How fast do you send a postcard?

Oh the boxes are not waterproof ! It is crazy.

I always write on the day I draw a name and post within 24hours, the travelling time starts from the day it’s drawn so it all adds on to the time, a long delay can seem as if the postal service is slow. If I’m busy I leave drawing a name until I have more time.

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I remember my first cards very well. I was totally stressed out when I noticed that the travelling time starts as soon as the addresses are drawn. I thought you would draw the address, and then, when you put the card in the mailbox once it was ready, you would press another button to start the travel time. I thought the immediate start of the counter meant that I HAD to send it the same day, since the travel time should be reflected accurately. I really struggled with that, felt rushed, did not enjoy the process since I did not know where to get suitable postcards for each profile within the same day, and was not 100% happy with my cards.

However, it did not take long until I received a card where the travelling time on Postcrossing and the real travel time according to the post stamp did not add up. At all, sometimes. Only then did I start to think that it was ok to take a few days to send the card. And I also noticed that of course people can take a while to register your card even if you send the card on the same day you draw the address, so the real traveling time is shown only in the rarest cases, both sent and received. And that’s ok.

I still like to send my cards asap though. The whole system and the other party rely on it. This is easier nowadays than in my beginnings, since I have a small stock of common blank cards now. And I only draw addresses when I’m ready to write a card. So usually the cards I write start their journey the next business day, when the postbox is emptied. I just like it better that way for my own records, since I can estimate a bit better about when the travelling cards should arrive and it’s time to get excited :wink:

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Usually I draw an adress when I want to write it.
And then take it to the mailbox soon as possible - or reasonable. For example there is no sense in bringing a card to the mailbox at once, if it is not emptied same day. So cards written on Saturday naturally take one day extra to move on.

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Nameste from India,
I usually post it the same day or the next day…
I have stocked up all types of PPC from past 2 yrs
So it’s easy for me to select a card .

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There’s another similar thread with lots more interesting responses to this question here:

Well worth a read.

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Lately I’ve been drawing addresses in the evenings after 6 or 7 pm so they have the following date. I then write them out and mail the following day from one of two post offices where im certain they will be collected when they say they will be. I always try to have cards traveling within 2 days of pulling addresses.

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I write immediately and post it as soon as possible.

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My nearest mailbox is quite far away and I don’t have a car so… sometimes it can even take a month (my longest is 38 days between mailing) :smile: The good thing is that the travel times from here is usually quite long to everywhere so it doesn’t make a huge difference

I’ll just pile up all of my cards that I will be mailing and mail them whenever I feel like it. I draw addresses when I have time to write postcards

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I’m similar, though the longest ever between drawing the address and mailing the postcard is a week. Because I’m ill, I can’t write loads of postcards at once, so I draw the address, take my time choosing and writing the card, draw the next address. I put the postcards waiting to be posted out on “display” on the hall table. Then gather them all up when someone can take me to the postbox.

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During the week, mostly the same day. I want to avoid that I forget to send a card or that I get overwelmed by how many I have to write.
But on Fridays I sometimes get to enthousiast and get a few addresses in a row and write them in the weekend. It is not till Monday that the mail will be picked up, so it is not like the receiver would get it way earlier.

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I draw the address mostly when I write the card right after that.
If I write more, I draw each address only after writing the previous card.

And I mail the same day, or next, or if it’s weekend, on Monday. (My rule is to mail it only on the days/times when the box is emptied that day.)

For me drawing, writing and sending the card quickly has nothing to do with “quantity over quality”, I just think there is less chance to misplace or forget it, if I do it straight away.

Also I don’t feel pressure in any ways, it’s the way I like to do it. Almost every time when I write a card, I get a moment of relaxation <3 and it’s what I want to do at that moment.

Few times I’ve drawn an address when on my way to shopping, so I could see if i could buy a good card. But then, when I’m back home, I feel like when I already read their profile, looked at their cards, thought what I write, I think, didn’t I already write to them? And then it feels like I’m writing two cards, because the first I did in my head after getting the profile :smile:

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I do exactly the same and I even write the card while shopping sometimes and I always keep some stamps in my purse just in case , and then I go to the post office on my Way home. I like to send the card very quickly and I feel no pressure, That’s why I have more sent than received I think .

It would be interesting to know, how the algorithm works?

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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Questions about the forum

Indeed here you can see how many of our mailboxes are: they stand on their own, not attached to a wall, so snow and rain hit them from all the sides and they are often missing the part that should prevent the water entering into the box. :smiling_face_with_tear:

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I am new too and I usually write at night when I request the address and send the next day

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𝐼’𝑚 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦 !
𝐼 𝑛𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝐼 𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑑𝑎𝑦 :slight_smile:

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Not sure if it works that way. I quickly send, but I am 28 cards over. :joy:

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I send the postcards the same day or the next day at the latest. I avoid drawing addresses on weekends because the post doesn’t work then. I’m crazy about statistics and I want the statistics to show the correct travel time.

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