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Meaning of "Trade Up"?


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In context it is obvious that we are intending that we either trade a higher grade item than we are receiving, or trade even, as in trading an item of equal value, or don't trade at all as we do not want to "trade down" the cache.

 

Just my opinion, of course.

 

"Trade up, trade even, or don't trade!!!" My philosophy of life.

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Nah, there's nothing to "fix." The term is precisely correct, because we are speaking on behalf of the cache. icon_biggrin.gif We "trade up," and that means the contents of the cache have been "upped," ya know? You are correct that it means to "improve" which is what we are doing when we "trade up" a cache. We are "improving it." There. Now it's fixed. icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

 

Grandmaster Cache

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I have to agree with nincehelser. When I first started reading the message boards, I couldn't figure out why everyone was complaining about cache contents depleting and at the same time telling people to trade up. Then I thought the term was being used as a joke.....As in "always trade up icon_wink.gif " Now I realize that it means to leave more than what I take.

 

worried.gif Children are natural mimics who act like their parents despite every effort to teach them good manners.

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Trading Up is the same use as the old homestead rules that the homesteader had 5 years to "Prove Up" their land. This was the same as the current term "improve". When we talk about trading up in regard to a cache, we are talking about improving it by improving the contents of the cache.

 

remybussi.gif By appointment to the Court of HRM Queen Mikki I. remybussi.gif

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It appears backwards because of the point of view. The correct point of view is from the cache's perspective, as though it were an entity. You trade up the value of an item for the cache, and the cache becomes worth more, not the cache owner or the finder.

 

In my opinion, I’m happy when the trade is roughly even. If we were all trading up, caches would be getting plundered left and right. I archived a cache recently and couldn’t bring myself to recycle most of the contents, they were crap.

 

But value is relative. The naked plastic doll that I couldn’t bring myself to recycle into the new cache may have held a great deal of value to the child who left it. Picture a little girl torn between her dirty doll (great value to her) and something she sees in the cache container. Does Dad or Mom rebuke her for making the trade? icon_frown.gif I hope that a Dad or Mom in that situation will drop a few extras in to compensate if they are able. So yes, the cache will get crapified regardless, but the game continues. There are bigger things to fret about.

 

That being said, an adult who drops in a cracked and dirty range golf ball for a rare or expensive item should be strung up by their genitals. icon_mad.gif

 

icon_mad.gif

 

[This message was edited by Criminal on January 06, 2003 at 09:39 AM.]

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So what exactly are you trolling for here nincehelser?

 

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So far so good, somewhat new owner of a second/new Garmin GPS V 20 plus finds so far with little to no problem. We'll see what happens when there are leaves on the trees again.

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quote:
Originally posted by nincehelser:

So if you "trade up" when geocaching, wouldn't that mean you get the better end of the deal?


 

You are. This is a little complex, so try and follow my train of thought.

When you "trade up" a cache by improving it's contents from what they were the moment before you found it, you're contributing to the overall health of the cache.

When other geocachers find healthy caches, they feel better about the sport, and are more inclined to continue to participate, and even place caches of their own. When a cache owner performs and maintenance visit on one of their own, and find it nice and healthy, they are also more likely to place more caches.

So, by "trading up", you are in fact contributing to the health of the sport as a whole, which will lead to more good caches for you to go hunt. So, you in fact got a very good deal out of it (even if the payoff takes a little while)...

... well, it makes sense to me anyway.

 

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"We never seek things for themselves -- what we seek is the very seeking of things."

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)

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Just stating facts. If some of you want to believe it makes sense, then fine. If pointing out the error makes me a troll, then fine.

 

However, it does go against the common usage of the term "trading up" in the world at large.

 

Do a google search on the phrase "trading up". You'll see what I mean.

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quote:
Originally posted by nincehelser:

...

However, it does go against the common usage of the term ....


 

COMMON ?????? Geocachers ???? Never. icon_wink.gif

 

We are an uncommon breed. icon_smile.gif Prolly why we don't use common meanings or terms. IE: You're EPE is showing... McToys suck... Markwell this thread...

(Look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnalicon_wink.gif )

 

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(BTW.. You're more then likely right. However just with any new sport or endevor, it will bend words and meanings to fit the need.)

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One of the problems here is we are working from a flawed premise. Everyone seems to be working from the perspective of either the person who finds the cache, or of the cache itself. I think this is a mistake.

 

The cache owner is the one who has placed the items to be traded from their cache, correct? Then the cache owner is the true initiator of the transaction in the first place, the cache finder is the second person to come into it. Therefore, the cache owner is the one who is actually "trading up" even though they are absent at the time of the conclusion of the transaction.

 

So, this means that you as the finder are not really "trading up" but the owner of the cache is, and they are doing so as an understood condition of the caching process. If we fail to leave an item that is of more value than the one we take, (and it doesn't have to be of tremendously greater value, and it is a subjective matter of course) or at least of equal value, then morally we have looked the cache owner in the eye while picking his pocket, in a manner of speaking.

 

The other alternative is to simply log an entry in the logbook, and enjoy the hunt for it's own sake. Thus my signature line.... it implies that I will trade like I would if the cache owner were with me at the time of the trade. It also espresses that I will trade with others as I would have others trade with me....hmmm, that sounds vaguely familiar somehow....LOL.

 

Anyway, I hope that clears things up, at least as to how I view it.

 

icon_biggrin.gificon_wink.gificon_razz.gificon_cool.gif

 

"Trade up, trade even, or don't trade!!!" My philosophy of life.

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nincehelser, I'm just gonna have some fun, so in advance don't take it too personally. icon_wink.gif But I assume you have thick skin if you ventured this type of "concerned topic" and expected to be taken, uh, "seriously." icon_wink.gif

 

Other mishaps to concern yourself with?

 

1. Tight-end. What gives? I suppose it could mean two things to different folks. Ladies probably think the football players have one, icon_wink.gif while guys relate it to a position (in a football formation, mind you icon_biggrin.gif )

 

2. Here, this mental confusion might hit closer to home. icon_wink.gif "Cache in, trash out." I hope in your endeavors to desire things be taken literally you don't go "trashing things" on your way out. icon_wink.gif As in, "I went caching, and man, did I trash on my way out! You should see how trashed I made it!" (Of course, in the perverse world of geocaching, we take "trash out" to mean carry a bag, pick up any trash, and make the place less trashy.

 

3. And what gives with this whole "Groundspeak?" How aboutsa movement to make this 1984 Orwellian term of doublespeak a bit more "proper and correct"? Does the ground really speak? I mean, literally I suppose I should give credit to the Indians who actually did "listen" to the ground with one ear to hear the advance of white settlers who were about to invade North America's pristine territory and begin the process of butchering the Queen's language. icon_wink.gif But what are geocachers doing revelling in these "Groundspeak" forums. Really, we're all about sattelite-speak You know, I think I'm going to start a movement to get that changed, lest I stir too much while trying to get some sleep. icon_wink.gif Uh, actually I think too many "movements" tend to stink up a place. So I'll just bite my tongue (ooops, I don't mean literally - it's just an expression) and keep my movements to myself.

 

Anyway, I hope you don't think I'm attackin' ya... Just having my bit of fun with wordplay. You're right on track with your line of thinking that many words/phrases, etc. are misused, butchered, etc. Heck, if you travel a few states from wherever you are you're gonna get a real headache with language transformations... It's invaded our spoken sector as well! icon_wink.gif Did you know some folks "axe" people every day? Yep, every time they have a question they "axe" someone. Terrible, terrible.

 

Egads, I've "added down" to another thread... And here I was doing so good with my nicespeak. icon_wink.gif Have fun, and enjoy life. I'll bet in a few hundred years "trade up" will mean something like "I'd like to trade up to Jupiter," meaning an earth-inhabitant would like to trade planetary residency and go to Jupiter. Hmmm.. Will that be because Jupiter is actually "up" or will it be because Jupiter is better... Heck, if we're stumbling and fumbling around with cache-trading, our future generations are gonna have real problems. icon_biggrin.gif

 

Grandmaster Cache

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Well, sure! Trash out can mean precisely that! icon_biggrin.gif Swigging out!

 

Isn't Markwelling precisely clear? To the geoworld it is like a badge of honour to note a previously-discussed topic. It shows a responder is "in-the-know" and in our "hunt and seek" mentality some folks desire to "markwell" and get the equivalent adrenaline rush as a FTF.

 

To a geomuggle? (oops - sorry Harry, to burst into your world and kidnap/reapply your term to our world) icon_wink.gif Well, Markwelling is something you would say in that same Orwellian 1984 doublespeak fashion in regards to a friend named Mark who, of course, would be "recovering" from an illness or other misfortune.

As in:

Player #1: Ah, poor Mark... He's been so sick.

Player #2: Alas! He is Markwelling! In no time he'll be better!

Player #1: That's good to hear. He's been Markailing with that darn flu.

 

icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

 

Hey, if anybody's still into this frivolity, they had that coming! icon_biggrin.gif

 

Grandmaster Cache

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