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Best FTF rewards


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The first and foremost "reward" is the blank logsheet. Nothing more nor anything less.

There is no real need to entice others (with prizes or money) to find a newly placed cache. If it is there for the FTF, people will go for it!

 

(Whisper)... "If you build it, they will come."

 

On the lighter side... forget the $20 bill, just put in the keys and pink slip to a Maserati, or perhaps a gold double-eagle if'n you don't want to give away your Maserati.

 

An FTF prize -- be it coupon, $1, $10, a $5,000 coin or a car is a nice gesture for sure, but unnecessary.

Folks fight over FTF finds as it is... no need to turn it into a brawl.

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^^^^

+1

Years ago, when cachers were few, a ftf prize was a good incentive to get someone out of the house, especially if a long distance hike (anyone else remember those?) or higher terrain.

Today, with so many cachers and some third party sites listing ftf for stats, a prize doesn't seem needed much anymore. :)

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What is the best FTF reward you have found or put out?

 

I can't say I've ever been FTF, is it customary to include something? I planning my first and maybe last caches and think spending $10-20 would be fair..

 

The best FTF prize is a nice new cache in a good location. HTH.

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I've seen logs mentioning a "cold beer" (Quality beer that is, not the watered down variety). Most caches seem to be found within 15 minutes of publishing around here.

 

I'm not a FTF hunter (not even if one is published right around the corner) but got a nice enamel badge from a FTF in Japan.

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The first and foremost "reward" is the blank logsheet. Nothing more nor anything less.

There is no real need to entice others (with prizes or money) to find a newly placed cache. If it is there for the FTF, people will go for it!

 

(Whisper)... "If you build it, they will come."

 

On the lighter side... forget the $20 bill, just put in the keys and pink slip to a Maserati, or perhaps a gold double-eagle if'n you don't want to give away your Maserati.

 

An FTF prize -- be it coupon, $1, $10, a $5,000 coin or a car is a nice gesture for sure, but unnecessary.

Folks fight over FTF finds as it is... no need to turn it into a brawl.

FTF prizes were once quite common when I started caching via geocaching.com. I started out in the Portland area, and I think most of the FTF gifting was fostered by good community, and for the fact that we felt like we were giving a fun gift to our friends. That whole ideal changed, however. FTF gifts started to disappear quickly around 2006-2007 in the area.

 

It was once commonplace to find nice cache swag too... So at the same time we would have an unactivated trackable (sometimes a geocoin, even!), a $5-$20 gift card for somewhere, or even cash for a FTF gift on top of the top-notch swag.

 

And you know what? People really did take "up, even, or not at all" quite seriously at one time too. So, that's how I'd guess the FTF gifting went as well--if I found a cache first and took the "prize", I'd be sure to include one in my next cache placement of equal or greater value.

 

The real gift was when you'd see a really tough puzzle, and someone would add a prize related to the puzzle--be that a book, a CD, or a gift card of some kind. But now we have tiny caches in lamp posts for finals to puzzles, and small caches which aren't remarkable. So the "FTF" craze is more about being first than it is to celebrate the fun community you've taken part in where you nudge your buddies by dangling a little prize in front of them for being "first".

 

I don't think I've seen a notable FTF prize since 2008 or 2009.

 

And more common has been someone who leaves an activated trackable that doesn't belong to them as the "FTF prize"... <_<:laughing:

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I recently saw a listing that had a $25 Wally world card for FTF and a $5 card for STF. Seemed a bit excessive considering the likelihood of that cache being found withing 24-48hrs. Not that I'd complain! I'm sure some nice tradeables or other geocaching things could be bought with that.

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And more common has been someone who leaves an activated trackable that doesn't belong to them as the "FTF prize"... <_<:laughing:

No way...

Thought that was done only in our area (new folks who don't know better mostly).

Never noticed it mentioned here before.

I've seen it in living (and caching) in PDX, Minnesota, and now Alaska.

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I have nearly always put an unactivated coin in my cache for the FTF, not as an incentive, but just as a fun gift. There isn't a ton of competition out this way (as far as I know), or at least I've had different people FTF each of mine. I have also put gift cards and books. My next one out (written up but not submitted) will have three unactivated coins with the request that the FTF take choice of the first and leave the others for the next folks. I'm tempted to also get a pirate Lego set to stick in there since the container is big enough. That should be a first for someone.

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I recently saw a listing that had a $25 Wally world card for FTF and a $5 card for STF. Seemed a bit excessive considering the likelihood of that cache being found withing 24-48hrs. Not that I'd complain! I'm sure some nice tradeables or other geocaching things could be bought with that.

Sounds like bribes to get people to find his cache.

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There was a series of caches that someone put a Susan B Anthony gold coins in each one. I was FTF on another cache and I believe it was $25 dollars because it was a final to a different series and he figured you used a lot of gas to get each stage.

Most I gave was a $5 bill

Edited by jellis
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Once I put an unactivated coin in a cache for the FTF. The FTF cacher complained (!) about the coin "not working". :)

 

The coin never was activated since then...(yes, I tried to explain the gift). *shrug*

 

Odds are, the cacher still has the coin, then. If he had been able to activate it, he probably would not have it any longer.

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I've encountered a few FTF prizes: TB (for 3 first finders on an hard puzzle), 10 Shekels (well, it involved walking through huge thorns in humid hot day, so you deserve 2/3 of a cost of a good ice cream :P ), and a fake rolex watch (well, I assume it's fake...).

 

I think getting the FTF is enough motivation to get to the cache, so the prize is a nice touch addition only. I do, however, love caches with swag - and unfortunately you don't see much of them in cities, and most caches in my country are either micro or small. I miss the big ones, who really feel like a treasure box!

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I just put my first cache in for review yesterday. I had originally thought it would be fun to use it as a book exchange, but some more experienced and wiser cachers advised me that I'd end up with either an empty cache or an ammo box of soggy Harlequin romance novels. So instead I logged a few novels with Bookcrossing, wrapped them in ziplocks, and sent them on their way. I kept it close to my house so that I can occasionally throw a few new novels in on my way home from work. I'm a big book nerd, so I would be thrilled to find a cache with books in it. I hope some others in the area feel the same way. Even if no one chooses to log the book with Bookcrossing, I'm only out a couple of bucks and hopefully someone will enjoy the FTF.

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Did an FTF yesterday and got an unactivated trackable "First To Find Micro Geo-Award". Nice!

 

FTF awards I included in my caches:

• a 10 EUR voucher for the restaurant nearby, the FTFer choosed to have a drink at the bar

• a big blue marble with the geocaching logo on it

• an unactivated FTF geocoin (see picture posted here, the frog coin) - however, as already told, the finder never understood what an unactivated coin is for...(activation? huh?) :D

• All of my caches had certificates.

 

Once I found a small bottle of sparkling wine, decorated as FTF price. Despite not liking food in caches this seemed fresh enough, so we celebrated on the spot (and CITOed).

 

However, meanwhile I considered this a dumb practise, not wanting to over-estimate the FTF sidegame anymore. But with yesterdays found of the FTF geocoin prize I might reconsider things. I was really pleased by this, so I think it indeed is a nice thing to include.

Edited by Ben0w
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FTF awards I included in my caches:

• a 10 EUR voucher for the restaurant nearby, the FTFer choosed to have a drink at the bar

 

I would consider this commercial (promoting a business) and thus against the guidelines :ph34r:

Edited by on4bam
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Back in 2010 I hid a series of ten caches which were daisy-chained together in such a way that you had to find them all to eventually find the final (before this sort of thing was disallowed by the guidelines) AND had each of them published two days after the preceding cache - 9 caches plus the bonus cache published over an 18 day period.

 

Thus, whoever got FTF would have to work pretty hard given that only #1 could be done as a park-and-grab.

 

#10 contained an unactivated FTF geocoin as a prize and the winner certainly earned it B)

 

I've put unactivated trackables in a few other caches over the years - mainly puzzles which required significant effort to solve.

 

I have to say that FTF prizes are quite rare around here and that very few people ever offer them.

 

That said - I still love my FTF's and, as others have said, the prize is the find itself :)

 

In summary, if I've ever provided an FTF prize it's been nothing to do with incentivising a find and everything to do with rewarding the effort required to be FTF on those particular caches - and I've done it because I thought it was fun and a nice thing to do.

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FTF awards I included in my caches:

• a 10 EUR voucher for the restaurant nearby, the FTFer choosed to have a drink at the bar

I would consider this commercial (promoting a business) and thus against the guidelines :ph34r:

 

The promotion rule is about a cache (description), not it's contents.

 

The cache location is reached by a small path and provides a nice view. The restaurant just is nearby at the start of the path.

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FTF awards I included in my caches:

• a 10 EUR voucher for the restaurant nearby, the FTFer choosed to have a drink at the bar

I would consider this commercial (promoting a business) and thus against the guidelines :ph34r:

 

The promotion rule is about a cache (description), not it's contents.

 

The cache location is reached by a small path and provides a nice view. The restaurant just is nearby at the start of the path.

Yes, because otherwise we'd have issues with Mattel for Hot Wheel Cars, local artisans for their glass beads, and millions of issues with whatever product is attached to a Groundspeak Geocaching.com Travel Bug dog tag.... :anicute:

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No FTF prize, but there was a bottle of very nice red wine in the same hole as the cache. Must have been a coincidence since that sort of thing isn't allowed, is it?

If the foil is intact, and the cork's in the bottle...I don't think there's a problem with that at all! :laughing:

 

Alcohol isn't considered family friendly. Hopefully you have taken proper care of it.

 

 

;)

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FTF prizes I've left in my caches include Travel Bug tags, geocoins, scratch-and-win tickets, and once I left $20.

FTF prizes I've received include Travel Bug tags, geocoins, scratch-and-win tickets, gift cards, and many pins.

 

Now, most of the above was a few years ago. I've found myself tending not to put in dedicated FTF prizes in my more recent hides, and my more recent FTFs have generally not had FTF prizes. Part of it is that so many more caches are Micros now that can't hold an FTF prize, and part of it seems to be that people just aren't doing it as much anymore.

 

@cerberus1 and NeverSummer, I've also seen a number of activated trackables left as FTF prizes here in Western Canada. Like you, I find it odd that the "prize" is something already owned by someone else. Just imagine what The Price is Right would be like if they did that: "Congratulations! You've won... that guy's car!" :laughing:

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@cerberus1 and NeverSummer, I've also seen a number of activated trackables left as FTF prizes here in Western Canada. Like you, I find it odd that the "prize" is something already owned by someone else. Just imagine what The Price is Right would be like if they did that: "Congratulations! You've won... that guy's car!" :laughing:

:laughing:

 

That's a really funny way to put it. I like it! :anibad:

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No FTF prize, but there was a bottle of very nice red wine in the same hole as the cache. Must have been a coincidence since that sort of thing isn't allowed, is it?

If the foil is intact, and the cork's in the bottle...I don't think there's a problem with that at all! :laughing:

 

Alcohol isn't considered family friendly. Hopefully you have taken proper care of it.

 

 

;)

 

On the contrary, a lot of families exist because of it. :rolleyes:

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No FTF prize, but there was a bottle of very nice red wine in the same hole as the cache. Must have been a coincidence since that sort of thing isn't allowed, is it?

If the foil is intact, and the cork's in the bottle...I don't think there's a problem with that at all! :laughing:

 

Alcohol isn't considered family friendly. Hopefully you have taken proper care of it.

 

 

;)

Yes, I disposed of it responsibly

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Yesterday I added a NTF (next to find) prize in Hobo's cache. I just thought it would be something different. I did put in an easy cache with a lot of finds and posted a note on the cache page. It's been over 24 hours and haven't gotten any bites. I guess if it's on anybody local's watch list they don't understand the greatness of the prize. Anybody can claim it with a Found It or a Note log. I do hope that whoever takes it posts that they took it. Guess I'll check often to be sure nobody took it and didn't log it.

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Yesterday I added a NTF (next to find) prize in Hobo's cache. I just thought it would be something different. I did put in an easy cache with a lot of finds and posted a note on the cache page. It's been over 24 hours and haven't gotten any bites. I guess if it's on anybody local's watch list they don't understand the greatness of the prize. Anybody can claim it with a Found It or a Note log. I do hope that whoever takes it posts that they took it. Guess I'll check often to be sure nobody took it and didn't log it.

Okay, I don't get it...

You don't say, is this your cache?

If not, why would/should anyone "understand the greatness" of you placing something in another's hide?

 

All the trackables belong to others, so that ain't it...

Edited by cerberus1
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Yesterday I added a NTF (next to find) prize in Hobo's cache. I just thought it would be something different. I did put in an easy cache with a lot of finds and posted a note on the cache page. It's been over 24 hours and haven't gotten any bites. I guess if it's on anybody local's watch list they don't understand the greatness of the prize. Anybody can claim it with a Found It or a Note log. I do hope that whoever takes it posts that they took it. Guess I'll check often to be sure nobody took it and didn't log it.

Okay, I don't get it...

You don't say, is this your cache?

If not, why would/should anyone "understand the greatness" of you placing something in another's hide?

 

All the trackables belong to others, so that ain't it...

But you do get it. You're just not curious enough to check it out (if it was close to you) and that's what I had in mind. If you knew what it is you'd go look. It's meant to pique somebody's curiosity. No more information is necessary.

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Yesterday I added a NTF (next to find) prize in Hobo's cache. I just thought it would be something different.

Cool idea. But I guess noone understands your note...how to claim it (by a note? Not by just findig it in the cache?), trade or not to trade for it (you described both)? What and why is that anyway?

 

Out of the context of this discussion this just gives a big question mark from the view of an innocent watcher...

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Yesterday I added a NTF (next to find) prize in Hobo's cache. I just thought it would be something different.

Cool idea. But I guess noone understands your note...how to claim it (by a note? Not by just findig it in the cache?), trade or not to trade for it (you described both)? What and why is that anyway?

 

Out of the context of this discussion this just gives a big question mark from the view of an innocent watcher...

Sorry, I guess I can't help any more. I've gone over my actions and everything is completely explained in detail from my perspective.

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Sorry, I guess I can't help any more. I've gone over my actions and everything is completely explained in detail from my perspective.

So you really put a NTF prize in?

 

You wrote in your note:

Next to Find prize is now live.

"Now"? Was it announced? "Next to find"? The watchlist or anyone reading the note has to understand this in the first place...

 

This prize is intended for the next player to log a Found It on the Hobo's cache but it is also OK for any player to log a Note.

"Found It", "Note"? Where is the connection to the prize? Don't I get it for simply finding it?

 

Please, log your visit as soon as possible after claiming your prize.

So, I have to claim it? Where, how? Finding it isn't enough? What's that about logging ASAP? Is there a time restriction involved?

 

Remember to trade (don't worry about trading up on this one.)

Huh? It's a prize, why trading?

 

... from the mind of someone who just happens to stumble over your note and not being aware of this discussion. :)

 

Don't know how many watchers are from the forums. Your target group (locals on watchlist, random note readers, people understanding what you're trying to say) probably is very small. But don't give up. Tell us what you put in! :D

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You wrote in your note:

Next to Find prize is now live.

"Now"? Was it announced? "Next to find"? The watchlist or anyone reading the note has to understand this in the first place...

It was announced in a previous note, four days prior. "Something new (I think it's new) coming soon to Hobo's Cache."

 

Yeah, its in someone else's cache... so what? It sounds to me as though he was simply trying to add to the fun for somebody. I like this idea a whole lot better than the "FTF prize".

 

As for trading, he said "Remember to trade (don't worry about trading up on this one.)". So, trade something for it, but he doesn't expect you to trade up.

 

I see it as sort of a random act of fun.

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You wrote in your note:

Next to Find prize is now live.

"Now"? Was it announced? "Next to find"? The watchlist or anyone reading the note has to understand this in the first place...

It was announced in a previous note, four days prior. "Something new (I think it's new) coming soon to Hobo's Cache."

 

Yeah, its in someone else's cache... so what? It sounds to me as though he was simply trying to add to the fun for somebody. I like this idea a whole lot better than the "FTF prize".

 

As for trading, he said "Remember to trade (don't worry about trading up on this one.)". So, trade something for it, but he doesn't expect you to trade up.

 

I see it as sort of a random act of fun.

Thanks

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I see it as sort of a random act of fun.

I see it as targeted to people with fantasy and curiosity. Not geocachers... ;)

 

However, just the owner and the watchlist will get the information, plus some rare listing (or log entry) readers.

Wondering how many of them just think "Huh? What does he mean?".

 

I like the idea, though...

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I hate jacking this thread, but I wanted some advice.

 

I am going to place two Puzzle caches where I'm going to college, and both are anime themed. If you had to answer questions about animated series and movies, would you be happy with finding a limited edition anime postcard as the FTF prize? What about a stand-alone anime movie?

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