Here I can’t get the postcard stamp cancelled before I post it, they can only cancel it after I post it, so I can’t put it in a plastic wrap like this.
I could, but they would have to later take it out of the plastic to cancel it, and would throw away the wrap before the card even started its journey.
So I save postage. Sending a letter from Germany is more expensive than a postcard. In foil, the postcard remains a postcard.
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Oh ok. Got it. It’s the same price here so I forget about that.
Postcard is postcard wherever it is placed, I thought the cost of a letter comes from that there is a outer wrapping. and inner part. The wrapping then can be a plastic envelope, foil (do you mean the thin metallic sheet?), paper, vellum etc. And postcard postage is for an item that travels “alone”/naked without a wrapping.
I don’t know how it’s treated if the stamp is on the postcard, but there is a plastic envelope on top of that (so that the postage is not in the outer wrapping). Here we also have the same postage for light letter and a postcard, but from experience very few cards arrive damaged here, so buying plastic or something seems too much. I took part in a swap where people put similar themed stamp, and German member had to pay letter, because we agreed to send the card in clear pocket. The pocket was thick plastic, but I don’t think it weighed too much to be a letter, but it became letter when there was something else than the postcard?
But I know some postcards are in a thin plastic pocket when bought, but these again often tear when I take the postcard out and I believe these are meant to protect the card in a shop.
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It’s when post office worker put cancellation mark manually with their hands on the stamps. In some countries with advanced postal service, machine does the job
oh thank you. I still have to send my first post card 
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When I leave my postcards at the local post office, they still cancel the stamps by hand (without even asking). So in some countries, you can still have it both ways (machine or hand cancellation) 
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I try to always have my cards hand cancelled! Many hand cancels are unique!! I’ve gone to many different post offices all over the USA and Canada and yet to visit one that refused to hand cancel! I find that almost all post office people are very helpful. Just last week one went into the back room just to get me a special hand cancel. It was worth looking at!
On the subject of plastic covers. I’ve had it cancelled first then I add the plastic cover, but I only do that on special cards/trades!
I send all LouPaper cards in the plastic sleeve they were purchased in. I write and stamp the card, then slide it in the sleeve. I make sure the flap is on the front of the card and the back with the address is perfectly clear. I never pay extra for the postage and the sleeve has never been removed to my knowledge. They either postmark over the sleeve or affix a removable barcode strip on the bottom. I’ve never had a problem with somebody receiving one of my cards with the sleeve on. But, the sleeve fits the card perfectly. There’s no excess to catch in the sorters.
Side note… I’ve noticed lately that over 50% of the postcards I receive have no postmark on them whatsoever.
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I usually use plastic cover to send maxicards! (to protect the special cancellation)
I also use the mailbox and the cards arrive safely as well. Based on my experience, I think when we put it in the mailbox and it arrives at the post office, the worker will hand cancelled the stamps and put back the postcard in the plastic cover, because the receiver always received the cards with the plastic on 
And there is no difference in price for sending with and without plastic cover.
Last year I swapped here in the Forum with someone and decided to draw something on a blank postcard. While the person also played a video game I played years ago myself and like a special holiday, I combined both.
And to protect my hand drawn postcard from weather and other reasons, I used for the first time a plastic envelope. I used also a easy peel off washi tape. ^-^
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