Pin trading guidelines at WDW?

[WDW Lover]

Have they changed any of the pin trading guidelines at WDW? I recently went to DL and they recently changed the guidelines for pin trading with cast members.

Each time I went to trade, the cast member closely examined the pin as they would only accept cloisonne pins. They wouldn't accept bronze or enamel or "fill-in" as I was told.

The thing I found surprising was that there were pins that they were selling on the racks that they wouldn't accept as trades. I saw one guy try to trade one of those bronze pins that they sell on the rack at DL and the CM wouldn't trade with him.

It was more like they would only trade for the pins they wanted.

Since I am asking questions, is it okay for supertraders to pocket pins? I traded with a supertrader at DL and he put the pin I gave him in his pocket. When I asked what he was doing, he said he was saving it for a special pin event. It doesn't seem right to me.

Thanks for answering.
WDW Lover

 

[Dom13]

As of the May pin event WDW had not changed the rules and as far as I know that is still the case.

The incident you described with the super trader did seem a little fishy to me.

 

[JudithM]

I was at WDW in mid-May, & pin trading was strong as ever! I had lots of the Hallmark pin pairs which traded very well with CMs. I actually had three "suits" with lanyards in the Star Tours gift shop trade me the bronze Mickey & Minnie because they said it trades so well. I cannot imagine WDW will change their acceptable policy in the near future - well, I hope not!

 

[hopemax]

I was in WDW June 6th-13th. One day my Mom went to the CM store backstage and when she was back there she ran into someone who she assumed was pretty knowledgeable of WDW pin trading because she had a watch with a face that looked like the pin trader pin. My mom said that this lady said they were investigating using DL's new pin trading guidelines at WDW in the future.

As for my experience trading, I had brought some Propins. I specifically chose characters that weren't represented on pins at WDW (Hercules, Rescuers, Pocahontas, Oliver & Co, Hunchback) and every single time I traded with a CM they ooohed and awed over the unique characters and said it was so nice to get something different. Yes, many of the lanyards I saw had the same stuff. Cheshire Cat, Flex pins, Toulouse. Stuff that fits DL's trading rules, but still 9 out of 10 pins were "boring." I did get lots of good stuff from the 10th pin though, I found several LE pins. Not stuff that frequent visitors would find exciting, but since I only visit WDW once a year, I had a fun time.

 

[peoplemover]

Didn't they still have the brochures available at each pin-purchasing location that outlined the pin trading rules? That should have cleared up any questions about what you could and could not trade. If they didn't have them available to you, that's a big mistake on their part, because if you aren't familiar with the new guildelines, it looks like the CM's are being really picky when they are only going by the rules that the Disneyland Resort has enforced to get rid of some very bad people. Believe me, you didn't want to see pin trading at the DL Resort before the rules changes that took effect on May 5th. Here are 2 links where DL trading vs. WDW trading was discussed thoroughly. I think they will be of interest to you:

Help Needed re: Disneyland pins...
DL/DCA pin trading/buying among the CM's

I noticed the ST's pocketing pins at DL too. I'm like everyone else...it was fishy and my Dad asked them what they were doing too but it was very convenient for them to ignore his question since there's always a lot of folks mobbing an ST. Go figure. I'm guessing that since he was ignored, the answer would have been less than satisfactory...

 

[megashark]

I had a pin "pocketed" by a supertrader at EPCOT once.

It was an Olympic Spirit pin (LE 1500). I had very good luck getting the pin, and it had been hard to get. I found out in the course of the day that a friend I thought wouldn't get the pin did get it, so I had an 'extra'. Just for the sheer amusement of it, I traded it to one of the backward supertraders, and got a kick out of the idea that someone had a shot at it.

Later in the day, I asked the ST if anyone had found it yet. He looked a little sheepish and one of the other STs said, 'let's talk'.

Bear in mind that this was before vouchers, when you could still go from station to station at the 'rope drop'.

The ST told me that they had traded the pin out to give to a particular guest. When the rope-drop happened, there had been the usual 'survival of the fastest' situation, people running and getting in line like they were going to Oklahoma for land.

This one girl was in a wheel chair, and when she had gotten to get to the line, she was too far back to actually get the pin. The STs had nothing they could do for her, the pins had sold out and even they didn't have any to trade.

So when they got an extra pin, they took it, and did a 'trade' with her to get her the pin.

Some people might think that was unfair and that the ST should have let all people have a shot, as I originally envisioned it. Personally, it made me very happy.

On the flip side, I suspect that many of us have experienced the situation where we traded a 'good' pin onto a lanyard, only to have it stripped off the next second by a shark hanging around just for the opportunity to do so. You can see them following certain guests once they realize that they are trading good pins to CM, escpecially Japanese pins. If the pin doesn't immediately go back on the lanyard, it cuts down on that problem.

If the ST pockets a pin, it might not be for a selfish reason. My experience with the STs is I would give them the benefift of the doubt.

 

[JudySue]

Megashark - great story - and a perfict example of why I think the lottery system is a great way to go with the LE's at the Epcot pin event. I've been in those "pin rushes" and the only way to describe them is ugly!

 

[kitty259]

WHILE WE WERE AT EPCOT IN WDW WE SAW PEOPLE PIN TRADING WITH SUPER PINTRADERS AND WATCHED THE SUPERPINTRADER KEEP THE TRADED PIN CUPPED IN HIS HAND THEN DROP IT INTO THE HAND OF ANOTHER CAST MEMBER WHO STOOD VERY CLOSE TO THEM ---NOT KNOWING WE SAW THEM --THE CAST MEMBER WAS OFF DUTY THERE PINTRADING--PRETTY SLICK!! WE WERE TRADING FOR CHIP AND DALES FROM PEOPLE FROM TOKYO AND THE OFF DUTY PINTRADERS COULDN'T WAIT FOR US TO FINISH, THEY WERE LIKE SCAVENGERS-- WE WERE REALLY DISGUSTED WITH THE SUPER PINTRADERS AFTER WE SAW WHAT THEY WERE DOING .
THIS HAPPENED WHEN WE WERE THERE IN MARCH. IT'S GETTING SO CUT THROAT--LIKE THE BEANIE BABY CRAZE--
SOMEBODY SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THE SUPERTRADERS!

 

[WDW Lover]

Thanks everyone! I'll be at WDW for the big pin event, so I wanted to know what to expect when I get there.

I appreciate you all taking the time to write.

Happy trading!

WDW Lover