Buy a starter set at a Disney park if you want to see the pins in person. Trading pin starter sets are sold at Disney theme park stores. The starter sets usually include 4 pins and a lanyard for $24.95. Pins are also sold individually in stores, though they are around $6.95-$19.95 each, so getting a starter pack can be a better deal. Some Disney stores also offer mystery bags of pins at a discounted price. This is also a good option since the goal is to trade pins, and the ones you get in the bag don’t necessarily have to be ones that you like.[1] X Research source Shop at the online Disney store if you’d like to buy pins from home. The official Disney store online also sells packs of pins, and sometimes they are marked down in price. Again, you don’t necessarily have to get ones that you like, so you can browse the website for the best deals. Access the online Disney store at https://www.shopdisney.com/. Another online option for buying official pins is a website called Mouse Pins Online at http://mousepinsonline.com/tp40/Default.asp?ID=18157.[2] X Research source Buy pins online if you know exactly what to look for. Official Disney trading pins must be cloisonné (a

decorative work in which enamel, glass, or gemstones are separated by strips of flattened wire on a metal backing), semi-cloisonné, or hard enamel metal. Official Disney pins represent a specific Disney event, place or location, character, or icon. They show an official Disney, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, ESPN, or ABC affiliation. Red flags for counterfeit Disney pins include pins that are plastic or rubber, no mention of the pins being official, duplicate pins in a set, pins that are sold individually in small plastic bags, or pins that have rough edges, dimples in the paint, or are somehow off-color.[3] X Research source Locate a cast member wearing a pin lanyard. In a Disney theme park, Cast Members are people who work in the park who dress in Disney character costumes. They often wear their pin collection on a visible lanyard. Cast Members will always trade with you, as long as you have an approved Disney pin that’s in good condition.[4] X Research source Approach the Cast Member and politely ask to see their pins. Refrain from reaching out and touching the Cast Member’s pins or lanyard. If you need a closer look at their pins, the Cast Member can bring it toward

you for a better view. Say, "Can I please have a closer look at your pins?" and the Cast Member will hold them out to you.[5] X Research source Ask to trade one of their pins in exchange for one of yours. The pin trading etiquette is to offer the Cast Member a pin that you don’t already see on their lanyard. Ask them if you can exchange the pin that you want for one of yours that they don’t already have. The Cast Member can refuse to trade with you if your pin is not an official Disney trading pin. If there is doubt about the pin’s authenticity, the Cast Member will make the final decision. You cannot exchange money or gifts for a pin with a cast member. Cast Members are not able to trade their Disney Service Award or other Cast Member costume pins with you. They will let you know which pins they are able to trade.[6] X Research source Make the trade by exchanging one pin with the back on at a time. If the cast member agrees to the trade, trade your pins one at a time, hand to hand. Take your pin off of your lanyard or wherever you have it displayed, put the back on, and hand it to the cast member when they hand you theirs.[7] X Research source Place your new pin somewhere

safe with the rest of your collection. You may have gotten a lanyard with your pin startup pack, or you may decide to keep your pin collection on a jacket or hat. Most people like to keep their pins visible while in the park, but you can also keep your pins in a Disney Official Pin Trading Book.[8] X Research source Ask to trade one more pin, then find a new Cast Member to trade with. You are limited to trading 2 pins with the same Cast Member per day, but only one pin of the same style. Part of the fun of pin trading is meeting different Cast Members anyway, so enjoy your time walking around the park and finding different Cast Members to trade with.[9] X Research source Look for guests wearing acceptable pins to trade. Other park guests may be wearing Disney pins for trade on a lanyard, hat, or jacket. If you see another guest with Disney pins visible, wave to them and show them your Disney pins as you approach them.[10] X Research source Approach the guest and politely ask if they’re willing to trade pins. First ask the guest, “Do you have any pins you’re interested in trading?” If their answer is yes, kindly ask them, “Can I please see your pins?” while holding your

pins in plain view for them to look at. Avoid reaching out and touching another person’s pins or lanyards. Always respect personal boundaries and simply look at their pins while they look at yours.[11] X Research source Choose a pin you would like and ask them to trade for one of yours. If you see a pin you like, ask if they are willing to trade that pin for one of your pins. Be sure the pin you offer them is one that they don’t already have visible. If the guest says they are not interested in any of your pins, but they have one that you really want, you could offer to buy them a pin that they really want in exchange for that one. [12] X Research source Accept the other guest’s decisions. If the guest says that a certain pin they have is not up for trade, politely accept their decision. Or if they say that they are not interested in the pin you offer them, politely accept that decision as well. Similarly, be polite if another guest asks you for a pin you are not willing to trade. Say, “Sorry, I’m not trading that one right now. But I have these ones up for trade,” and point to the pins you are willing to trade.[13] X Research source