Advice For New Disney Pin Traders

We know how daunting it is when you first start pin trading. There are a load of confusing terms, people are talking about scrappers, and everyone has these rules about where to avoid buying pins from!

We wanted to share some advice for first-time pin traders. Since we're a website all about pin trading, including learning all the basics, we thought we might be a bit biased! So instead of us writing this solo, we decided to speak to some of our favourite pin traders on Instagram and get their thoughts!

The question we asked everyone to answer was - What is the best piece of advice you'd give someone new to pin trading?

We loved some of the answers that we got back, and you will as well!

Pick Pins That Mean Something To You

When we spoke to @disney.pins, they suggested:

The best piece of advice I could give someone new to pin trading is to like a pin that means something to you and not just because it’s the biggest or prettiest pin out there.

Lots of the boards around the Disney parks are filled with fakes and so are the lanyards and because of that it’s important that you don’t trade scrappers / fakes and instead of trying to find a pin because it’s better than yours pick one that you truly love!

Don’t pin trade for value pin trade because it’s the pin you want!

We love this advice Don’t pin trade for value pin trade because it’s the pin you want!. At the end of the day it is all about trading things you love, not just ones that have the highest monetary value.

Know Your Values

@Elliespintrading12 had this advice to give:

My advice would be to know your values.

You don’t want to fall victim to a shark or feel as though you got cheated! If you are trading fantasy pins, be sure to know the creator so you can find the presale and on hand price of that pin.

I personally don’t ship until I have sent tracking to the other person and received tracking from them. Other than that, have fun!

If trading in the parks, just be friendly to any cast members or other pin traders!

Be patient if a cast member is with another guest and especially don’t be rude.

Make sure you are fully stocked with pins so you won’t have to buy any traders there as they are normally more expensive.

We really agree with shipping info, it is so important to send pins with appropriate tracking so everyone can see where the packages are!

Don't Be Intimidated By Big Pins

We spoke with @Shopd693 and they had this amazing advice:

If I can give any piece of advice I will have to say that we have all been there you're not the first one don't be intimidated by all these big pins.

Start out small, get some hidden Mickey's or park pins or go to your local Disney store and buy some of those pins and just start trading having fun figure out what you like to collect.

Usually when people are new they go straight for Stitch or Nightmare Before Christmas I did the same thing and once you figure out what you like to collect you start moulding from there.

For example I had a huge Stitch board about 4 feet long a year into my pin trading and it was full and unfortunately it had a couples of fakes I had no idea which ones where fake or not it took me a long time to figure them out.

Then I found some pins of Chicken Little, I never knew they made a Chicken Little pin and I love that movie!

But if you're just starting out I would say just have fun. Yes I have some big pins but when I'm at the park I walk around with my small bag of pins and all it has is a little bit of fantasy and some rack pins.

I feel personally seen because my first collection was Nightmare Before Christmas! Ha! We definitely agree that the size of the pin doesn't matter, it is all about what it means to you.

Keep The Fun

We got some great advice from @MizzMouseHouse, they suggested:

There is so much that goes into Pin Trading once you move on from purely cast member trades, and I could say so many different things. But my BEST piece of advice is that the most important thing is to keep the fun, regardless of where the hobby takes you.

More specifically, they advise

Stop trading with cast members and prepare yourself to embrace the memories that came along with the pins you have from them. (They are more than likely fake- but they can still be priceless to you)
Stay away from eBay at first. Give yourself some time to learn the ropes before trusting that monster.
When buying always pays as goods. Ask for more photos. ASK if there are any issues or imperfections.
When trading don't be afraid to ask for references. Ask the same questions as the ones above.
If you haven’t traded with someone before you can always ask “how” they like to trade. Most will say value. Some will say LE size. Some people, though rare, still just trade for what they love. Knowing someone’s trading preference makes for an easier trade.
Don't get discouraged. Sometimes it hard to find the pin you want. That’s part of the fun of the hobby
Lead with kindness, before you know it, YOU will be the seasoned pin trader

Lead with kindness, we love that! We also love the advice around buying pins online, we've written an entire article about staying safe when buying pins online.

Start Out Small

We loved the pragmatic advice from @DisneyPinsBlog, they shared:

Start out small! There are so many pins being released every week from around the world so focus your collection on a favorite character or attraction. Also, depending on if you live close enough to a park determines that as well. You can pin trade at the parks and purchase limited edition park exclusives if you live close. If you’re further away, Facebook pin groups make it easy to trade online. You can also purchase authentic Disney pins at shopDisney, BoxLunch and Hot Topic. There are so many options, it can be overwhelming to a new trader. Just take your time, learn about the hobby and have fun!

Thank you

Thank you to our selection of pin trading experts (pinsperts?) for taking the time to share these suggestions with you. If you're on Instagram, do make sure to follow them, their accounts again are:

And whilst you're on a following spree, you can always follow https://instagram.com/pintrader.club!

If you have any questions about the advice shared, please leave a comment below!

Written by tosbourn - Thursday 20 February 2020

This article was last updated on Thursday 04 March 2021.