Of course you should take good pictures, not accidentally blurres ones etc.
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I usually take cards from my small stach at home and that consists only of cards that I like. Luckily the addresses also like my cards.
Short answer: itās complicated 
After six years of shopping, local and (non-bigriver) online, I have two boxes full of cards, so usually I find a card that should fit. But if the profile is super-duper friendly and I know the place where there is a perfect card (Olympics, traditions, ā¦), which I donāt have in stock that very moment, I might go out to get it, or buy it on my way to work (I even did wrote a few cards from there already).
I did search for a card a whole afternoon once - buying cards is always a better use of time than stuff like emptying the dishwasher 
I def. buy cards in advance, because you can always meet a user who will exactly like that topic.
But, of course, just to assure you: you donāt have to fulfill wishes. Any additional effort is completly up to you. Itās absolutely find to send the nice card lying next to you ā¦
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You petty human! 
But I shouldnāt speak up, Iām guilty of sending a very ugly (in my opinion) multiview to someone who had a long list of strict wishes, yet sent hundreds of the same (ugly) postcard design.
To answer OP question - I use postcards from my stash and try to find one that is aligned with the wishes. And when Iām shopping for postcards to replenish my stash I buy not only designs I like but also these that will be āusefulā postcrossing-wise. I donāt really have time to go shopping (offline or online) everytime I draw new address.
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When I first started, I felt like there werenāt that many good cards to buy where I lived - this was true for traditional āviewcardsā, but then I realised about museums etc., and also it really depended on the city as I was living kind of between two places.
So my first instinct was to print my own cards, which I did even if I had noticed I could buy lots of cards. To be sure, I only sent them to those who DONāT have the āno handmadeā warning. Whether they consider a quality-printed photo to be handmade I donāt know and it probably depends on the person. But even so, I only sent a few through Postcrossing and sent the others to friends. Though I often think of doing it again, if you use a professional service (thereās lots of websites doing that) it is no problem, I was super happy with the quality of mine.
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First thing Iāll do is looking in my own stash, especially with COVID around. I have a ton of cards that may have been pre-purchased, but are brand new and cover a lot of interests.
If not, then it depends on their wish. If itās a card that I know is sold by a nearby shop, Iāll probably purchase it. But if itās very specific and Iāll probably have to visit more than my usual shops, Iāll just do my best to match their wish as close as possible. Luckily, I find that the majority of people have very broad wishes that are easily fulfilled.
But after all, the code for postcard wishes:
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I always send postcards from my stash too but Iāll buy postcards of different themes now and then to make them diverse. When Iām purchasing postcards, Iām constantly calculating the profiles I once read to try to get some cards that are in demand but I donāt have.
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I have a stash of postcards at home that I use and add to often. I try my best to send a postcard that fits wish lists and I can only recall a few instances where people havenāt sent a hooray message and only once in an RR did someone complain and I simply sent them a U2U explaining that due to COVID I wasnāt able to match their wish list as my card choices were limited. They never replied but thatās ok.
I usually go for the stash too, which nowadays is quite diverse and I canāt afford to buy more solo postcards for everyone as much as I wanted to.
I do try to purchase stamps related to themes the person has mentioned in the profile, though. Itās money I will have to spend either way, so if I can do it then I will do it. 
I do both. First I try to pick one from my quite large stash ( to which I regularly add when I come around interesting postcards). But sometimes I simply donāt have a matching card. The then following action is dependant on the recipientās profile. If itās an active member with a friendly profile that brings me joy I will go and by a special card. Or I will paint/draw one if they accept handmade ones. If the the opposite is the case I will simply send a neutral Germany themed card.
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Thatās what I do but many times the wishes for that theme dry up immediately after I buy them. I bought dinosaurs after request went up after Jurassic Park, same for Alice in Wonderland. Iām still managing to clear my Harry Potter cards though.
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You can send all your dinosaurs to me
But seriously, I know this phenomenon so well! I have a few Jetoy and Alice in Wonderland postcards and nowadays no one seems to want them. 
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I just started postcrossing about a month ago, so I donāt have a large stash right now to fulfill specific wishes. I am mostly using cards that I bought on trips to museums. I am also in a small town, so finding local postcards is a challenge. I have a friend that lives in a super touristy town, so I called in a favor for him to bring me a bunch of postcards during visits.
As I keep going, I think I will try to find postcards that fit popular demands. I donāt necessarily like the idea of going out of my way to cater to a very specific request because I feel like that sucks the fun out of postcrossing. I would rather be surprised by the picture. I also think taking the time to write a thoughtful message is more important than worrying about if you are sending the right type of postcard.
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I just make sure I have different type of cards at home. I try to fulfill all wishes but if I donāt have it then I send a card that I think suits most. As for favourite tags on the forum I try to buy the touristic cards that are listed when I go to the city. Right now everything is closed so I have to do with what I have or order online.
I try to fullfil wishes, but not always I am succesful. I have a stash in drawer, but if I donāt have it, I go and buy it, order online (nowadays) or just pick card which seems closest to the wish. I even once sent card which wasnāt in the wishlist and he/she actually loved it!
I rather āhateā when I bought a pack of flower postcards, or wild animals and now it seems that nobody wants them.
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Send them to people who have open wishlists ā¦ once youāve sent them all out, youāre guaranteed to see endless requests for them. At least thatās the way itās always worked for me! 
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@nyassa @Axolotl_
There is an Alice In Wonderland - Something from wishlist tag - Alice in Wonderland tag in case you have too many cardsā¦
On the other hand, I am sure you will stumble over Alice wishes again eventually.
I have a Ghibli box and not many requests but I am in no hurry to get rid off the cards, I like them
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I have built up a stash over the years to meet most requirements and I find choosing a nice card and anticipating their pleasure when they receive it is as good as receiving a card myself.
But I have received some really rubbish cards, particularly in the early days, and this has driven me to the forum - in particular the round robins where you can choose your subject.
Everyone is different and everyone has their own approachā¦
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I only send cards that are in my existing stash. I havenāt bought postcards in a while cause I already have so many already.
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I tried to stopp buying cards, but failed 
And I have not that much, whem I read what others write here and in other topics.
Mostly I buy cards I like myself and I am happy to send them. I go not on the hunt for a perfect card for that user, but in pre-covid times, I enjoyed to get through the cards in the shops and search for cards that would fit to a profile I got the adress. I did this only when I know that I have time for such a shopping tour, selecting cards is fun 
Otherwise my stash is the source.
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