Not registering cards as "punishment" method?

Postcrossing General Topics
#1

I just realised there is a thing as “I’m not registering a card because I didn’t like it”. It is apparently an attitude some postcrossers have which would never cross my mind. I register every single one I get. Because I GOT IT and that is what we do when we get a card…

I don’t know if anyone has done that to me, since I usually send my cards and don’t look back until I get a hurray message. If I dont get one and they are declared expired, I’m sad for 30 seconds and move on.

But have you heard about this “technique” before? Is it a way to punish the sender for not “complying to your wishes”? I find it outrageous to say the least!

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#2

I have heard rumors of this. It would be both rude and against Postcrossing’s rules. However, such a behavior could be hard to prove. I think we can find consolation in a thought that most of the people are not like that and those who are - well, they got lots of negativity in their lives. They might never learn the joy we others enjoy here.

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#3

From the community guidelines:

All postcards must be registered.
These include those that might not match your personal preferences or taste - all postcards must be registered, no exceptions. If you receive a postcard without or with a wrong Postcard ID, Postcrossing can help you. If you’ve received an item that you feel is unsuitable for the project, you should report it to Postcrossing and we’ll look into it.

In the past I came across some profiles stating that they won’t register specific postcards. That sounded like a threat. Something like: “If you send cards showing XY I won’t register it, so don’t dare to send those.”

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#4

I have never heard of such a thing and I also think this is not a very kindvand good thing tondo. I allways do my best to send a card according to the wishlist if possible. But I see that several of my sent cards were sent to someone who hadn’t been active on postcrossing for a while. They also don’t answer to personal messages send through their profile. In the beginning I got upset about this, but now I just accept it, and move on.

#5

I don’t think someone has ever not registered one of my cards because they don’t like it and neighter have I. But I do notice some people I’ve sent to don’t register anything anymore because they have lost interest in general. They don’t login anymore. I think it’s just as bad! :pensive:

#6

I am sure that some people do this, but they shouldn’t. It’s not how Postcrossing works.
Even when you send something that matches the other person’s profile, you might still send a card that they won’t like, or that they already have.

The only thing that you shouldn’t register is when you receive something that is not a postcard.
I once received a piece of cardboard from a diapers package - it was poorly cut, there was scotch tape everywhere, and it only said “Happy Postcrossing”. I found it disrespectful, to say the least.
I didn’t register it.

Other than that, I register everything even when the card doesn’t match my wishes.

@Oo_Hawkwind_oO I know that some people are very specific with what they want or don’t want.
Again, that’s not how Postcrossing works.
However, some wishes should be respected (for example, if someone asks not to receive religious cards or scary cards). However, if someone mentions this in their profile, it should be done nicely, not as a threat!

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#7

True… if you are on your way out of postcrossing, it would be nice to at least register any pending postcards you might receive. It is sad for sure…

#8

Actually I got once a message that the person did not like my postcard so the person won’t register it and the Person demanded a new one. I don’t use here a gender or a name, because it was a long time ago. And I had a similar experience in the forum that a person wrote me, that the person is not going to accept my postcard. That were two big reasons for me to stop PC for a while. After a few years a friend told me that PC changed the rules and you can send whatever you want and demands are not welcome anymore. I am very happy about that. PC changed in very very very good way.
But I believe there still people who would do that :confused:

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#9

Agree! But even if someone ignored my wishes I would register the cards and tell them that they were inappropriate.

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#10

These are the clear cases when reporting to the admins is totally justified. Yes, folks can still not-register cards, but at least they are reminded that it’s against the rules and the spirit of postcrossing.

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#11

I realised that a few time ago when someone commented about it somewhere. I hadn’t tought about the possibility before. I guess I read the rules when starting postcrossing and accepted them, you get an address, you send a card / you get a card, you register it.
Nevertheless, I think that’s not a real thing for most postcrossers. I guess there are always those few who don’t do things as they’re supposed to, but what to do? We just draw another address to another person and move on.

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#12

It is a way to violate the rules and to be punished by the Postcrossing team, unless the thing you received is not a postcard at all.

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#13

If you have evidence or at least strong hints tha a person does not register certain cards deliberately, then you can report them to the staff and they can finally close the account. That would register your card automatically.

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#14

:scream: :scream: :scream: Was that ever tolerated? I literally only signed up because the FAQs said demands are not allowed and this is not the perfect place for collectors (though it can be useful to them).

I am naive, I never thought people would do that because it is so plainly against the rule and the whole nature of Postcrossing that I feel genuinely angry as I type this :rofl:

#15

I joined postcrossing about a year after it started, I think. At that time, the rules were clear that you could only make requests, and I think must always have been so (when you are matching people randomly, it has to be…).

But sometime after that, the guidelines were updated to say that profiles should be about you primarily, and not just a list of requests. They also added the little checker that warns you if your profile seems to be making demands.

So I don’t think the rules changed, just that they were amended to guide people to think differently.

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#16

I do know that there are some people who won’t register certain cards just because they don’t like the messages on the card or vice versa they won’t send postcards to the addresses they draw because they don’t like their profiles. I’ve even reported one to the admins but sadly that card is still not registered until today. :frowning:

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#17

I hate to think that users would “punish” another user at all. I just don’t get that kind of hateful attitude from the Postcrossers I come across.

I register everything that arrives and always include a thank you. It’s what makes Postcrossing tick.

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#18

Once I registered a piece of white paper with a message on it, which I don’t need to register it as it is not actually a postcard, it comes from a newcomer and I reminded the sender to send a real postcard according to the rules.

I didn’t register a postcard before, it shows a postallove greeting from xx card(a country greeting from card, not a unofficial one) which is self-printed and I didn’t believe the sender got the right to do so, also the sender pasted a used stamp(postmark shows different month/year compared with the sent date of the postcard) on the postcard(not paid any valid postage), I informed the administrator of this situation and they told me not to register it, the sender is a longtime member and I’m not sure if it’s done on purpose or not.

#19

Same! While browsing the new forum after coming back to :postcrossing: I have heard terms like ‘ghostcrosser’ and rude people it shocks me how people can be rude to such a nice community, let’s hope we don’t run into these kind of Postcrossers…

#20

I think mostly this is rare, but it is human nature that we dwell on bad experiences, which makes them seem more frequent than they are.

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