of time, if anyone wants to correct me go ahead i will try to post a pic later.

Yeah, I was wondering how you got the blue/gold VMK pins..

Considering 7 is as low as it's going to go, I might just get 2 boxes and hope I get some doubles to trade to CMs :)

disneys rules are if you ask any CM to trade you May bc they have secert pins that are flipped over and if you trade for it i did that and it was a mansion ghost that only CMs have and and CM will be nice enough like you can give them a dumbo pin that you buy for 6 bucks for a pin that only CMs can get but each cast member only holds 15 pins on the little sqauare patch they were sometimes you will catch some with the neck lanyards and trade DTCM ( dream team cast members) they have dream pins not realesed to the parks

Actually the boxed sets of pins are the cheapest at WDW if you want more than one pin to trade and don't find any at an outlet store. Most of them are the "starter" box sets and contain 5 to 7 pins for 29.95. We have used those before and just did some random trades to ensure that when we found a pin we really wanted the cast member would not already have it.

Anyone else got a video of their CM pins they'd like to post? :)


EDIT: Can you buy pirate pin boxes at the Frontierland Trading Post in MK?

No you cant buy the pirate pins at the trading post, can only get them at the Jewelers next to VMK or at VMK

Aww, I was hoping I could buy some pirate pins there.

Ok, so anyone with a lanyard then >_< But can I trade them any pin I want?

You can trade them any pin of yours for any pin on there lanyard(s). I think you can do up to 2 pin trades per cast member each day. When i went to DLR there were some cast members that had pins backwards on there lanyards too, those are mystery pins. :)

- Ace

is this in real or vmk lol

I take my pin trading very seriously lol. My advice:

1) Only wear whatever pins you are willing to trade. That way, if they fall off, it won't be such a big deal.

2) CM's are very very friendly, and don't be shy to go up and trade.

3) On the back of every pin, check for rarity. Example: My brother got a pin 'cause he was acting up in front of a ride 0_o shocker!!!!! A CM saw that he had a pin lanyard and let him trade with her. He picked this one Brother Bear pin, and when we got to a resteraunt that night, the waitress was flipping out because the pin was rare. We looked on the back fo the pin, and it read "1 in 100"!!!!. So, yes, look for rare pins when trading.

4) When buying pins, don't just go for the pins that are pretty :). Every so often, buy a cheap pin and trade it for something better. Not only will you save TONS of money, you will find more opportunities to trade.

5) Don't trade with anybody without a CM name tag. The pins may not be authentic Disney pins, they may be Yu-Gi-Oh (that happened to a family friend!!!!) CM's do not accept non-Disney pins.

6) Always keep some extra pin backs in your purse, fanny-pack, pocket, etc. You never know when the backs may slide off!!!! And the pin might be next to fall!!!!

7) Overall, just have fun. Pin trading is a unique Disney experience, so make the best out of it, and choose wisely!!!!!!!

Good luck trading!!!!

before you go, if they have a disney store in your town or close by then go to it and buy pins they usually have them for like $4 or at mine they do, well anyways you can trade those to cast members and if you see ones with yellowish gold backs instead of a mickey head get them they are usually euro disnye pins i have two myself and tey are from france! :D

is this in real or vmk lol

i thought this was in vmk at first now im getting the message its in real life

Thanks a bunch everyone for all your help! I came home with a lot of good pins, like:
2 AK Parking Pins
2 Epcot Parking Pins
3 MK Parking Pins
2 MGM Parking Pins
Full set of 3 Mansion Ghosts
Set of 2 Year of a Million Dream Pins

And much more!

Thanks again :)

The BELZ Outlet has been bought out and is now "Prime Outlets", there is major construction work, building a very big, and full new mall. Still, there's the Disney Store inside the other building.

There is a couple of other discount stores, one of which is the one you mentioned on the 535. That is the one with the cool tree stump chairs in the back right? :D There is also another Disney Clearence Store in the Premium Outlets (the one near the church). It's straight across the food court when you come in the church entrance. The church road is called Vineland Avenue, and that is off the 535.

The stores close to that church are great. Actually when you are there, you're close to the housing for most of the College Program CMs. If you turn onto the road next to the church you'll go by the complexes.
As for pins, I've still got my Disneyland 50th Anniversary pin that I was given with the yearly stock and company info book. It was also the last one that Michael Eisner wrote as he left Disney after '04.

Cast Members wear a lanyard with 12 pins on, some also wear little patches by their waist also. They will trade any of their pins on lanyard.
You: Hi, Can I look at your pins please?
CM: Sure
You: I'd like to trade for this one please.
CM: Sure here you go

You can trade a maximum of 2 pins per CM per day. You may not trade your pin if the CM already has it on their lanyard. You can also get pins called Cast Lanyard pins, and these are given to new CM's with lanyards when they start their job. They get a full lanyard of 12 new Cast Lanyard pins, and you're entitled to 2 of them :). These can be found by (most times) a little silver mickey head on the pin. There is also Cast Exclusive pins, which can only be bought by Cast Members in, for example, Cast Member Only stores. The Cast Member must trade you, regardless of looks. All pins must also be in good condition and have: (C) Disney, engraved on the back.
For LOTS of trading info, and a full database of all Disney pins, check out www.officialdisneypintrading.com or www.odpt.com :)

Quite contrary. Your still allowed to trade them if they already have the pin, but they don't have to accept it. (However I traded this dumb SnowWhite pin once and the girl already had it on her lanyard, but she still accepted it and traded me it for this rare Minnie pin, I guess being five at the time, she couldn't say no."

Is it okay if I have a Boston Red Sox 2007 World Series champions pin on my lanyard? I wouldn't trade it, but what if someone wants to trade with me, can I not trade with him just because it's not Disney?

( I only asked that because the Red Sox collector pin is rare and they only made 200 of them, at least I hear. Plus, there's alot of baseball fans out there.)

Well according to the pin trading rule book ( yea their is a rule book ), if you are trading them a disney pin ( you will know if it has disney on the back) they have to trade you. Also if their is a green langyard (sp? ) only kids 12 and under can trade for those.Oh usually managers have the best pins but, if their in a hurry don't bother them. Pretty much the basic rules, you meet a lot of people through pin trading. Good luck.:xcheesy:

I have done this a lot, being a pin collector. IF the staff or cast members have lanyards or pin patches on, (some don't have either, so try to check before asking) you can trade almost any of you pins for theirs, but it has to be relatively the same size. Don't trade a tiny chip pin for a huge pin, they won't do it. Also, the vmk pirate blind boxes make for good trading pins, as they are all moderately sized.

They should trade any pin on their lanyard/pin patch for any pin that says Disney on the back. There are no size requirements.

Actually, the staff have turned down some of my offers because i was trading a large pin for one i just wanted, rare or not.

I have done this a lot, being a pin collector. IF the staff or cast members have lanyards or pin patches on, (some don't have either, so try to check before asking) you can trade almost any of you pins for theirs, but it has to be relatively the same size. Don't trade a tiny chip pin for a huge pin, they won't do it. Also, the vmk pirate blind boxes make for good trading pins, as they are all moderately sized.

They should trade any pin on their lanyard/pin patch for any pin that says Disney on the back. There are no size requirements.

^Thats what I thought also^ if thats wrong then I must have done alot of trades wrong.

so peopl,e say there are some rare pins what are they worth like money or something?

My brother traded a VMK Pin for a Cast Member Only Fantasmic! pin. (He had two of them)

Every Cast Member trades their pins but sometimes you might not like their pins. Some aren't that great. But if you really like a pin on them, they'll say yes to any pin you offer. But remember, only trade two pins per cast member per day!

CM's have two different Lanyards at WDW one is Blue and the other Green. The blue lanyard anybody can trade with the green is for kids only not sure the age limit.

they have to trade you I don't think they have a choice and i believe you can trade a maximum of 2 pins per CM.

I have not read every post in this thread but will go ahead and give my two cents. I am a Disney cast member and would be more than happy to tell you the rules of pin trading in our parks.
If the CM pin lanyard is blue all ages can trade from it, if it is green only kids can trade from it. The limit is two pins per guest, the pins can not already exist on the CM's lanyard. They have to also be Disney pins, they have to have the trademark Disney Logo on the back of the pin. They also can not be rubber or plastic pins they must be metal.
All you have to do is approach the cast member and ask to see their pins. And a special request from all of us cast members is that if the CM is busy and can't trade right at that moment please be patient. Sometimes we get caught with Pin Trade requests when we have something very important to do like crowd control for parades or a guest issue. But we will always do our best to get back to you. If you see a pin and the CM is very busy just tell them you would like to trade for that particular pin and they will make sure to not trade it to any other but you as soon as they are free to trade.
Pin trading in the Disney Resorts is so much fun, and is a great way to meet all our guests!

(Dino sorry to repeat what you said!)

I think when I go I'll start trding pins... I have a question though. While at WDW on my last trip some of my pins had bad backs because they kept falling off the pin. Does the pin we trade have to have the rubber mickey mouse back on it? Because I have metal ones that I replaced them with.

I think when I go I'll start trding pins... I have a question though. While at WDW on my last trip some of my pins had bad backs because they kept falling off the pin. Does the pin we trade have to have the rubber mickey mouse back on it? Because I have metal ones that I replaced them with.

The back you have does not matter. Sometimes the cast member that you trading with will ask you to keep your back depending on which back they have and which one you have, but no matter what the back a pin has will not effect whether you can trade it or not.

I have done pin trading and its so fun!

I have a Q tho. Can we look at like a back or 2 of a pin to see how rare it is? lol

I cast member wore her lanyard backwards so you didn't get know what pin you got! It was fun. Kind of funny that i got a american flag shaped like mickey ears and i was in Disneyland Paris.

Tip:

1. If someone wants one of your pins and you don't want to trade it. Don't be affraid to say, no thank you.

2. Some collecters will sit outside of the pin shops with there Books of pins! You might fine one that you like.

3. If someone won't trade you there pin, try asking if you can buy them a pin from one of the Disney pin shop, to trade for it. This worked for me alot.

also I forgot to put some advice. DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT Trade more then 1 pin for another.

Also i checked this 1 pin i have and it says 1of3!

Ok, so anyone with a lanyard then >_< But can I trade them any pin I want?

Not any old lanyard, if it's green, the CM only trades with children.

This is how my (Not mine, I've never traded a pin in my life) experience went (Ok, it's not EXACTLY what ANYONE there said, but it was a couple years ago so I only remember roughly):

- Family and I on boat to MK, CM walks out on deck where we're sitting and eyes my sister and my pin lanyards (Not sure if that is grammarically [sp?] correct) -
CM: Trading any pins?
GothPrincessGirl (Sister's name on VMKF) : I don't know
Me: I don't know
GothPrincessGirl: I like your Nemo pin.
CM: - to me - Do you see anything you like?
Me: Sorry, I like my pins, so I don't wanna trade.
CM: Ok. - to GothPrincessGirl - Wanna trade for my Nemo pin?
GothPrincessGirl: Yes:). I'll offer you this - takes off Saratoga Springs pin -
CM: Ok. - They trade while other people on boat laugh and/or clap - Thank you!
GothPrincessGirl: Thank you!

So that much is easy :)

Oh! Another tip! Location (and attitude) do matter! Location doesn't matter for trading, but it does for buying. For example, if you just walk up to a stand in the Magic Kingodm or Downtown Disney, many pins may be gone and not restocked until the end of the day. The variety of the pins also varies on where you buy it, such as in the pirates store at the exit to the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride in WDW only sells pirate-themed pins.

Attitude is good, so always be nice and polite, even if the cast member isn't.

My favorite places to buy pins:

Comtemporary (sp?) [Idk if that thing is still there or not]
Between Innoventions at Epcot
Most hotels (Good variety)


Hope this helped!

P.S. Heh heh, this tread just convinced me to trade pins when I go to WDW in July and/or October.

We have actually sat on Main Street and near Club33 waiting to see Disney staff in suits walking around. You can pick up some very cool pins from them, some worth quite a bit of money. You may have to wait a while but you'll notice them. I picked up some really cool ones from Disneyland Paris. Would be a long while before I could make it to Paris so I thought they were pretty cool. :)

They usually aren't wearing many, most only a couple however they follow the same rules as any cast member there. I felt kind of weird asking them since they are usually in a hurry, but they are very friendly once you let them know what you want from them :)

Side note : I usually try to give them a pin that won't stick out like a sore thumb too.

Well, when I went everyone got a free bus pin. And I went up to a Cast Member standing there wearing a lot of pins. And my sister and I asked if we could trade, so I traded my bus pin for an awesome stitch pin, it went like this-
Me- Can I trade for your pins?
CM- Sure.
Me- I'll give you this bus pin for that stitch pin?
[CM takes off stitch pin]
CM- Okay, thank you!
[I give him my bus pin, and he gives me his stitch pin.]
Me- Thank you very much!


~€00L$