Hello!!
I recently bought a multipack of random mixed postcards from an Etsy seller. In it, there are cards from places I’ve actually never been or lived in. Do you think it’s weird to send out a card from a place you have never seen yourself?
There’s three in this pack: Grand Canyon, Austria, and Crimea. And I’ve gotten ones in packs from the state I send from where I’m not from the specific city or been to that specific landmark, but since it was my state I didn’t feel as strange sending them.
Many, many of us send cards from different parts of our countries whether we’ve been there or not - that’s fine.
Most people expect a card from your country & aren’t keen on a card from a country where you don’t live unless you’re travelling there & send it from there or you swap it in the Forum as advertised.
I also do not send cards from another country except on request.
I have offered cards from other countries in the lottery section to reduce my stack and there are always postcrossers interested in such cards due to various reasons.
I cannot visit an antique or vintage shop without buying postcards from some far off land, and I send them to other people often. I am from Texas and I sent a multi-view of Budapest to someone who travelled a lot and I thought maybe he hadn’t been there yet - turns out he has, but he loved the card anyway…maybe I should have gone with a card from Slovenia.
Anyway! I tend to think of it this way - unless the person specifically requests a local-to-you card, I send what makes me feel good If they do not like your card, the next one from someone else is literally ‘in the mail’ and right around the corner.
What’s on the front is also not the only thing about the postcard - your message can also change someone’s mind about the front
If you are in the US, you can send a card from any US state. Long ago, I got a card of the Statue of Liberty from a member in Russia. Talk about weird…
I personally don’t care if the cards are from the place you live or a place you never been to. But it should have some connection to me or to the sender. For example, if I come across a profile that asks for aurora borealis, I would send such a card, although the card will be from another country. In the text I would explain, that I have never seen them, but would like to one day.
And for all other cards there are still TAGs and Lotteries and RR you might be able to send them.
I would only send Tourist cards from other countries if there is a clear connection. Some people ask for cards from Italy, or for cards with bridges, then it should be Ok.
Personally I feel a bit weird sending postcards from places I’ve never been. Still I’ve done it a couple of times. Found some blank postcards from Syria and Iraq online and thought that some postcrossers would surely appreciate these. And I made it “less weird” by at least making the postcard text fit the theme of the card - writing about the years of the wars there or my thoughts on refugees…
Also sent cards from some Polish small towns I’ve never been to - just because they were beautiful cards and typical examples of what a Polish small town looks like.
I inherited a lot of postcards and also bought a lot of random ones off ebay. As a result I have many cards from places I’ve never been. I send them because not sending them seems very wasteful.
I had this happen to me, I got a card with the Empire State Building from Australia and that was when I was living in Buffalo, NY (and have lived in NYC as well). I found it odd that they would send that all the way from down under to me living in NYS.
As others have said, as long as the card is from your country, I don’t mind if you haven’t been to that specific location.
I think it’s perfectly fine to send a postcard from a part, region, state of your country you have not been. As long you send it from said country. It would be weird to receive a postcard from a country the sender is not sending it from.
I would like to get all of those cards, sent from any country in the world.
Grand Canyon is a well-known place with amazing views.
Crimea is a part of Ukraine but Russian leaders are thinking it’s theirs. It’s a political issue. Some people don’t like such a card but I do.
Austria - well - I have many beautiful cards of Austria, sent from Germany or from Austria. Why not from USA too?
But I don’t like to receive Finnish cards (= cards of my own country) from other countries.
I recently received a card from a different country, explaining in my Hurray message that there should’ve been some reason given. Otherwise, it feels like foisting off a card they’re trying to get rid of.
Again, sending other country cards is fine for profiles saying “Send me anything!” specifically. Save those for when you run across such a member.
I just want to offer up this thought - For some people, especially speaking for myself, sending postcards is more enjoyable than receiving them. But I find nothing more boring than sending the same few tourist cards from my city or even the popular sites of my country over and over again. Instead I would much rather hunt for a rare card - from a place not well-represented on Postcrossing, and then share it with someone ALSO not from that rare place.
I have a box of very nice postcards which are photos of our solar system captured by telescopes and space probes. Except for some photos of earth and the moon from outer space, the other planets and stars have not been visited by anybody. Generally I only send them to those Postcrossers expressing an interest in outer space, astrology, astronomy, science fiction, etc., and I pair them with James Webb telescope stamps. (Science fiction also gets my very cool rubber stamp of the USS Enterprise!)
If they do not like your card, the next one from someone else is literally ‘in the mail’ and right around the corner.
