+Son Of Windswept Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 There doesn't seem to be any definitive guidance on the following. Sjould there be? If you take a Travel Bug from a cache, should you leave a swap? My parents and I, tend to swap, i.e. we leave something if we take a TB, however it seems that a lot of people don't. There seems to be contradictory views, where one view is that TBs are not really a swap item and are just travelling tokens and you can't keep them if they take your fancy. Therefore there is no need to swap. You just take the TB and move it on. The other view is that a TB does have some intrinsic value, in that the number of TBs found and logged appear on your stats, as such swopping something for the TB is a good idea. Comments? Quote
+Stuey Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 If you take a Travel Bug from a cache, should you leave a swap? It's entirely up to you. A lot of people (me included) will happily take a travel bug and leave nothing in its place because we are helping the bug in its mission to travel. The problem is when people take something from the cache and leave a travel bug in its place. The next person who comes along might take the bug to move it on its way and leave nothing... net result, cache is one item down. Quote
+The Golem Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) A lot of people (me included) will happily take a travel bug and leave nothing in its place because we are helping the bug in its mission to travel. I agree. I have now taken two travel bugs and not left a trade for them. I have however taken other items from the cache and left something in return.... Edited October 12, 2005 by The Golem Quote
+Haggis Hunter Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) If you take a Travel Bug from a cache, should you leave a swap? It's entirely up to you. A lot of people (me included) will happily take a travel bug and leave nothing in its place because we are helping the bug in its mission to travel. The problem is when people take something from the cache and leave a travel bug in its place. The next person who comes along might take the bug to move it on its way and leave nothing... net result, cache is one item down. I agree with Stuey. This is why I now have this on all of my cache pages. Travel Bugs are the property of the person who has released them. Therefore I do not count them as a swap item. Please DO NOT take an item in exchange for any Travel Bugs that you may wish to leave in this cache. Edited October 12, 2005 by Haggis Hunter Quote
+purple_pineapple Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 FWIW, I'm, another voice in the "TBs are not swaps" camp. We don't often swap, but if we do, TB's are not included in that. Quote
+Haggis Hunter Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 I should add that in the early days of caching I did swap TB's, but I stopped this when it was pointed out to me that they belong to one individual and not the cache owner. Quote
+The Forester Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) A TB is a swap. You are swapping one location of the TB for another. The main difference between uplifting a TB and making a normal trade is that there is a significant time interval (usually) between when you lift the TB and when you set it down again. The cubic capacity of TB motels would have to be increased massively if everyone who lifts a TB also deposited a conventional swap item. Cheers, The Forester Edited October 12, 2005 by The Forester Quote
+third-degree-witch Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 Ive always treated Tb's as different from swops.Tbs are owned by individuals so cant be swopped. Quote
+ryme-intrinseca Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 In the 'TB motels' setup, would it be most likely that you are swopping one TB for another TB - i.e. like for like? That would seem okay to me. However, leaving a TB and taking another non-TB item may leave the cache one item short, so I think that's a different matter. (How many times can I mention 'TB' in two sentences? Do I get a prize?!) Quote
+HazelS Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 If I take a TB, I alays leave a swap item... seems i'm in the minority! Quote
+Simply Paul Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 (edited) If I take a TB, I alays leave a swap item... seems i'm in the minority! Ah, leaving items is good, but if you leave a TB do you take a swap item? My view is TBs aren't swap items. If placed in a small cache and swaps removed to make room for it, when that TB is picked up and no swaps left, the cache will be left half empty. Not every cacher carries swaps, so it's unfair to ask them to leave something when taking an item to help it with its goal which they're not allowed to keep anyway. Just my view. I'm reading others thoughts with interest. SP Edited October 12, 2005 by Simply Paul Quote
+BlueDeuce Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 TBs are not swap items, not even for other TBs. Quote
+Pieman Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 Most people don't treat TB's as swap items and Haggis Hunter's comments are a good rationalisation of why they should be treated differently. It would be useful if GC.com would make this plain on the TB pages so that everybody treated them as non-swap items and then the possibility of caches being denuded of swaps by people playing under different rules would reduce. Quote
+The Blorenges Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 If I visited a cache and picked up a TB I would leave a swap in place of it (assuming that there was space for one!). My thinking would be that the swap item would represent "thanks!" to the cache owner for visiting/using their cache. Mrs B Quote
+Woody's Wanderers Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 I'm with (what appears to be) the majority - TB's are not swops so you don't need to leave anything for them. As an aside, I will always try and thank the cache owner in my log for leaving the cache - but only if I find it! Quote
+Mr Hedgehog Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 I have always, (I think), left something in a cache regardless of having taken something or moved a TB along. Swaps are cheap, and I always aim to leave a cache better than I found it. If I do 5 caches in a day and leave a £1 item in each cache, a reasonable amount of entertainment has only cost me £5. A bargain. Richard Quote
+The Golem Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 If I do 5 caches in a day and leave a £1 item in each cache, a reasonable amount of entertainment has only cost me £5. A bargain.Richard That's a very good point!! If you think how much you might spend on a night out "socialising" some people could easily blow ten times that amount... Quote
+sTeamTraen Posted October 12, 2005 Posted October 12, 2005 Sometimes I leave a trade item without taking anything, but that's independent of whether or not I take a TB. Think of caches as having a "swap item-for-item" section and then a little part of the box called "TBs pass through here". No swapping required in the latter section, but in the first section, the stuff belongs to the cache owner, so be nice! Quote
+dogastus Posted October 13, 2005 Posted October 13, 2005 If I take a TB out of a cache, I will try to leave one in its place if I have any with me. This is in case someone else might do that cache later and be expecting to find a TB. They might not get the TB that they were looking for, but at least there is something to pick up. Quote
+Woody's Wanderers Posted October 13, 2005 Posted October 13, 2005 Swaps are cheap, and I always aim to leave a cache better than I found it. If I do 5 caches in a day and leave a £1 item in each cache, a reasonable amount of entertainment has only cost me £5. A bargain Excellent point (and an educational one for me!) I will treat each cache like this in the future. Cachers are such nice people! Quote
Deego Posted October 13, 2005 Posted October 13, 2005 (edited) Cachers are such nice people! I have yet to meet a bad one Edited October 13, 2005 by Deego Quote
+Haggis Hunter Posted October 13, 2005 Posted October 13, 2005 Cachers are such nice people! I have yet to meet a bad one I wish I could say the same, sadly there are the odd malign ones out there, but in general 99.99% are GREAT Quote
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