Trading Questions

[+plumbrokeacres]

I am in the starting stages of creating a personal coin (artwork is with manufacturer being refined).

I intend to offer them for sale and put some aside for trading.

with regards to trading, how do you do deal with trades trackable for non trackable? non for non? will you trade non for a trackable coin?

My plan is for a trackable coin but was thinking of having some minted non trackable for like trades (20-30 coins)

if I do the split I will have all the coins serialized.

Has anyone done this is it worth it? I'd like to hear how everyone else deals with this.

Nothing has been decided yet figured I'd get some input due to the cost of tracking numbers.

[+Windrose]

Personally, I trade coins I have for coins I want. Trackable or non-trackable is not important. Some of my favorite coins are non-trackable.

 

Windrose

 

edited for typo.

Edited March 25, 2007 by Windrose

[+Windrose]

Also, I'm not sure, but I think GC.com does not want coins that say "trackable at geocaching.com" if they are not trackable, so you might have to have another die made for the non-trackable ones.

 

Windrose

[+plumbrokeacres]

I've been working on that the trackables would have the trackable on GC.com imprinted on the edge. the non trackables will be without. my vendor has a die for the edge so I can stick to two dies. which is why I'm contemplating doing it.

 

I did think that some would trade trackables for non. I would too for the right coin but it is just an idea.

[QuigleyJones]

You might consider making a set, one trackable (to set free) and the other not (to keep in collection).

[+Kealia]

Personally, I trade coins I have for coins I want. Trackable or non-trackable is not important. Some of my favorite coins are non-trackable.

 

What he said.

 

You find a few however that aren't interested in trading for a non-trackable. Some people care more (or the same) about the icon than the coin. Ya can't please 'em all!

[+Windrose]

Personally, I trade coins I have for coins I want. Trackable or non-trackable is not important. Some of my favorite coins are non-trackable.

 

What he said.

 

You find a few however that aren't interested in trading for a non-trackable. Some people care more (or the same) about the icon than the coin. Ya can't please 'em all!

 

Well it's "she" actually , but I know what you mean. I have had some collectors who didn't want to trade for my non-trackable personal coin. A couple of them even initiated the trade but said “oh never mind” when they realized mine were not trackable. Whatever. I figure they’re the ones who lost out. They don’t have my great looking coins in their collection.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good icon just as much as the next person ,but I mostly look at the coin design. If it’s a “wow” design – or if I know the cacher – I say “I’ve got to have that coin”. When I look at the coins in my collection, I want to say "that's a great looking coin, I'm glad I have it." Lately I have cut way back on the coins I buy and I haven’t even been trading as much.

 

I debated on whether to make my newest coin trackable or not, and decided on trackable – partly just so I could say I did it, and partly because the icon is going to be so darned cute. I’d like to think that even if it wasn’t trackable, people would still want to trade for it.

 

Windrose

[+plumbrokeacres]

Thank you all for your input. Still contemplating what to do I might make a few non trackables with a different metal/color to differentiate them from the trackables. decisions, decisions, decisions..

Never knew this would be so much work

[QuigleyJones]

Just wait until mailing day

[+plumbrokeacres]

thats what I'm afraid of but I did do a lot of selling on the eplace so I do have a system in place. and with the ability to do postage through paypal, I don't think it'll be too bad. (I know Famous last words)

[+The Moop Along]

I'd always trade you a trackable mass run coin for a non-trackable "sig item geocoin" straight up, anyday. Where does the line start?

[avroair]

decisions, decisions, decisions..

Never knew this would be so much work

 

It's certainly a personal choice. Your intent for the coin should also be considered. Trackables trade and sell better than non-trackables. Non-trackables don't suffer the $2.10 (per coin) icon and tracking number fees so they are cheaper to produce and if you want to just leave them in caches then that's probably a better option.

[+plumbrokeacres]

I'd always trade you a trackable mass run coin for a non-trackable "sig item geocoin" straight up, anyday. Where does the line start?

 

I won't make the official announcement until I have the finalized artwork at least. I am going for the trackable coin due to the fact I want release some of them ( I think it'll be alot easier to release some into the wild if I have spares rather than just one).

 

I'm looking at some of the coins out there and am working on a trade list.

[+ernies]

for me, only a tracking # makes a coin/medal a geocoin. that is the original idea (geocoins are kind of further developments of travelbugs). an untrackable coin is just any coin for me.

 

i gave all my coins i produced (two so far) tracking numbers. i don't care if they are used as travelling coins or will live on in a collection. and i don't collect or trade coins that are not trackable.

 

the main reason for me: a tracking # is an added value to the coin. you can activate it anytime and send it round the world once you don't want it in your (album) collection any longer. i recommend producing trackable geocoins. it's an added value you can charge your customers.

[+Windrose]

for me, only a tracking # makes a coin/medal a geocoin. that is the original idea (geocoins are kind of further developments of travelbugs). an untrackable coin is just any coin for me.

 

i gave all my coins i produced (two so far) tracking numbers. i don't care if they are used as travelling coins or will live on in a collection. and i don't collect or trade coins that are not trackable.

 

the main reason for me: a tracking # is an added value to the coin. you can activate it anytime and send it round the world once you don't want it in your (album) collection any longer. i recommend producing trackable geocoins. it's an added value you can charge your customers.

 

So what you're saying is that if the Geocoin Secret Agent or the Geocoin Easter Bunny left a coin near you -- you wouldn't be interested, because you don't consider them "geocoins"?

 

Not trying to start a fight, just trying to understand. I've been addicted to geocoins since "the olden days" when gc.com didn't allow personal coins to be trackable. And even the state coins weren't trackable on gc.com. Tracking on gc.com and icons is really very, very new.

 

Windrose

[Ferreter5]

Personally, I trade coins I have for coins I want. Trackable or non-trackable is not important.

That sums it up for me too!

[+ernies]

okay, i admit my opinion is a bit one-sided. sure there are great untrackable coins out there in the coinosphere (classics and new ones). if the design is really fantastic, i even might not resist getting it.

 

but my idea is: if you produce a new coin now, make it trackable: it serves both the people like me (the trackies ;-) and people who don't care if it's trackable or not.

[+501_Gang]

Trackable is over rated in my book. Most of the coins that I realy, really like are the older, personal coins that are non-trackable. It seems when one makes the non-trackables they put 'more of themselves' into the coin instead of making it trackable, and they come out looking like a cartoon, mass produced, sold for profit coin.

 

I'd rather have a well thought out, non-trackable, non-sold, personal coin, than a massed produced, trackable one any day.

[+Kealia]

for me, only a tracking # makes a coin/medal a geocoin. that is the original idea (geocoins are kind of further developments of travelbugs). an untrackable coin is just any coin for me.

I'll counter that with a polar opposite opinion. Geocoins were developed as a signature item, meant to be a representation of the person who created it.

 

True, the very first Geocoin (moun10Bike) WAS trackable, but that was a one-time favor by Groundspeak to make that happen. It took years for the next coin to be allowed to be tracked. They've since evolved to candy bars with tracking numbers on them, gum wrappers with tracking numbers on them, etc.

 

These couldn't be further from geocoins in my opinion.

 

I'd rather have a well thought out, non-trackable, non-sold, personal coin, than a massed produced, trackable one any day.

 

Preach on, brother!

[+AtlantaGal]

but my idea is: if you produce a new coin now, make it trackable: it serves both the people like me (the trackies ;-) and people who don't care if it's trackable or not.

 

Tracking is only necessary if you want to sell the coin or a good portion of the coins. Trackable coins have larger market appeal. For those of us that mainly make personal coins for trades and cache swag, tracking is a waste of money.

[+Windrose]

okay, i admit my opinion is a bit one-sided. sure there are great untrackable coins out there in the coinosphere (classics and new ones). if the design is really fantastic, i even might not resist getting it.

 

but my idea is: if you produce a new coin now, make it trackable: it serves both the people like me (the trackies ;-) and people who don't care if it's trackable or not.

 

See for me, the design is the telling factor, not trackability. Now if I do trade for a trackable coin, I will activate it for the icon, but there are alot of trackable coins that I'm not interested in, because they just don't appeal to me.

 

Windrose

 

P.S. Note to the GSA and GEB (or is it EGB?) you can send his coin my way if you want.