Rules - Must Read before Asking to Join!!

[vtcnc]

UPDATE (04/22/2023): Entries for Pass Around Box are now open. The sign up form can be found here. Please subscribe to the annual thread for member box hauls (lots of pics), announcements, and general nonsense!

CHANGES:
One major change this year is that we will keep the list open for new participants throughout the calendar year. This will keep the Pass Around Box moving all year, and hopefully in perpetuity, unless it needs to come home and require repair.

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The second change this year involves membership. There are some sophisticated spam bots out there this past year. Pass Around Box is as public an activity as it gets on our site, meaning some of us are sharing personal addresses with others. In attempt to keep the riff-raff out of our game, I'm asking for players to abide by one of the following anti-scam/spam requirements this year:

a) Players must be active current donation status; e.g. Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond

or,

b) Registered status (non-donating) plus the following:
- in good standing (no warnings or prior temporary bans)
- cannot have multiple registered accounts on H-M
- clean IP address (meaning you are not on some of the blacklists known for malware or spamming). This last requirement is subject to moderator discretion given the nature of IP masking and VPNs.

Regarding the requirement "b", I will contact you if there are any problems with your IP address and determine a best path forward. We do not allow multiple registered accounts on H-M, so if you are reading this and have multiple accounts - you are about to get banned anyway.

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Finally, the log book will be removed this year and the GeoTracker map will no longer be used. We consider the online threads and archive to serve as the log and location of activity. Plus, this makes more room for goodies!

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WHAT IS THE GAME?
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Following are the rules and sign up thread for the Pass Around Box Game. It is a continuation of the project which started back in May of 2015. You cannot reply to this thread.



We start off with a medium sized flat rate box from the USPS. It has a stainless steel interior box which is filled with various odds and ends, doo-dads and goo-gahs, not to mention thing-a-ma-jigs and whatchamacallits (highly technical terms for various machine shop related items ). The box gets sent from one participant to the next and the next, with each participant removing items of interest from the box when it arrives, then putting other items in their place before sending it to the next individual. This box will circulate down the list until late summer, early fall at which time it will be returned to the @vtcnc. It is a lot of fun with some nice surprises along the way! A new box will be started each year if the interest continues.

A geo-tracking map and tracking list will be posted after February 6th, the deadline for signup.

HOW TO JOIN THE GAME​

Do not post in the thread that you want to join. Do not send me a PM. These methods have proven to be unreliable in that I don't always see the post or get to the inbox in a timely manner. If you want to play, you must fill out the form in this post above. Here is another link in case you missed it.

• Brief description of the equipment you have in your shop so that we can look ahead and try to include items that will fit what you have,
• Your Hobby Machinist username,
• Your First and Last Name,
• A current and VALID email address,
• A current and VALID phone number,
• A current and VALID backup phone number
• Your mailing address

This contact information will be held confidential and only available to @vtcnc. This is necessary because if the box becomes stagnant while in your possession - you will be contacted to figure out how to proceed. Participants need to request to be added to the list each year whether they have played in the previous year or not. Names do not cycle through or get added a second time automatically.

GAME RULES​

Every project like this needs to have a few rules to keep everything on the straight and narrow, here they are:

1. Photos are a MUST. Items you keep should be posted in this thread.
2. Do not take photos or create descriptions of the items you put into the box...the contents are meant to be a surprise for each participant.
3. If the box is in your possession it is your responsibility to contact the next member below you on the list for his or her address.
4. It is desired that the box is mailed back out no later than seven days after receiving it. This gives each person plenty of time to decide what to keep, restock, repack, and send it on. Life happens, we know, but PLEASE make an honest effort to follow this timeline and keep the box moving. If you feel that you will not have time to give the box the care it deserves when you receive it, please speak up ahead of time, and we will move your name down the list so that you receive it at a time that may work better for you.
5. Items must be related to our hobby or it may be an item you made with our hobby.
6. No items may be edible, alive, or alive in the past (leather is okay)
7. No illegal items, hazardous materials, flammables, radioactive or strongly magnetic items - read USPS restrictions if this is not clear or you are the curious type.
8. Replace the same number of items as you remove if room permits.
9. Consider the value of the items you remove and replace with comparable if possible. Just be reasonable.
10. No bad mouthing items if they are not up to your standards, be respectful of the previous senders efforts.
11. When the box arrives, please post an arrival notice and subsequently a shipping notice in the Pass Around Box Mega thread you are participating in.
12. If the inner box needs repair, please do so before shipping out again. If it becomes too severely damaged, contact @vtcnc so that we can arrange for a replacement box.
13. Repack the box carefully - add appropriate packing material to keep objects from moving around in the box.
14. Avoid adding duplicate items. Things like duplicate drill bits, drill chucks and the sort are a good example here.
15. If you find a broken item in the box, please remove it and do not put it back in the box. If you can remember to do so, let people know if you found a broken item.
16. Avoid brittle or delicate items such as stones or carbide tools prone to breakage - UNLESS - you have a good way to protect the item from damage.
17. Avoid soft, flexible items that could be crushed or bent in transit, things like bristle brushes or feeler gages - UNLESS - again, you have a good way to protect the item from damage.
18. The cardboard outer boxes are free from your local post office. Please replace if necessary.
19. Shipping will cost you $17.10 to send the box to the next participant.
20. Be aware that there is a weight limit of 70 lbs on the box. Anything that fits inside up to 70 lbs ships for one flat rate. The box weight has typically remained in the 30 to 40 pound range.
21. There are no guarantees that you will find anything useful in the box when it arrives, or that the items you keep will equal the cost of shipping. This is strictly for fun and does involve a bit of chance.
22. This project is open only to members that live in the United States because the flat rate boxes may only be used there. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other US possessions are not eligible.
23. Any member can get on the list as many times as he wishes, but we are going to require that there are at least ten individuals on the list between your entries. If that requirement isn't met, then you will be the last recipient in order of request date prior to sending back to @vtcnc. In other words, if three people request to receive the box again and five people are left on the list to receive it before the three repeats, then the repeats will receive the box in order of when they requested to receive the box again.
24. If a member does not respond to a request for a shipping address within one week of being contacted, he will be skipped over. He can ask to be added to the list again at a later time.

FLAT RATE BOX SPECIFICATIONS & THE POST OFFICE ​

Be aware that there are two different sizes of Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate box. We are using the box that has these dimensions: 11 7/8" x 3 3/8" x 13 5/8"

You can order the correct box right here: USPS Store

You order the box online and your mail carrier leaves it in your mailbox for you. You pay for it online ahead of time and print the mailing label and within a day or so the empty box is delivered to you. Once you have it and pack it up you can go online and schedule pickup of your package by your postal carrier. All you have to do is tell them online when to pick it up and where the box will be (in the mailbox, by the front door, etc). Or you can go to the post office and enjoy the looks of confusion on the postal clerks face when they try and lift this beast over the counter.