Making your own trackables

[+Seeker_Knight]

I need to find out how to go about getting my own trackable items into the system. I own a laser engraver, and can easily make custom wooden coins with my equipment and my  own designs. I thought of making a whole series of wooden coins with Maryland related themes that would be trackable. Is there any rule that precludes making your own stuff, provided you have the means to mark them with the appropriate numbers that I could get from Geocaching.com.
Anyone who has done this please pass on any info you might have. I think it would be great to offer some items that are not so commercial and more of a unique piece of art.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
Seeker_Knight

[+HunterandSamuel]

18 minutes ago, Seeker_Knight said:

I need to find out how to go about getting my own trackable items into the system. I own a laser engraver, and can easily make custom wooden coins with my equipment and my  own designs. I thought of making a whole series of wooden coins with Maryland related themes that would be trackable. Is there any rule that precludes making your own stuff, provided you have the means to mark them with the appropriate numbers that I could get from Geocaching.com.
Anyone who has done this please pass on any info you might have. I think it would be great to offer some items that are not so commercial and more of a unique piece of art.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
Seeker_Knight

 

 

I can't answer your question but I know someone here will! I just want to say...what a great idea! I love your idea of wooden coin trackables. I wonder too if you can buy trackable dog tags and just engraved the trackables numbers on the dog tags onto the coins?  

[+Isonzo Karst]

A pinned topic on the purchase of tracking numbers is in the trackable forums.

 

https://forums.geocaching.com/GC/index.php?/topic/116641-groundspeaks-current-coin-tracking-policy/

[+cerberus1]

6 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

I need to find out how to go about getting my own trackable items into the system.

I own a laser engraver, and can easily make custom wooden coins with my equipment and my  own designs.

I thought of making a whole series of wooden coins with Maryland related themes that would be trackable.

Is there any rule that precludes making your own stuff, provided you have the means to mark them with the appropriate numbers that I could get from Geocaching.com.
Anyone who has done this please pass on any info you might have.

I think it would be great to offer some items that are not so commercial and more of a unique piece of art.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

 

Us, and most we know realized that after all the requirements to make their own trackables,  it was cheaper (and a lot less stress  ;-) to let one of the coin manufacturers in Isonzo Karst's link do it for us.    

It looks like you want to incorporate numerous "designs" (themes...), so realize each of those "theme" designs would have to be approved by the site prior to production.

Besides just the tracking codes,  you need to have at a minimum "Track on Geocaching.com” on each piece.

 - So you may have feeling about it, but all your "items that are not so commercial and more of a unique piece of art" will still be required to mention the site.

This is to let cachers know that what they have is trackable on this site.    Good luck with your project.

 

[+niraD]

51 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

It looks like you want to incorporate numerous "designs" (themes...), so realize each of those "theme" designs would have to be approved by the site prior to production.

On the other hand, if you buy TB tags, then you can do anything you want with the tracking codes on those tags. No pre-approval of your design is needed.

 

And sometimes, TB tags and Cachekinz and other trackables go on sale, so you can get them (and their tracking codes) at a discount. You'll still pay more than you will for bulk tracking codes, but you won't have to go through the review process for every design.

[Keystone]

I moved this thread from the "How do I....?" forum.

[+kunarion]

7 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

I think it would be great to offer some items that are not so commercial and more of a unique piece of art.

 

Those are called Geocoins.

[+kunarion]

1 hour ago, cerberus1 said:

It looks like you want to incorporate numerous "designs" (themes...), so realize each of those "theme" designs would have to be approved by the site prior to production.

 

+1

 

I've never made a design that I'd like 500 of, so I buy a nice bunch of Trackable Tags in a theme (such as a "Travel Dragon", go figure), securely attach my one-off way cool item, and activate the tag.  I'll be thinking of ways to change it before I even place the thing.

 

That's one of the least restrictive and least expensive ways to have a "unique" Trackable.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2020 by kunarion

[+Max and 99]

13 hours ago, niraD said:

On the other hand, if you buy TB tags, then you can do anything you want with the tracking codes on those tags. No pre-approval of your design is needed.

 

And sometimes, TB tags and Cachekinz and other trackables go on sale, so you can get them (and their tracking codes) at a discount. You'll still pay more than you will for bulk tracking codes, but you won't have to go through the review process for every design.

And clearance prices right now are about $2.50.

21 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

I own a laser engraver, and can easily make custom wooden coins with my equipment and my  own designs

 

I LOVE collecting wooden nickels.

[+HunterandSamuel]

16 hours ago, niraD said:

On the other hand, if you buy TB tags, then you can do anything you want with the tracking codes on those tags. No pre-approval of your design is needed.

 

We can buy a TB and engrave the tracking code onto something else (like what Seeker-Knight wants to do with his  wooden nickels) and activate it?  I like this idea!

[+HunterandSamuel]

2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

And clearance prices right now are about $2.50.

 

On geocaching.com online store? Darn. I just bought 4 TBs from them ( Groundspeak) on Amazon for $19.95. Free shipping though.

[+Max and 99]

9 minutes ago, HunterandSamuel said:

 

On geocaching.com online store? Darn. I just bought 4 TBs from them ( Groundspeak) on Amazon for $19.95. Free shipping though.

Yes. I always watch for their clearance sale. I've never paid shipping on my order, that I can remember. I often take advantage of the clearance TBs PLUS the free trackables with a min. order.

I only use the TB as it arrives about 50% of the time. I often use the number on something else.

[+HunterandSamuel]

6 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

Yes. I always watch for their clearance sale. I've never paid shipping on my order, that I can remember. I often take advantage of the clearance TBs PLUS the free trackables with a min. order.

I only use the TB as it arrives about 50% of the time. I often use the number on something else.

 

Darn. I'll have to look out for their clearances. I never knew that about using the tracking number on something else. I love that idea, so many creative trackables can be made!

[+cerberus1]

6 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I only use the TB as it arrives about 50% of the time. I often use the number on something else.

 

After we lost all our TBs, coins, and other trackables, if we ever used those codes, we'd put it on something that isn't "traveling" cache-to-cache anymore.  

Most we know reused their codes  on items normally with them, to be Discovered at events or on trail.

Some have tried "reissuing" their TBs  (using the copy tag), to find that gone too. 

Now they're part of the "Discover me" crowd here too.    

[+kunarion]

6 hours ago, HunterandSamuel said:

 

Darn. I'll have to look out for their clearances. I never knew that about using the tracking number on something else. I love that idea, so many creative trackables can be made!

 

My best buys on clearance were the "Caching Crew" and "Zodiac" tags on clearance.  For as little as $3.25 each with free shipping over a certain amount.  The Geocaching Store consistently has the best prices on "The Travel Bug" dogtags (if you buy a bunch for a discount), for US purchases with free shipping. 

 

I don't see as many other online stores anymore that would even have "clearance" tags, which were tags that of course nobody wanted.  The last time, someone had on clearance a puking pumpkin tag inscribed with I dunno what the Event was.  He's throwing up because he's a sick pumpkin, but its his own pumpkin seeds, get it?  Hilarious, but a puking pumpkin is not exactly the vision I have for my Trackable items .  Maaaaybe... if I just use the tracking code on something...

 

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by kunarion

[+Max and 99]

I suggest checking the clearance section about a month after a promotion ends.

[+kunarion]

7 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

I suggest checking the clearance section about a month after a promotion ends.

 

Right now, there's a little selection of "Cache Carnival" and "Mystery At The Museum" tags, super cheap! 

 

Be careful because not everything on sale is specifically a "trackable item".  Check the descriptions to be sure.

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by kunarion

[+GrammiS and Bill]

When one of our TB's has been missing for a year we reuse the number on one of our wooden nickles. Only had one come back alive resulting in the same number being active in different areas at the same time.

[+NanCycle]

On 2/21/2020 at 3:06 PM, GrammiS and Bill said:

When one of our TB's has been missing for a year we reuse the number on one of our wooden nickles. Only had one come back alive resulting in the same number being active in different areas at the same time.

 

I also reuse the numbers, but now I wait a year and a half after marking it missing.  I had two missing TBs show up again after about 13-14 months, within a couple weeks after I released the duplicate numbers.

[+Enjayen]

On 1/25/2020 at 4:53 AM, Seeker_Knight said:

I need to find out how to go about getting my own trackable items into the system. I own a laser engraver, and can easily make custom wooden coins with my equipment and my  own designs. I thought of making a whole series of wooden coins with Maryland related themes that would be trackable. Is there any rule that precludes making your own stuff, provided you have the means to mark them with the appropriate numbers that I could get from Geocaching.com.
Anyone who has done this please pass on any info you might have. I think it would be great to offer some items that are not so commercial and more of a unique piece of art.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
Seeker_Knight

I bought a trackable and 3D printed my own custom one with the code on it. I genuinely don't see why somebody would steal it for its material value, e.g. "oooh shiny coin!" and the TBs goal is literally the trackable itself. Somebody would have to intentionally keep it despite the obvious goal and text stating otherwise. Guarantee it will go missing within days of release, still.

[+Max and 99]

14 minutes ago, Enjayen said:

I bought a trackable and 3D printed my own custom one with the code on it. I genuinely don't see why somebody would steal it for its material value, e.g. "oooh shiny coin!" and the TBs goal is literally the trackable itself. Somebody would have to intentionally keep it despite the obvious goal and text stating otherwise. Guarantee it will go missing within days of release, still.

 

What is the goal? It is not obvious to me.

Edited June 22, 2020 by Max and 99

[+Enjayen]

2 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

 

What is the goal? It is not obvious to me.

Yikes, better redesign it. Southeast Michigan.

[+Max and 99]

3 hours ago, Enjayen said:

Yikes, better redesign it. Southeast Michigan.

Ohhhhh! Now it makes sense! I've only stayed in the upper peninsula. BEAUTIFUL!

 

apparently I need to re-watch that show that explains how the states got their shapes. We actually had a discussion about it on the forums!

Edited June 22, 2020 by Max and 99

[+Enjayen]

29 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

Ohhhhh! Now it makes sense! I've only stayed in the upper peninsula. BEAUTIFUL!

It is indeed a beautiful area.