posted 05-18-2017 04:50 PM               

The ex-member who faked his death is not the same member who reported the box had arrived damaged. The latter is still a cS member in good standing.

After the damage was reported in 2007, the box was re-filled and resent out and actually continued on its way for three more years. It reached its final recipient in January 2011, when it apparently came to its end for reasons that aren't entirely clear (though it appears there were communication issues as to where the box was to go next).

posted 05-24-2017 08:24 AM               

One of the things I didn't like about the Grab Bag was the tradition that became "here's what I took out" and "here's what I put in" accountings. That sort of took the fun out of it for me. Nobody likes getting a list of contents a week before their birthday gift arrives. What's the point?

posted 05-24-2017 08:41 AM               

Somewhere along the line people have to be prepared to take out worthless heavy tat that no-one is ever going to want to take out. There needs to be a weight limit really otherwise the cost of postage far outweighs the value of the contents.

I also agree that people listing what they took out or put in works as a spoiler. We've managed to avoid that with the European version luckily.

posted 05-24-2017 09:12 AM               

To add to what happened, I came home to the box sitting out in the rain. I found it rather lazy on the part of USPS to place it out there instead of bringing it up to my door where it would have stayed dry. Once I opened the box, the water was in the box itself and damaged a lot of the items. It took a while to dry stuff out and place it all in bags and protect them inside the new box in case the person after me was rained out too. I remember three of the Spaceflori cards didn't even have the spacecraft fragment on them and I couldn't find them in the box itself.

As for my opinion on the bag/box, it is a great idea if it is a small box (and by small, I mean small), with little goodies that we can all trade.

posted 05-25-2017 11:43 AM               

On the grab bag, how about multiple boxes? Perhaps specialize the contents, such as one box being all about stamps/covers, one box being about Apollo era, one box being patches only, etc. You can sign up for more than one box list, but at least it narrows down the shipping costs of miscellaneous stuff each box?

posted 05-30-2017 12:39 PM               

I for one would love to see one started. I've been a collector for almost 30 years so I think I'd have stuff to put in when it came my way!

posted 06-02-2017 08:44 AM               

The boxes are available, reliable, and free. Plus, it manages the expected postage fees and has plenty of room for 2D and 3D items.

posted 06-03-2017 08:54 AM               

Gonzo, if you like I can media-mail you some stuff to get started with, then await whatever arrives here.

posted 06-03-2017 06:15 PM               

While, yes, it doesn't tell you what is in there, unless there are two identical items, it does tell you what isn't.

posted 06-03-2017 08:17 PM               

As I've said, there will only be a couple of simple rules, one of which will be to not post what you put in. If you want to post what you scored out of the box will be fine. Just don't post or tell what you put in.

posted 06-04-2017 12:10 AM               

Six total is most likely less than one per person.

My thoughts were that it would start with whatever it started with and then each person would do at least a one-for-one. It shouldn't be possible for the number to go any lower unless people toss in junk that needs to be removed (which shouldn't happen). The ceiling should depend on what fits into the box.

Of course, this is just me talking — ultimately it's up to the host and possibly a general vote of participants.

In terms of rule suggestions, though, I will suggest that we get somewhere between 7 to 10 days between the box being delivered and the box going back out. I don't know how everyone's schedule is, but I wouldn't want this to become a cause of stress for someone if there's a tight deadline on it. Seven to 10 days, to me, seems fair in that regard.

I'll also ask: what are we thinking with regard to content restrictions? The site is, of course, called "collectSPACE", but many here also have an interest in things like rocket planes (both NASA and Air Force) and general aviation. The various boards have threads devoted to men like Scott Crossfield and Chuck Yeager, who are only tangentially related to "space," and Bud Anderson and Bob Hoover, who are tangentially related to Chuck Yeager. (The latter is, of course, partially tongue-in-cheek, as both are great men with great accomplishments.)

Then there's men like Walter Cronkite and Ted Sorensen, whose jobs had nothing to do with space or aviation, but we consider them to be figures relevant to the community and related hobbies (at least I do).

posted 06-04-2017 07:49 AM               

First, all I can do as the "host" are set guidelines. I can't enforce any real "rules." Do you think someone is going to come get you if you violate them? So yes, at best this can only be "best judgment."

Second, I was thinking of two weeks per person as a guide to shoot for. And again, this is just arbitrary. If you can turn the box around in two days, great. If you need three weeks, okay. We're all busy and have busy schedules. Again, use your best judgment realizing that others are involved. (I do have a mechanism in mind as the host to track it though.)

Third, I know that if there are six people involved, the temptation will be to put in six of something so everybody gets one. That's not how this works. In fact, if you think about it, it can't work that way. This is meant to be a grab bag. That means you won't know what's in it when it shows up on your doorstep. Nor are you expected to give something to everybody.

If you take something out, you replace it with something of yours. Look at it this way. Say you're the fourth person out of six to get it. How are the first three going to get what you put in if you put in six of the same thing, or one for everybody? They've already had the box and passed it on.

So it shouldn't contain any more items than what those of us who are seeding it with when it finishes and comes back to me as the host. I don't want to have to divvy out extras of something at the end. Nor are the seeders looking to gain from this in the end. So we don't even want more in the box at the end.

Last, this is meant for space collectors, not aviation. That is, it should be limited to things space collectors would want. After all, this is collectSPACE, not collectAVIATION. So it should only contain things related to space exploration. Again, best judgement kind of thing.

posted 06-04-2017 08:15 AM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gonzo:
So we don't even want more in the box at the end.

---

In practice, they stop when everyone calls it quits or the box ends up filled with worthless trash. Are we only going one round?

posted 06-05-2017 12:06 PM               

First and foremost, use good judgement. Remember that others are in this too.

1. Do NOT post what you put IN the grab bag. You can post what you take out (and I encourage you to do so), but do NOT post what you put in. This will keep it a surprise for those coming after you.

2. This will be a one-for-one swap. If you take something out, replace it with something.

3. All items need to be in plastic (Zip-Lock) bags. This will help prevent mixing of items, but also help protect them from getting wet if the box gets left outside by the USPS. I plan to start the box with ALL items in one large Zip-Lock back for extra insurance.

4. Please try to adhere to a two-week turn around. Once the box has been delivered to you, please try to get it moving on to the next person on the list within two weeks. The list will be in the box.

5. The box will be limited to a large, flat-rate, Priority box from the USPS. This gives us the advantage of no weight restriction. but will help to keep the cost of shipping down as well. Plus, the boxes are free if/when it needs to be replaced.

6. When you ship the box to the next person, email me so I can track where it is and who has it. That way if it gets lost or damaged, we'll all know where it is. You can also tell me as the host in your email what you put in if you'd like, but do NOT tell anyone else. Again, this is for tracking and to keep it a surprise for those involved.

7. When the last person receives it, they will ship it back to me. I will then add new names to the list, remove those that want out, check it for damaged items and send it out again. This way it can keep going while still being able to add/remove players.

8. Last, if at anytime, you receive a damaged box or item within the box, email me immediately so we can handle it at the time. I'd rather you not send damaged items to the next person! Nobody wants to receive anything that is broken.

posted 06-05-2017 12:58 PM               

But, now that it will live on and go another round, I don't see any reason why you couldn't add more than you take out. As long as it stays within the box size limit (USPS, large, flat-rate Priority box).