Yeah. No.
There's bad people and good people in every hobby.
I could just as easily say most of the kids are trading fake cheap pins their parents bought on ebay to try to scam traders out of their real pins. Because that happens too.
But there are plenty of people who just like the activity of trading pins for fun and aren't trying to scam anyone. Many traders give pins and lanyards away to encourage people to start collecting. Many will overtrade with kids because they're kids.
It also is a hobby that allows shy kids and introverts a safe way to interact with people socially. It teaches them monetary values and the merits of working to be able to get something better by earning it (i.e. a more valuable pin). It allows them to experience and deal with someone saying "no" to what they want, not just yes. And it is an opportunity for parents to teach kids to say "please" and "thank you".
It's a terrific hobby, but as I said, there's positive and negative to be found anywhere.
As for these rules - every couple of years Disney cracks down on pin traders, pushing them out of trading locations. Then after a while they realize they've lost a ton of money from people not buying pins, relax the rules and the gathering starts all over again. This too shall pass.
