Movement of TB by mail?

[timinfla]

Very new to this. I found a TB in a cache - not being sure what to do with it I left it there and decided to study the process before doing anything with it. Is it allowed to be picked up by me and mailed to another geocacher a long distance away for them to place in a cache where they live - or am I only supposed to place it in another cache myself?

Just something that my brother and I were discussing as we're both newbies and live across the US from each other and the thought came up that we could do something together this way but don't want to do things that aren't proper.

[+Beach_hut]

I would say only post it with the owner's permission and if the TB's mission was to travel in that direction.

 

Good on you for studying what to do with a TB before actually picking it up. So many new cachers pick up a TB without doing this and end up keeping it and never dropping it off.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

The idea behind trackables is to move from cache-to-cache. It could be mailed, but you really should get permission from the owner first. Many do not want their trackable(s) mailed.

 

Things to consider:

 

Read the trackable mission on the trackable page. What does it say/not say? Many, if not most, specifically say they want to move cache-to-cache to reach their goal. A lot don't have a goal, other than to travel to caches. Just because you find a trackable, that does not necessarily give you carte blanche to do with it what you desire.

Some trackables goals are to simply get to as many caches as they can (skipping across the country doesn't quite get it).

 

Is it YOUR trackable? If so, you can do with it as you wish. Here comes the tough part -- if it isn't yours, don't jump to the conclusion that mailing it is OK (it isn't yours to make that decision about) -- if the owner wanted it mailed somewhere, they very well could have done that themselves.

 

Quite frankly, mailing something like a trackable is "dangerous". It's dangerous to the trackable. Sorry to say this, but mailing something is a very good way to have it lost forever. I don't know why, but trackables have this strange habit of getting lost in the mailing process, seemingly more-so than do other things.

 

That being said... mailing a trackable can be done. But really, you ought to check with the owner, first. That's not a "rule", but is certainly is good "etiquette".

[timinfla]

Thanks for the quick replies. I did try and search the FAQ's and TB forum posts before asking to see if I could find the answer.

 

This particular one originated in Berlin Germany in 2010. The owners wish was to have it find it's way to the US west coast someday. I found it in Florida and my brother lives in Montana so thought this was following the owners desires, but I see the point that he may want it to get there cache-by-cache. I'll try and give the owner a shout to see how they'd like things to go.

 

Looking at the posts it spent a good bit of time traveling back and forth in Germany between the same cities, and once in the States I see that it's bounced between Florida and Ohio a couple of times as well. Is that normal that they bounce between the same sites like that?

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Yeah, even with a specific mission, there is no guarantee (ever) that it is gonna take the easiest route. Sometimes they go around the world just to get next door!

 

That's the neat thing about them.

If you really want to make it fun for the owner...... PHOTOS! It's like a virtual vacation.

 

Good luck and have fun.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Gitchee-Gummee

[timinfla]

I did take some photos and plan to post them for the owner - a couple pic's were of the cool TB Motel container which had a combination lock that you have to retrieve from the owners cache listing and even that only gives a hint of the combination. The pic of the actual TB with my daughter holding it came out great - but after reading online a bit about TB's I read that you should never post a pic that shows the tracing number. I didn't think it would show it, but sure enough when I zoomed in there it was plain as day! So I didn't post it :-)

 

I sent an email to the owner in Germany and will see if he answers back with his desire for the TB. I think I'll go retrieve it anyway and depending on his answer either place it in another cache in a different part of Florida - or mail it to Montana if that's what he wants. Thanks for helping out a new guy!

[+ngrrfan]

This particular one originated in Berlin Germany in 2010. The owners wish was to have it find it's way to the US west coast someday. I found it in Florida and my brother lives in Montana so thought this was following the owners desires, but I see the point that he may want it to get there cache-by-cache. I'll try and give the owner a shout to see how they'd like things to go.

It is one thing for you to take a trip to Montana and let the TB visit caches along the way and then left in Montana. Think of the adventure(s) the TB will have as it is moved along, the places it will go as it travels cache to cache.

Looking at the posts it spent a good bit of time traveling back and forth in Germany between the same cities, and once in the States I see that it's bounced between Florida and Ohio a couple of times as well. Is that normal that they bounce between the same sites like that?

Depending on who moved it or where the people who had it were headed... yes it can be normal.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Now that is a great idea! This would be the perfect time to visit Montana! The weather forecast is wunnerful.

 

[timinfla]

Now that is a great idea! This would be the perfect time to visit Montana! The weather forecast is wunnerful.

 

 

Haha - Especially heading there from Florida When I visit I have to fly or my vacation time would all be used up driving there and back. What a beautiful state though! LOT's of amazing places to place a cache!

Edited January 4, 2014 by timinfla

[+TriciaG]

Flying to Montana and dropping the TB in a cache would look the same on the page as you mailing it to your brother and having him drop it in a cache for you. IMHO. *shrug*

 

Regarding the photo: you can use software to blur out or erase the code. If you aren't sure how but still want to post it, email it to me and I'd be happy to do that for you. I'll pop you a quick message via the system to give you my email address.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Flying to Montana and dropping the TB in a cache would look the same on the page as you mailing it to your brother and having him drop it in a cache for you. IMHO. *shrug*

I wouldn't think so.... I mean, what is the difference if you carry it to a cache during a hike, drive, fly or cruise -- or even a rocket to the ISS? The act of taking it along still involves the hands of a cacher, not a muggle postal person.

Not the same as mailing it at all. It would really be tough to get one across the Atlantic or Pacific by driving (or hiking, for that matter).

[+TriciaG]

I wouldn't think it would disappear any more quickly than being put in most caches. The muggle postal workers don't know it's a TB, and most aren't in the habit of pillaging packages.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Hmmm.... I'm not saying the postal workers take it, and I would never imply that. You read too much into my statements, I think.

When things move hand-to-hand, hand-to-machinery, machinery-to-hand, hand-to-bags, bags-to-trucks, etc., etc., etc.... undue happenings occur far more often than when compared to somebody (one person) taking it from one cache to another cache.

[timinfla]

Yeah, even with a specific mission, there is no guarantee (ever) that it is gonna take the easiest route. Sometimes they go around the world just to get next door!

 

That's the neat thing about them.

If you really want to make it fun for the owner...... PHOTOS! It's like a virtual vacation.

 

Good luck and have fun.

 

How do I post photos of the TB when I find one so that the owner can see where it's been?

[timinfla]

I found the answer on the pinned post in this forum called "HOW TO LOG A TRAVEL BUG OR GEOCOIN"

The answer to mailing a TB is:

You cannot mail a TB without asking the owner first.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

How do I post photos of the TB when I find one so that the owner can see where it's been?

Load your photos onto your computer;

Write out your log for the TB (you can use the Edit option);

When you [submit] that log, the next page (a preview log page) will have three icons near the upper right -- one of which is a photo icon;

Click on that icon and it will set you up with a photo upload page.

 

You can access any of your previously filed logs to upload a photo with the Edit option contained on the log itself.

Edited January 5, 2014 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+Crow-T-Robot]

I found the answer on the pinned post in this forum called "HOW TO LOG A TRAVEL BUG OR GEOCOIN"

The answer to mailing a TB is:

You cannot mail a TB without asking the owner first.

 

Well, saying "cannot" is not entirely correct. You SHOULD ask the owner but if your bug lands in a Stargate or teleport cache, those usually get mailed out without asking permission first. Well, I assume they get mailed....they don't really teleport, do they

[timinfla]

I found the answer on the pinned post in this forum called "HOW TO LOG A TRAVEL BUG OR GEOCOIN"

The answer to mailing a TB is:

You cannot mail a TB without asking the owner first.

 

Well, saying "cannot" is not entirely correct. You SHOULD ask the owner but if your bug lands in a Stargate or teleport cache, those usually get mailed out without asking permission first. Well, I assume they get mailed....they don't really teleport, do they

 

I'm new to this and haven't heard of a Stragate or teleport cache yet - I just copied and pasted the line in bold above from the TB rules on this site...

I did make contact with the owner (he lives in Germany) and he said that he would prefer the TB to be moved to another cache in Florida where I live as opposed to mailing it to Montana. Maybe he doesn't want the TB to freeze

[+The Blorenges]

For info, from the Help Center:

 

Re. Mailing trackables to another geocacher

 

"There may be occasions when you want to mail a Trackable to a geocacher in another location. Please do not mail any trackable without asking the owner first. Mail services to some places are erratic and/or unreliable. Typically, Trackables should travel from geocache to geocache, or directly from the hands of one geocacher to another."

 

As others have mentioned, just email the owner first and ask. I prefer not to have any of my trackables put in the mail but, on the other hand, if somebody's trackable has been stuck in a geocaching whirlpool for a long while (I've found that there is such a whirlpool in Germany ) they may be only too happy to see it escape to another country by mail!

 

MrsB