Complete Guide to Disney Pin Trading

Disney is full of fun activities from rides and character meets to hidden mickey scavenger hunts but have you tried Disney Pin Trading? It’s the best one of all! Here’s my Complete Guide to Disney Pin Trading.

Pin Trading basics.

Disney comes out with several new hidden mickey pin collections every year. They work a lot like traditional trading card collections. The goal is to find a collection you like and trade your way to complete the set.

Cast members throughout the parks (and Disney Springs) can be seen wearing lanyards filled with tradable pins. Those with black lanyards can trade with people of all ages but cast members wearing green/teal lanyards are only permitted to trade with kids ages 3-12.

Related: Don’t go into a Disney park without these!

Pin boards filled with tradable pins are also scattered throughout the parks in places like Big Top Souvenirs. There are even secret pin boards that only appear during certain times of day in specifically unnoticeable spots. Find my exclusive Complete list of Walt Disney World pin board locations (including secret board locations) exclusively in my pin trading sets, HERE!

Be aware that there is a 2 pin per person trading rule. You can’t just go up to a cast member or pin board and trade all of the pins you see. Pick your favorite 2, trade them, and move on. 

*Please remember to be polite and considerate of others when walking up to a cast member and asking to see their pins/pin board. While they are more than happy to trade with you there may be a line. You may not always get the pin you were eyeing. Never fear, there are always more!

The best pins are the hardest to find.

Some collections are incredibly easy to complete while others may take a while… Don’t give up! They are out there! The scavenger hunt from pin board to pin board and cast member to cast member is where the real fun is anyways. Every day there are new ones being added and traded all over the world and if you’re lucky, you’ll run into other pin traders that’re willing to help you along the way as well.

Related: Skip the Lines at Disney

We once met a Stitch pin obsessed trader while waiting in line for the Laugh Floor. She had flown all the way to Orlando from London; She was wearing a Stitch shirt, Stitch ears, and had a Stitch backpack and lanyard that were both filled exclusively with Stitch pins! Lucky for Hubs, she was happy to trade a few pins with us to help him work on his very own Stitch obsession. Things like that make me realize how much it really is a fun little community within the HUGE Disney-lover community. 

I’ve been searching for a specific pin for years! (If you see it, let me know!)

Collections last for years!

New collections are coming out at both Disney Land and Walt Disney World every year. You have plenty of opportunities to find and complete the collections that you really love. In some cases, rare collections (and even limited edition single pins) can be worth a pretty penny so keep your eyes peeled for those old/special pins that you really love! They could be worth more than you’d think!

Looking to start a collection of your very own? Check out my Starter Kits!

I hope this has inspired you to start your very own pin trading journey. With only a few rules and millions of opportunities to trade, it really is one of the best activities to take part in on your next Disney vacation! 

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of my FREE Guide to Beating the Heat at Disney!

Looking to plan your next Disney trip? I can do it for FREE!

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