Sometimes profiles with a strict wish lists are really drove away you.
But most people write a wish list, but add that they would happy to receive any postcard. In that case, I’m just looking for a postcard in my stock. I only go looking for the right card if I have the wish or I planned a shopping trip.
But I never send a postcard from a list of undesirables. If someone asked me not to send cards with children, animals or flowers, I think it would be disrespectful to him (or her) to send this.
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Please don’t feel pressure. Its supposed to be a fun hobby not a stress raiser.
Send what you have easily available.
Eventually you may end up with a stash with a variety of images, but probably very few people started out that way.
I wouldn’t and couldn’t make a shopping trip each time I pulled an address. Shops with a variety of cards just are not that local !
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Hi! As a novice myself I sometimes do buy cards to match the preferences. That rarely happens though. When I get the adrress and read everything through, I get an idea if I saw something in the store recently that the person might have liked more than what I have. In this case I might go and buy this very postcard the next day to send out.
If I do not get an idea about the perfect match, I will choose something I have the person might like.
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I do not buy postcards for everyone but I do my own postcards based on the person preferences. For me is an artistic challenge. I know some people don’t like homemade postcards, but the ones I’ve sent have had good comments so far from the receiver. I guess if I find someone that explicitly says not liking homemade postcards I’ll find my stash or delay the sending until I find the perfect postcard. It depends.
I have a collection of cards on popular topics, tourist cards and cards I just like. If I have card from wishlist - I send it. If not - I send whatever I want.
To be honest, I view wishlist as deep dive at person’s interests. Because in About me section people always write something like “I live here and there, I have several kids/pets, I like to travel”. But then I see something like Disney cards in wishlist and I understand that this person likes Disney firms. Even if I don’t have Disney card, I could write about my favourite film on whatever card, and I know that this person would be interested in message. If person actually don’t have wishlist it kind of makes me anxious 
I do, however, take anti-wishlists seriously. They usually short and easy to fulfill. It’s pretty easy to not send undesirable topic 
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I have a 60 animal postcards that I get online lasts me quite a while
No because once you type on the “about me” box in profile settings, it literally says on the bottom “”do not make demands”” that’s the rules and if you see someone demanding what type of postcards they want and don’t want they are basically breaking postcrossing rules…so send whatever postcrossing you want…I usually don’t go buy new postcards, I go out to take pictures with my camera and get it developed at Walmart for 9¢ and I write on the back of it and send it off
99% of the time I will literally pull a completely random card from my stash, and that’s what I send.
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I sometimes do. I got the sweetest person get me a card the otherday, and I saw a card that was perfect for a crosser but that is more for people you know from the forum say.
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Demands and wishes are are difference.
I Like when people write their Wishes because i have a hint which cards make Them happier than others. (That is Not forbidden.!) And i try to find matching. At The Moment i don’t Go buy New cards often, but my stash to pick from is very big. Sometimes i still can’t find matching.but Sometimes the wished For cards are Not even available Here.
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If I just happen to be where postcards are sold, in person or online, I buy whatever cards I can afford so I have a variety to try to appeal to as many tastes as possible. Even then I can’t satisfy half of them. Most commercial cards all seem to follow the same themes which only makes it harder. If I cannot then I just close my eyes and grab one. I rarely go shopping specifically for postcards except on trips.
I love those stamps!! Rail road fan here in New Zealand for sure
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I started postcrossing during the pandemic, so all I could do was order postcards online. I became comfortable with the idea of just sending a nice card, rather than worrying about whether it matches their specific list of requests. I did try to build a balanced stash, in general, so that helps.
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Sometimes. But I usually use cards from my ’postcard stock’ which is a box full of different cards
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I’ve just sent my second postcard via Postcrossing. The lady I sent the card to mentioned that she likes hedgehogs. I had bought a pack of postcards but there were no hedgehogs in it. So I found a picture of a hedgehog, cut it out and stuck it on the back next to the stamp.
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It’s hard to fulfill all kinds of requests. I send whatever I have from the stash. I also list various of categories/themes so people can have more choices when assigned my address.
Hello everybody! Sending my first batch of postcards) Tried to buy matching postcards to all recipients)
I want a person to be happy to receive a postcard) if someone is interested in a direct swaps, write to me, I will be very happy) sorry if I wrote a message in the wrong place, I didn’t quite figure it out on the forum yet
sorry for my bad english ( i don’t know english well ( I have to use google translator (
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Nah. Since I cannot predict what a postcrossing user would like I usually just send what’s in my stash. I like to reduce the time I’m going out before I am fully innoculated.
Also normally I want to send the postcard ASAP, so if I’m sending a new postcard I already have a set of cards to choose from.
The request I for certain follow is if someone asks to put it in an envelope, which is easy for me since I have stationary for writing to penpals and stuff.
I am very graceful for lists of favorites, that makes it easier for me to decide which postcard I send 
But I dont go and buy a card - I look into my stack and when I find one that fits, than I use it. If not, I choose one randomly.
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Hallo everybody!
I’m really new at postcrossing, found it in February and there was no chance to go out and find postcards - Corona-Lockdown in Germany. So I had to use cards I could find in the internet. It’s not so satisfying, but better than not to have a maching card. Ilook forward for the chance, to find new cards by chance, on my ways around and may be on an fleamarket??
So my answer to the question is: No, I take whatever can be found and always hope to have something that fits. I have already taken my own pictures, sent the photo printout within Germany or Europe (postcard printer) or stuck a photo on a blank card. Nobody has complained - so far. But I don’t do that if someone doesn’t want cards that I have made myself.