Just curious, as I am still relatively new to this. Call me a little O-C (obsessive, compulsive), but I tend to do things in order… send a postcard, get one, send another, etc…
I got my first one back less than a month after I sent my first one out.
It’s been some time now since I sent the second one.
Is there some way to tell if there is a postcard traveling your way? And is it common to not get one back and have to try again? Thanks - PC veterans for answering - I’m sure people ask and re-ask those questions all the time!
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As I said in your other post - send all the cards you can now.
The mail is slower with the Delta waves now & things will take time, both for your cards to be received & for those coming your way to arrive, but the more cards you send out, the faster that process begins to become over time as you are sending & receiving a larger number of cards.
And cards from say Canada & Germany should arrive relatively quickly vs Russia or Singapore which will take more time.
And FYI, I’m finding US mail is slowing down quite a bit now too between services cuts & slowdowns due to the pandemic.
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Thanks - appreciate the advice! I’m sending 3 more out in the morning.
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Here’s how the numbers of cards you can send goes up
https://www.postcrossing.com/help/how-many-postcards-can-i-send
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Actually any slowdowns for our US postal service has absolutely nothing to do with the Corona virus. In fact our post office (where I live) only got faster and added Saturdays for mail and Sunday to deliver packages. They have done 2 big postage increases this year. The situation now is the postmaster needs to get a reality checkup to see what’s going on. They did say they were going to cut flights for airmail that is mailed within the USA. I asked if they would cut the huge postage stamp increases they just did a few weeks ago. Nope not happening. I guess the good part is for people that send me slow/surface mail, I can now send it the same way back to them for members from China, Japan, Belarus,Taiwan just to name a few. 
Mail from US TO US is still quick. US to Nederlands and Germany are also fast. Russia has gotten super fast for me. Got a card in 8 days this week! Longer times are China-Singapore, North Korea, Canada, Taiwan and Australia.
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Sorry, we’ll agree to disagree, I absolutely know postal service has been affected by workers being off or plants being slowed or shut down due to COVID19 outbreaks. It’s also true for all postal services across the world.
There also was an announcement in the last few weeks that the standard time for delivery will now be significantly increased.
And the cuts made to the service prior to the election have not been restored either.
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Sorry but you don’t need or get to be telling me I will agree to disagree with you. Yep we had 2 postage price hikes and The Postmaster cut down on air travel for mail that travels around the US. I am not sharing bad intel, my best friend is a postmaster so I get a good inside scoop. We have always had Saturday mail pickup and delivery but this new packages only on Sunday is great! Our stamps did go up but that’s life! Our state does not have any out of control Corona virus problems. This is why I get my news from someone who actually is a Postmaster instead of these stupid social media places or the drama loving newscasters that love to keep people whipped up hoping they will keep believing like good sheep. Starting a sentence “I heard this or heard that” is how rumors and lies get started.
The post office is also replacing old sorting machines/Mail Jeeps/Mail trains and planes to provide better service. I have no idea and are not speaking about your country. I am only speaking of mine.
Yes, it’s a good idea to send all possible cards.
Once you receive a hurray Message (when the card you sent is registered) it often says “Now YOU will receive a postcard” so that’s your biggest hint on your adress getting drawn next. But then it might take a while for the card to arrive.
In your settings you can also allow to send/receive cards from your own country. This might help to speed up the process and increase the amount of cards your allowed to send 
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Why would they do this? Were you expecting that your local post office would not apply the 10¢ increase from August, approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission?
There are currently no Postcrossing members in North Korea, and USPS broadly limits service there. Do you mean South Korea, which reinstated service to the US in July?
This seems unlikely, given the nature of a pandemic. How do you know this, exactly?
I wish this were true, but your State Department and CDC health data suggests otherwise. The virus is likely interfering with everyday operations across the state. Stay safe out there, sister. (There is a vaccine locator and other services if you need them! 
)
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I agree with this one.
Our mail to US arrives faster these days, just like before 2020.
I discussed this with other Indonesian members and we were all surprised why people say mail to US takes forever. Many of us already got WPD 2021 badge because our WPD cards arrived in 2 weeks or less to US.
I found NC and TX are the best one. My cards arrived in 10 days.
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Sometimes I think it depends on the US area. Some cards from Germany arrive within 10 days, some need 50 days, most are something in between.
Unfortunately a certain amount of cards disappears for ever. About 3% of my sent cards never arrived their receiver, ascending trend. So if only one card ts on the way to you, it could mean a very long waiting time, if you’re very unlucky you wait forever.
To be organized can mean very different practises. E.g. I send a postcard every other day, which means about 15 cards a month. This amount I can afford, and same time each sent or received card stays special to me. 2022 german postage will increase, so I consider to send a card only every 3rd day then.
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Yes I think so too. East coast arrives faster in my cases
You will always get a postcard back if you send one, generally speaking you’ll often even receive more postcards than you’ve sent.
At one time, I remember having received like six more postcards than I had sent.
As of this moment, I’ve already received one more postcard than I have sent, and I still suspect there are more on the way. Sometimes, I even receive a surprise postcard months later that has been traveling for a long time.
I suppose what I’m trying to say is that it’s mostly a surprise when a postcard might arrive, so have fun I guess!
I personally love surprises, though it does lead to me checking if every little sound I hear might be the postman bringing me some postcards lol.
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I’ve had some REALLY fast international postcards lately, Canada to Germany in only 5 days for example, and 5 days from Japan to me in Canada. On the other hand I had a postcard to Brazil (one of my first from when I first signed up) arrive after THREE MONTHS.
Basically predict the unpredictable, send all your cards, and sit tight. It will never be an even 1:1 ratio of sent and received. I have 18 sent and 13 received right now.
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Thanks - I’m taking your advice and getting several more on the way this week!
Yes, our postage just went up in the US as well. I am so glad that I forked out for several dozen “forever” stamps before it did. They are great in that if the rate goes up you can still use a Forever stamp, even if you bought it years ago - it keeps the value of the most recent rate. I’m taking the advice of all the veterans telling me to send, send, send, and getting several more out this week. Thanks!
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Update - took your advice and sent several more. I’ve gotten several more in, too - 2 in one day, once, which was super-cool. Thanks for the tips! And btw, you and I have twin pups. My little Dachshund / Min-Pin mix looks just like your little guy in the face, So cute! Have a great day! L
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Glad they’re starting to roll in for your Laurie, keep it up - it can be very exciting as your card limits go up!
And while you’re waiting for that, there’s lots of cool swaps, tags etc here in the Forum to do.
Glad we have some cute pups in common - we’re so lucky to have them for company especially during this pandemic eh?