How much should a swag item cost?

[+sshipway]

So, I've seen too many caches holding nothing but a 5c coin, business card, or something you'd find in a cracker. I've tried to upgrade swag by placing some nicer items in there, but its a losing battle I'll also place a better swag item if I remove a TB/GC or if I particularly like the cache placement.

 

What do people think should be the value of an item of swag? I'd say it depends on your country of reference, but maybe UKP1.5, US$2, NZ$3, NT$40 would be a good guideline.

 

What value items do you tend to place?

[+G & C]

I tend to place items that are equal to the value of the item that I remove or more. If I don't remove anything, I usually leave something that I think my kids would think was funny or cool to find in a cache, value being a less important factor.

 

I tend to focus less on monetary value, and more on stuff that kids would like to find. As far as I'm concerned, swag is more about kids than adults. Some opinions may vary.

[+A & J Tooling]

I'm extremely new to this but I make a 'coin' out of corian, about the size of a quarter with a lithopane inscribed on it. To buy one? 5-10 bucks but since I make them myself, they're free minus time and materials.

 

The majority of stuff I have seen in my very limited time doing this, is nickle and dime gumball machine stuff. Fun for kids but not really tradeable material.

[+joranda]

In my area cachers are more into the cache find and not the swag find. In all the different areas that I cache in, and I do travel to alot of different areas and states, you just don't see much swag anymore. Is swag becoming a thing of the past?

[Pup Patrol]

I'll also place a better swag item if I remove a TB/GC or if I particularly like the cache placement.

 

Just a note: travel bugs and geocoins are not trade items. They are meant to travel, and don't fall under the "trade even or trade up" philosophy.

 

We don't do much trading any more. At most, we'll leave items without taking any, but only if the cache is large enough to accommodate the swag we have. I have left behind small notebooks, novelty erasers, pencils, stencils, bookmarks, etc. But it got to the point where the caches were too small to leave things, so I've tended to forego carrying the swag bag to the cache.

[+L0ne.R]

So, I've seen too many caches holding nothing but a 5c coin, business card, or something you'd find in a cracker. I've tried to upgrade swag by placing some nicer items in there, but its a losing battle I'll also place a better swag item if I remove a TB/GC or if I particularly like the cache placement.

 

What do people think should be the value of an item of swag? I'd say it depends on your country of reference, but maybe UKP1.5, US$2, NZ$3, NT$40 would be a good guideline.

 

What value items do you tend to place?

 

I think around the US$2 mark is a good figure. I don't actually like seeing anything expensive in the cache, e.g. a $20 maglite.

• Most people aren't carrying around a $20 swag item in order to trade equally.
• Someone might trade equally by leaving 10 $2 items. But it feels like they didn't trade when you see a cache full of $2 trinkets rather then one $20 item.
• Someone might assume it's a knockoff maglite you got from the dollar store and trade for one of the dollar items they carry. Or they may have no idea what the maglite costs and assume it's worth a couple of bucks.
• If I really want a maglite I'd go buy a new one.

[+emabie]

I tend to place items that are equal to the value of the item that I remove or more. If I don't remove anything, I usually leave something that I think my kids would think was funny or cool to find in a cache, value being a less important factor.

 

I tend to focus less on monetary value, and more on stuff that kids would like to find. As far as I'm concerned, swag is more about kids than adults. Some opinions may vary.

 

I agree with this. I almost never take or leave anything myself. It's the kids that get excited about the SWAG. The monetary value of it is not relevant to them, they see a cool "cracker" toy or even a McD toy that they want they are happy. I always put something of = or better value in, though value can be subjective to some.

[+rav_bunneh]

With SWAG as with Life; Variety is the spice of life. :3

 

I try to have a variety of swag items as well as some sig. items. Not only of various prices, but of various sizes as well. That said, if you see me about to visit a cache feel free to slip a winning lottery ticket into the cache. lol

[+BuckeyeClan]

It can be hard to put a dollar amount on some stuff, especially if it's hand-made. Most of the swag we leave is somewhere in the .15 to $2 range, though I rarely see or trade for $2 stuff. Some of the things that my kids like to trade for are really inexpensive, like foreign coins, shiny marbles/stones, and cheap toys. I try to carry things in a variety of sizes and costs so I always have something that will be an even trade.

[+briansnat]

I don't there should be any "should bes" regarding the cost of the swag. It's totally up to the owner.

 

I spend anywhere from 50 cents to about $5 per item (with occasional exceptions), with most of them costing between a buck and two. But that's me. Some would prefer to spend less and some more.

[+Panther&Pine]

I've got a bag of stuff that goes with me, anything from pretty beads/rocks to mini puzzles.

I haven't bought any swag, I mainly use little odds and ends that I am given when my mother sends me a present. Little puzzles, old kids jewlery that doesn't fit, weird gag gifts (that are appropriate for children) and that sort of thing.

If it gets to the point where my mother has sent me all the little odds and ends from my childhood and I need to get more swag I'll probably make something or just keep with the sig. items. The reason? I don't need any more odds and ends in my life.

[+Kyle98632]

Cost is irrelavent. If you have an item you find interesting, something if you found in a cache you would consider taking, that should be the more defining factor. I went to an estate sale and bought $3 worth of hand painted hermit crab sells at 10 cents each. Only costed me a dime I know but its something I would enjoy finding in a cache. Its way more likely to be wanted than a single monkey from a barrel of monkeys game

[+autigerman]

I don't usually trade because the caches I have found really don't have anything I would want. I have enough junk/stuff in my life that I don't need anymore. I'm working on a sig. item that I'll leave in caches without trading anything. This costs about $2.00US for materials plus a few minutes of my time. I'm also thinking about trying to gather up some 4X4 toy car models to leave in some caches for the kids.

 

On the other hand, I do cache with a 9 y.o. boy who likes swapping swag. Saturday, he swapped for a car from one cache we found and then swapped that car for a cooler one in a cache we found later in the afternoon.

[+A & J Tooling]

Yesterday, my son put in a dollar bill for 1 pokemon card. I wanted to say something but to him, it was worth 1 dollar. So be it. We found the dollar bill at the cache before this one.

[+GeoReapers]

I tend to operate in about the $2 range, but that is just us. We do carry stuff of slightly more value around, just in case, but really I think it is a "what is it worth to you" sort of a thing. If you are seeing the kind of SWAG that makes you think "wow, that is so cool, and very valuable to me" then return something of even value to you. A Mercedez that cost $20 is still a Mercedez.

[+niraD]

As long as you trade up or trade even, I don't think there should be any minimum value for trade items. But as Lone R pointed out, it's possible for trade items to be too valuable. I think anything more expensive than an unregistered geocoin is a bit much, just because few people will be able to trade up or trade even.

 

As for the stuff I leave, the personal sig tokens I leave for every cache are worth a few cents each based on the amount of polymer clay I used to make them. When I trade for other geocachers' sig items, I often leave foreign coins, ready-to-hide Bison-style caches, unregistered TB tags, small ceramic figurines, or other trinkets I've been given by people who know I have a use for such things. I would guess their value as ranging from a few cents to about $5.

[+ApanAnn]

I tend to raid my whimsy jar before going caching so I don't actually buy my swag. Most of it would probably be cheap junk in someone elses eyes, but I do it for the kids and those like me that refuse to grow up...

[+the4dirtydogs]

That would really depend on how much you want to spend yourself. Most swag that's traded around here seems to be in the $1-$3 range. Some COs have better swag than others also, so we carry $5-$10 items as well. My daughter(7) is really the only person in our family that likes to trade things. Her job is to pick out the swag we buy when we go shopping for items. So she is the BOSS of swag in our caching team. I like to leave fishing lures on trail caches we find.

[+StarBrand]

I don't think average is very good measure. Sometimes I'll drop a few items in a depleted cache and take nothing. Most often I trade up or trade even. I try to leave value. If I take a $8 piece of swag - I leave that or better.

 

I often buy things on sale as well. Last fall I got 50 mini calculators originally marked at $2.99 - I got them for 10 cents each. So wold you consider that 10 cent swag or $3 swag?? I don't know either.

 

Most of the stuff I stock my caches with cost me between 50 cents and five dollars. Much of the stuff I carry was bought for $3 or less but I carry a $25 digital watch and $10 items in case I come across some nicer swag.

[+mobywv]

I think it reflects well on the cache owner if the swag in the cache is good. I've found so many caches with garbage or simply no swag at all inside. I know I often visit my caches and replenish the swag if need be. You can get a lot of great stuff at the Dollar Tree if you have one of those. Even if you don't have one, just check out any local dollar store. I've also found plenty of good deals online from the mom and pop sellers. Just got to do a little searching.

[+pyromomma]

I don't there should be any "should bes" regarding the cost of the swag. It's totally up to the owner.

 

I spend anywhere from 50 cents to about $5 per item (with occasional exceptions), with most of them costing between a buck and two. But that's me. Some would prefer to spend less and some more.

 

When the cache is put out the owner usually puts good swag in it. But the longer the cache is out the more it spirals downward in the swag quality. Soon all that is in there is sticks, leaves, and old chewing gum (I know that we all have stories about the trash we have found in caches). Periodically I visit each of my caches and top off the swag. And I clean out the trash at the same time in my caches and in other caches that I find.

 

I tend to operate in about the $2 range, but that is just us. We do carry stuff of slightly more value around, just in case, but really I think it is a "what is it worth to you" sort of a thing. If you are seeing the kind of SWAG that makes you think "wow, that is so cool, and very valuable to me" then return something of even value to you. A Mercedez that cost $20 is still a Mercedez.

 

I think it reflects well on the cache owner if the swag in the cache is good. I've found so many caches with garbage or simply no swag at all inside. I know I often visit my caches and replenish the swag if need be. You can get a lot of great stuff at the Dollar Tree if you have one of those. Even if you don't have one, just check out any local dollar store. I've also found plenty of good deals online from the mom and pop sellers. Just got to do a little searching.

 

As a cache owner I do the same - replenish as needed, with a mix of dollar tree items, stuff that I find on sale, or cool freebies from businesses. My rule: if I think that a kid will bug her eyes out or an adult will say "Yesssss" then it is a good cache item. I carry small army men , shiny stones, old pins (look in the junk boxes at garage sales- usually you can get a whole bag of them for 50 cents) and cool antique buttons that will fit in the tiny caches and to put into film canisters.

 

For caches that I visit I seldom take anything and almost always leave something. I always carry a bag of swag stuff to put into caches that are just so wonderful that they deserve great swag and I clean out the trash as a favor to the owner, too.

 

I watch for interesting stuff at garage sales: bag'o'toys cleaned well, paperback books or kid-friendly dvds-in a ziplock, little statues or ceramic frogs/critters, good plastic farm animals or dinosaurs. I try to get stuff that will withstand flooding and manhandling.

 

It is amazing what $25 at the Oriental Trading website can get you, by the way. And Woot.com has some cool stuff, too - I got 100 nice solar calculators for $15 there once (packaged them in ziplocs so they did not get ruined by damp).

 

As far as signature items? We have 2 cachers in the area that leave ninjas and mermaids, those are cool, and you know that they were there, but their names are not emblazoned on them. But man, I am tired of cleaning out a 2 inch layer of old business cards (I should start collecting them and put them on mailing lists for Amway), and home-imprinted stuff that says Bob and Barb were here. That is what the log is for and most caches are too small for that. (My apologies if any of the readers here do that, it is my pet peeve - Your Mileage May Vary.) An exception to that peeve is if the sig item is something useful or artistic: I did find a really nice polymer clay (FIMO) disk that had a cool stamped design on one side and the cacher's name on the other- I drilled a hole in it and made it into a necklace and really enjoy wearing it- it is a tiny bit of art. When I am done I will turn it into a travel bug. Personalized pencils are cool, too (Oriental Trading has them).

 

I go for the hunt, not the numbers or the swag.

Cheers

Pyro

 

A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.'

Douglas Adams

[+briansnat]

When the cache is put out the owner usually puts good swag in it. But the longer the cache is out the more it spirals downward in the swag quality. Soon all that is in there is sticks, leaves, and old chewing gum (I know that we all have stories about the trash we have found in caches). Periodically I visit each of my caches and top off the swag. And I clean out the trash at the same time in my caches and in other caches that I find.

 

I did the same thing for a long time, but with 200+ active caches it became an expensive proposition. It costs enough to put them out, I'd go broke if I regularly topped off the caches. Not that I never do it, but most of the time if the logbook has room and the contents are dry when I check, that is usually good enough for me.

[Quetzal1234]

This is slightly off topic, but I've been wondering what people think of foreign coins as swag. As a kid, I loved them and collected them, and my dad still travels a lot so there are a ton laying around the house.

I've thought about trading them because they're small enough that they can fit in a lot of small/micros. Of course, I only think that the unusual (well, unusual for the midwest!) ones are worth trading - norweigan (because they have holes in them, of course!), australian, new zealand, old german marks (which we have a ton of). What are other opinions?

[+NicknPapa]

This is slightly off topic, but I've been wondering what people think of foreign coins as swag. As a kid, I loved them and collected them, and my dad still travels a lot so there are a ton laying around the house.

I've thought about trading them because they're small enough that they can fit in a lot of small/micros. Of course, I only think that the unusual (well, unusual for the midwest!) ones are worth trading - norweigan (because they have holes in them, of course!), australian, new zealand, old german marks (which we have a ton of). What are other opinions?

I agree. There are at least a couple of caches within a 100 mile radius of here that are foreign coin themed and they seem to be pretty popular. I know my grandson loves to find foreign coins or challenge coins or pretty much anything similar.

[+StarBrand]

This is slightly off topic, but I've been wondering what people think of foreign coins as swag. As a kid, I loved them and collected them, and my dad still travels a lot so there are a ton laying around the house.

I've thought about trading them because they're small enough that they can fit in a lot of small/micros. Of course, I only think that the unusual (well, unusual for the midwest!) ones are worth trading - norweigan (because they have holes in them, of course!), australian, new zealand, old german marks (which we have a ton of). What are other opinions?

I often trade with foreign coins. I carry a large bag full of them in my cachemobile.

[+sshipway]

Since I go caching with my kids (3 and 5) the main thing of interest to them is finding cool stuff they can grab (and I have to replace with something else :/ ) so this is why the swag is important to me. Finding GC/TB items (yes, I know I cant keep them!) is exciting to the kids, too, so I put in something nice as well. I want to reward the cache-creator by adding nice things and thus making their cache more popular - else all we'll be finding is stuff that not even a small kids would want.

 

My test would be, if my 3-year-old would like to grab it, then its OK to use as swag

 

Steve

[+Starkes]

I only go after pins (trying to build up a collection of pins only found in caches), and so I usually trade in foreign coins (my father goes overseas for business frequently so I ask him to bring me coins/notes, mostly euro cents, hong kong dollars, and chinese yuan) since they fit in the same size of cache a pin could fit in.

[+pyromomma]

Foreign coins are great swag! They are small, you usually have a few jangling around in a drawer, and are wonderful for history and geography. Many kids do not realize that other countries have different money. I remember the first time that I saw a Chinese coin with a hole in it - I just about flipped! I probably still have it tucked away somewhere. We adults take so much for granted.

On the flip side, when I travel I take pennies and dimes and the states quarters and old cancelled US postage stamps to use as little gifts for the kids that I meet in Europe. They love them! (and the stamps take up nearly no room). It is so funny that our common pennies can fascinate a kid in London. That coin collecting thing can really stick!

Foreign stamps in a cache would be great if they were very securely sealed in a plastic bag.

[tttedzeins]

If I am going on a trip I usually go to the souvenir shop and buy 15 - 20 $5.00 items to place in caches. Any left overs go in local caches when I get a chance.

[+nittanycopa]

This is slightly off topic, but I've been wondering what people think of foreign coins as swag. As a kid, I loved them and collected them, and my dad still travels a lot so there are a ton laying around the house.

I've thought about trading them because they're small enough that they can fit in a lot of small/micros. Of course, I only think that the unusual (well, unusual for the midwest!) ones are worth trading - norweigan (because they have holes in them, of course!), australian, new zealand, old german marks (which we have a ton of). What are other opinions?

 

I love trading foreign coins. I keep a mix of older coins - Pfennig, Zloty, and a few newer Euro and Canadian coins - on me for trade items if I feel inclined to trade something.

 

I'm not much into this for the swag side of things. I can see it being nice, though, if you have kids involved. If I do happen to hide a large cache, I'd stock it with a few items in the $1-$3 range.

[+spdrbob]

I just started recently and enjoy doing it with my 10 and 8 year old boys. They love the act of the find but like it even more so when there is some swag they would like to keep. We made a pack filled with things they like and have a lot of that they would be interested to find. Lego guys , teck-decks , silly bands , cool rocks, coins and Hot wheeels. I think it's less about the value but things that are different or that are interesting to kids. Even if there is nothing good in the cache we leave a bunch of our stuff for the next cachers. We are loving this game.