Pin Trading at DLR

[mickeyfan0805]

How active is pine trading with cast members at DLR? Our kids love to trade at WDW, but we're not sure if it is equally active at Disneyland. Just wondering. Thanks!

 

[ktlm]

We actually prefer it at DLR. DD trades more at DLR than she does on our WDW Trips. There are still a lot of fakes, but you have a better chance of getting real ones at DLR in our opinion. Our last WDW trip, we had a hard time finding any real ones.

 

[Just Peachy]

There are still a lot of fakes, but you have a better chance of getting real ones at DLR in our opinion.

I don't understand this. Don't you trade with the CM's that are walking around wearing the collector lanyards?

 

[ktlm]

I don't understand this. Don't you trade with the CM's that are walking around wearing the collector lanyards?

You do-- but there are so many fakes/scrappers in circulation that those lanyards are generally full of fakes/scrappers. Lots of people buy big lots of fakes/scrappers on ebay. Their kids then trade those to the CMs and they are on the CM lanyards. A few years back we would find real ones in the mornings and then within a couple of hours the lanyards were mostly full of fakes with the occasional real one. But our last trip or two, even in the mornings at WDW, the lanyards were mostly fakes/scrappers. I don't think they really go through them and get rid of the fakes before morning. We try to buy all authentic and not trade scrappers/fakes to use to trade- although if she gets a fake/scrapper from a CM, I let her keep it on her lanyard and trade it. I figure if it came from a CM and we traded a good pin for it, it can go back to a CM's lanyard. I can't even count the number of times she has traded a good pin for a fake/scrapper. A lot of times she just likes the design/pin so she keeps it. I figure what really matters is that she likes the pin. She has corkboards hanging in her room at home where she displays her keepers.

 

[BriannaRuth]

It doesn't seem to be as active as it was 5 or 10 years ago, but there are still CMs who have the lanyards. Most of the shops have display boards where you can pick one to trade. We always buy pins but rarely trade anymore since we don't seem to see much that's interesting and I do think most are scrappers. So we have our lanyards, mainly full of authentic pins that we don't trade, with a few set aside that are probably scrappers that we trade if we happen to see something. Most of the ones for trade we saw last year were the flat circular pins.

 

[figment_jii]

As others have said, there are still pin trading opportunities in DLR; either it's CMs wear lanyards or pin boards (each pin shop has a pin board). It doesn't seem like it's as popular as it used to be, and during the really busy times of the years, it seems like fewer CMs are wearing lanyards, but it's still there. Unfortunately, as mentioned, there does seem to be a pretty high amount of scrapper/fake pins, but it's not that much worse than at WDW. Once in a while, you'll find something good (e.g., unusual).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Occasionally we'll see non-CM pin traders set up -- the corner of Frontierland by the leather bracelet shop is a standard spot. Lately we've seen someone there on Saturday afternoons. Sometimes we'll see someone set up in DTD.

 

[tink89]

I must admit i did not know that fake pins were a thing? Why is the reason for this?

 

[ktlm]

I must admit i did not know that fake pins were a thing? Why is the reason for this?

Cheap knock offs-- usually they come from China. They are usually called scrappers. Scrapper technically refers to pins that were "scrapped" because they did not pass quality control- and someone unauthorized sold them, instead of them being destroyed. The term has become common for the fake pins as well. Many of them have the same designs as the real pins- but are generally lower quality--- thinner, rough edges, paint a different color; paint or pin dents or inconsistencies; the faces may look off; or it may be otherwise different etc. Disney contracts with companies to make pins and a mold is made---a lot of these molds are not destroyed, but instead used again by Chinese companies to make unauthorized lower quality copies. When you see big lots of pins on Ebay that say they are "tradable" - that is what a lot of them are. You can find them for about 50 cents a pin. Parents buy those lots for their kids thinking they are a good deal, as they just don't know better, or don't care. Some exist that were never even from Disney mold and were not official designs too.
Pretty much the same concept as knock off Gucci, Channel, Dooney, or Prada purses etc.


There are articles and videos all over the internet discussing how to tell the difference between a real Disney pin and a fake. Some of the fakes are really bad, and some are pretty good. The more you collect and handle pins, the easier it becomes to tell the difference. It can be hard at first. DD has several fakes or scrappers on her board at home that she has traded for at DL or WDW, just because she likes them. I have a corkboard myself, and I also have a couple of scrappers on mine just because it is something I liked and traded for and have not found a real one to replace it. I actually have one Minnie displayed that I am pretty positive is a fake design never made, but I like her anyway.

 

[tink89]

Cheap knock offs-- usually they come from China. They are usually called scrappers. Scrapper technically refers to pins that were "scrapped" because they did not pass quality control- and someone unauthorized sold them, instead of them being destroyed. The term has become common for the fake pins as well. Many of them have the same designs as the real pins- but are generally lower quality--- thinner, rough edges, paint a different color; paint or pin dents or inconsistencies; the faces may look off; or it may be otherwise different etc. Disney contracts with companies to make pins and a mold is made---a lot of these molds are not destroyed, but instead used again by Chinese companies to make unauthorized lower quality copies. When you see big lots of pins on Ebay that say they are "tradable" - that is what a lot of them are. You can find them for about 50 cents a pin. Parents buy those lots for their kids thinking they are a good deal, as they just don't know better, or don't care. Some exist that were never even from Disney mold and were not official designs too.
Pretty much the same concept as knock off Gucci, Channel, Dooney, or Prada purses etc.


There are articles and videos all over the internet discussing how to tell the difference between a real Disney pin and a fake. Some of the fakes are really bad, and some are pretty good. The more you collect and handle pins, the easier it becomes to tell the difference. It can be hard at first. DD has several fakes or scrappers on her board at home that she has traded for at DL or WDW, just because she likes them. I have a corkboard myself, and I also have a couple of scrappers on mine just because it is something I liked and traded for and have not found a real one to replace it. I actually have one Minnie displayed that I am pretty positive is a fake design never made, but I like her anyway.

Wow! I did not know about this. I do not collect pins, but my daughter does. She only has about 10 or 15. She made her first pin trade with another girl last year, but now tha i know I will help her a bit so she is not so quick to trade.

 

[agamble]

Occasionally we'll see non-CM pin traders set up -- the corner of Frontierland by the leather bracelet shop is a standard spot. Lately we've seen someone there on Saturday afternoons. Sometimes we'll see someone set up in DTD.

Avoid these guys.

We trade pins with CM at DL and occasionally with other guests we've met. My oldest enjoys trading pins. If I buy a pin it is because I like it. I don't trade those. I don't worry about what my kids trade for and I don't buy them expensive pins either. I learned about the scrapper phenomenon long after I had started collecting pins. Ive watched those videos and read those links and either there aren't as many scrapers as they say or the differences are very minute. I've only identified 2 of mine as not being genuine.

 

[figment_jii]

I echo agamble's warning about the "professional traders" that I've sometimes seen in the parks. I'm sure there are some nice ones, but make sure you know what you're doing before approaching them. For the most part, these folks are there to make trades that are (financially) beneficial to them. I've heard of some that are there just for the love of pins and will be nice to kids, but I have not personally dealt with any of these. They'll often have books with a lot of nice pins in it and it'll be tempting to trade with them. However, unless you know the value of a pin, be wary of meeting any offers they make that involve you going to the store and buying any pins for them. I would also strongly urge you to walk away if they want more than one pin for one of theirs.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

Thanks for the replies everyone. We are in the, 'let the kids enjoy it category.' We buy them keeper pins on every trip (sometimes more than 1) and those are NEVER traded - nor are the ones that we buy for ourselves. We buy others online (generally discontinued packs that are more than scrappers but less than new in store) for the kids to trade. When it comes to trading, we're not doing it for the value, we're doing it for the fun - so we purchase and proceed with that mindset.