Theres 4 new boxes by me ( kind of ) and heres the clue in its entire form

By yellow salt you'll find a rock, look under it and take the lot.

Whats take the lot mean ? This sounds like a geo cache not a lb ? But its on aq ------

Also how so peoe feel about adding geocache swag in letterboxes ? Ive had someone leave stuff in my boxes and i had someone contact me asking if the stamp was swag ( a geo cacher ) i would like to avoid this - whats the best way ?
Thanks

On the outside of all of my boxes and the first page of my logbooks I alway write, "THIS IS NOT TRASH OR A GEOCACHE. DO NOT TAKE ANY ITEMS."

Good luck!

Whats take the lot mean ? This sounds like a geo cache not a lb ? But its on aq ------

I looked at the clues for the boxes you're talking about. It looks as though the planter is new. They might not fully understand how letterboxing works yet...or maybe they do. It's hard to tell without attempting to find the boxes. Are you going to look for the boxes? It's worth a shot! :^)

i would like to avoid this - whats the best way ?

In addition to what StampingIsMyForte said, I'd recommend writing "NOT FOR TRADE" on the stamp.

By yellow salt you'll find a rock, look under it and take the lot.

Sounds like a creative clue. Google can be very helpful in cases like this. You just need to figure out what search terms to use.

Ive had someone leave stuff in my boxes and i had someone contact me asking if the stamp was swag ( a geo cacher ) i would like to avoid this - whats the best way ?

1. Make friends with a geocacher in your area. I do both geocaching and letterboxing. I try to protect the local letterboxes from geocache(r)s. I've planted two geocaches to protect letterboxes. And I've convinced a geocacher to move his box further away from a letterbox. (It was actually moved about 100 feet between two letterboxes in a series, but this protects both.) A friendly geocacher will help you protect your letterboxes and let you know of existing ones near where you may plant.
2. Find out where the geocaches are. If you don't make friends with a geocacher then sign up for a free account on geocaching.com and you'll be able to see most of the geocaches in an area. There are multi-caches, puzzles and premium member caches that you won't be able to see, but they are (usually) less than 5% of the caches in an area. (A friendly geocacher will also help with these.) However, inexperienced (and more likely to do something bad to your letterbox) geocachers are less likely to look for the ones that you can't see with a free account. TerraCaching.com and OpenCaching.com are the largest of the other geocache sites, so you can sign up for free accounts there too.

The first is what I think is best, but some people don't want to talk to geocachers so the second will also help.

Whats take the lot mean ? This sounds like a geo cache not a lb ? But its on aq ------

It could be interpreted as taking the entire box out from under the rock. That was my first thought. Wouldn't have even thought of a geocache. We're fortunate in our area to have a lot of experienced cachers and boxers who respect both activities, so minimal inadvertent crossover

In my area, lots of them are premium members only.

It does help to find out where they are, then plant your letterbox about 100 to 400 feet away. Since geocachers have a rule that they have to plant 0.1 miles from any geocache, which I think is 529 or something feet. Closer than 50 to 75 feet from a geocache and you run big risk of your stamp going bye bye, even with tons of signs all over it.

I do geocaching as well. If it's not a hybrid box, what I do is I create a hide page but never submit it for review/publication. This holds the spot and prevents anyone from hiding any physical container within 528 ft. As for including items, I try to keep trade items in my hybrids to a minimum to avoid confusing the stamp as a trade item.

I create a hide page but never submit it for review/publication. This holds the spot

Are you sure? This would make a dead spot with no one (but owner and reviewers) being able to see that it was there. I could see it being reserved for a while, but you'd probably be found out (by reviewers) if it caused just a few collisions. You'd at least get a few notes from reviewers. In other words, in a popular spot it won't be a long term solution.

I don't imagine it holds it forever. Not sure what the time limit is. But I've tried to publish a cache before and it's come back denied due to a pending cache. I've talked to other CO's that have been sitting on locations for over a year though.

It looks as though the planter is new. They might not fully understand how letterboxing works yet...or maybe they do. It's hard to tell without attempting to find the boxes. Are you going to look for the boxes? It's worth a shot! :^)

The clues were listed right after we left this vacation spot. According to AQ, they are newbies, with no finds. They listed 4 boxes, and also used the "limited time/clock" icon, but didn't state any time limitations.

One spot from the four clues we recognized ~ right by where everyone walks by after they disembark (including folks off of cruise ships!), and where many stop to take photos. We did! Another clue just says This one's the last but not out of reach, there's a sign where it's hiding, near the beach. Too vague, IMO. Several beaches, many signs, and so muggly that it would be impossible not to be noticed unless you were boxing between 12:30 - 5:30 a.m. in the areas they mentioned.

Great place to visit if you can spare the boat fare+, but not very many boxes have survived here successfully. We found one intact box.

Theres 4 new boxes by me ( kind of ) and heres the clue in its entire form

By yellow salt you'll find a rock, look under it and take the lot.

For future questions about specific box clues, generally it's not good practice to post someone else's clues, or ask questions about their clues, in the open forums. The planter may have restrictions on who can see them, or may intend it to be a mystery box, or whatever. It's better to contact the planter privately if you need clarification about their clues.

Also how so peoe feel about adding geocache swag in letterboxes ? Ive had someone leave stuff in my boxes and i had someone contact me asking if the stamp was swag ( a geo cacher ) i would like to avoid this

At least yours asked. When this happened to me, I thought it was rude to convert someone's letterbox to a cache, essentially hijacking the box, mostly b/c when I contacted them they said they were boxers and they should have known better. They didn't take the stamp, but they did add junk. After that, I started writing Not for trade on the stamp and NOT A CACHE and SWAG with a large red crosshatch on it on the box itself. I'm going to check on some boxes later in the week that I'm told are very close to a cache, so I'll let you know if it worked. :) Couldn't hurt, though. I write in the inside if the box (backward) so it shows through an unpainted window and isn't exposed to the weather. Then I cover the writing w/ clear tape. I leave the label on the top of the lnl when I paint so that when I peel it off I have a clear place to label. We'll see how that worked.

One spot from the four clues we recognized ~ right by where everyone walks by after they disembark (including folks off of cruise ships!), and where many stop to take photos. We did! Another clue just says This one's the last but not out of reach, there's a sign where it's hiding, near the beach. Too vague, IMO. Several beaches, many signs, and so muggly that it would be impossible not to be noticed unless you were boxing between 12:30 - 5:30 a.m. in the areas they mentioned.

We had one today that led you to the patio (as in open the gate! and look behind the grave of our pet hamster -- ok it might have been a goldfish -- I refuse to entertain the idea of anything larger) of their apartment, complete with street address! They may well now be leading perfect strangers to a place they no longer live! We took a pass.

At least yours asked. When this happened to me, I thought it was rude to convert someone's letterbox to a cac

The orig person who filled it it did not ask but i was asked from a cacher that was new if the stamp was for trade... Thank god they did '

They do get cleaned away after a while since they clog up the searches for reviewers, and you might get asked when you plan to release the cache. Also, if someone has a cache in progress and happened to start it before you "reserved" a page that cache could still be approved.

Even if you have a started page someone else might get the spot. I imagine the reviewers will approve a finished cache if the conflicting page is just an empty placeholder...

I'd save this trick for very special circumstances since the local reviewers might not be amused if they catch on.

Sorry i didnt know about not posting the clue ... Wont do that again

Thanks for everyone's help I appreciate it - i've decided I'm going to do what people have suggested above as well as leave a note in my box saying please do not leave swag This is not a geo cache .

I know the person who put it in there does letterboxing and geocaching and he was only doing it to be nice , I don't know if down the road it would have cost me a problem but having someone had asked me If the stamp was for trade and that they were new meant that it was a problem and I'd like to avoid this Especially because I do not carve for myself - people carve for me because I cannot see to do it and those people take a long time to make things for me ... Having their stamps get confused with geocache swag is not cool in my book ... It's still not great but if it were my own stamp it wouldn't be as big of an issue to me , but the fact that it something someone took the time to create for me specifically is where I have the biggest problem

I know the person who put it in there does letterboxing and geocaching and he was only doing it to be nice , I don't know if down the road it would have cost me a problem but having someone had asked me If the stamp was for trade and that they were new meant that it was a problem and I'd like to avoid this Especially because I do not carve for myself - people carve for me because I cannot see to do it and those people take a long time to make things for me ... Having their stamps get confused with geocache swag is not cool in my book

I think this result could be one of the potential downfalls w/ hybrid boxes. Now that they are supposedly "educated" about not taking the stamp, we have to re-educate them about not putting swag in our boxes. It says a lot that not even those who supposedly do both know the difference. All we're doing is reinforcing the mistaken idea that all boxes are caches by default, just with gps coordinates instead of clues, and some with the deviation of a stampswag you can't take.

According to AQ, they are newbies, with no finds.

No, according to AQ they just created that trailname and listed those 4 boxes. Anything beyond that is an assumption. Rather than a newbie, when I read them I assumed it was an experienced planter using an alias. The vagueness of the clues would probably become quite clear once you find yourself at the locations. I just hope they are still there the next time I have an opportunity to get to the island, because that may be years. Several others have been listed since I was last there.

K

No, according to AQ they just created that trailname and listed those 4 boxes. Anything beyond that is an assumption.

I assumed it was an experienced planter using an alias.

Ooooh, do you know something that I don't know? <G>

Remember, I was just there!
Of the two clues I could deduce the probable location, one is right in the walking path of the disembarking location. Tourists have to pass by this spot. Great spot to take a photo! I was told by a local that when a cruise ship visits, there are about 2000 extra tourists. I saw a cruise ship both days. The second clue points to one of the most visited landmarks in town, and is still too vague to do a quick grab. The other two clues were even more vague for a quick grab.

I am assuming/deducing that an experienced planter would not put boxes in such muggly places where a boxer would have to tear up the place to find the box, unless, of course, they don't really care if no one finds their box, or if it goes missing quickly.

In addition, they used the "limited" time icon when they listed the box, but didn't list any time constraints. Not something an experienced planter using AQ is likely to do, but a newbie would.

We took a pass.

Did that recently also. There are just some letterboxes we don't feel comfortable looking for.

In addition, they used the "limited" time icon when they listed the box, but didn't list any time constraints. Not something an experienced planter using AQ is likely to do, but a newbie would.

Unless said experienced planter knows that because of all of the muggles that the box will be limited-time (short-time).

Did that recently also. There are just some letterboxes we don't feel comfortable looking for.

That and Texans' fetish with guns. I'm fairly certain the clues were a middle school student's.

Well go with this ... Maybe it says limited time because of the first clue which mentions take the lot - and possibly a middle school aged child spelling loot wrong ?
Maybe this is why it's limited time whoever finds it first game over - its designed to have the first finder take all