I do remember the people at DTD asking people to buy them pins and then returning them for cash. This went on for years, and Disney did not really stop it. There was one guy who returned something like $1,000 worth of pins, and Disney did not like it, because we heard about it from cast members. But yet, the tables at DTD and Epcot were still left there for years.
So I think Disney is trying to get rid of all of the pin trading spots, and I believe the tables will never be returned at Epcot. They are basically saying that if anyone wants to trade, they have to do it on PTN night, which is something everyone cannot attend. Same sharks will be there, so we never get rid of them. However, a lot of people that come from all over the world will now will not have a chance to trade with others at Epcot. This was the last place people could trade daily.
The lack of pins being released at DS online, and the taking away of all the tables to trade on our own, is a sad indication to me that pin trading is on the way out. I hope I am wrong, but I have seen so many pin trading nights and afternoons disappear from hotels. And now tables from everywhere are being taken away for the so called refurbishing that ends up with the return of invisible tables, so it scares me.