Ultimate SWAG question

[+Headhardhat]

In case you didn't hear it yet. GeoSnippits is heading for the TV air waves. It will be featured on a RFD-TV Network show called Michigan Magazine. Introduction Interview with MMTV is already in the can and the initial segments are ready to go.

 

I am currently putting together some information about swag.. Yeah I know that a lot of people are not into swag as much as others but I am curious about a couple of things and of course I thought of asking here.

 

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

 

Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it?

 

Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache?

 

What was the most expensive item you ever heard was found and % of truth you think it was?

 

Will greatly appreciate any input.

 

-HHH

 

See ya on Michigan Magazine which is aired in all 50 states.

[+mrbort]

I have found a great thrift store that has interesting things for insanely cheap prices. Being in an out of the way place, it's not a chain but I would think that perhaps some stores could get some fun swag.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I have found a great thrift store that has interesting things for insanely cheap prices. Being in an out of the way place, it's not a chain but I would think that perhaps some stores could get some fun swag.

 

Similarly, garage sales (or tag sales if you live in Vermont) can be a good source of interesting used items.

 

There is a local cacher that picked a large box of 1" copper balls the because sort of a signature swag item. They're not especially useful but they're cool looking and the became a bit of a sought after trade item.

 

It seems that one of the more common questions here relates to signature swag and trackable items, when it's appropriate to trade, that trackables should not be considered swag (thus you don't need to trade equally). It sounds like it could be an interesting segment.

[+Raenne]

Target has a huge "Dollar Wall" type section, bins loaded with all kinds of things, from paper pads, pens, stationary to trinkets and gadgets, all for 1-3 dollars. Really neat stuff, and not your typical dollar store items.

 

I usually only put items in ranging in the $1-$5 range, as that has been the limit of most of the swag in the local caches I've visted.

 

I've heard of a set of car keys being left in a cache, but I doubt the truth of that Then again, I'm rather new at this, so I haven't exactly seen a huge sampling of the caches out there!

[+L0ne.R]

I have found trinkets at toy stores - lots of fun items under $5 items - plastic hamsters, toy wind-up cars, kazoos, clown noses, polished stones, etc.

[+kunarion]

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

Ebay. If you want a particular "signature" swag item, search for the "wholesale lots" of whatever you'd like. You may get lucky and get a huge mass of golf tees, little plastic alligators, or whatever, brand new, dirt cheap, and now you'll always have your own swag on hand to trade. Try a variety of searches, and remember that next week, there will be new stuff all over again.

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

$1.00, (often a new Dollar Store item) which is almost always much more than what I trade for. But I have a couple of things on hand to total more than $10, just in case. Half the time, I don't take or leave anything.

 

Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it?

I've placed other people's pathtags (found in previous caches). Those aren't generally moved from cache to cache, and can be relatively expensive for the original owner to make.

 

Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache?

Has to be the pathtags. I value them at about $10 (but I may be way off). Geocoins are even more costly, and I don't take them (even on the odd chance that one is not activated, and is OK to be kept by the finder).

 

What was the most expensive item you ever heard was found and % of truth you think it was?

A Kruggerand. I'd put the odds at about 10% true. ...Now the question is, how would one "trade up or even" for it? Or do I just go ahead and log it as "Took 1-ounce gold Krugerrand, left little plastic alligator"

Edited August 11, 2009 by kunarion

[+mfamilee]

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

We like to purchase coins and arrowheads off Ebay. We also find coins in the vintage section on Etsy.

 

We avoid the 'dollar stores', but as a previous poster stated Target is a good place to find a nice variety of items in the bargain area.

[+chrisrayn]

My favorite swag is something you just can't go out and buy.

 

I think the coolest things to find are Pathtags, because you can keep them.

 

Geocoins and Travel Bugs run a close second, because there's nothing greater than knowing you're a part of something.

 

But other than those things, I like to trade for original items that I wouldn't find anywhere else. For example:

 

- A handmade, hand-sautered ring,

- A wooden token from a restaurant I've never heard of,

- A bottle cap with the perfect saying for geocaching on the bottom ("Know when to walk away")

- Other various handmade signature items.

 

I always like to leave a signed, miniature Bicycle card with a picture of the location/experience drawn on the back.

 

Maybe all that's just me, idk. Hope this helps!

[+texasgrillchef]

In case you didn't hear it yet. GeoSnippits is heading for the TV air waves. It will be featured on a RFD-TV Network show called Michigan Magazine. Introduction Interview with MMTV is already in the can and the initial segments are ready to go.

 

I am currently putting together some information about swag.. Yeah I know that a lot of people are not into swag as much as others but I am curious about a couple of things and of course I thought of asking here.

 

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

 

Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it?

 

Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache?

 

What was the most expensive item you ever heard was found and % of truth you think it was?

 

Will greatly appreciate any input.

 

-HHH

 

See ya on Michigan Magazine which is aired in all 50 states.

 

ABSOLUTELY!....

 

I just received my order from http://www.orientaltrading.com

 

I ordered Smiley face balls of all different shapes and sizes & types. Smiley face RUBIX cubes, Smiley face & Earth printed "Slinkeys", Smiley face erasers, I even ordered some smiley face LOG BOOKS! They have all sorts of other smiley faced swag as well. Really cool stuff I think.

 

They have all sorts of other great SWAG as well.

 

You can find cool swag for as little as 10 cents each all the way up to $4 & $5 each. Don't think anyone wants to go that expensive.

 

Starting with my [/b] caches... I order some DOG TAGS... engraved with "Congrats for the FTF". Leaving space free to put the name of the cache hide I make at a later time, & leaving the other side blank for the FTF to engrave if they desire as well. The cost... about 85 cents each.

 

Anyways... I think it's a great place for some cool inexpensive swag that will BEAT ANYTHING you can find at the Dollar store.

 

www.orientaltrading.com

 

TGC

[+Steve&GeoCarolyn]

In case you didn't hear it yet. GeoSnippits is heading for the TV air waves. It will be featured on a RFD-TV Network show called Michigan Magazine. Introduction Interview with MMTV is already in the can and the initial segments are ready to go.

 

Congratulations!

 

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

 

My favorite place is the bargain area of Claire's and Joanne's during sales. Claire's bargain area will often discount jewelry, little purses, and other items from $10 to $1-$2. Joanne's has little dollar items for kids into crafts (watercolor kits, etc.). The items from Claire's look fantastic and I know for a fact that they have the little girl segment of the population all sewn up.

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

 

$1-$5

 

Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it?

 

I placed a beautiful snake charm in Six, Sicks, Icks because it was simply perfect for the theme and the challenge.

 

Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache?

 

A harmony ball. I didn't know it at the time but they're bought in pairs for $30-$45. (I looked it up on the internet. I truly regretted that I didn't trade equal at the time, but I'm terrible at assessing worth. I hadn't realized they were so expensive.)

 

Carolyn

[+Knight2000]

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

I look for items at craft stores in the clearance section. At 90% off sometimes you can find a decent item and buy them out.

 

I like to leave coins. I buy foreign coins in bulk at a cost of about 7 cents a coin. I think a kid would much rather have that than a McToy. Plus with bulk coins like that the coin left could easily have a value of $10. I am not a collector so I don't check any values. I never thought this before and then some coin collectors online straightened me out.

 

I also leave buffalo nickels. Again, I think kids would like these. I am 32 and I have never seen one of these in circulation so even I find it interesting.

 

I have been leaving 3-coin packets with one world coin, buffalo nickel and a wheat cent. It has a little sheet telling some brief info about each one. It costs me about 40 cents per packet.

 

I have never thought about the cost per cache. When I put out ammo cans Its probably around $10.

[+JackQuest]

Already mentioned Oriental Trading but my personal favorite is Smokey Bear Swag

[+TheMadScotsman]

I just put my Gameboy Micro with a game and power adapter in a cache. I'm generous like that.

[+DefaultGen]

I have been leaving 3-coin packets with one world coin, buffalo nickel and a wheat cent. It has a little sheet telling some brief info about each one. It costs me about 40 cents per packet.

 

We need more stuff like this instead of McToys

 

I generally leave cheap stuff that I wouldn't mind finding in a cache. Personally I'm a big media fan, so I've got some games and CDs to leave in caches, as well as a small camera tripod and things that might be immediately useful for someone just finding a cache.

[+hudsonfam]

In case you didn't hear it yet. GeoSnippits is heading for the TV air waves. It will be featured on a RFD-TV Network show called Michigan Magazine. Introduction Interview with MMTV is already in the can and the initial segments are ready to go.

 

I am currently putting together some information about swag.. Yeah I know that a lot of people are not into swag as much as others but I am curious about a couple of things and of course I thought of asking here.

 

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

 

Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it?

 

Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache?

 

What was the most expensive item you ever heard was found and % of truth you think it was?

 

Will greatly appreciate any input.

 

-HHH

 

See ya on Michigan Magazine which is aired in all 50 states.

 

Your videos have been really enjoyable and VERY helpful to this newbie, so thank you! And Congrats on the TV gig!

 

I don't have much experience with this but I've been leaving a lot of handmade jewelry as trade, some of which is worth quite a lot depending on the materials used. I make jewelry for fun and have tons left over just sitting around. I left a bracelet in an LPC the other day that contained about $50 worth of tourmaline beads. I hope whoever chooses it enjoys it. I leave nice loose beads (amethyst, crystal, black onyx, etc.) in the "micros" that most seem to feel aren't large enough for more than a log book.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

All of you have given pretty good responses...... we will utilize some.

We love to do the garage/yard sale thing, mostly because you can come up with some uniquely different swag at incredibly cheap prices. Many of the sales also have free "grab bag" merchandise.

 

Another item we leave quite often is a small baggie of polished stones. Everything from local stones to puchased stuff from far away. NEVER dyed materials. But then, we have been polishing stones for 20+ years and have to get rid of them somehow!

 

In truth, we stay away from the "run of the mill" Dollar Store type of stuff. We aren't fans of McToys, tho we realize the kids are. We will trade for some McToy type stuff, for placement into a later cache that should, but doesn't have any.

[+Snoogans]

Are there other good places to purchase swag besides the dollar store?

 

orientaltrading.com (if it hasn't been mentioned yet) plus personalized business swag outlets.

 

Also, libraries sell off donated paperbacks on the CHEAP. I bought 3 paper grocery bags FULL for 3 dollars once, but they run on the order of .10 to .25 cents. You can register them at bookcrossing.com and they become travel bugs after a fashion when people log them at bookcrossing. (Sorta like wheresgeorge.)

 

One could possibly purchase some of my smashed coins some day if I ever get my website up and running: ex-PRESSyourself.com. I've only been procrastinating for 2.5 years. Right now I sell them at events, but only on request. There are 12 designs total, but only 8 are truly geocaching centric.

 

 

What dollar range to you value swag that you put into a geocache $1.00, $5.00, $10.00 or more?

 

Yes

 

Have you ever put an item in a geocache for swag that you would consider above the norm? What was it?

 

Yes. I put a $35+ dollar chunk of polished Citrine in a cache once. BTW- It was a revisit to make up for another item I had taken.

 

Finally the biggie, what was the most expensive item you traded for in a geocache?

 

See my last answer.... I picked up a bolo tie that contained a large and very rare jasper conglomerate stone. The item came from a memorial cache for an old deceased cowboy and it was near the ranch he worked for many years before he died. The item belonged to him. I traded my entire swag bag for it and filled the cache up, but all of that might have been worth $10 tops.

 

I showed it to a friend who owns a rock shop called Art By God and he offered me $100 on the spot. I didn't take it because I knew if this tight dude was offering me a Benji that it was probably worth 3+ times that much. I bought the Citrine at Las Vegas Rock and Gem and dropped it in the cache the next time I was in the area. BTW- The person who took that item just called it a pretty rock in their log and probably had no idea what the value was.

 

What was the most expensive item you ever heard was found and % of truth you think it was?

A gold Krugerrand. Totally TRUE. Seen it myself.

 

Muddy Buddies was FTF on the first Krugerrand Run by CaptainJ and a gold Krugerrand was the prize. Ya gotta be a math whiz to get CaptainJ's nautical puzzles, so I didn't even try.

 

CaptainJ put out one more Krugerand cache and there was a big stink over the reviewer refusing to publish without knowing where the final was. I think that one became a terracache.

 

There is also a Lost Krugerrand that has yet to be claimed.

Edited August 13, 2009 by Snoogans