buy just a trackable code?

[+Blue_Ranger]

I saw a DIY page showing how to make your own wooden nickels, and someone said you can buy batches of trackable codes. I don't mean the key tags and whatever, this person was saying you can buy just a batch of 50 or so valid codes. I just came from the store site, and I don't see this there. Was this person right, and where do I find it?

[+Ravenhawk80]

https://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=332

 

There´re all informations that you need.

[+Blue_Ranger]

Ah, I see. What I actually want valid codes for, is for homemade trackables. I make walking sticks- I have access to private property where lots of ash saplings are growing as unwanted brush- and if I know someone is a geocacher, I'd burn one of the codes on it. So, to do what I have in mind, I would have to order some QR tags, wouldn't I?

[+T.D.M.22]

Ah, I see. What I actually want valid codes for, is for homemade trackables. I make walking sticks- I have access to private property where lots of ash saplings are growing as unwanted brush- and if I know someone is a geocacher, I'd burn one of the codes on it. So, to do what I have in mind, I would have to order some QR tags, wouldn't I?

 

Did you read the info on the link? You could do it that way. Or if not, you can buy some travel bugs and use the codes from those. This is a good option if you're just making a few. Or you could get a few trackable walking stick medallions from the geocaching store here>>> http://shop.geocaching.com/default/trackable-items/geocoins/trackable-hiking-stick-medallion.html

[+cerberus1]

If you're going to use 50 codes on trackable items during your caching career, 50 (the minimum) at $1.50 is a heck-of-a-lot cheaper than $5.99 each for qr tags.

Regular travel bug dog tags are 4.99 ea if you only need a few for their code.

[+Blue_Ranger]

From the link, it seemed like it was for ordering custom coins, and you needed to get the design approved by Groundspeak first. I'll take another look, it would be nice to get a whole lot of valid codes for $75, as opposed to $4.25 each as the cheapest option for tracking bug tags.

 

Yes, I have seen the medallions. I was looking for a cheaper option than $10 each.

[+T.D.M.22]

From the link, it seemed like it was for ordering custom coins, and you needed to get the design approved by Groundspeak first. I'll take another look, it would be nice to get a whole lot of valid codes for $75, as opposed to $4.25 each as the cheapest option for tracking bug tags.

 

Yes, I have seen the medallions. I was looking for a cheaper option than $10 each.

 

Kinda. We use coins as a kind of generic term. Like there's travel bugs, and all other trackables are coins. There's been lots of items- your average coins, guitars, ones that look like cookies, or playing cards, even one that was a small 3d model of the space shuttle. We call them all coins.

[+Blue_Ranger]

Well, after sending an e-mail to the address linked in the policy article, I got a reply. The restrictions involved, for me at least, aren't worth the savings in buying the codes cheap.

The entire batch gets the same name, all designs have to be approved first- seems like a real nuisance for homemade items- and the phrase "trackable at geocaching.com" has to be on it.

So I'll just order TB tags. When published, the TB tag was attached, not my fault the person removed it and just uses the code that was also burned on.

[craigmusselman]

Well, after sending an e-mail to the address linked in the policy article, I got a reply. The restrictions involved, for me at least, aren't worth the savings in buying the codes cheap.

The entire batch gets the same name, all designs have to be approved first- seems like a real nuisance for homemade items- and the phrase "trackable at geocaching.com" has to be on it.

So I'll just order TB tags. When published, the TB tag was attached, not my fault the person removed it and just uses the code that was also burned on.

 

after extensive search the cheapest i could get was 6 for 25.99 google "6 Pack 2014 Halloween Series Tags" if that helps

[+Blue_Ranger]

The basic TB tags are $4.25 each if you buy at least 8 at a time, near as I can tell that's the cheapest option. I like that the new owner can name it whatever he/she wants, "Bob Smith's Hiking Stick" or whatever, rather than the entire batch having to have one generic name when ordered.

[+NanCycle]

Well, after sending an e-mail to the address linked in the policy article, I got a reply. The restrictions involved, for me at least, aren't worth the savings in buying the codes cheap.

The entire batch gets the same name, all designs have to be approved first- seems like a real nuisance for homemade items- and the phrase "trackable at geocaching.com" has to be on it.

So I'll just order TB tags. When published, the TB tag was attached, not my fault the person removed it and just uses the code that was also burned on.

 

There is no problem at all with just using the code that you burned into the stick. Once you own the code, it is yours to do whatever (within reason) you want with it. You can burn it into a stick, tattoo it on your body, print it on your T-shirt, etc. You would want to give the tag to the person who has the stick, but there's really no reason to even attach it.

 

Edit: typo of course.

Edited April 24, 2015 by NanCycle

[+theGeOJos]

Sooooo... about these sticks.... Are you planning to sell them? I know some people these would make great presents for.

[+The Lambs @ 9]

I saw a DIY page showing how to make your own wooden nickels, and someone said you can buy batches of trackable codes. I don't mean the key tags and whatever, this person was saying you can buy just a batch of 50 or so valid codes. I just came from the store site, and I don't see this there. Was this person right, and where do I find it?

 

In order to buy codes you will need to apply to Groundspeak. You will need to put a proposal together on what you are going to do with the codes and how you are going to use them. You will not be able to resell these codes and everything you make will have to be approved by Groundspeak prior to release..it's not as easy as it looks as they might refuse your designs.

Edited September 9, 2015 by The Lambs @ 9

[xumatt]

try this geocaching.com/account/orders/new 

[Darwin473]

That's pretty much the link in the first response to the OP.

 

On 9/10/2015 at 6:00 AM, The Lambs @ 9 said:

You will not be able to resell these codes and everything you make will have to be approved by Groundspeak prior to release..

 

I was reading all the fine print I could get on bulk TB codes, and (if I'm reading it right - which is a big "if") then anybody can buy bulk codes on the conditions that:

• They order a minimum of 50,
• A design is created which includes the required "Log at GC" text (and includes R and TM notes if specific logos are used),
• The design is approved,
• The order is paid for, and
• The coins are created as per the design by a manufacturer.

If all five conditions are met, then it's all ay-okay. So the sticking points for people like me who are trying to do it as cheap as possible are:

• getting the design approved (I have no idea what is a shoe-in, what is a gray area, and what will cause a quick rejection - apart from the obvious "no adult material" as noted)
• getting a manufacturer to make the selected designs for $3.49 or less including all costs such as postage.

The $3.49 figure comes from the cost of a basic Travel Bug tag ($4.99) minus a bulk code ($1.50). If your costs to get the code are higher than a basic TB then you're better off saving the hassle and buying them instead. Now, if you set yourself up to produce your own coins, and you get your design approved then you could be able to do it for less than $3.49 each.

 

Let's say you can get a friend to 3D print you a master copy of your coin design, and since it's one small coin they do it for free. Next, you want some Mold-Max 60 high temperature silicone rubber, and you get it from Amazon for $28.99 (the small trial size pack). That should be enough to make three or five molds, and we'll assume you have enough scraps of stuff and plastic cups to mix and make forms for your molds without any additional costs. Let's assume you want your coins to weigh about 10 grams (between the weight of a dollar and a half-dollar, about the same as a standard casino poker chip). For 50 coins you'd only need 500 grams, which is roughly one pound. You can get lead free pewter from Amazon for $27.99 a pound. We'll assume you're good at casting and have no waste, and decide to make your coins a bit undersize so you don't need to order more. Since it's a low temperature metals, you can use propane and your grill to melt it down (hence why you'd use the lead free version).

 

According to my math, I get a total of $131.98 from $75 (for 50 x codes) + $28.99 (for the casting mold) + $27.99 (lead free pewter); which divided across 50 coins comes to about $2.64 per coin. This assumes that you already have some hand tools and consumables lying around and don't have any wastage. It does not include a method for putting the unique codes onto each coin, and assumes you're not having any wastage from trying to do this for the first time. The actual costs are higher if you take into account things like the propane, shipping, your labor costs, wear and tear on your existing tools and so on.

 

But I'd put $2.64 per coin to be about the lowest you can go as far as I can tell, unless you find stuff on special. If you already have pewter (or other metal you can melt), a furnace, tools, casting silicone and so on, then your apparent costs come down, but you were already making stuff out of metal anyway. You could probably do the above but make all the coins out of epoxy resin instead of metal for less.

 

I got a bit carried away, but if you're still reading this essay, the point is that I think that Groundspeak want physical coins produced, and that you don't try and sell the codes on their own. So long as the box is ticked and some type of physical coin is produced then they shouldn't have an issue with you then transcribing those codes onto something else that isn't the code, the same as if you bought a bunch of TB's from the store. After all, not everybody is going to have the capacity or space to produce their own coins. Though if they find out that you made your coins out of clay just to tick the box, then they might still turn around and de-activate your codes since you're going against the spirit of the rules.

 

Keep in mind that all the above is in USD, dirty foreigners like me will have a higher cost due to the conversion to their own currency (currently 71 US cents per Aussie dollar, so a 30% tax before even adding the extra postage). Also, there are places to reduce costs (such as using cheap lead instead of pewter) or increase cost (such as melting down aluminium cans - the cans are "free" but the forge and gas hot enough to melt aluminium has a much higher purchase cost)

Edited October 19, 2020 by Unit473L
corrected a link and typos

[RuideAlmeida]

5 hours ago, Unit473L said:

According to my math...

 

I didn't checked in detail all your calculations... but some considerations (no pun intended) come to mind.

 

I don't quite understand when you take the cost of a geocoin code out of a TB price... two different things.

When producing a geocoin, what you buy are geocoin codes, not TB codes... then if you pretend to sell those geocoins, the vast majority of people will want them to have personalized icons, so you should consider $150 more to production costs.

If you just want the geocoins for your own use... what is the logic of looking to the unit price, if you spend much more on total, when you just needed a handful of TBs?

Edited October 19, 2020 by RuideAlmeida

[+cerberus1]

4 hours ago, RuideAlmeida said:

I didn't checked in detail all your calculations... but some considerations (no pun intended) come to mind.

 

I don't quite understand when you take the cost of a geocoin code out of a TB price... two different things.

When producing a geocoin, what you buy are geocoin codes, not TB codes... then if you pretend to sell those geocoins, the vast majority of people will want them to have personalized icons, so you should consider $150 more to production costs.

If you just want the geocoins for your own use... what is the logic of looking to the unit price, if you spend much more on total, when you just needed a handful of TBs.

 

Agreed.    I can't see a one-time small effort to produce coins, then have all with the default trackable scarab, instead of a custom design.    

- That's an additional 150 bucks for the design (that has to be approved by Groundspeak), not including the custom dies. 

And as he says, the costs  "does not include a method for putting the unique codes onto each coin" either.  

 

[Darwin473]

Agreed to both, it isn't worth the effort (if it was, I'd have probably already done so).

 

The cheapest way to get a few codes to put on own items is to just buy a few TB's on sale.

 

7 hours ago, RuideAlmeida said:

then if you pretend to sell those geocoins, the vast majority of people will want them to have personalized icons

 

The Op asked (five years ago) about getting 50 codes to put onto walking sticks to give away. So no selling (or pretending), and the "point" of making the effort to make a quantity of coins is to tick all the Groundspeak boxes for bulk purchase. On the considerations page, it doesn't actually say that if someone does a bulk purchase of codes that they have to physically produce a a coin - but it is heavily implied. Unless the OP submitted the design of the walking sticks, in which case they'd be able to do exactly as they said in their second post - produce a quantity of walking sticks which are trackable on GC to give away to friends and people they like.