The Disneyland Resort recently updated their pin trading guidelines and have now restricted the areas and times that pin trading without a lanyard with other guests can take place in Disneyland Park. This update is mainly due to a few pin traders abusing the system and taking over park benches to display their pins in Frontierland leaving other park guests in the area with no where to sit and relax.
For a while now, a few different pin traders were regularly bringing hundreds of pins with them to Disneyland Park and taking over an entire bench in Frontierland to display and trade their pins. They would spread out their pin boards and pin books on the benches for the majority of the day thus leaving other guests in the area with no where to sit and relax. Unfortunately, some of these pin traders would take advantage of guests and would take three or four of a guests pins as a trade for one of theirs. Or in some instances, these traders would offer to sell their pins or take a trade plus cash. This abuse of the system forced the Disneyland Resort to update their pin trading guidelines.
Pin Trading Location
The new guidelines for guests trading without a lanyard will now ONLY be permitted in a designated area near Westward Ho Trading Company in Frontierland at Disneyland Park. Several tables have been set up in the area for pin trading which is only allowed from park opening to 3pm daily unless otherwise noted. Here are the guidelines for trading without a lanyard with other guests as noted on the Disneyland website:
- Limit the Items You Bring
Only one trading bag, 14″L x 12″W x 6″H (36cm x 31cm x 16cm) or smaller, is permitted. Guests should only utilize a single trading bag for pin trading activities. No additional decorations or collateral (e.g., lights, signage, displays, etc.) will be permitted. - No Use of Benches
Benches or any other structures for the display of pins will not be permitted. Benches are for seating purposes only. - Attend to Your Items
Traders must stay with their items for the entire time they are displaying or trading.
Pin Trading Etiquette
The pin trading etiquette guidelines as listed on the Disneyland website have basically stayed the same but I also wanted to list those here:
- Official Disney Pins
Only official Disney pins may be traded. The main criteria when judging whether a pin is tradable or not (although other factors may be considered) is that the metal pin bears a “©Disney” mark on the back, representing an official Disney event, place, location, character or icon. A Disneyland Resort Cast Member may determine not to trade a pin in their discretion. - Pin Condition
Pins should be in good, undamaged, tradable condition with the pin backing attached. - Safety
For a safe trading experience, please trade one pin at a time. - Trading Maximum
Guests may trade a maximum of 2 pins per Cast Member or trading board, per day. - Ask First
Please refrain from touching the pin or lanyard of a Cast Member or Guest. If you need a closer look, kindly ask the Cast Member or Guest wearing the lanyard to bring it into clearer view for you. - Not Exchangable for Trade
Monies, gifts, vouchers or receipts may not be exchanged or used to trade for a pin. - Okay to Trade
- When trading with a Cast Member, Guests should offer a pin that is not currently displayed on the Cast Member’s lanyard or trading board
- Pins from other business units of The Walt Disney Company (e.g., ABC, ESPN) may be traded, as determined by the Cast Member
- Operating participant pins that show a Disney, Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort affiliation are generally accepted for trading
- Not Okay to Trade
- Unauthorized pins, plastic pins, rubber pins or other nonmetal pins
- Personalized name pins
- Brooch-style or clasp pins
- Disney Service Award pins, Disney Legacy Award pins, Spirit of Disneyland Resort pins, Partners in Excellence pins or Cast Member costume pins (i.e., Host/Hostess Badges, Disney Trainer)
Park pin trading guidelines have changed over the years. A few years before COVID-19, there were tables set up outside of Little Green Men Store Command for traders to use. Those tables were eventually removed because of guest flow issues. Also, before Big Thunder Ranch was demolished for Galaxy’s Edge, guests would use the picnic tables in the area for pin trading. And in most recent years, guests were using the benches in Frontierland for pin trading.
I’ve always felt that if you brought pins to the park to trade, you should be willing to trade one pin for one pin. Sure, you have the option to refuse to trade because you do not want anything the other trader has to offer, but the trade should always be one for one. In my opinion, guests who say they will take two, three or even four of your pins for one of their pins is unfair. If you have a limited edition pin to trade, you should start off by saying you will only trade that particular pin for another limited edition pin of equal value. Please don’t take advantage of other guests when pin trading!
Are you a Disney pin trader? If so, how do you feel about these new guidelines? Since the new guidelines were released, I’ve noticed security in the pin trading area enforcing the guidelines. What are your thoughts? I would love to hear from you.
