Disney Is Trying To Make It Easier for Guests (And Not Resellers) to Buy Trading Pins
Disneyland Resort is taking a direct shot at the line-cutting and conflict that have plagued its weekly releases of new Disney Trading Pins.
The Problem the New System Is Designed to Solve
Every Tuesday, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, and the Disney Store release new batches of open-edition, limited-edition, and limited-release Disney Trading Pins. The most coveted styles sell out in minutes, and the in-person experience at park merchandise locations has increasingly devolved into early-morning chaos: dedicated collectors lining up before dawn, resellers attempting to game the system through spot-saving and line-cutting, and the verbal and sometimes physical confrontations that follow.
The pattern mirrors what happened during the recent worldwide Disney Lorcana trading card release, which generated fights at multiple locations around the globe. For Disney Trading Pins, the conflict has been building week after week.
The Paper Ticket Fix
On Tuesday, August 4, guests arriving at Disneyland Resort merchandise locations for the weekly pin drop found Disney cast members distributing paper tickets to everyone waiting in line. WDWNT shared a photo of the slips, which list the store name — in this case, Westward Ho Trading Company — and the release date.
Each person in line receives one ticket. When making a purchase, that ticket must be handed to the Disney cast member at the register. Anyone who cut the line after tickets were distributed wouldn’t have one — effectively blocking them from completing a purchase, regardless of how far up in line they managed to position themselves.
Disneyland Resort appears to be testing the system across merchandise locations in Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, and the Downtown Disney District. According to WDWNT, cast members indicated that the ticketing system is currently planned specifically for releases featuring Kingdom Hearts-inspired pins — though it could be deployed during other Tuesday drops in the future.
Have you ever lined up for Disney Trading Pins at Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort? Tell Disney Dining about your experience in the comments!
