Do you prefer to send cards or receive them?

I’ve often wondered if you have a preference?

For some reason I find writing cards, carefully selecting them from my collection, putting stamps and stickers, and mailing them so relaxing and nice.

Is it weird that I get more joy out of it than receiving cards?

Not that I don’t love getting cards, of course…

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Yes, I am very much the same. I do like receiving cards, but I definitely enjoy sending more.

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I prefer sending too. I think it’s because sending is more of an activity (selecting postcard, choosing stamps, writing a message, walking to postbox).

But I do love receiving too :smiley:

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I love picking out the right card, choosing the stamp and writing adress and a small message on it.
It is for me relaxing, like somebody else will go into a Yoga-Session :smiley:

But I also like to receive cards in my mail box, looking from where they are, which stamps are putting on, reading the messages and afterwards looking for the best place on my postcard-wall.

So I like both and I´m so happy to find Postcrossing by fortune.
But I really enjoy and love more to send postcards.

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Like the other members, I enjoying sending vs. receiving. Invariably, the quality I send out far exceeds what I get back.

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I joined so that we could receive some happy post, but quickly found that sending makes me happier. I love the whole process of sending.

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yes this. it takes more time, sending feels more like the hobby part than receiving. it makes me wanna buy things and take some hours to write the cards. it’s my way of relaxing for a bit.

of course i love receiving as well. it’s so nice to come home from a long day at work, find some cards on my doormat and read what people have to tell me. it’s always a bit disappointing when there aren’t any. though writing hurray messages, scanning the cards and deciding which one i wanna hang up my door also takes some time.

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I enjoy everything to do with the sending process from purchasing postcards and other items like pens to write with, stamps, stickers and washi tape. I love sitting down with a drink, mostly a cup of tea and a treat, to write them. Often taking my dog :dog: For a walk or car ride to post them. It all brings some joy.

Like others I also enjoy receiving postcards and my immediate family all get joy from seeing what arrives. My Mum is the most disappointed if we don’t receive any postcards.

Postcrossing definitely value adds to my life :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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I enjoy sending more than receiving. I usually don’t pay much attention to my stats. Whenever I have another open slot available to send, I’m happy.

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I probably enjoy sending a bit more because I have more control over the process - I can decide when I feel like doing it, do it at my own pace etc.

On the other hand, receiving has this wonderful element of surprise, and I enjoy all the nice stories and kind words, so it’s a very close race for sure!

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I am a ‘gift’ person. It sounds really materialistic, but it’s not.
I enjoy putting time and effort in finding someone the perfect gift, and enjoy receiving a well thought out gift just as much. It’s not about the value but the thought.

So, since I have more control over the sending part, that gives me the most joy. But when I receive one of ‘those’ cards or messages(!) where I just knew the person has put a lot of thought into it, it just makes my whole day, :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Actually, you’re not alone in this, and as you can see from the above. I like sending postcards more too, but that doesn’t mean that any joy is taken away from receiving postcards.

I like the feeling of being able to fulfil wishlists of Postcrossers, and when the Postcrossers write back to say that they enjoyed the card and stamp(s). :grin: Or when they can relate to whatever I’ve written on the card as well. :slight_smile: It’s that sense of satisfaction that I can’t describe, but I’m sure you would know what I mean too.

Of course, I love opening my mailbox to see postcards from around the world too, and what others have put a lot of thought (or not) into for me. :slight_smile:

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It doesn’t sound materialistic at all. Actually quite the opposite, cause really these cards are something that you’re creating for someone. Without the work you put into it, it would be worth nothing.

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I was surprised by how much I like to send postcards, too, and I agree with @Loqi that it is about the control in the sending part . For me, it’s about reading (hopefully detailed) profiles, then selecting the right postcard and the right stamps for the person. But then writing something that they will hopefully love, because I read their profile and want to entertain them, make them smile or laugh, etc based on what I know about them. You do feel like you have the control to be able to make the receiver have a fantastic 10 minutes out of their day because they really liked what you sent them. Because you made the effort.

And you can’t control whether the person that randomly received your address feels the same way. If they do, and you get a fantastic 10 minutes out of your day from their postcard, wow! Great! But if they didn’t go to that effort, then you got a postcard, that’s all.

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For me it is also the sending part I enjoy most. When I started sending was a necessity to receive cards. That changed quickly and now I just love to look through my cards to find the perfect one and to decorate and write it.

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Receiving cards and not know when they’re coming is exciting but I really enjoy sending cards. It’s fun to draw an address and pick a card & stamps/stickers/washi and wait for it to arrive! :grin:

I enjoy sending a bit more than receiving, in part because sending has so many independent hobbies connected to it: postcard shopping, stamp shopping, ink selection, fountain pen use, sticker shopping, rubber-stamp shopping, and so forth.

But I was surprised by how much I love receiving cards. If I’m honest, I didn’t think I would, that much (see previous regarding how many hobbies I engage for sending). But I’ve gotten some really wonderful cards, touching notes, carefully-selected stamps (I’m not a collector, but I do enjoy looking at and learning about stamps), and so on. I got one lovely card from a 10-year-old who is just starting out in Postcrossing, and it warmed my tough, stringy ol’ heart to see such a young person getting involved in physical correspondence.

So, given that I went into this assuming that I’d enjoy sending very much and not be all that invested in receiving, discovering that my enjoyment of each some days runs neck-and-neck was a nice surprise.

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Definitely sending! In fact, I think I’d probably send even if I didn’t receive.

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I definitely prefer sending, although this hobby has gotten me into the habit of checking the mail almost every day. I think before I maybe checked it twice a week?

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And I have too zazaputany profile and postcards came to the wrong ones. I liked to send it more. Now I’ve changed my mind about how to combine feelings when sending and receiving. But I still hesitate to do it. Can someone help? I will tell you the details in my personal messages. And then we will share our experience here or on another forum thread.