USAGEOCOINS

[+barkfeather]

USAGEOCOINS recently released their coin "FALLEN HEROES", which is a great tribute to the fallen heroes of the current war. But the coins are being made in China. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this? USAGEOCOINS??? I hope I am not blathering...

[+BlueDeuce]

My Garmin came from Taiwan.

[+barkfeather]

My Garmin came from Taiwan.

Taiwan is one thing...China is another

[+BlueDeuce]

It's called irony. Edit (eh, I'll leave off this last part.)

Edited April 23, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+PeachyPA]

My Garmin came from Taiwan.

Taiwan is one thing...China is another

I agree. It is a shame that these coins and other trade items cannot be made economically in the USA.

[+SmartSapper]

My Garmin came from Taiwan.

Taiwan is one thing...China is another

I agree. It is a shame that these coins and other trade items cannot be made economically in the USA.

[+AV Dezign]

USAGEOCOINS recently released their coin "FALLEN HEROES", which is a great tribute to the fallen heroes of the current war. But the coins are being made in China. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this? USAGEOCOINS??? I hope I am not blathering...

 

You must be new to geocoin... Most geocoins are made in China, USAGeocoins, Coins&PIns, Landsharz, they all have there coins made in China....

[+Team GPSaxophone]

There's a forum to discuss geocoins, and it isn't titled "Off Topic".

 

Team GPSaxophone

Off Topic Forum Moderator

[CinemaBoxers]

Yeah... I think about 99.999999999% are made in China.

 

The labor costs over here would have us charging over $25 a coin likely.

 

~P

[+joranda]

I've seen coin venders selling coins for 15-20 dollars and we all know it didn't cost that much for them to be made in China. What's up with that? The American way.

[+Eric K]

Barkfeather:

 

I don't think I would be wrong in saying that 99% of the coin vendors don't have their coins made in the USA.

 

While I, and I think most of the other vendors, would love to have our coins made in the USA it comes down to cost.

 

As an example if I had a coin that was made in the USA and cost $20 and other vendors were able to sell the exact same coin for $5. While people would say, "Well I would buy the one made in the USA"

In reality people will most likely see they can get the same thing for $5 and buy the lower cost alternative.

 

You also tend to forget that while the coins may be made in China every transaction helps some Americans with jobs.

 

For each coin sold by a vendor several American jobs are supported.

 

The people working the docks that bring the coins in

The customs inspectors for the USA

UPS or FEDEX or USPS employees that deliver those packages.

Suppliers of the envelopes that I buy from USA companies

The stores that have US employees where we buy our printers, ink or toner, computers, etc.

The people that work at the paper mills that supply the thousands and thousands of sheets of paper we go through in a year.

For every trackable coin sold $1.50 goes to Groundspeak, another American company with American employees. From the amount of Geocoins sold by all the coin vendors we alone are probably supporting a few of the employees of Groundspeak. (This is not a fact, just speculation)

and probably the biggest is the amount that small businesses pay in taxes to support the United States.

 

I am proud to say as a small business owner that USA Geocoins supports a lot of American jobs even though our product may be made in China.

 

So why I can't speak for all vendors I feel that we are doing some small part to help support the US economy and US workers.

 

P.S. I also wanted to ad that thanks to those coins "Made in China" we were able to donate $800 to Operation Homefront, an American Charity helping American soldiers and their families.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Eric K

[+Map Monkey]

USAGEOCOINS recently released their coin "FALLEN HEROES", which is a great tribute to the fallen heroes of the current war. But the coins are being made in China. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this? USAGEOCOINS??? I hope I am not blathering...

 

Is the US fighting against China in the current (Iraq and Afghanistan) wars? I for one don't see what the fuss is about.....educate me please.

 

mm

[+XopherN71]

Something so patriotic and pro USA, yet made in China.

 

I agree and it sucks, definitely wish it didn't need to be that way but unfortunately that's how it is.

 

I'll keep my real opinion out of this thread.

[+LadeBear68]

Geocoins were recently sold for $15 and were sold out within 24 hours so the theory that geocachers in the USA won't buy expensive geocoins isn't true. I do not know anything about what it would cost to make the same coin in the USA but it shows that buyers will pay if they want the geocoins. As gas goes up so will geocoins. Sellers know they can charge more and that geocoin collectors will pay more money.

[+Eric K]

Geocoins were recently sold for $15 and were sold out within 24 hours so the theory that geocachers in the USA won't buy expensive geocoins isn't true. I do not know anything about what it would cost to make the same coin in the USA but it shows that buyers will pay if they want the geocoins. As gas goes up so will geocoins. Sellers know they can charge more and that geocoin collectors will pay more money.

 

I am not saying geocoins won't sell for $15. However, if you look at the specifications for this coin.

 

1.5 inch

soft enamel

round

no translucents

no cutouts, etc

 

Do you really think a 1.5 inch round coin with no translucents would sell for $15? If so do you think that 800 of them would have sold?

[+Fluttershy]

Landsharkz will have a giggle with this one:

 

When I finally Minted my Butterfly coin, and had problems with my design, and chose

a new Vendor I thought that I would pick Landsharkz,

one reason being I thought the coins were going to be Minted in Canada.

(I didn't know at the time that the Coins were all being minted for the most part, in China)

 

Something in my mind, had decided that USA was minting in China, but Canada was minting in Canada.

 

Sheesh.

[+Eric K]

Landsharkz will have a giggle with this one:

 

When I finally Minted my Butterfly coin, and had problems with my design, and chose

a new Vendor I thought that I would pick Landsharkz,

one reason being I thought the coins were going to be Minted in Canada.

(I didn't know at the time that the Coins were all being minted for the most part, in China)

 

Something in my mind, had decided that USA was minting in China, but Canada was minting in Canada.

 

Sheesh.

 

That was funny, thanks for making me laugh. I needed a good laugh before bed tonight!

[+Fluttershy]

I believe that we could actually mint group coins in America, but

for the cost we would pay, the quality would be more like transportation Tokens,

and not what we have come to expect in our Geocoins.

 

Some amazing people have created their own personal Geocoins here in the USA,

and have Hammered, Molded, and ingeniously Sculpted their own Personal Geocoins...

Which I hold in my hand in awe of such "Jewelry".

[+Geocaching-Geckos]

Barkfeather:

 

<snip>

 

You also tend to forget that while the coins may be made in China every transaction helps some Americans with jobs.

 

For each coin sold by a vendor several American jobs are supported.

 

The people working the docks that bring the coins in

The customs inspectors for the USA

UPS or FEDEX or USPS employees that deliver those packages.

Suppliers of the envelopes that I buy from USA companies

The stores that have US employees where we buy our printers, ink or toner, computers, etc.

The people that work at the paper mills that supply the thousands and thousands of sheets of paper we go through in a year.

For every trackable coin sold $1.50 goes to Groundspeak, another American company with American employees. From the amount of Geocoins sold by all the coin vendors we alone are probably supporting a few of the employees of Groundspeak. (This is not a fact, just speculation)

and probably the biggest is the amount that small businesses pay in taxes to support the United States.

 

<snip>

 

Hmm, I'm not trying to bag on you Eric but there seems to be a flaw in your logic. I totally agree with your first two points. But how does my purchasing a coin minted in China differ from a coin minted in this country? It still has to be mailed, evelopes still need to be purchased, labels still have to be printed, the fine folks at Groundspeak would be still get paid the same amount, etc. Dont get me wrong, I'm all for shopping around for the best deal but I see your points as meaningless as the same amount of money would have to be spent regardless of the place the coin was minted.

[+Geocaching-Geckos]

 

LOL! Isn't that the truth?

[+Landsharkz]

Landsharkz will have a giggle with this one:

 

When I finally Minted my Butterfly coin, and had problems with my design, and chose

a new Vendor I thought that I would pick Landsharkz,

one reason being I thought the coins were going to be Minted in Canada.

(I didn't know at the time that the Coins were all being minted for the most part, in China)

 

Something in my mind, had decided that USA was minting in China, but Canada was minting in Canada.

 

Sheesh.

Fluttershy that is funny - thanks for sharing your story so we could have a giggle! And we thought you liked our work... sheesh - it's our red and white flag that attracted you

 

You can say 'Fluttershy Geocoin - Designed and Perfected in Canada - Minted in China'

 

We have got quotes from Canadian and US metal manufacturers on occasion, but they just can't turn out the quality of product that folks come to expect, nor can they come close to the price.

[+Eric K]

Barkfeather:

 

<snip>

 

You also tend to forget that while the coins may be made in China every transaction helps some Americans with jobs.

 

For each coin sold by a vendor several American jobs are supported.

 

The people working the docks that bring the coins in

The customs inspectors for the USA

UPS or FEDEX or USPS employees that deliver those packages.

Suppliers of the envelopes that I buy from USA companies

The stores that have US employees where we buy our printers, ink or toner, computers, etc.

The people that work at the paper mills that supply the thousands and thousands of sheets of paper we go through in a year.

For every trackable coin sold $1.50 goes to Groundspeak, another American company with American employees. From the amount of Geocoins sold by all the coin vendors we alone are probably supporting a few of the employees of Groundspeak. (This is not a fact, just speculation)

and probably the biggest is the amount that small businesses pay in taxes to support the United States.

 

<snip>

 

Hmm, I'm not trying to bag on you Eric but there seems to be a flaw in your logic. I totally agree with your first two points. But how does my purchasing a coin minted in China differ from a coin minted in this country? It still has to be mailed, evelopes still need to be purchased, labels still have to be printed, the fine folks at Groundspeak would be still get paid the same amount, etc. Dont get me wrong, I'm all for shopping around for the best deal but I see your points as meaningless as the same amount of money would have to be spent regardless of the place the coin was minted.

 

The point was even though the coins are made in China there is still some benefit to the American economy.

 

It's not like every penny from every coin goes directly to China.

 

What it all comes down to is cost and what people are willing to pay.

[57chevy]

USAGEOCOINS recently released their coin "FALLEN HEROES", which is a great tribute to the fallen heroes of the current war. But the coins are being made in China. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this? USAGEOCOINS??? I hope I am not blathering...

 

IMO... I Applaud USAGEOCOINS for putting out these coins, I love what they stand for and think there could be no better cause. Being former military, and having several friends that served, I salute USAGEOCOINS for this tribute. I personally think you're splitting hairs... They put the effort and heart into the concept of this coin, and followed through with a great idea for some great people.. I think that outweighs any and all implied indiscretions. Thinking globally is NOT a bad thing, Some people forget this geocaching thing extends well past the borders of the USA. I now have people I consider good friends all over the world now thanks to Groundspeak, and they need work too. I support our country and what it stands for, But buying, trading, dealing with China, or anywhere else for that matter, doesn't make anyone less of a patriot.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Not complaining but why has China's economy gone up so much that it has affected the American Market and dollar?

 

I see fair trade but when it starts getting to a point where the American Economy has declined so much there must be something deeper.

 

And there is no shortage of fossil fuels either.

 

I have a coin thet Say's it all.

 

SAY'S LAW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say's_law

[+ArtieD]

I care less if a coin was made in China, the U.S., Canada or even Mars if the design is great and it appeals to me.

 

As others have said, it's truly a global economy so we all might as well get used to it.

[+forthferalz]

what eric said the net benefit to the local economy is enormous. But I can only speak in general terms using local examples and they bear his side of things out. Before ebay australia post was ready to go to the wall. All this traffic saved them. My son is doing business studies - I'm living one of his textbooks! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_is_Flat The reality is we are a global economy and we have to think for the 21st century now even as we honour the past. and yeah I gotta go plant another batch of carbon offset greenery.

 

One caveat in regard to minting at home- alaska mint has done it and so have south africa. So there is a way to do it 'economically' but it's the 'can do' mentality of China that sets them apart imo - no job to small, no query takes longer than a day to answer even if it's just 'I'll check' For some of the negotiations going on with glass coin I needed to contact several US firms - only 2 out of 4 bothered to answer FROM THEIR OWN WEBSITE query form.

 

the real irony is I COULD have also made the aussie coins locally for only a few dollars more - BUT they were not only unable to match the quality they were unwilling to even think about negotiating with GC at the time when i didn't even know how to get tracking numbers and the final straw - the order was too large -it would be shipped offshore anyway

 

That said the local market was asked and they responded they wanted the cost kept down. So ultimately how much will folk pay?

[CacheNCarryMA]

...plus the amount of lead the Chinese manufacturers use makes the coins nice and hefty.

[+GBOTS]

USAGEOCOINS recently released their coin "FALLEN HEROES", which is a great tribute to the fallen heroes of the current war. But the coins are being made in China. Does anyone besides me see something wrong with this? USAGEOCOINS??? I hope I am not blathering...

 

IMO... I Applaud USAGEOCOINS for putting out these coins, I love what they stand for and think there could be no better cause. Being former military, and having several friends that served, I salute USAGEOCOINS for this tribute. I personally think you're splitting hairs... They put the effort and heart into the concept of this coin, and followed through with a great idea for some great people.. I think that outweighs any and all implied indiscretions. Thinking globally is NOT a bad thing, Some people forget this geocaching thing extends well past the borders of the USA. I now have people I consider good friends all over the world now thanks to Groundspeak, and they need work too. I support our country and what it stands for, But buying, trading, dealing with China, or anywhere else for that matter, doesn't make anyone less of a patriot.

 

Wife of 20 year Army Veteran agrees

[+Mama Cache]

Here is irony for you. I went to one of the American factories. Got a quote, a little high but okay. Reconfirmed it was domestic and got back a "oh, no! It is import." So, some of the domestic factories are sending out their colored enamels as well. At a very high price I might add.

 

For them to do a muliti colored coin is 1.00 per coin per color more! I priced a coin at 27.00 a piece! This was a 1.50"!

I say yeah to free Trade! Or we would not have Geocoins. And Groundspeak would have less to work with too!

[+ThePetersTrio]

...plus the amount of lead the Chinese manufacturers use makes the coins nice and hefty.

 

Interesting because I've been wanting to ask about lead in the coins. Does anyone know?

 

Now while I enjoy holding my coins from time to time (I ususally leave my next coin to be released on my desk to look at and touch for a few days before I let go) I obviously don't put them in my mouth - so it's not quite the same thing as lead paint in toys for kids. But I am curious about the issue.

[+BlueDeuce]

...plus the amount of lead the Chinese manufacturers use makes the coins nice and hefty.

 

Interesting because I've been wanting to ask about lead in the coins. Does anyone know?

 

Now while I enjoy holding my coins from time to time (I ususally leave my next coin to be released on my desk to look at and touch for a few days before I let go) I obviously don't put them in my mouth - so it's not quite the same thing as lead paint in toys for kids. But I am curious about the issue.

 

In case you're interested.

 

http://www.leadpro.com/factsheet.html#Testing

What are Lead Swabs?

They are chemical filled applicators that the user rubs on an area to check for lead. If lead is present the applicator tip changes color. These kits are relatively inexpensive, provide quick results, and are widely available at retail hardware and home improvement stores.

 

or

 

http://www.leadtestkits.com/

[+BlueMotmot]

I tried to have a coin minted in the US instead of China - none in the US do the enamel coins. The one mint that gave a quote we later found out was planning to outsource it to China then sell it back to us. I gave up.

[+T"n"T]

Sadly, we have had the same issues in the US. When we started the Quilt coins we were asked about doing them locally or at least Us made. I tried to get quotes on doing them this way, and was either told that they could not or got stuff back with no colors and such.

 

At that point the director of the Quilt Trail concil tried to make some contacts too check and got the same sort of answers. At one point we thought we had fold someone, but again same as with the other posts,,, these were going to be minted elsewhere and sold back to us. Roy(director) finally gave up too. And this man can get the our Senetors on the phone before lunch.

[+nashuan]

I was very active in my local union some years back and would shop for American made products whenever I could. This would often drive my (then) wife nuts because I'd be checking out the tags in every shirt, pair of shoes, the labels on every box ect. and stretch what should have been maybe a one-hour shopping trip into at least two hours. Whenever I did find clothing that was American made, it frankly was not as stylish and was more expensive, but I always bought them anyway and I always felt a little better about wearing those particular clothes.

 

The shame of it is, that most Americans would love to buy American, but can't afford the higher prices or US-made merchandise is not as readily available because retailers are always trying to offer lower prices, competing with the likes of Walmart and China, and forcing American manufacturers out of business or to move overseas to maintain profitability. The geocoin market is a reflection of the US market as a whole. If we produce our own coins in America, the prices will be a little higher and the availability of capable mints are simply limited (which then also limits color selection, design choices, metal plating options ect.) because a lot of our production factories in general have been liquidated.

 

Any takers on setting up their own American based mint and producing geocoins for this forum?

 

Michael

[+ThePetersTrio]

It would be nice to see the OP come back and post his/her reaction to the posts in response to the thread. It always strikes me as a little odd for someone to start a topic in this provocative way and then never come back.

[+nielsenc]

The biggest challenge to getting a coin produced in the US would be the amount of color fill happening on one coin.

 

Each coin is color filled by hand. If a coin has lets say 10 colors, that means the person on the line has to pick up each color and fill in each little space with its own color. And we wonder why there are sometimes a mistake in a batch of coins.

 

Now, can you find 300 people in one place in the US who would work for Minimum wage to hand fill each coin and make sure there are no mistakes? On top of that, wages in the US are 10x what they are in China. So if you are paying someone $100 a month in China, in the US you are in the $1000 range, not counting additional items like insurance, FICA tax, etc.

 

While I am not saying it is impossible to make coins in the US, Canada or Europe, it just isnt cost effective.

[+AV Dezign]

You think only geocoins are cheaper to be made in China... Here's an even better one:

 

"Free Tibet!" flags are made in China

Edited April 29, 2008 by AV Dezign

[+D@nim@l]

China likely makes the great percentage of US military challenge coins, which are not unlike geocoins at all.

[+Renegade Knight]

Geocoins were recently sold for $15 and were sold out within 24 hours so the theory that geocachers in the USA won't buy expensive geocoins isn't true. I do not know anything about what it would cost to make the same coin in the USA but it shows that buyers will pay if they want the geocoins. As gas goes up so will geocoins. Sellers know they can charge more and that geocoin collectors will pay more money.

 

The US mints are more limited in coin options. They are less willing to do small quantites. While you may have found one coin issue that sold out at a high price, it's not true for most coin issues. Ironicly the things that can make a coin sell out quickly are often beyond the expetise of a US mint.

 

As much as the pending RK coin would be nice in CuproNickel at a US mint the cost is such that it ain't happening unless I win the lottery.

 

The only US mint that does seem to be able to handle a small order is the Alaska Mint. They still have limited options on what they can do.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Any takers on setting up their own American based mint and producing geocoins for this forum?

 

Michael

 

I'd be for some shares in well funded start up. If they could get the Challenge Coin contracts. If it were just geocoins. The mint would go broke.

[rickctroop13]

Got a bit of a chuckle (ironic one) that the pins being handed out by CIA recruiters at a booth I hit recently were in a package prominently displaying the fact that they were made in China... thought better of asking how much of their spy toys carried the same label...

[+forthferalz]

 

The only US mint that does seem to be able to handle a small order is the Alaska Mint. They still have limited options on what they can do.

Actually i think the reverse is true - the western mints make smaller quantities in higher quality. Amagrud has a gold coin made by Northwest Territorial which does a lot of challenge coins - if you google for bullion coins you will find the local mints are striking these and even selling the blanks.

 

Bullion I can make silveror gold locally and the south africans struck theirs locally too but cheap and cheerful local stuff- i had to mint my personal locally in CHOCOLATE!