Can I get some advice for a newbie? (aka me)

Hi guys. On my last 3 trips to DL, I have casually gotten into pin trading but, being scared of the people with pin books who knew their stuff, I only ever traded with cast members. This had resulted in about 50 scrapers... Boo... I also ordered some traders off of ebay. $30 spent. All scrappers. Bleh...

Anyhow, I am really trying to get this hobby rolling as I really enjoy it but I live in Washington state and I am not sure where to turn to get my hands on some decently priced traders so I can work on sets I enjoy. (thank god I have no plans for incredibly expensive pins at this time.)

Does anyone have advice on safe places to get scrapper (mostly free) traders?

Thanks for your help. I think I'm done with ebay.

On the forum in the trades section here. If you would like to do online trading then I say stay on here.

Thanks. That's pretty much what I was thinking. I am just waiting for the right sale than.

try bricklayers lots, he sells traders very often and is excellent!!!

It depends on what you're looking for. Traders for cast lanyards (trading at the parks) or to trade for pins you want?

If it's to trade for pins you want, it's usually pretty difficult if you want a pin that "everyone" else wants. It is much easier to buy the pins you want.

I live in the uk, and don't go to the parks (I go to Dlrp but I don't like to trade there) so my only option is either on the boards or on pinpics. I would love to do real life trading but it's impossible! Lol

Try JadeStarrs sales thread too,

starry_solo said:

It depends on what you're looking for. Traders for cast lanyards (trading at the parks) or to trade for pins you want?

If it's to trade for pins you want, it's usually pretty difficult if you want a pin that "everyone" else wants. It is much easier to buy the pins you want.

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As a Virginia resident, I have to agree with this. I have a decent number of traders and it isn't as easy to trade on PinPics as I initially thought it would be. Many people don't respond to trade requests and a very good number of trade requests I get are very lopsided. I have very recently come to the conclusion that we (out-of-towners) are better of just buying the pins we want. Save the money on traders, postage, and just get the pins you want. It isn't as much fun as trading but it does cost a lot less. You can find real pins on Ebay too. Just avoid buying pin lots. Those are usually 99% scrappers. Only buy pins that are actually pictured and on the card. If it is a pic they stole off PinPics or is an illustration you may want to avoid. You will pay a little more for it but at least you know it is authentic. I will, however, buy a pin off the card if there is no scrapper alert on PinPics. Only buy from Ebay sellers with great feedback. If the feedback is less than 100% then check the reviews to see why. Some may have negative feedback for selling scrappers, some may have bad feedback for poor customer service, and some may have just had to deal with stupid customers. Take the time to read through. Only buy from a seller that offers a return policy. This way, when you get the pin and it is not as they described or as you hoped then you can return it. Last, if something looks too good to be true then it probably is. Do not be shy to ask the seller a question about a pin before you buy.

For another hint on things that can pop up anywhere, look for pins wherever you happen to be. They show up in the occasional garage sale (don't count on that one lol), flea markets, antique/collectible shops (not always as pricy as you might think), thrift stores and just about anywhere else you can find second-hand items for sale. Beware of those offering large amounts at what seems like a too-good-to-be-real price, because it usually is. I've found pins over the years at all these places and then some. It's all about the hunt for me, as I live in western Canada, nowhere near a park and in fact I've never been to a park and only saw pintrading at our local Disney store once, but they've since closed that location and I think so few showed up for it, they never did it again anyway. There are pins out there locally, the trick is to find them, lol, so happy hunting.

The traders with the big books at the park intimidated me for a while, but honestly, every one that I've talked to was super nice! My son always wants to look at their books, so I will let him ask if that's ok, so long as they aren't in the middle of trading, and they've always been very helpful with lots of info

As a Seattle resident, don't ever be afraid of those guys and their pin books. You can always ask to see them. I bring a couple every year when I go down just to pin trade, so I am always happy to make trades with newbies as well as long time veterans of the pin wars. I have met some amazing people at Disneyland even before I had enough pins to have a pin book.

Since you are local to me, we will be having a bbq at my house in July. Pm me if you are interested.

David

Thanks so so much for all the fantastic advice!