Question: What can and can't be traded in the parks?

So I've made a couple videos about pin trading on YouTube and while ago someone connected that a rule I mentioned for trading in the park was incorrect. So I'm just curious what everyone has been told by cast members when trading in the parks.

So my understanding was that only pins with the official pin trading logo could be traded in the parks with other trades and with cast members. The person who connected days that you could trade any pin in the parks if it at least had the basic Disney copyright.

But on several occasions I've been told by cast members at DLP that it has to have the logo on the back.

What's funny though is that I often get old pins on cast member lanyards which to me I enjoy finding really funky old pins but I've been wondering if I'm operating on false information.

Thoughts? And or stories that have happened to you?

Nowhere in the Pin Trading Guidelines on the Disney GO website does it say anything about the pins having to have the Mickey logo on the back. So long as the pin is an official Disney pin (no matter how old) or a pin from the Disney Company...such as ABC or ESPN they can be traded with the cast members....now that being said, the rules also say that if there is any question as to the tradability of a pin, the individual cast member will make the final decision.

Interesting, cause I think they tell cast members something else here in France. I've tried trading older official pins and they said no flat out.

But then again, I've been denied to do two trades when there was no reason, and been denied cause I didn't have a pin the cast member wanted and that was on their public not private lanyard.

I had that problem of being denied a trade from a cast member....I fixed that cast member up real nice...got a supervisor and was told that my trade was legitimate and that the cast member would be forced to review the rules of pin trading before being allowed to trade in the park as a cast member again. This wasn't in DLP though..it was over at California Adventure.

It should be noted that it was once mentioned that rubber or plastic pins can't be traded in the parks; they have to be metal. Free-D elements are fine but the pin has to be metal. I'm not sure if this rule's changed or not.

Ah well, at least they know now

Yeah, I just was wondering if the rules maybe had grew a little since the last I knew.

Thanks for sharing by the way!

Oh interesting, I've not heard that one before. But something silly here is a grocery store puts out plastic pins once in awhile and i see them on lanyards now. So crazy!

LadyArmonua said:

It should be noted that it was once mentioned that rubber or plastic pins can't be traded in the parks; they have to be metal. Free-D elements are fine but the pin has to be metal. I'm not sure if this rule's changed or not.

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To be honest I do sometimes find the Paris CM's can be a bit rude , I had one tell me he didn't want to trade for any of my pins because he didn't like them but he had to because it was his job . The attitude in the US was completely different , without exception every CM was happy to trade any pin for any other .
Regarding which specific pins I've picked up propins and sedesma in the past so I guess they got them from someone in a trade . As long as it's metal and disney I'm pretty sure they'd have to accept it .

Just to provide a bit of balance to my last post I should also say some of the DLP CMs were great , one actually went and got a manager just because he knew the guy had a pin he thought I'd like (He was right too , awesome Jessica pin) .

They are supposed to accept any legitimate Disney pin (including pins from Disney subsidiary companies). But I can imagine it gets a bit confusing at times, and with the cast members being chided for accepting scrappers, I am sure some of them end up being too cautious.

You have to remember it might be different in France then it is here in the US. All it takes in the US is a Disney copyright. Although Sedesma pins are not tradeable and they do have to be metal pins. Plastic pins are not allowed. It was funny at one time they sold rubber pins in DCA that you could buy, but not trade. Those went away very quickly.

@Speedwaystar1: It's true some can be very icy. There is one woman that always gives me a hard time for no reason. I've stopped going to her when she's working cause I just can't stand it anymore. But then again I've had people super eager to help. If they have pins in their pockets that might have fallen off or anything they pull them out for me to see.

I always approach them waiting for them to finish their task or if their helping someone. Always ask in French if I could see their pins and always thank them even if they didn't have anything interesting. But still there are so many that really don't want to wear the lanyards there. I don't think it's as much of a "choice" for them at other parks maybe? I've not been to the other parks since starting to pin trade. So my view is a bit narrow I'm sure.

@Momerathsoutgrabe: I've been turned down twice for trying to trade a subsidiary pin that is official and copyrighted Disney. The funny thing is I had originally gotten the pin from a lanyard there at the park Sometimes they make no sense.

@Docfish2u: I'm not sure they teach everyone the same rules at DLP honestly. Like the people who work there year around and those you know are just coming in for a few months during the really heavy months. To me it seems like a word of mouth thing and sometimes the wrong information keeps getting told and retold and changed. :/ It's a bummer but all and all I can say I do good trading there. There are many times I go and I don't see a single person with a lanyard on and I have the pick of the park for most of the day easily. It is a small place after all even with the Studios included.