Disney Pin Trading on the Cheap

Eli was a little hesitant at first, but quickly got into the spirit. After a few trades he said "my friends who went to Disney World didn't do this, this is fun. Wait till I tell them about it!" It gave him something to do besides continually checking out all the stores and filled time while waiting in line. It still can cost a bit of money, but there is a lot of bang for the buck when buying pins beforehand.

• Focus on particular characters or themes
• Get a supply of Disney pins before leaving for the Parks. Look online for bargains, but make sure they are authentic.
• The first pin trade is always the hardest, once you get a smile and a pin you're looking for, the rest is easy.
• It might take a bit of time to find the ones you're looking for, take your time and approach everyone with pins, but don't feel you have to make a trade.
• Some folks collect only Hidden Mickey pins. A small Mickey head silhouette is on each pin, these pins cannot be purchased and are only available from Cast Member trading, but appeared to be readily available in trading.
• The character lanyards are fun to have, but are certainly not necessary. On a budget? Have a small pouch that the pins can be secured to or bring a lanyard from home.
• There were a few different styles of Disney pin books at the parks, we bought a small one with refillable pages, but it quickly filled up. We'll probably get a larger book for his pins, but will save money by looking online.
• Want to get in on the fun, but don't have enough pins to trade? Another option is to look for the mystery packs at Park stores. There are usually two pins in a pack, you don't know what you're getting, but the pins are lower in price. Still costly at $5. each, but excellent trade material.
• Most important have fun with the collecting. It's not only for kids, lots of adults were also happily involved in the trading.