I love it after all! What’s the name of this type? “Vegetable cards”? 
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Hi, and welcome to Postcrossing.
There is a thread somewhere on ‘things i wish I knew at the beginning.’ I think it was there that we had something of a similar discussion.
As others have said, I wouldn’t get too hung up on the fashionable series unless you really like them. Even if you buy them, the chances of you having the very one that a collector is missing are small. If I had my time again I would have stocked up on three types of cards at the start:
An image of where you live -it doesn’t have to be hyperlocal, just something that reflects the country/state /place where you live (a viewcard)
An image of something typical of your country that isn’t a viewcard - perhaps an animal, flower, recipe or cutural event
An image of something that really interests you.
All of them should be images you like and can write about.
With these three I think I could have sent something appropriate to the majority of Postcrossers, and for the remainder it wouldn’t have been any more helpful to have a ‘collectable’ series.
I wish you great fun building your stash, whatever you decide to buy!
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They are called Nouvelle images or something like that. They are usually about food but I have seen also some other themes.
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Nouvelles Images Atelier is the name of this serie. It’s from France. I feld in love to those cards about ten years ago and my collection is hundreds of those now. They are very hard to find nowadays. There are also other multiples cards that are easier to get.
There are so many different tastes in the world that you (as a newbie) can buy and send just the cards you like by yourself.
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When i started i also was complete unaware about all the series and options. I decided quite quickly i would mainly buy cards i like myself and not to indulge to much in others wishes. Meanwhile i have a small collection of cards, and alltough i don’t have many series and sets, they are appreciated. I take time reading the profile and sometimes i use decorations on the back if I’m not convinced about my choice.
I like the tips about your local area cards. My town has several tourist/view cards and even a 3d card so I’m spoiled in that matter.
I wish you luck and happiness finding your own style and remember to enjoy sending cards and not to worry too much.
Best wishes
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Welcome @AprilShorty!
Together with what others have said, I think it’s important to start by sending cards that you would like to receive. Also, represent your state/city/town!
You may find useful cards at Etsy or on Amazon (some sellers have shops in both places). If there are any tourist visitor centers in your locale, check and see if they have any postcards for purchase.
Stop by a dollar store or other place they might have inexpensive stickers - sometimes I may not have something someone “likes” but will send a state card, and use stickers that match their interests. Check out these forum topics:
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This, and also that if one is from a popular postcrossing country, many members will already have the series card from your country.
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Welcome to Postcrossing!! 
I can understand how intimidating and confusing it can seem at first.
There’s a ton of different series and trends, as others have pointed out. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to match people’s wishes perfectly!
If you want to diversify your stash a bit, I would also recommend having a look at some tags! I ended up learning that a box of 100 cards is too many of one theme for me, so swapping some in tags was a good way of adding some variety. I like this one, for example - I’ve received a bunch of different unwritten cards to add to my stash!
Lotteries are also a great way to mix it up a bit, especially if you come across one that’s offering popular series or cards from postcard boxes 
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personally i just mostly buy cards i like myself. i try to keep different types and brands of cards but in the end the cards are with me for a long time and i have to send them out.
over time i got to learn what things are most wanted but they seem to change quite often, as someone has already pointed out. i have a lot of krtek, blue cat, owls, black and white with one colour thingy cards that no one is asking for anymore.
in general i always have some animals, illustrations, tourist cards and lighthouses. lighthouses are very popular somehow.
and then recently everyone seems to want cardseries from certain webshops. i mostly ignore that as i think it’s a bit weird to assume everyone is buying their cards online/ordering from the same webshop (would get quite boring in the end as well).
so in conclusion just buy some cards that you like yourself and over time i’m sure you will see what is asked for most and most likely you will end up with a lot of cards anyway. most profiles aren’t super picky so just have fun with it.
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I was in your position too, and I didn’t know what those abbreviations of popular series are 
, thanks to forum now I do
However famous series based on countries flag, maps are too expensive for me because they’re imported. So I save them for direct swap on the forum for other series I love
Since you’re posting from the States, there are many famous series I’ve seen, like the national parks series, LouPaper, Greetings from (with big colourful state’s name), vintage travel card showing state name, and many other series that American postcrossers can explain better than me. Having one of these series may be great!
However, your can’t never go wrong with local tourist postcards 
and cute illustration about many things (flowers, animals), also maps. But in the end, just buy cards you find interesting and suit your budget!
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LC-Canada that was a very nicely worded post! It is overwhelming. I like sending cards from my hometown.
I just realized that we should read the bio of the official postcrossing receiver It sure makes it easier to write something!
Thanks for the information and tips.
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You’re welcome Linda, just take things a bit at a time - there’s lots to learn & it’s fascinating! Enjoy!
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I agree with your advice - love these cards, but I wasn’t on Postcrossing when they were trendy, so I mostly just save the images I can find now, lol
Happy to swap for those any time Hana!
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Want to remind OP (and everyone else) that the primary objective of Postcrossing is ‘connecting, not collecting’ and that no one is obligated to fulfill wishes/demands or send any particular card. The rules are ‘send a card, get a card’.
If you wish to stock certain themes, series, etc. by all means you should feel free but I hope you do not feel obligated to spend money you can’t afford on expensive collectible or desirable cards.
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I am very new to Postcrossing too, and I have discovered that this is a very, very deep rabbit hole indeed! I buy mainly postcards that I would like to receive myself and hope that others will like them too…but for me, the important thing is the connections I have been making. It’s just the best thing to receive a handwritten message from someone, somewhere in the world who has taken the time to send it to me!
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You could send the most boring card on Earth. But … a message area where you write something original, or relevant, is what matters. If you know little or nothing about their location, research it. If they are focused on “collecting” specific cards (or stamps), it’s their “disappointment” not yours!
##End of Rant##
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I have been buying/trading/selling postcards since 1978. The area of postcard collecting is very very broad, so I will limit my comments to what I have observed on PostCrossing in the 12 years that I am a member.
■ My postcard inventory for trading and selling fall into two basic categories: Views and Topics. Views are pretty much what you find in shops or online; what we affectionately call “tourist cards.” The other category, Topics, are also popular. Here you find Map postcards, Aircraft, Ships, Paintings, Birds, Trains, State Capitols, Courthouses…you name it!
■ Be attentive to the types of postcards people prefer. Many here (though not all) prefer Modern postcards. That being so, unless the person indicates otherwise, avoid vintage cards you see at flea markets, garage sales, etc. Look for good quality cards: sharp photography, no foxing on cards. Standard size (4X6 or 10.5 X15cm or larger are good). Be careful with oversize cards as these can incur additional mailing cost.
■ I have no experience with Series postcards, although they seem to be very popular with some. Most of the time when I see interest in these card series, it is usually for trade purposes rather than Official Postcrossing.
The caboose: there are a number of good sources for postcards, including my own online store <wink, wink>
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Thank you @LC-Canada for the link & for the information. It is very helpful & I have found everyone on the forum to be very helpful. Thx 
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