I know once you’ve sent loads the amount of travelling at the same time isn’t really a problem anymore because you can have up to 100, but as a new member it’s really slow, especially over Christmas and some of the people’s stats that I’ve sent too says there average is 47 days. I hate the feeling that I could not be sending cards for that long because I’m a new member and limited to 5. I understand it’s for security purposes so people can’t just sign up and collect addresses and I’m glad that security method is in place, but does anyone else wish there was something you could do to earn more travelling? Such as donating money and get travelling postcards as a reward as well as the badge you get for pledging €10 or higher.
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In my opinion the forum is a good place to keep more cards moving. Sure, they won’t show up on your wall, I don’t think it’s too important.
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Firstly, welcome! It’s great to see a newbie that has done some research on how it all works.
As for your question - no, personally I have not really wished that even as a beginner. I can see you signed up about 10 days ago… Unless you have lots of cards travelling (say at least 20 or 30), you would always have times where you might spend 10 days without any action. It is the truth of the postal services. Also, you signed up during a pandemic (which has make the post travel a lot slower) and the Christmas madness, so as you also noted it is not the speediest of periods for anyone…
Yes, it is terribly slow at the beginning (my first card was registered over a month after sending it) but at the time I was happy I was prevented from going crazy and spend a lot of money on postage.
If your wallet and free time allow for a lot more action, there are countless games on the forum, like Tags and Round Robins, where you can send a lot more. I personally don’t like them as much as sending officials because I like the element of surprise, and it took me ages to understand how they worked 
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I am a newby as well signing up 30 Nov. I have not received any official cards so far but as I sent a good 25 replying to the forum’s various #games-activities:tags I got already 3 cards in return from Japan, Norway and the USA which is quite nice, and I am looking forward to the ones travelling.
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Welcome to Postcrossing, I actually haven’t felt too impatient… There’s so much to do in the forum and once your cards start arriving you get to send out more!
The average might be long but most of my cards, personally, have taken less than twenty days, sometimes a week!
Anyway it is a waiting game, but that’s what makes it even better for me, since you can also check out the games and activities here in the forum.
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I currently have 33 I can send at once and it’s actually quite a lot. Sometimes I fill all of them but most times, like now, I have about 20 or so traveling.
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Yeah I see what you mean. All he okey when I get to about 15-20 because that’s a fair amount I can work with lmao
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I’ve had times where I would have liked to be able to buy additional slots - for instance right now, I’m on vacation, so have time, and German Post runs a fundraiser for a charity this month (like every December) where they give 0.10 Euro per official card sent in Germany in December and registered by end of February. I’ve saved my slots for that, and all 14 are now full, so it would be great if I could buy some more slots (for one use only, not permanently) to support this more. Yes, I know I can make a donation to the charity directly, and for me as German it#s even tax-deductible, but where’s the fun in that? 
Bottom line: I understand the reasons for the limitations on available slots. It would be great if the Postcrossing staff could consider the possibility of buying some additional one-time-use slots for a donation. Of course these also need to be limited, say 5 or 10 maximum in a one or two month period. I would definitely use such a feature for the German December charity fundraising. Yes, I can (and do) participate in forum games, but that’s just not the same as official cards on my wall.
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I am all okay with the slots I have now (13), and it is kind of fast to get them like I have been postcrossing with this new account now about a year and half, and I haven’t been sending non-stop. Could have easily got up to 15 or so slot if I just sent cards directly when slots became available. Like it was mentioned already: the forum is great place to get more cards sent, if there hunger isn’t satisfied with the official ones.
Only thing I am bit disappointed about is that it would have been cool if everybody would have got an extra slot for World Postcard Day. Just to make sure everybody can send at least one card for the celebration. But I understand it would have demanded lot of work, and probably messed up at least part of the system.
I am bit wary about “pay to get a slot” idea. Could be great for getting extra funding on the site, but how would it affect the system? Would it turn out to be too difficult to manage and maintain?
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Paying for slots would change Postcrossing from the fun project it is to just another venue where wealthier people can buy more privilege. 
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You do have a point there. 
What if we could “gift” our extra slots for a month - like for a good cause. I would totally gift you my extra slots, @shugal. I have 10 right now.
I’m sure that would be a lot of work behind the scenes, though.
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I never fill all my slots - last time I filled them it was 12 and it was only once. I now have 15 and I think I have 8 or 9 going (and 8 expired…). And even like this, trust me, I have stretches of even 2 weeks when nothing gets registered. Mail from the UK is one of the fastest though, but I recall having slow times even when I lived there but probably because I was sending quite a bit less.
I guess I wouldn’t pay for extra slots because my main reason for not filling slots is trying to keep costs in control. Well, sometimes also free time or simply time I concentrate on cards - I do get “burned out” if I send more than 3-4 in one sitting, like I stop having fun after a few.
Donating extra slots I can understand as a concept, as I said I always have some spare… but I do imagine it would be very complicated to implement! And I suppose they would go in a “pool” where those wanting more slots would request them. But I’d still be wary, there might be people who get overenthusiastic and request a lot and then never get around to sending…
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Firstly, welcome to Postcrossing! 
I went through that stage when I first started out too, where everything seemed like it moved really slowly, and I just couldn’t wait for my postcards to arrive so I can send and receive more. I remember refreshing the page multiple times a day to see if my postcards arrived, and also checking my mailbox every day to see if I have a postcard. I experienced this again when I picked up Postcrossing again after going on a hiatus for 5-6 years.
It takes a while at the start for sure, but I guess that also means that when you finally get to send or receive a postcard, the satisfaction increases too because you have been so eagerly anticipating this.
I do wish that we get to send more postcards than our usual limit too, perhaps during the holiday season.
Yes! That would have been awesome! I’m rather new to postcrossing - started in August - and didn’t learn about World Postcard Day until 2 weeks before or so. I was lucky and got to send out at least one card that day but at my daughter’s account no free slot opend and so she “missed” it. I’m still a bit sad 
As to the December charity of Deutsche Post, I totally feel with you, @shugal! I would love to be able to send more postcards but don’t have many slots yet and on addition it’s going rather slowly at the moment. But I think @aerobear is right, paying for extra slots wouldn’t be the right way.
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When I started one could only send three (3!!!) official cards!
And everyone, who had become addicted, wanted more slots!
Then the number was raised to 5, and it still wasn’t enough, after about 5 seconds (or so it felt!), then it was changed to the way it is now.
I know what the eagerness feels like, to send out more and more, but it is a lesson in patience and in my mind, everyone who started out in the time like now (1 more slot for every 50 that are registered for you) is lucky (luckier) and eventually you’ll have more slots than time/money you can send out. 
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If you have an impatient nature it might be hard you can not change the rules. Money can’t buy you more slots. But it’s fun to see your work is rewarded with an extra slot now and then.
A good question is: why did I only signed up now? And not before.
I heard from postcrossing end 2005 begin 2006. And signed up in late 2008. I was not having internet then. And first did not trust my data and privacy would be safe.
We all love the forum and postcrossing.
Bold: And we all went through this: slow start!! Want to speed up!! I remember how frustrated I was.
Now I can have 100 in the air I am still impatient now and then. Especially if the counter stucks at …99 sent cards.
If you can request an address as soon a card is registered. And run to the mailbox before clearance. We have one business mailbox with a clearence at 20u. I often went there in the hope to speed up.
Edit: a post in between this two my posts was deleted.
It just sucks because all I wanna do is sent postcards because it’s one of the only things that makes me happy at the moment and I’m at the limit still 
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