Oh thank you for letting me know!! I am new to the forum. Much appreciated!
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Hard to quantify, but I never liked getting them. Once I registered them, into the trash they went.
1000’s of us love giving & getting them & 1000’s don’t - just don’t send them to the people who say they don’t on their profiles - otherwise enjoy!
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Where can I see the result of the poll without registering there?
Here are the results! People selected other for the option of “Both”, oversight on my part! seems like most people prefer purchased to some extent.
Very helpful and insightful information to me 
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For me, the option “I like them both the same” was missing, so I also chose “other.”
Received my first homemade postcard yesterday. It was in the PO Box back side up so I immediately read the lengthy message on back and then flipped it over hoping to see a church/cathedral, ornate door or a bass guitar and it was two pictures (gummy bears and just a swath of color) cut out of a cheapy magazine, glued onto a hand cut “postcard” stock and mailed. I wasn’t sure what to think. Is it acceptable to say I was disappointed? I feel like that is insensitive because maybe this person is on a limited budget? But goodness, postcards are cheap. It’s the stamp to mail it that costs so much money for overseas mail. Ugh. I’m just venting.
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I’ve received one home made postcard and I love it. It was well made and very cool.
It’s made me want to try my hand at it (though I still haven’t)
On the other hand, I signed up for a wild animal tag and got a black card with eyes illustrated on it and it said wild animals at night. I didn’t sign up for a joke tag, so although this card was purchased, I was disappointed.
So happiness and disappointment can come from either home made or purchased.
As a side note, if the only cards you would have been happy with are churches, cathedrals, or guitars, might I say that not everyone will have those. I wouldn’t.
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I’m thrilled with homemade cards. I ask for them. I feel like it’s a form of expression. Are they all quality; nope. But are all my standard postcards quality; nope. That’s like saying “I don’t go to any doctor because one doctor gave me advice I didn’t agree with.” You can’t lump them all together. If you really don’t want to get them, express it kindly on your profile.
But now that you’ve called this person out and there’s a chance they’re going to see it, I suggest you think twice about how you word things.
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I can understand your disappointment in receiving such a card. I have received a few during my time here and some have been quite extraordinary. Well deserving of a talented artist. Including some made from simple food packaging which was a big surprise to me. And I have had those that have not been so fantastic, nonetheless; I do appreciate the effort.
However; I would prefer a lengthy message on the card as opposed to one that simply states ‘Happy Postcrossing.’ I would prefer a blank white postcard with a lengthy message from the sender that tells me they put time and thought into what they are telling me; than a professional card that says nothing at all. We are not going to connect with everyone on this journey, but I am glad to have connected with numerous individuals around our planet that have provided great insight to who they are, how they live, their own celebrations and the mundane ingredients to their daily lives.
Regardless, the card I receive I am appreciative of the time and effort the sender put into it.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us @isignaslily
Here are some quotes from the Postcrossing F.A.Q:
Is Postcrossing suitable for collectors?
You should expect to receive all kinds of different postcards, and these probably won’t represent just the themes you’re most interested in. You’re welcome to describe what you’re interested in via your profile, which we show to the members selected to send postcards to you, but the sender doesn’t have to comply.
What can I send on Postcrossing?
It can be a postcard you bought in a store or a handmade postcard, as long as it hasn’t been previously used.
So you just got what you were promised by joining Postcrossing: a card with a message. It’s just a little bonus when people take the time to send you a card with a theme that you asked for in your profile.
My take on Postcrossing is that I’m happy and grateful for every card I get, no matter what and if the image on the card happens to match my interests, that adds just an extra layer of joy 
I have received 2 homemade cards so far, and even though they are not to my usual taste, the messages made up for it 100 times. Also, it’s a nice thought that the sender probably had a lot of fun making the card and wanted to share that creative joy with me.
A little extra point of view: even though you might not like the card, you’d be surprised how many profiles I’ve seen that explicitly want cards made from food cartons or homemade cards in general. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Just my two cents. No hard feelings and sorry if I may came across a bit harsh/rude. English isn’t my first language
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So sorry that happened to you. You have asked for thoughts; here are mine:
■ I can tell you that I [thankfully] received very things of this type; I can’t call them postcards because they weren’t. Every single one I tossed in the trash after I registered them.
■ At times, after reading such stories, is when I really wish that these cheapskates would leave PostCrossing and let the adults enjoy their hobby.
■ Various excuses have been offered why people send this junk: limited availability of cards, budget, etc etc. Simple solution: if you don’t have postcards to send or don’t want to spend some money for mailing - don’t join a postcard exchange site. Not complicated.
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I don’t think it was from official Postcrossing as she has not registered it, or are you waiting to register it @isignaslily ?
If it was a tag or some other swap, then it should be in the rules of each swap what is allowed.
Of course you can be disappointed 
, I have been disappointed to hand made even when I like such. There is no one quality, same as shop bought. But like already written, please do express your disappointment so that the person doesn’t need to read it here. But if it’s not official, then at least the person is not so easy to recognise.
(I think my worst experience with hand made was to swap 5 empty cards, and I got 5 pieces of cardboard, like a sticker backing piece etc. but sort of my fault, as the swap didn’t say only shop bought 
)
Edit. if it’s official, or tag etc where the sender read your profile, maybe the sender got confused about this part:
"I like regular larger size postcards and would prefer to not receive actual cards. "
I would understand it means you don’t like actual cards (which I don’t know fully what it means, but it could be understood not shop bought).
I’m so happy and thrilled when I receive homemade cards, food package postcards, and upcycled postcards!! I ask for them. I also feel like it’s such a cool form of art and expression as well!!
I have received only a few food package postcards and only two handmade postcards and I love them!! Are they all high quality made postcards?? No they are not. But are all my postcards high quality?? Nope!
I also think that it’s such a wonderful thing to get a postcard that someone had so much fun making and wanted to share that fun and joy with you…
Regardless of whether the card is handmade or store bought I love the card either way because of the time and effort that goes into doing a postcard…
But that’s just my opinion on the matter
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Haven’t registered it yet but when I do I will upload a picture. I’ve read about some great homemade cards. And have seen some posted. Heck, I have postcards that I’ve “made” meaning I took the photo and made it into a postcard. But they are actually post cards. And I do my very best to match preferences. It’s one of the thrills of this hobby is to have or find the perfect card that fits what the postcrosser likes and wants.
Please don’t do it before your original message is deleted (or edited by the staff).
It will be easy to see who the sender was when you register the card.
And I’m not sure if it’s very friendly to “name” the senders whos cards made you disappointed.
(Think if someone was disappointed to your card, would you like to see it discussed here so that everyone will know it was from you )
If you feel it’s not suitable for postcrossing, you can ask if you need to register it, but to me it sounds like good enough still, member’s skill levels are so different.
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I think you should put on your profile that you dislike or don’t want to receive any handmade postcards because if you don’t then you will probably keep receiving them in the mail from people on postcrossing…
I also don’t think that handmade postcards are junk but I do respect your option on them… I do think putting ( No Handmade Postcards for me) on your profile will work as well!!
Happy Friday and Have a Wonderful Weekend!! 
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We would also like to share a comment here.
Since joining Postcrossing we have received some cards that were, let’s say, borderline. Not good paper, the motif is meaningless. But the text was very warm or informative.
The handmade cards that reached us were sometimes like that, sometimes like that. And again the message told us a lot about the sender.
That’s what’s important to us at Postcrossing!
It is the connection with the people who live on this earth.
We wonder more about cards with the text
Hello,
My name is…
I live in…
Happy postcrossing
Every card is registered by us. Sometimes we write more in the Hurray Mail, sometimes less. See above - in such a case it is difficult for us to find words.
In short: We are happy about every card that arrives. Because we don’t know the sender’s life situation.
And, as has already been written here, not everyone is an excellent artist.
But the sender chose this card especially for us.
And that’s great. And we feel honored.
Every card that arrives is a postcard for us, because that’s what this is all about.
@isignaslily you haven’t been at Postcrossing long.
Be patient, you will still receive wonderful handmade cards.
And if you don’t want such cards - then write it down in your profile.
We wish everyone a good and peaceful weekend
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Would not bother me at all. Not sure I can agree with you about postcards are cheap. Depends how readily available they are. IF I can find tourist postcards they can run from 3 for a $1 to a $1 each. Other kinds of postcards can run $2-$2.50. Then for me, another $1.50 to send it. Not exactly a cheap hobby! I would appreciate the lengthy message. I am three years in and have learned to just go with the flow. Some postcards and their messages will make me smile, some will just be “meh”.
I am grateful for every card I receive. Some will make my day, others will “I got a postcard, let me register it” kind of postcard.
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@thestarsandthesky Thanks for your comment. But “been there…done that” regarding your suggestion. The reasons I don’t have that on my profile are two-fold. First, many newbies join PostCrossing and send out cards on their own terms. That means they ignore profiles and do what they wish. That being so, I then decided to part ways with Official PostCrossing (almost two years ago). I revised my profile to be a positive one; I no longer have to worry about getting junk. That’s me. I respect what others choose to do.