I was eyeing the latest Disney Pins released this week for the 2023 PRIDE Collection, and it reignited a debate in me about the whole topic of Disney Pins. I have a handful of them; some have been given to me, and others I purchased because they were significant at one time or another. However, I’ve never participated in the whole act of pin trading and always wondered if I was missing something.
It’s difficult for those of us that live far away. When boarding an international flight, the idea is to take as lightweight luggage as possible to leave the maximum room (baggage allowance) to return with all of the goodies and merch you can’t get at home. So, the idea of leaving home with my entire collection of something seems a little counterintuitive on the off chance that I might choose to trade one of the items. Even so, I have a feeling that even if I lived closer to the magic, I likely just don’t have the pin trading gene. Ear headbands, however, are a whole different story. Take my money, Disney, take it now!
I wanted to do some crowd-sourcing for opinions on this topic to see where Disney fans stand on this. Every week I see countless new pins hit the shelves, waiting for collectors to add them to their beloved lineup, and I want to know a bit more about those people and how they have cultivated their collections. Do you buy any pins you can find? Or perhaps just a specific genre like Marvel, Valentine’s Day, or Pride? And then, when you have chosen one that you want to purchase, what makes you decide to trade it with someone else? I’ve often wondered if maybe one strategy would be to acquire a few that you aren’t too emotionally attached to so that you do have room to trade within your collection.
Let me know if you are a pin trading fan, and if so, how do you decide which direction your collection will go in? Share your strategy!
Zoë Wood is a travel writer from Sydney, Australia. Since her first visit to Disneyland at the age of 6, she has spent her years frequently visiting Disney Parks and traveling around the world.
Join Zoë as she lets you in on all the tips, tricks, anecdotes, and embarrassments that arise from her family adventures.
