When I get an address I just write a postcard. I don’t pay attention to the status of the receiver. I only come to my account to send or to register a postcard…
Once a month I try to send my “13 postcards” and register the same day or the day after. I make an effort to seek a nice postcard, write a meaningful text on my postcard and as reply to a received postcard.
Even going to this Community I do when I receive a mail about topics and then I scroll, read and write some comments.
I’m dedicated to Postcrossing in my own way, take care of my received addresses and postcard even though I maybe once a month active…or only active while asking an address or register a postcard.
Just play by the rules yourself and enjoy the addresses and postcards received by you!
Are you suggesting that if that person doesn’t log in again, you wouldn’t send the postcard that you explicitly agreed to send?
Well said!
I never even think to check the status of the receiver. I am just happy to be able to send out a postcard.
Thank you for your reply.
Sometimes I’m just taken by a topic…surprised where the attention goes too…For me Postcrossing doesn’t give me disappointing or frustration - just happiness like you expressed❣
I’m going to close this topic here, because this is not the kind of suggestion we’re going to implement. There are no exceptions in Postcrossing: when you’re given an address, there’s no choice of whether or not to send a postcard to the address given to you. This will not change.
That said, we definitely understand how frustrating it is to have a postcard travel to someone who stops logging in. Like @Axolotl mentioned, Postcrossing does not give out addresses of members who have not been around for over 30 days, or of members whose account has been set to inactive (which we do automatically after a period of not logging in). But even with the insight that stats and 15 years of running the site give us, it’s impossible to predict when someone’s interests or their life’s circumstances will change.
Plus, there’s often no reason for members to return to the website until they receive postcards — and with the kind of travel times we’re seeing this past year, it can be awhile for someone’s postcards to be delivered and for them to receive something back. Doesn’t mean a newbie doesn’t deserve to receive a postcard, just because their first postcard took 25 days to arrive, right? We were all newbies once, eagerly awaiting something to show up on our mailbox.
Lastly, Postcrossing does monitor everyone’s activity and levels of expired postcards and will contact members and close accounts when we see clear evidence of misuse. So, don’t think too much about it — just send your postcard! Trust the algorithm and the postal service to do their job, and enjoy the serendipity. 