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Rejecting a trade from a kid? Help!

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Rejecting a trade from a kid? Help!

Pin Pal

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I find that saying no when a kid wants to trade is really hard for me to do. It's not so much saying no per say, it's wording it so that they do not get their feelings hurt. If an adult proposes a trade, I have absolutely no problem turning them down. One trader thought I was stupid and tried to sell me on a rack pin in exchange for Jessica dressed as princess Jasmine. I'm new, not blind! I literally laughed in that dude's face.

How do you guys say no? Best line I could come up with is "Sorry, I'm not looking for that one". I used to say, "Sorry, I already have that one", but then they pull out another worthless pin. On a side note, kids have expensive taste! They always seem to go for a really rare or expensive pin...
 
Clara9271 said:
I feel the same way you do. It's really hard
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Right? Both my girlfriend and I are suckers for cute kids. She traded away an LE 1000 chip and dale just because the little girl was adorable. I'm sure she saw a pin on a cast member lanyard and probably traded it away.
 
"I'm sorry, but that one is not for trade," is a line that has served me well. The trick is to be polite and simply let them know the pin is just for show.

The better solution is not to bring anything you are unwilling to trade into their range.
 
I now carry a book strictly for kids that I will do one for one that includes hidden mickeys, rack pins, some very common high edition LE pins. Then I have my other books that I tell kids that I trade harder limited edition pins for and tell them they can look but I don't see anything on their lanyards that I would trade for.
 
JKrolak said:
"I'm sorry, but that one is not for trade," is a line that has served me well. The trick is to be polite and simply let them know the pin is just for show.

The better solution is not to bring anything you are unwilling to trade into their range.
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Kids will just come up to you and want something off your lanyard. It's impossible to avoid
 
That's why I usually walk at PTNs rather than set-up. I hate disappointing newbies, period.

I do carry some "I don't care" pins to trade away, but I still have issues taking scrappers and junk...even for pins I don't care about (after all, there's only so much money you can bleed off before you have to put a stop to it).

In the end, I just try and be polite, and use a soft tone. I also use the "Oh, I'm sorry...that pin is realllllyyy expensive" thing. Sometimes, they seem to understand that.
 
I have been on both sides of the coin. I have three children with the youngest starting pin trading at the age of 3 so I have had to do a lot of instructing how to trade properly. I likewise have had plenty of kids come up to me over the years and want to trade me a lanyard pin for something out of my book. The challenge is learning not to feeling guilty when you do say no, but I also keep in mind most of the kids just started trading and have not been taught to differentiate between trading with a cast member and a private collector. I find it resonanable to do some education (and hopefully the parents are with them when you do this so they can provide future guidance) and teach them the difference between you and a cast member. Also, I find a lot of the little kids are just trading to be trading so many traders have a bag/board just for kids and allow them to trade as if they were doing so with a cast member. Lastly, it is okay to be nice sometimes and allow a child to have something special, especially if there is something that draws you to that child. Obviously this can't happen all the time, but once in a while it is nice to sprinkle pixie dust around. I will often do this with kids that have some obvious challenges or that are really nice to me. If I do give away a nice pin to the child I make it point to emphasize how it should be a prized pin and should never be traded away. As I said, I have been on both sides of the coin with my kids and those that treated my kids with respect earned mine. I remember in the early days of pin trading an individual saw how much my daughter wanted a super hard to find Tinkerbell pin valued at about $50 that I was not able to get my self. He must of liked my daugter a lot because not only did he trade it to her, he did so without asking for anything in return. Now that is the Spirit of Disney pin trading!
 

Very well put. Both me and my girlfriend have given several pins to kids. It's all about having fun. Even if they trade something i give them away, I like knowing that I contributed to a good memory
 
This may be true for most cases.


And then you meet this one little girl who has the best trading skills on the planet and has the best pins. Ana anyone? LOL.
 
talesoftobv said:
This may be true for most cases.


And then you meet this one little girl who has the best trading skills on the planet and has the best pins. Ana anyone? LOL.
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I had that happen to me at the FL Project event. I was trading in line and a little girl saw a pin in my book and wanted it. It was just a rack pin so I was going to trade her for what ever she gave me to be nice. But she pulled out a trade book and insisted I pick something I liked. She had some really great pins for trade. I pointed out one really HTF pin and told her to make sure she got something she really wanted for it, and she already knew that. I ended up trading for the Dutchess D for my friend Donna. It's the only time I ever traded with a kid for something I wanted. I wonder if it was Ana?
 
This happened to me last year before I started trading - I kept all my Chip and Dale pins on my lanyard and a kid on the shuttle liked my pins. I felt awful saying no, but at that time I only bought to keep. It was even worse that I was on a bus so I couldn't escape!
 
It's hard to say no to children. I carry lots of giveaway pins in my pockets and backpack. If a kid wants a pin that is too rare, I simply say "Sorry, but that pin is mine and it's not for trade." Then I find out what they like and give them a free pin with that character. They are happy and I am happy. Disappointment is part of life and growing up. Always getting what you want is not the way to raise children or to teach them to be good traders. But occassionaly I'm suckered in by a cute face and I give in and make the trade Sometimes - you just can't say no.
 

This is a great idea.

Margaret, I like your idea too.

I have this same problem and usually just end up giving them the pin. I get a lot of joy from seeing their cute little faces light up. I think it is wiser to employee some of the strategies that some of you guys use though.
 
baby sharks can swim solo in the pond..i mean tables at younger and younger age these days..
 
When I wore a lanyard in the park, it was only pins I was trading with CMs, so anything would be for trade for a kid. And I used to make quite a bit. Occasionally, I would have made a trade for something I really wanted and then I would just say," I just traded for this, and I am taking it home to put in my keeper book." At the Sept pin event, I would wear better pins, but I also figure if a parent was willing to pay for their child to be there (although I know with sponsors, they may not actually paying) anyway, the Pin IQ is a bit higher, I would say, "I am hoping to trade that pin for something specific." I kept a list of about 60 pins I really wanted, and could bring it out. That way if Mom or Dad had one of those pins, then maybe we could still make a trade, and everyone would be happy.
 

I agree with you, Margaret. Our children need to hear a polite "no" periodically. It teaches them two of life's lessons - you can't have everything you want and try, try again if you want to succeed.

My daughter loves trading, and sometimes when she finds one of the nicer pins, I save the poor trader either by pointing out that she may not have the type of pin they are looking for, or step up to the plate with my traders. She handles a turn-down cheerfully. Her name is not Ana, but she has made some trades that have floored me!!
 
Depending on where you are and how old the kid is, a short lesson in the collectibility, price and perceived value of a pin can work.

I've been very careful about educating my girls about the tradability of certain pins (and Vinylmations). They each have a "keeper" side to their lanyards and are well-versed in saying no to people and have had some people say no to them. I've also told them that if they find something they want and need to, they are welcome to use my traders and I bring a small bag with a selection of stuff.

They are still timid about trading with non-castmembers or kids but I have no doubt that I'll have a pro trader or two on my hands in no time. LOL
 
I typically wear pins on my lanyard that I will trade with anyone. Of course, if I've already traded with a CM, there might be a keeper there, but I will usually trade.

Although, when I went with a friend and her guy, there was this cute girl who wanted one of the pins on her guy's lanyard, which we had just traded for (one of the faeries in the Tinker Bell movies). The little girl gave him a cute little look (like a puppy dog look) and he melted and traded with her for a crappy pin (looked to be a scrapper). It took us a month before we were able to trade for that faerie pin again.
 
I too wear a lanyard for kids to trade any pin for. About a month ago I was at Disneyland and a little girl came up and asked to see my lanyard. However she did not see anything she wanted to trade for (it had already been pretty picked over). So she went to the next table and found a pin in his book that she wanted. However he did not want the pin she offered. So off she and her mother went. About 20 minutes later a CM, the mother and the child came back and confronted the trader next to me. The CM said that if we were to be trading on the barrels provided by Westward Ho we had to abide by the rules. He went on to explain that this meant we must trade any pin in our books to the person offering us a pin. We all stood there with the dumbest looks on our faces. Thinking this was some kind of joke/prank. No, he was serious. We all moved our books aside and read the rules. We explained to him there was nothing there that said what he was stating. The CM said "Now what are you going to do for this guest". The trader said he was a guest as well and there was no way he was going to trade any pin in his book just because another guest wanted it. We all agreed with him too. With that said, the CM said he was going to call security to have us all escorted from the park. Thank goodness the manager of the Westward Ho area came by just about that time and we explained to him what had just happened. He went into the store to speak to the other CM about the problem. We later learned it was a "big deal" because it was a child. There are so many of the traders that have special lanyards or boards for the children to trade on that this made no sense. It is so much fun to see a smile when they find a pin that is special to them, but an LE100 Auction pin for a cutie pin - no way. Thank goodness it all worked out but it was a pretty crazy day. I guess we all have to be careful to explain to the new pin collectors/traders that we are not cast members so they do not expect the same trading rules for our pin books.
 
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I have given kids pins rather than trade just because I love kids and if they are looking , its my trading lanyard anyway . Usually they are just starting out with a lanyard with 2 or 3 pins on it , so i let them pick a pin off mine , but never take one back . Thats me though .
 


That was completely bananas! I would have been, like..."So you're saying I have to give up the pin I paid $150 for for a $2 pin...just because someone wants it?" Sounds like you guys handled it better than I would have...LOL!

I have no trouble trying to help kids out, and I have given away pins (not a lot, but I do it occasionally). But the minute you sic Disney employees on me because you didn't get your spoiled little way (whether you're a kid, parent, or adult collector), all bets are off.
 
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