Disney pin trading is a growing phenomenon throughout the Disney theme parks as well as on the internet. Ebay is a great online outlet for obtaining those hard-to-find, rare, and limited edition pins. Disney releases new pins every week and for special occasions, such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, the anniversary of the release of a Disney movie, or the anniversary of the opening of a theme park ride or show. Disney also releases pins unique to each theme park around the world, including the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the Disneyland Resort in California, the Tokyo Disneyland Resort in Japan, the Disneyland Paris Resort in France, and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in China. Disney also releases special pins available only to Annual Passholders, Disney’s Visa cardholders, and Disney Vacation Club members.
Disney pins are available in all sorts of colours, sizes, shapes, characters, etc. Each ride and attraction has its own pin. Each character may have several pins dedicated to them. Every Disney movie has several pins. There are many themed collections of pins, such as fairies, princesses as brides, Tinker Bell, etc. Disney also releases special boxed sets of pins, usually commemorating a special occasion. Disney also releases special limited edition pins and sets that may only be available in one place. These can often be found on Ebay after the fact. Pins are often retired after a certain period of time. You could buy a Splash Mountain pin one year, and the next time you go to the park, there could be a totally different Splash Mountain pin. They change the designs of the pins to keep you coming back for more.
Along with the pins themselves, there are also several accessories available for purchase to enhance your pin collecting experience. Pin lanyard are the most common. These lanyards come in several colours and designs and are worn around the neck to display your pins. Special charms can be bought to clip on to the end of the lanyards for an extra personal touch. Pin trading bags are also available. These bags can range from the size of a small CD case to large binder and backpack style bags. These kinds of bags are great for transporting the pins from home to the parks, where they can then be transferred to something smaller like a lanyard for daily display. Disney also sells pin trading vests and hats to display your pin collection.
Ebay is a goldmine of Disney pins and accessories. Pins from all around the world are available here. This is great if you are trying to build a collection of a certain character or theme. Say you want to build a collection of Disney fairy pins. The fairy pins released at Disneyland are not the same fairy pins released at Tokyo Disneyland, for instance. Ebay can help you build your collection by allowing you access to pins that you wouldn’t normally have access to. Pin trading accessories are also available on Ebay and often for a lower price than you’d find in the parks.
Collecting Disney pins can be a rewarding but expensive hobby. Pins generally range in price from $6.50 to $12.50 per pin, with some limited edition and special edition pins costing even more. It is also very addicting, so keep that in mind when you start.
