Hi I found Postcrossing from a scrapbook group I belong to, I am so excited to be a part of this! My dad was a stamp dealer for over 30 years in California. When he retired, he gave me all of the postcard inventory. I have so many postcards that are from the 60’s-90’s from all over the world.
I want to get clarification on if it’s okay to send those unused cards. I have lots of cards from each of the 50 states and around the world…but I live in California. Except for going to Reno NV once, I have never left California. Many of the cards would fulfill topics like churches, bridges, animals, beaches, museums, etc.
I want to be a good Postcrosser and not upset anyone that I send a card to.
For sending official cards, the only requirement is that you send a postcard, so sending these cards will be fine.
I send cards from all around Australia - there are much more spectacular scenes elsewhere than my city has to offer. And without comparing the card to my profile map, someone would have to examine the postmark then look up the postcode to know it wasn’t sent from the state depicted.
Some people have a strong preference for cards sent from their ‘place of origin’, so if they say this in their profile, you could stick to Californian cards for these people. But again, you’re not required to meet wishes, only to send a card, so I wouldn’t worry about this too much.
Some may also prefer a modern/new card. I’d suggest saving the older cards for the people who are interested in retro/vintage/historical cards (although, as a teen in the 90s, I can’t bring myself to call cards from then vintage!).
Those cards will be fine. I have sent cards with views of many places in the US and people seem happy with them.
You are being too hard on yourself. Read the profile and send the best match you can find among your cards. And with some profiles, you will not have a card, we aren’t postcard shops after all. Just send a nice one, no need to apologize.
The majority of people are more interested in your message. Enjoy the experience!
Yes, any unused postcard is good to send.
I do have a mention that I prefer cards from where it’s sent, and it’s just something that I prefer, so why deny it. But of course I get cards from elsewhere too. I have gotten a Finnish card, that the sender had bought in Finland, then went back to home, and now sent to me. I kind of like that. The card went for a travel, and got back home
And someone sent me a card from different state than they live, for me it’s still USA, but I like that they mentioned how far they live
Also I have sent cards showing other places and have sent them. I often send card that say just “Finland”, showing typical views that could be almost from anywhere here.
And, many members mention they like some country, then maybe you can send that country’s card to them, they are learning German, send a German card, or a certain artist, musician - send a card from the state they are from etc. Some people love Paris, and want to have these cards from anywhere etc.
I personally would like to read the story how you got the card.
But, I am sure at some point you will upset someone. That happens no matter how much you try. So, just do this in a way that keeps you happy!
Welcome Kathy. Before you send out your cards, you may wish to look carefully at them and at the profiles you draw. My viewpoint is the more modern the card is, that is the way to go. Most of the postcards published in the 1990s have a bar code on the back; those before that generally do not. Moreover, the older the postcards are (the 1960s or 1970s), the photography isn’t as sharp.
I mentioned profiles. While other members can’t make demands, they can express preferences about what they like and do not like. Some members like myself don’t like religious buildings or animals. Lastly, it’s good that you have lots of US cards. Some members send cards from countries not their own. Not a big deal if you are sending an animal card or a painting postcard.
So you are free to send whatever card you want on any occasion. Still, many people like to try and match a card from their collection to the preferences or personalities of the receiver - part of the fun of connecting with other people is figuring out what you have in common with them, right? And some people don’t express much of their personality or preferences on their profiles, so you can’t match to that anyway.
To increase your fun, you don’t just have to wait for the assigned cards. You can come to the Forum and look for Tags and Round Robins that match your interests and your card collection. There are some that specifically are about retro or vintage or about the past, and your cards would be especially of interest to people there. And there are some that are about specific things - bridges, mountains, sunsets, etc which you probably have in your collection.
Another option might be to do an envelope trade. For example you send 5 unwritten South Dakota cards to someone in SD for them to use, and they send you a mix of whatever you are seeking (maybe some non state cards such as cats, horses, flowers etc that show up in member interest lists)
