D23 down, Disney World to go!

[ScoopsPins]

What did we learn for the next BIG DISNEY EVENT?
 

Going to D23 or any large trading event can be very intimidating. I've been to a lot of large pin events, but this was my first time at the D23 Expo in Anaheim. It's the ComicCon of Disney, and the scale was so much broader than I ever imagined. It was no surprise that it would be big and splashy, but so many Disney vaults had exploded with memorabilia, and all the Disney entities (and even non-Disney entities) were vying to make the biggest splash. If your love of Disney expands beyond pins, it’s worth exploring; starting here at the official site.

 

This is Annika with me at the PinPics Booth in the Emporium.

 

Even in the Emporium area where the PinPics booth was located, amazing surprises and obtainable treasures were everywhere. A quick look at the retail Partners (Friends of Disney) on the event guide makes it obvious where the real money is. But it’s difficult to find info on the Emporium vendors, and informational coverage is minimal because Disney doesn’t make any real money on that offering.

 

 

 

Click on any image on this page to view full size.

 

That’s why I’m glad I caught a glimpse of some of the Emporium vendors to share here. If you're planning a trip to D23, this is an area you won't want to miss, and we've linked a couple of them here to get you started if you don't want to wait!

 

 

Probably the coolest things were the animatronics from Garner Holt Productions.

 

 

Molly and Joe are close family friends with official Disney Fine Art artist, Tom Matousek, so we had to get a picture of Molly and Tom with some of his work. He was just one of the many talented Disney artists represented by Stage Nine we had the privilege of watching as they created their beautiful pieces. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could buy these original works by the artist (below) who designed the original wallpaper in The Haunted Mansion. The deluxe version has a base where you can push the button and hear the music from the ride. If you put your face right up to it, it's like you could get out of your doom buggy and stare face-to-spooky-face at the wall.

 

 

Looking for a 69-year-old castle spire to add to your collection? This is where you would find it!

 

 

Here's Molly with Josh from My-D Pins, one of the many vendors (like the ones pictures below) with plenty of stuff under $18,000.

 

 

 

If you were lucky enough to be one of the hundreds of thousands attendees to get into D23 this year, you may have missed the Emporium completely. The second (and third?) floor were never even on my radar. If you were lucky enough to get one of the hundreds of spots in the virtual cue, you hit the jackpot, especially if you had the bucks to bankroll big purchases. 

 

If you didn’t feel lucky about any of it, I’d like to try to help, and I’d also like to talk to you if you are planning to attend future events as well. 

 

First, let's start with the budget. If you're going with the idea of buying pins and products, then you almost need $10-20K. Yes, I’m serious. Or at least that much room on a credit card. 

 

Speaking of room, if you get one at the Hilton connected to the Anaheim Convention Center, it’ll cost over $1000 per night. This is one instance it pays to be a member of the Hilton Rewards program, and book early as rooms are hard to get. There are cheaper options nearby, but for me it was well worth paying the difference; or you might also be able to share your room and the cost with someone you know and trust. You’ll find this especially true if you're going to be buying a lot of merchandise or trading a lot of pins. Having a hotel room close enough to schlep everything up to is a lifesaver, and you also might want to make some trades with a little privacy away from the madness. 

 

The best part?! Lots of pin traders gather in the Hilton lobby every night, and this is where you might turn that frown upside down if you didn’t get to buy everything you wanted.

 

When it's time to go to the event, keep your expectations low. Even if you've been to a large pin trading event, the D23 Expo is especially overwhelming because it’s everything Disney, not just pins. If you win spots in the queue and purchase pins at cost, then your pin trading will probably be phenomenal! Buy as much and as many in multiple quantities as you can afford. Most of the good stuff can end up more than doubling in value almost instantly. You can easily recoup most, if not all, of your outlay by reselling. If money’s no object, you definitely found the right hobby. 

 

By buying whatever is available to you at original retail, you have a lot of leverage when it comes to trading for what you want that you did not get. Since Disney allowed anyone anywhere to join the virtual cue this year, it created a whole secondary market just for the virtual spots in line. And you had to be up at 4am to try for it, and I’m guessing there were people not there who got spots in the cue that went unused. So, wait by the place that’s selling the things you want most so you can get into a standby line if one is offered. I personally think it pays to wear a lot of popular, high-end pins you can easily part with in case you make a pin pal already in line. As an icebreaker, don't be shy about asking everyone in line if you have a pin on your lanyard they’re interested in. Introduce yourself, and ask if they’re getting everything they’re entitled to purchase. Offer to buy a pin for them if they let you add to their order, or offer to give them a pin you have on your lanyard. Carrying cash makes these kinds of transactions much easier.

 

The best stuff sells out early, so forget your personal taste. They only make merch they think will sell, so it might be worth grabbing what’s left. This year, a lot of people avoided the Cuckoo Clock collection, including me. Turns out they are stunning, especially compared to the advance catalog art. Fortunately, someone didn’t want to have to haul them home (as they take up a lot of space), so I was able to get a pretty good deal on them. Same with the Alice Storybook map set.

 

Don’t wait for end-of-day trading at the Hilton in Anaheim or the Coronado Springs lobby at WDW for the upcoming After Dark event. There was a group of tables with a large PIN TRADING sign at D23 in front of the Hollywood Studio Store, and though a lot of people plopped down at them to rest or eat, I found a guy sitting by himself who was fine with me joining him. I flopped open my pin bag (which did include a lot of attractive, high-end pins) and managed to do some pretty good trades for new D23 pins sold that day. This can be a real gamble though. One person seemed willing to trade some of the new stuff she just bought, but wanted some of my very rare pins that rarely come to market. Since I knew there'd be of the new stuff around, we couldn’t come to an agreement, and it ate up a lot of time. She did walk away my new Scoop signature pin and that made her very happy, so sometimes you have to find the joy where you can. What goes around comes around, especially in the pin community.

 

 

 

If you have trouble finding a designated spot for trading, designate your own! Dining tables are usually around somewhere, or benches, ledges… floors. Just try to find somewhere comfortable and easy to spot. Lay out a good book, and hopefully you’ll get a bite. Arriving early is always a good idea, and however early you arrive, there’ll be a line already ahead of you. Some pin people don’t seem to sleep, and I honestly don’t know how they do it. It exhausts me. Make sure you’re well rested and have comfy clothes and shoes, because this is a Disney Marathon with a very different point.

 

Plan ahead and know where you want to go. Knowing the lay of the land makes it easier to stake out your spot, and to get food when you're not too distracted by pins to eat. Know where the restrooms are, too, another great place to get good traffic. 

 

Ultimately, I had some fairly decent success trading because people with bagfuls of pins that they'd just purchased were happy to trade for pins I'd brought with me. This was especially true Sunday night (the last night) when everyone had pretty much gotten what they were after and didn’t have to get up at 4am to try to get in the queue. I traded until 2am, and it was well worth it. 

At the end of the day, it'll be an emotional experience to attend a large event like this. Just remember, whether you get a line in a queue or end up acquiring your wants by trading, when it comes down to it . . . it's just a pin.

 

More important, I think, is the pursuit. We love to hunt treasure, don’t we? That’s always been a big appeal of pin trading. That, and the people. Making Pin Pals has been the biggest reward, so make sure to add that to your to-do list.

 

What was your experience? What are your tips? I’d love to hear your take, even if it’s different.

 

And I hope to meet you waiting in a line for pins real soon!

View full record

[sakaiser]

Thanks for all the information!  Your approach to D23 was very thoughtful.  I think we sometimes forget that connecting to other fans is one of the most important aspects of Disney events -- even though that sparkly Disney stuff draws us like moths to a flame.  I'll take a good conversation sprinkled with smiles and laughter over an $18,000 spire any day.  Now, if I had a castle, I might think about that spire a little differently.  As time goes by, I'm getting a little better (bolder?) at pin trading thanks to so many kind people along the way -- including you!  Cheers to you, Holland. Post again soon.  I love hearing from you.

[TheTwins]

We've really enjoyed this! Thanks for taking so many cool photos. The spire wins for uniqueness, but the nice thing about pins is that they don't take up very much space!  Looking at the full-size pictures, it's been neat to browse through the items and the art. Love this Stitch piece:

 

It's reminiscent of this pin, which is just so cute! https://www.pinpics.com/pin/164439

 

Wish there was a pin that looked like this one! 

 

On 8/27/2024 at 10:20 PM, sakaiser said:

I think we sometimes forget that connecting to other fans is one of the most important aspects of Disney events -- even though that sparkly Disney stuff draws us like moths to a flame.  I'll take a good conversation sprinkled with smiles and laughter over an $18,000 spire any day.  

 

Love that! While our pins are fun and some are just fun because of what's on the art, it's the people and friends we've made in the hobby that keep us going at it. The most special pins are often not the "best" pins, but the pins that have a special memory attached to them.