Trade Equal, Up or Just Get the Darned Thing Moving!

[+winwin56]

I guess I am ready to take the flack for starting this topic, but at least hear me out.

 

As an owner of a few TB's (I'm a relatively new cacher), I love nothing more to see my trackables move from cache to cache and accumulate mileage in exotic places.

 

I am also aware of a "trade even or trade up" philosophy that exists within the sport, however, I guess I am guilty of retrieving GC's w/o trading in a GC or TB in it's place. As a cache owner, I could really care less if the finders of my cache do the same, what is more important is that the trackables go about their missions quickly as a courtesy to the GC/TB owner and not to cache owners so much. I, without fail, log my finds quickly and do not hang on to coins for long periods of time. For example, I live in Michigan and was visiting in Georgia and retrived a TB from a GA cache w/o an "even/up" trade. However, that TB has logged over 700 miles and is now closer to completing it's mission.

 

I travel quite a bit, and love nothing more than to grab a trackable and send it on it's way quickly to a new and sometimes far away location, but more often than not, I have not hoarded other trackables to trade in/up in their place.

 

Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated

Be Gentile Please

Edited June 28, 2008 by winwin56

[+Hula Bum]

The trade even or up, does NOT apply to trackables. Trackables, be it coins or bugs are meant to move, and nobody is expected or ever should be expected to trade anything for them. If you can move something along in a timely fashion towards its goal, then grab it, it's not part of the "trading" game.

Enjoy!

[+winwin56]

The trade even or up, does NOT apply to trackables. Trackables, be it coins or bugs are meant to move, and nobody is expected or ever should be expected to trade anything for them. If you can move something along in a timely fashion towards its goal, then grab it, it's not part of the "trading" game.

Enjoy!

Makes perfect sense to me!

Thanks SO much!

[+Deliveryguy428]

You have those that feel they have to have a set of rules when it comes to owning a TB/Coin hotel cache, while I can understand they want to try and keep a fresh stock at all times in the cache, some people disagree and will take and not leave anything in return. We all play the game our way and sometimes people disagree how others play, sadly it happens.

 

 

My take on it is this--if you own a TB/Coin hotel and you make it a decent easy hide that is meant to be found pretty easy for the purpose it was set up for then most times those are the ones that pretty much have a good stock always in them to trade/discover/move

[alpha_firefox]

I bid on some coins for a guy that I work with that he found on ebay. He paid over $30 each for two Aztec coins. Very cool coins, though.

 

I recently discovered a travel bug who's mission was to go to M Rock in Austria. Since I doubt I'll be going anywhere near Austria in the near future, I thought I should leave the trackable in the cache for other people to discover. Maybe the next person to find the travel bug is planning a trip to Europe?

 

I see no problem with taking a trackable and moving it along as the owner wishes. I mean, that's the whole idea. When I take an trackable, I like to leave either another trackable, or a nice item in it's place. I don't think it's fair to take a geocoin that somebody paid likely $10 or more for, and leave a plastic toy soldier that probably didn't cost more than 5 cents, or leave a broken McDonalds toy! My opinion is, if you take a coin, leave something worth at least a dollar.

 

Unless you're planning on helping the trackable on it's mission SOON, leave it in the cache for others to discover. If someone takes a coin or a trackable, I hope to see it placed within a month.

 

I take pride in my caches and I try to stock them with nice items. I'll spend $20 at the dollar store on various trinkets, keyrings, penlight flashlights, Hotwheels cars, etc. I'll place items like Off mosquito wipes, lens cleaner wipes, McDonalds gift certificates, new Jersey gloves (the come in handy sometimes when caching!) matches, lighters, magnet clips, etc, just to give you a few ideas. I recently had a guy visit one of my caches and took THREE items each worth $1 or more, and left me JUNK! I mean, come on! THREE ITEMS? I thought most of us were in it for the hunt! But, I always try to leave something decent for the next person to find, rather I take anything or not.

[+DaFunkyFrogs]

You don't trade anything for geocoins in a cache unless they are unactivated and meant as swag. There is no need to leave anything in place of an activated traveler because they are NOT swag. Trade even or trade up only refers to swag.

[+terri and billy]

I'd always learned that tb and coins that were activated are not included in the trade up or even. As I introduced family and friends to geocaching, this is what I told them. We all work hard on getting these items closer to their mission.

 

However, my best friend and oldest son when caching to grab a new cache. My best friend grabbed the travel bug that was in the cache with the idea of moving it on. The cache owner not only sent her a very nasty email about taking the tb without leaving an equal trade but also posted it on the cache page! Some how it hasn't gotten out to the masses that travel items aren't swag and don't fall under the same rules. BTW the cache owner has been caching longer than I have so it's not because they are new cachers.

 

Terri

[+joranda]

Now if you come across a mystery coin in a cache then that would apply.

[+winwin56]

I'd always learned that tb and coins that were activated are not included in the trade up or even. As I introduced family and friends to geocaching, this is what I told them. We all work hard on getting these items closer to their mission.

 

However, my best friend and oldest son when caching to grab a new cache. My best friend grabbed the travel bug that was in the cache with the idea of moving it on. The cache owner not only sent her a very nasty email about taking the tb without leaving an equal trade but also posted it on the cache page! Some how it hasn't gotten out to the masses that travel items aren't swag and don't fall under the same rules. BTW the cache owner has been caching longer than I have so it's not because they are new cachers.

 

Terri

 

Amazing!

Very interesting comments. It is sad that this sport can get so nasty. I suppose that as a conscientious cacher, I would be turned off by these type of people that can become abusive verbally when people don't cache "their way". Are these the same people who get ticked off when their neighbors don't cut the grass the minute THEY think it's too long?

 

Life is too short, and geocaching is too fun to get that openly aggrivated.

You have to be somewhat conscientious also of WHERE your cache is placed and the type of people that are more likely to do the find as well.

 

Just a thought

Thanks Forum!

[+winwin56]

You have those that feel they have to have a set of rules when it comes to owning a TB/Coin hotel cache, while I can understand they want to try and keep a fresh stock at all times in the cache, some people disagree and will take and not leave anything in return. We all play the game our way and sometimes people disagree how others play, sadly it happens.

 

 

My take on it is this--if you own a TB/Coin hotel and you make it a decent easy hide that is meant to be found pretty easy for the purpose it was set up for then most times those are the ones that pretty much have a good stock always in them to trade/discover/move

 

Good Point. I would tend to agree that the Coin and Bug Hotels are the exception to the trade even/up rule when talking about trackables.

[+KoosKoos]

You have those that feel they have to have a set of rules when it comes to owning a TB/Coin hotel cache, while I can understand they want to try and keep a fresh stock at all times in the cache, some people disagree and will take and not leave anything in return. We all play the game our way and sometimes people disagree how others play, sadly it happens.

 

 

My take on it is this--if you own a TB/Coin hotel and you make it a decent easy hide that is meant to be found pretty easy for the purpose it was set up for then most times those are the ones that pretty much have a good stock always in them to trade/discover/move

 

Good Point. I would tend to agree that the Coin and Bug Hotels are the exception to the trade even/up rule when talking about trackables.

 

Nope, no exception. Trackables are not trade items.

Edited June 28, 2008 by KoosKoos

[+TeamEccs21]

We were on a trip recently using the caches along a route feature. One of the stops was a TB Hotel. We stopped and logged the find and signed the log. Since we didn't have any TBs with us we didn't take any.

While I agree that TBs and activated coins don't fall under the trade even or trade up rule we think it is very frustrating to go to a TB hotel to swap travelers only to find it empty or loaded down with junk.

 

So...when we come across a trackable item we only take it if we have another trackable to leave.

 

Just our way to cache

Edited June 28, 2008 by TeamEccs21

[+maldar]

We have a cache near me where you have to Trade even for everything or the cache owner will delete your log. He did this to me and made a comment that it is a requirement to be able to log the cache and gave my virtual caches as an example of being the same. Virtual caches are totally different and mine fall inline with what is generally exceptable requirements:

 

1) must have picture of yourself with GPS

2) Half Dome in the background in above picture

3) Picture of GPS at listed coords

 

or you have to email me the answer to the questions on the cache page.

 

All those are to prove you have been to the cache site.

 

Personally I want my trackables to move and if they have a goal then I would like to see them get there. Thus far only one has gotten to its destination while all the rest have gone poof. One got so far as to be picked up from the location I dropped it off at and no answers back from the messages I have sent to the cacher.

 

So all in all I think that the rule and it should be one. Trackable are exempt from the Trade Even, Trade Up or Don't Trade rule.

 

Really that rule is subjective. What I think might be "even: or "up" could be the opposite for the cache owner/logger. You could take a coin and leave one of those Trolls that where popular years ago and it be worth hundreds of dollars and I would still think of it as trading down. Not that it would happen, but to give an example. Where you could leave a box of chalk from the dollar store and it would be alright with me. Nothing like see a kid really excited about getting the chalk or crayons I leave. I got to see that once at an event cache and it made me happy too, more fun watching the little girl try to make up her mind between the two, lol.

 

I cache for the experiance and enjoyment, not personal gain.

 

Thanks for reading my rant. It was not suppost to be one, but ended up that way, sorry.

 

maldar

[+maldar]

We have a cache near me where you have to Trade even for everything or the cache owner will delete your log. He did this to me and made a comment that it is a requirement to be able to log the cache and gave my virtual caches as an example of being the same. Virtual caches are totally different and mine fall inline with what is generally exceptable requirements:

 

1) must have picture of yourself with GPS

2) Half Dome in the background in above picture

3) Picture of GPS at listed coords

 

or you have to email me the answer to the questions on the cache page.

 

All those are to prove you have been to the cache site.

 

Personally I want my trackables to move and if they have a goal then I would like to see them get there. Thus far only one has gotten to its destination while all the rest have gone poof. One got so far as to be picked up from the location I dropped it off at and no answers back from the messages I have sent to the cacher.

 

So all in all I think that the rule and it should be one. Trackable are exempt from the Trade Even, Trade Up or Don't Trade rule.

 

Really that rule is subjective. What I think might be "even: or "up" could be the opposite for the cache owner/logger. You could take a coin and leave one of those Trolls that where popular years ago and it be worth hundreds of dollars and I would still think of it as trading down. Not that it would happen, but to give an example. Where you could leave a box of chalk from the dollar store and it would be alright with me. Nothing like see a kid really excited about getting the chalk or crayons I leave. I got to see that once at an event cache and it made me happy too, more fun watching the little girl try to make up her mind between the two, lol.

 

I cache for the experiance and enjoyment, not personal gain.

 

Thanks for reading my rant. It was not suppost to be one, but ended up that way, sorry.

 

maldar

[+chaosmanor]

FWIW, I've started sending out our geocoins and TBs with notes that ask folks to pick them up and move them, whether they trade or not, that the traveler does *not* need to be traded for. I really get annoyed when I see Discoveries on our geocoins that read, "Didn't have a TB to trade, so just left it in the cache for the next person." Aaaaaaa! People! Just pick 'em up and move 'em! This was not a problem 3-4 years ago; people would rush out to pick up new TBs that showed up. Somewhere over the past couple of years, folks got the mistaken idea that TBs and geocoins needed to be traded for. They don't.

 

And any cache that requires a trade for a traveler is just plain wrong. If a cache owner sets up a Hotel and requires that folks trade because the owner is too lazy to keep TBs in it, then that owner has a problem. We have a traveler hotel that specifically states that folks do not need to leave a TB to take one. I keep an eye on it and if it gets low, I go out and add more to the can. That's the only fair way to do it, IMHO.

Edited June 29, 2008 by chaosmanor

[+winwin56]

These are all excellent points!

Thanks to everyone for their ideas and thoughts.

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Just to add some:

 

My opinion is, if you take a coin, leave something worth at least a dollar.

This is NOT needed. TBs and Geocoins are NOT trade items (if they are activated) and do not need to be traded for. The owners set them free to travel, not to be traded.

 

And if you do trade for an unactivated TB or coin, please trade for something worth more than $1.00 as most coins run $5.00 - $10.00 to produce.

 

I would tend to agree that the Coin and Bug Hotels are the exception to the trade even/up rule when talking about trackables.

 

Again, this is incorrect. They are not trade items. Period.

 

To show you how the rest of the caching world (at least here in the forums) think, go over to the TB section and search using words like "TB Hotel" "Prison" "Trade" and you'll see the overwhelming same responses.

 

From a pinned thread in the TB forums:

Travel bugs and trackable geocoins are not a trade item, you do not have to put something in the cache to take a Trackable item, and you should not take something from a cache in trade for a Trackable item.

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Just to add some:

 

My opinion is, if you take a coin, leave something worth at least a dollar.

This is NOT needed. TBs and Geocoins are NOT trade items (if they are activated) and do not need to be traded for. The owners set them free to travel, not to be traded.

 

And if you do trade for an unactivated TB or coin, please trade for something worth more than $1.00 as most coins run $5.00 - $10.00 to produce.

 

I would tend to agree that the Coin and Bug Hotels are the exception to the trade even/up rule when talking about trackables.

 

Again, this is incorrect. They are not trade items. Period.

 

To show you how the rest of the caching world (at least here in the forums) think, go over to the TB section and search using words like "TB Hotel" "Prison" "Trade" and you'll see the overwhelming same responses.

 

From a pinned thread in the TB forums:

Travel bugs and trackable geocoins are not a trade item, you do not have to put something in the cache to take a Trackable item, and you should not take something from a cache in trade for a Trackable item.

[+Lotho]

I really despise TB jails..a coin of mine was not moved very close to its goal just because a cacher did not have another trackable to change for it, per the cacher owners rules!

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Just to add some:

 

My opinion is, if you take a coin, leave something worth at least a dollar.

This is NOT needed. TBs and Geocoins are NOT trade items (if they are activated) and do not need to be traded for. The owners set them free to travel, not to be traded.

 

And if you do trade for an unactivated TB or coin, please trade for something worth more than $1.00 as most coins run $5.00 - $10.00 to produce.

 

I would tend to agree that the Coin and Bug Hotels are the exception to the trade even/up rule when talking about trackables.

 

Again, this is incorrect. They are not trade items. Period.

 

To show you how the rest of the caching world (at least here in the forums) think, go over to the TB section and search using words like "TB Hotel" "Prison" "Trade" and you'll see the overwhelming same responses.

 

From a pinned thread in the TB forums:

Travel bugs and trackable geocoins are not a trade item, you do not have to put something in the cache to take a Trackable item, and you should not take something from a cache in trade for a Trackable item.

[+GATOULIS]

Hello Flying spaghetti monster (I love your code name! ),

 

Can I ask something about this?

How do I know if a coin is activated or unactivated (so I can trade or not), when I am in the cache? Yes, I know that the page of the cache shows if a coin is inside, but if someone droped it and till he log the drop, I went to the cache and found it?

 

sometimes things like that happens, so...?

 

the thing that pass from my mind is...check the logbook, but sometimes....

 

Sorry for asking...

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

That's a valid question. Sometimes you don't know.

 

I would say (personally): If in doubt, leave a trade item. But, you could always take it home without leaving a trade, log in to discover that it's NOT activated and then "pay it forward" in the next cache and all would be well in the caching-karma world.

 

Most (but not all) people tag their travelers somehow and I'd like to think that people who leave them as swag leave a note on the cache page, in the logbook or on the coin itself somehow - but it doesn't always happen.

 

In case #1 above (leaving a coin if you are not sure) the worst thing that you've done is left an unactivated coin for the next finder. At the end of the day, that's a good thing and a nice feeling that somebody else will have when they find it.

[+007BigD]

I have activated my swag coins and title them SWAG...Have had some move, but they generally get traded for quick.

 

I fill out the description as to trade up th enext cache you are at and shoot me an email for adoption. Here's one that just got grabbed and workin out a trade for http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1808949

 

I have done this with several coins and have made a few friends in the process! Heres one that went through 3 cachers...I met 1 of them at GW6 and they were like "We have your Swag Jeep" http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.as...c6-e5adcd6455db

 

Its a great way to leave coins as swag...You get to see exactly who ends up with the prize and ensure it was traded even for.

[alpha_firefox]

We were on a trip recently using the caches along a route feature. One of the stops was a TB Hotel. We stopped and logged the find and signed the log. Since we didn't have any TBs with us we didn't take any.

While I agree that TBs and activated coins don't fall under the trade even or trade up rule we think it is very frustrating to go to a TB hotel to swap travelers only to find it empty or loaded down with junk.

 

So...when we come across a trackable item we only take it if we have another trackable to leave.

 

Just our way to cache

 

 

I agree, and I thank you for saying so well the point that I was trying to make. Sure, the goal is for the coins or TBs to accomplish their misisons. If someone takes a trackable item with the intentions of helping the coin with a mission and moving it along, most cachers are not going to mind rather you leave an item or not. BUT, here's the concern that I think many owners have. If you take a coin or two coins and do not leave a coin of your own, the owners may question your intentions. If you take trackables out of a cache and leave worthless junk, people question your credibility.

 

Geocoins are expensive, and I know some cachers who have invested a fair amount of money in trackables. Sure, we understand that sooner or later, our coins and travel bugs are likely to come up missing, but we are excited to see them move and continue on their missions.

 

In the past few days, I have found several caches expecting to discover travel bugs or geo coins and found the coins missing! Somebody took them and failed to log them! This is extremely frustrating when you're the owner.

[+maldar]

I see trackables as things to move. My personal policy is that I don't revist a cache just to log a trackable. I will on the other hand go and find a cache I have not found to get the trackable. The only time I have ever gone to pick-up a trackable from a cache I own or have found previously is when the owner contacts me and ask me to do such. The reason I do this is to keep my numbers pure to the way I play the game. I have thought to open a second account to do those moves in so they don't mess with the way I track my information. The only time I use the discover function is if the coin is a special "Meet and Greet" coin that the owner uses to track the people they have chatted with at events, or TBs that are cars and the like. Discovering coins just for the icon has no interest for me.

 

maldar