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"Commercialized" Cache swag...


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I am a greenhorn here and it will be some time--probably months--before I place my first cache. But I do have a question or two about "commercialized" swag.

 

I would like to think it would be an exercise in using one's common sense and one's common experience, but I am not sure as to where they draw the line on this. For example: I work for a company where employees (we don't steal) invariably wind up with a lot of really nice ball-point pens that have our company's name on them. That name ("Tillamook Cheese") is rather well known hereabouts and it occurs to me that many cache finders--especially the out-of-towners--might like to have a souvenir pen from here. Plus, one can never have too many ball-point pens. (Unless you are me, that is.) Would it be a no-no or in bad form if I left one of our company pens in a cache? Neither I nor my employer would stand to gain anything from this. The same thing with tide books. A friend of mine puts out a really nice tide table every year. They are large print and are printed on waterproof paper. I love them and they are not cheap. Also, there are numerous businesses here who print smaller (free) tide tables, but on the space provided on the front of them, they stamp in the name and address of their business with a small rubber stamp. After all, they do pay for those books. Tide tables are a useful thing to have in these parts because in many caches (i.e. CCPWC5), tides are a big safety factor, as well as an aesthetic lure. After all, it could be argued that many of the items (a CD, for example) found in caches have some type of a manufacturer's or artist's name on them and such cache placement is advertising and/or promoting someone within the profit-driven music industry. I guess the question I am asking is, "When is a cigar just a cigar?" Anyone?

 

(Edited a couple minutes later to correct minor typo)

Edited by Doubledareya
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Those sound like perfectly acceptable swag items to me. I've heard of folks (maybe it was a thread a few months back), that complained about business cards in a cache, but that seems a bit overly sensitive.

 

The point I would consider a cache to be commercial is if I found some instructions in the cache that required me to buy something at a local business or interact with employees in some way in order to Log a Find.

 

Like you say, "common sense" should prevail :anibad:

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<snip>

The point I would consider a cache to be commercial is if I found some instructions in the cache that requiredme to buy something at a local business or interact with employees in some way in order to Log a Find.

<snip>

But that is clearly a ALR and if your log is deleted you can appeal to GS for it to be restored. I strongly suspect if the cache owner did not remove the ALR the cache will be archived.

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I would probably think a Tillamook Cheese pen had been left in the cache for people to use to sign the log, and not consider it a trade item, but I would not think twice about seeing it in a cache.

 

If I am in the mood to carry trade items, I like to leave old Giants baseball cards., from the days before they became World Champions The team is a commercial entity. The cards might have another commercial logo on them, but they are not meant to entice people to buy season tickets or even chew gum. I even have a cache that was filled with them. Nobody has complained.

 

I have seen lots of things that identify certain companies or organizations -- from scouting patches to Trimble bison tubes, not to mention the ubiquitous McToys. A tide table that had a company name stamped on it could be a useful item for some of the caches in my area and would be the least of my concern.

Edited by mulvaney
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I'd rather find your pens than any more "Jesus Loves You" literature or other associated garbage in the caches. At least a pen I can use :anibad:

 

So, putting the smiley face at the end of your post makes disrespecting an entire group and their beliefs "OK" ? Thanks for that.

 

By the way, your baby is ugly :grin:

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I've found items from the Tillamook cheese factory in caches in the area, and I thought it was fun to find. The guidelines frown upon commercialized caches, but swag is fine. I think if people find what is definitely a blatant advertisement in a cache they may consider it to be in poor taste, but it's still okay to leave as far as I know.

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There are no guidelines pertaining to "commercialized" swag.

 

Then I guess I read the overall guidelines wrong. Thank you for the fast reply!

The commercial aspect of the guidelines pertains to the cache listing itself and not what's in the cache.

 

The guidelines are pretty open with what can be included in a cache. It's mostly common sense stuff and no illegal stuff.

 

"Explosives, fireworks, ammo, lighters, knives (including pocket kni♦ves and multi-tools), drugs, alcohol or other illicit material shouldn't be placed in a cache...Food items are always a bad idea...Even the presence of mint flavored dental floss has led to destruction of one cache."

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If there's something in a cache that you really feel you need to remove for one reason or another then either trade it out for something of equal or better value or just toss it in the trash. If you choose the second option, don't mention it in your log and don't mention it on the forums unless you're prepared for (or purposely trying to attract) drama.

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When I see chick tracts and other things that are hateful your going to hell type stuff I CITO it.

 

Actually, unless you are strapped into a restraint chair, with your eyelids glued open, even the most hateful silliness is not being "shoved" into your face. You still have free will. Hopefully this includes the ability to be in proximity to an opposing viewpoint without being made a part of that viewpoint. As an example, I just took part of what you typed entirely out of context, so that it appears to be the kind of hateful foolishness found in a Chick tract: "your (sic) going to hell" Once I had that tidbit extracted from your message, I was able to read it as a whole, without forming the belief that I was going to Hell. I use an ancient Eastern meditative technique to accomplish this amazing feat, which goes something like this:

 

Just because a scrap of paper says you're going to Hell doesn't mean you really are.

 

If intolerance toward the views of other people is your forte, then I can't help but see you have a lot more in common with Chick than you'd likely care to admit. Chick's message is one of utter intolerance. By allowing yourself to be so offended by that nonsense that you would willingly violate one of the most basic tenants of geocaching, (Trade Up/Trade Even) by treating those tracts as garbage, rather than as trade items demonstrates your own intolerance.

 

When I find a Chick tract, I swap it out. Then I can do with it what I want.

Edited by Clan Riffster
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Fortunately, when it comes to hate literature, taking it out and leaving nothing behind *is* trading up.

Nice one Narcissa! I agree with you wholeheartedly...

 

edit to correct typo

In earlier renditions of this thread, a few people have mentioned that they actually like to collect Chick tracts. Therefore, these items do have value and should not be removed from a cache without trading in another item.

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Fortunately, when it comes to hate literature, taking it out and leaving nothing behind *is* trading up.

Nice one Narcissa! I agree with you wholeheartedly...

 

edit to correct typo

In earlier renditions of this thread, a few people have mentioned that they actually like to collect Chick tracts. Therefore, these items do have value and should not be removed from a cache without trading in another item.

 

I collect them. I think they're hilarious! They are also a great example of how NOT to market a product.

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Fortunately, when it comes to hate literature, taking it out and leaving nothing behind *is* trading up.

Nice one Narcissa! I agree with you wholeheartedly...

 

edit to correct typo

In earlier renditions of this thread, a few people have mentioned that they actually like to collect Chick tracts. Therefore, these items do have value and should not be removed from a cache without trading in another item.

 

See, it's subjective, and that's why "trade up or trade even" is futile.

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From work I have received many little swag items that I have decided have cluttered my desk enough and its time for them to move on. They are from a number of different companies including mine and would be given away at different public events anyway. So I have decided that since I am getting into geocaching that I would start dropping them in the caches I find. They are various sizes too so I can get them in most of the caches.

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Unless you go down to Office Depot, you might be hard pressed to find a pen *without* a logo. :laughing: I don't pay any attention to them other then to read them (curious). I also never remove them 'cause I figure they are there for log signing (wear and a spare). Plus someone might have forgotten a one on their adventures that day, and needs one...

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<snip>

The point I would consider a cache to be commercial is if I found some instructions in the cache that requiredme to buy something at a local business or interact with employees in some way in order to Log a Find.

<snip>

But that is clearly a ALR and if your log is deleted you can appeal to GS for it to be restored. I strongly suspect if the cache owner did not remove the ALR the cache will be archived.

That depends.

 

"In order to log a find, you must post a picture of yourself with Bob the store owner." would be an ALR.

 

"To get the final coordinates, go into the store and ask Bob the store owner for them" would not be an ALR. It would be commercial, though.

 

The geocache is presumed to be commercial if the finder is required to go inside a business, interact with employees, and/or purchase a product or service, or if the cache listing has overtones of advertising, marketing, or promotion.
Edited by Dinoprophet
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I would probably think a Tillamook Cheese pen had been left in the cache for people to use to sign the log, and not consider it a trade item, but I would not think twice about seeing it in a cache

 

We vacation in the summer along the Oregon Coast and loved the Tillamook factory tour. It is a must stop everytime we go by.

 

One Tillamook pen I would think was for signing. Several of them in the cache would lead me to think they were for taking.

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