100 Disney Trading Pins--For FREE!

A very special delivery arrived last week. . . 100 Disney trading pins!   And, we got them for FREE!

How did we get them for free?  By using Swagbucks.  Both the husband and I have Swagbucks accounts that we use each day for searching—in place of Google or Yahoo.  Typically I earn or win Swagbucks twice a day through searches; once in the morning after 3-5 searches and again, later in the day.  There are many other ways to earn Swagbucks, too.

After earning Swagbucks, we then redeem them for gift cards.  The 100 Disney trading pins came to us from Amazon, so I redeemed my Swagbucks for Amazon gift cards, but there are other gift cards available too, such as PayPal, Target, Walmart, etc.  A whole store is dedicated to Swagbucks redemption.  Click here to read about how Swagbucks ishelping us eat for free while at Disney.

If you are already using Swagbucks, good for you!  If not, now is the time to get started.

Click here to get started using Swagbucks. 

I have been using Swagbucks for almost a year and have earned over 35,000 Swagbucks.  With a ratio of 500 Swagbucks = to about $5, I have earned over $350 in less than a year!

Now back to the Disney trading pins. . .  the husband was in heaven with his loot, but the boy and I skimmed through too.  The boy found Stitch pins—his favorite—and I found a Timothy Mouse pin which was interesting.

The pins and lanyards are about to be packed for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World—our 11^th!  Some people ask about whether or not pins can make it through security and the answer is YES!  Our pins and lanyards go in our carry-on luggage and actually come out of the bag as soon as we are through airport security as we like to wear our lanyards en route.  The lanyards along with the matching Disney shirts and Mickey suitcases leave no doubts about our destination to other passengers or flight crew.

The husband was joking about the number of times we are walking through a Disney park, or anywhere on property for that matter, and I turn around only to find him engaged in some sort of pin trade with a Cast Member.  The boy acts more like a pin broker or agent.  He scopes Cast Member lanyards for wanted or interesting pins and then brokers a trade using his Dad’s pins.  It is almost comical, but hey, it is how they find magic. . . and, “Can I see your pins?” has blossomed into other magical experiences as well.

Disney Trading Pins as a Birthday Gift

The husband got 200 Disney trading pins for his birthday.  Hopefully, it will be enough to get him through our upcoming trip.

I purchased the lot of 200 pins on ebay and used ebates to get cash back—4% of the purchase price.  Yeah!  Paid $.65 per pin including shipping.  Way less than the $8-$14 per pin one might pay at Disney!

The pins arrived before his birthday, but I couldn’t wait until the actual birthday day to give them to him.

Everyone was excited and went through the pile looking at each pin.  Looking at the pins helped us recall various Disney characters and Disney memories.  It was a fun way to get a Disney fix when our trip is still so many, many days away.

There were some duplicates, but that is OK.  There were no Stitch pins, but there were some others that we hadn’t seen before.  The pins came in miniature individual zipper bags and it took a while to get the pins out of the baggies. 

The boy and I are very comfortable talking to strangers at Disney and we strike up conversations with lots of different people.  The husband, on the other hand, is a bit more reserved and the Disney trading pins help him to interact with Cast Members and other guests.  I remember on our last Disney cruise, that he specifically looked for and attended pin trading events listed in the Personal Navigators.

Here's a video:

I'm sure those pins will be packed and ready to make the trip to Orlando.  Can I see your pins?

The Disney Trading Pins Arrived!

The pins arrived!  (To read the first part of this story click here.)  About 3 weeks ago, I ordered 50 Disney trading pins on e-bay for about $30.  This represents a significant savings, as buying pins in the park can run $7 -$15 per pin.  Pretty pricey!  And, the husband often buys them just to trade!  Sometimes he finds a “starter” trading set with 5 pins for $20-$25, which makes it a bit better, but we scored pins for under $1 each due to planning ahead.

 The notice was left in the mailbox on Thursday that a package was ready for us to pick up at our local post office. So, guess who was at the post office when it opened at 8:00 am on Friday. You guessed it, the husband. He called me at 8:03 am. It was the pins! Okay, but wait until I get home to open them. Ah, the pain and frustration that comes with delaying gratification. . . even if just for a few hours.




The box was somewhat smallish to be holding 50 pins, but when we opened and counted, there were 50. All with Mickey shaped backs and no duplicates.

The husband and boy sorted through the individually wrapped pins--ohhing and ahhing.  What was interesting was to hear the comments:  "I want to keep the Stitch one."  "Oh, I can add these to my all black and white collection."  "If any of these are worth a lot, I’m not trading them."  "Which ones do you want to keep, Schnooks?"  So much for TRADING pins!

Later, the husband looked up some of the individual pins on e-bay, just to check out the prices.  Yep, some of the same pins were going for $3-$15 each.  He decided against re-selling.  We got a great deal!

Here’s the final score: I did keep one pin—it’s a Santa Mickey swinging a silver bell. 50-1=49 The boy has 9 new pins on the corkboard in his room where his other pins are displayed. 49-9=40 The husband then added the 40 pins to his corkboard.  On Sunday he decided which pins were being packed for our upcoming trip.  5 pins stayed on the corkboard, "for later trading," he said.  40-5=35  Hmmm. . . Next time do I check out the lots of 100 pins on e-bay?




To read about trading pins—click here.

Todd's Pin Tie

We have many inventors in our family, so it would come as no surprise that Todd created something that would fulfill his need to display more pins at Walt Disney World. Click here to read more about Todd's pins.

The problem was that the traditional lanyard only had so much surface area to display Disney pins, yet the lanyard did have a nice clear plastic card holder at the bottom for Key to the World Cards, FASTPASSes, PHOTOPASS cards, ID's, etc.

So, the pin tie was born. The tie could still be worn around the neck, yet it had much more surface area for pins, AND it was a re-use effort for ties that may have outlived their style era.

The only problem was. . . how to get the convenience of that clear plastic card holder at the end. Ah, Todd had an idea. Just take a strip of elastic and sew it to the bottom of the tie so that the metal clip that holds the clear plastic card holder could slide through. Voila! The pin tie was born!

The pin tie was a hit with fellow Disney travelers, pin traders, and Cast Members. Just for fun, Todd themed the tie with all villain pins, just for the occasion.

What didn't come to Disney with us, was the Star Wars pin tie, which consists of a Star Wars tie (yes, he had one!) and Star Wars pins. I think he might be saving it for a Star Wars Week-end when he gets a chance.

Who knows what the future holds for the pin tie!?! Just remember, it all started here by Todd, March 2010.

Todd's Pins

I suppose I knew it would happen eventually, I just didn't know when. And, I can tell you exactly when it did happen. Todd got hooked on Disney trading pins the moment he was handed his first lanyard while coming aboard the Disney Magic for our second cruise. You see, that was before Disney's Castaway Club became tiered and everyone coming aboard for their 2nd or more cruise received the same lanyard--see photo above.

He started slow. Just a handful of pins, like a starter set. By the end of our cruise he had begun trading, especially with cast members. No goal or theme, just the random on the whim trade.

The explosion happened five weeks later when we made our way to the World for our 4th trip. This is when he acquired two more lanyards and the lanyards started to have themes. . . transportation, traditional Disney, Pixar characters, etc.

After a 5th trip to the World, he had acquired quite a collection. On our last Disney Cruise, after being given a silver Castaway Club lanyard, he made note of the pin trading sessions held in the Lobby Atrium and joined in the trading fun. Pins were purchased just for trading.

So where are we now? There is a large cork board dedicated to his collection. The pins are sorted and displayed by category with the lanyards hanging empty waiting to be called to service. And, we are now purchasing pins pre-trip via e-bay in lot quantities (of 30). . . just for trading!

We are about to make our 6th trip to the World and he is contemplating the pins to take, wear, and trade. He calls it his master lanyard.

I know this is just another way for the husband to experience Disney. The boy and I openly and willingly strike up conversations with strangers. Now, the husband has a reason to. . . "hey, can I see your pins?"

Yeah, I have pins too, but that is for another time.