Where To Get Items For Your Cache

[+grandkid 38]

Yeah...for a few bucks you can buy some neat items , and the unusual , to stuff several ammo cans . A lot of the things we get a kick out of in caches are generally overlooked . You cant believe some of the things you can pick up at a garage sale......happy hunting and caching.

[+CYBret]

I hit a flea market at the local mall a few weeks ago. There's always one guy there who has a table set up full of promotional items--pens, pencils, mirrors, cups, etc. I bought several items off of him to stuff caches with.

 

I also hit ebay occasionally for some items and the dollar stores are always good for some fodder (though I try not to overdo it there).

 

Bret

[kayaker22589]

Yep, flea markets are always good. And gas stations.

[dampeoples]

I don't do yard sales much, I try to find things around the house that were once cool, but I have lost interest in, or I place fishing lures in them, mostly fishing lures

[+art begotti]

you know what? i went garage sailing today, and i didnt find good containers for doing caches in... that makes me slightly mad.

 

but i found a nice tie, so that cancels it out.

[+CompuCash]

The Dollar Stores have a lot of neat items and some even have several items for $1.00. I picked up some really neat highlighters 6/$1 (florescent and all) I am going to put a sticker on them for signature items when I run out of the magnets I made the other night.

 

My last cache (submitted today) had some really fun stuff in it - flexable frisbee, XL T shirt, one of those neat cold light (chemical) wants and some other stuff I think most people would like.

 

The worst thing lately and for the caches I have found today were full of really bad 'kiddy' stuff. I know the idea is the find and not the goodies, but when I have some neat stuff in my bag and find junk it is kind of discouraging.

[+BlueSuburban'sights]

For cool kid friendly stuff try the party favor section at Walmart. Or probably any other party supply store for that matter.

[+Colorado Cacher]

Two local Goodwill stores-Powers & Constitution, N. Academy-they have been supplying my caches for years with very economical pieces and parts. Just be sure to comprehensively review the stores-some are REALLY nothing but junk/garbage stores. Every once in awhile thoguh you find a good few out there with good stock.

[+Torry]

I'm a bit of an auction buff and have several boxes of great swag that cost me a few dollars. Tools, bric-a-bac, stuffed animals, OLD McToys. Check out an auction house tha sells miscellaneous stuff and I think you'll be surprised.

 

I also grab cheap pots, pans and dishes that I can treat as disposable camping goods, usually for a $1 a box or so. Granny's old skillet goes cheap.

[the4granolacrunchers]

We are new to geocaching and the things we put into the caches we visit are usually my kids old toys they are finished playing with, coins from other countries, dollar store hardware items, and stuff we make ourselves like this:

[+Gizmo & Brazin]

We are new to geocaching and the things we put into the caches we visit are usually my kids old toys they are finished playing with, coins from other countries, dollar store hardware items, and stuff we make ourselves like this:

 

"""Edit - Image removed, for those with dinosaur speed computer connections""""

 

the4granolacrunchers: Those are cute! Very creative. I would like finding one of those in a cache!

Edited July 12, 2004 by Gizmo & Brazin

[the4granolacrunchers]

the4granolacrunchers: Those are cute! Very creative. I would like finding one of those in a cache!

Thank you They are fun to make and not too terribly expensive and even my husband wears one ... one like the bracelet with the brown beads.

[FLRob]

Oriental Trading Company has a herd of stuff

[+garri]

We are new to geocaching and the things we put into the caches we visit are usually my kids old toys they are finished playing with, coins from other countries, dollar store hardware items, and stuff we make ourselves like this:

I love it!

 

I would like make wristlets just like yours as signature items.

 

Can I borrow your idea?

 

I am going to vacation with my nephew, his friends (6 years old) and family . We can spent a good time making these during the warm days and then left it in our finds.

[+briansnat]

I keep my eyes open wherever I go for possible items. The local hardware store, Home Depot, Walmart, the supermarket, auto parts stores, outdoors stores, toy stores, you name it.

 

Last week I found small spray cans of Repel insect repellent on sale at Target for $1.88 each, so I bought 10. The girl at the checkout looked at me and said "why don't you just get one big one? "It would be a lot cheaper". A few months ago it was similarly sized cans of WD40 for 99 cents at Pep Boys...so I got a bunch of them. Also found Matchbox cars at 2 for a buck at the local supermarket, so I filled up on those and did the same at a crafts store that was selling small cans of Crayola Dough (Kind like Play-don) for 50 cents each. I just keep looking for small, sale items that others might find useful.

Edited July 12, 2004 by briansnat

[the4granolacrunchers]

I love it!

 

I would like make wristlets just like yours as signature items.

 

Can I borrow your idea?

 

I am going to vacation with my nephew, his friends (6 years old) and family . We can spent a good time making these during the warm days and then left it in our finds.

Yes, of course you can borrow this idea, I am flattered, thank you

[+Torry]

...

Last week I found small spray cans of Repel insect repellent on sale at Target for $1.88 each, so I bought 10. The girl at the checkout looked at me and said "why don't you just get one big one? "It would be a lot cheaper". A few months ago it was similarly sized cans of WD40 for 99 cents at Pep Boys...so I got a bunch of them. Also found Matchbox cars at 2 for a buck at the local supermarket, so I filled up on those. I just keep looking for small, sale items that others might find useful.

Pick up off-season close-outs. I snagged some full-sized bottles of repellant for a quarter last winter. Ditto, for cheap hiking stuff and sunscreen. Grab 'em and save 'em for later.

[+Pyewacket]

I've always shopped at thrift stores, yard sales, eBay and the like, for much the same reason as I cache...the thrill of the hunt. You never know what trinket you'll find for next to no money. I've placed several of my thrift store finds in caches.

[+Mr Smiles]

Because I especially appreciate theme caches, I am always on the lookout for trade items that match... and I find things "that go" in a lot of places...but one resource for goodies that I am having fun and success with is asking store managers for any promotional items that have been given to them by distributors and salesmen. When I tell them what it is for, they bend over backwards to hunt through their stock of freebies. I have been given stacks of decals and stickers from auto supply and ATV dealers, pens, cups, mouse pads etc., from a pharmacist, calendars from a paint store, and a little desk clock from a lumber yard. All of these things are brand new, and although they have advertising messages on them, they make appropriate trade items, and usually grabbed, while the Mctoys are left behind.

 

Now, where ever I go to shop, I ask.

 

So, it takes two hours to run a ten minute errand, but this too, is part of the Geocaching adventure.

[+Kones]

dollar stores are great for cache contents. For ten bucks you can get, um, hang on 1, 2, 4, carry the 3 . . . . uhhh, about . . . 13 items.

[+Pyewacket]

dollar stores are great for cache contents.  For ten bucks you can get, um, hang on 1, 2, 4, carry the 3  . . . . uhhh, about  . . . 13 items.

And just how many puzzle caches have you found in which to place your dollar store items?

[ducky189]

Another good place(s) is Claires or The Icing at your local mall. They usually have a "10 items for $5" table. I have found cool phone holograms and other trinkets.

[annekat]

There are occasionally nice things at dollar stores, though I guess people don't think it's too cool to go there. But I like the glow-in-the-dark stars and things. You never know what the next person will think is nifty.

 

My dollar store is going out of business, though. They're having an 89 cent sale.

 

(That's not a joke.)