This is probably an obvious question, but it seems we all have favorite tags we like to haunt and I’d like to avoid sending duplicates to folks. Do y’all have amazing memories, don’t buy duplicate cards, or are you tracking what you send in some way? If you’re tracking, I’d love to hear your method! =)
2 Likes
I am not tracking and definitely need to be. :x
4 Likes
It seems like a good idea but I don’t want to put a huge amount of effort into it. I was thinking maybe just a spreadsheet with username in one column and a couple of word description of the card in another column. I could keep it sorted by username. But there are Postcrossers way more experienced than me who have probably solved the issue in an optimal way. =)
1 Like
I am horrible I don’t track. It is like a huge suprise when I get cards. I am like oooh I got a card!
5 Likes
I don’t have a lot of duplicate cards, but I use a spreadsheet for both inbound and outbound cards. I keep track of dates sent and where the card is coming from or going to, which helps me know in general what travel time to expect. Those dates also help me find the original message thread again when I send a thank you. I note a general description of the cards, but I’m sure duplication is still possible.
1 Like
@Superchick3 I totally do not track what I’m expecting to receive. I expect that the vast majority of people who spend time on a super niche postcard forum are trustworthy. Plus, I also like the surprise.
1 Like
@salemhouse I’m thinking a spreadsheet for outbound is probably best. I have one that I use to track who I need to send cards to and under what tag, but I don’t include descriptions of the card sent and delete the entry once proofed. It seems adding a column for a short description and just not deleting things may work best.
I just keep a list of what card I’m supposed to send, to who & when I send it & I record my comments if it’s something specific to them.
If it’s a trade I may write down what’s coming sometimes, but it’s here in the messages too.
I don’t keep track of incoming tags anymore - I just let them arrive or not.
1 Like
Can check in here
https://community.postcrossing.com/t/how-do-you-keep-track-of-your-trades-and-swaps/20424/1
1 Like
I keep yearly lists in a notebook app for the official and unofficial cards I send - for me it’s important to be able to follow up the Round Robins and swaps I committed to. Have I sent the cards I’m due? Are my cards arriving?
And the “official” list helps me to keep track of my expired cards - when one expires, I add this info to the list. I don’t see sense in keeping information about expired cards in my profile, but I want to know the percentage of cards that never made it. 
1 Like
I’m old school:
- Print off the RR details: date posted, group name and number, note from moderator, addresses. Highlight important details; e.g., ‘written cards’, or ‘unwritten cards’.
- Check profiles; make list of preferences next to each address. Select cards, and note which card selected for each recipient. Write and mail cards. Note on the sheet the date that the cards are sent.
- Keep sheets in a file folder. Document date that cards are received and report. I do the documentation and reporting on the day I receive mail. I used to wait for a few days for a batch, then missed one card. Lesson learned.
- Once all cards have been sent & received from a round robin, I file the sheet in a “completed” folder. Just in case I’ve made an error or there is a question from a moderator about a card. For instance, once I forgot to write my name/username and another time I wrote the wrong round robin number. And a couple of times I reported a received card in the wrong group; so, I was able to quickly find the right group in my files, rather than try to find the actual card in my postcard boxes.
As for official cards: the system keeps very good track on our behalf.
4 Likes
I pretty much do the same as @HookedonPostcards, but I have a 5 subject folder that I use to keep track of!
I have a section for NA RR’s, Monthly RR’s, Swaps, Tags (but I rarely tag anymore), etc.
I have a whole spreadsheet that I’ve used for a long time and it seems to work for me.
I also have a google drive file that has each username and the postcards photos that I have sent them. I am behind on that so it’s not insanely reliable right now, but I hope to update it ASAP.
It is a lot of work, but I also host a few RR’s and that forces me to try to stay organized! haha
Sample from a few years ago RR:
Ignore the chicken scratch, I try to speed through it! It’s pretty self explanatory I think. The photo is blurry, but the top says:
“RR Name”/username | card [sent] | [Date] sent | they [received] | me [received]
3 Likes
I use a Google sheet for swaps outside of the official PC. I use separate tabs for direct swaps and specific RR’s, and track stuff like RR #, username, sent date, received date, etc. Once I set up a sheet, it’s pretty easy to update whenever I have a new swap - it’s definitely easier to keep track of. I’m a pen and paper type of person, but when I’m traveling, it’s convenient to be able to pull up the sheet on my phone.
1 Like
that is basically what I do…but it evolved into a database, and that certainly helped me with being a host. I keep the addresses in the database to pull my address lists and also to print out labels for the cards because I like to write A LOT and don’t want to waste a lot of space on an address.
when I do big RR’s I will print out a sheet with the participants and in my database is a quick list of their likes and what I have sent before. I will write on my report what I decide to send to them and eventually update my database…after a while I kind of got out of the habit of this. I do keep notes of who I send my local area cards to, or specific homemade cards but if they are holiday or just general cards that I do not have a lot of, I don’t keep track anymore.
1 Like
I used to take photos of the cards I sent on the day I send them, keep a log of the RR and tags, names and when I sent and received as well as a small log book on who I sent to by date.
Then my phone filled up so fast with photos I had stopped doing that. I still have duplicates of cards, but for those I find I send to often, I send a duplicate card early on so I can remember they likely already have it (as long as it fits what I’m sending it for).
My logs look like this:
1 Like
I guess I am old old school, I am now on my 6th notebook since I began postcrossing in June of last year. For outgoing non official, I write the user name., the name of the tag or swap, date, notes of interests on the profile,the postcard description and what stamps I use. I check it off when and if I receive notification of the member acknowledging receipt of the card and any other notes I wish to make. I do not use any spreadsheets, it’s easier for me to journal it all down.
For official I still write down the user name and BD and notes of interest and wishlists. I do not track incoming but I do have a good memory and recognize user names I have had contact with.
1 Like
Writing down people’s interests and other notes about them would be useful so that I don’t have to open a million tabs to find their profile.
1 Like
I don’t keep track. I also try not to purchase more than 2 of the same card since I do so many RR. I always click the profile because some people, like me, add different challenges or change up their lists. Part of the fun is the hunt through the postcards on hand for the perfect card. I sort of have an excel sheet with addresses. But that’s not kept up regularly either.
1 Like
I keep track of every card I send and receive, official and unofficial.
I have two notebooks.
One is an address book, divided by country. When an address goes in along with their name and username, I assign that person a number.
The second notebook is a log book, divided my sent and received. On each line, I put the date, the person’s number, and a description of the card/envelope contents. I also put a circled number, indicating how many cards I have either sent or received from that individual.
This has come in super handy and really takes very little time, especially since I often exchange with the same people over and over. I found it too much work to try to photograph everything and organize the photographs. So I only photograph the photo side of officials.
I use a spreadsheet to keep track of my private swaps and chaincards. There’s one tab for chaincards, one tab for swaps, RRs, or other cards to friends and family, and another tab that serves as an address book.
Here’s an example of some of my private swaps sent. I enter each swap as soon as it’s arranged. I also use yellow fill on the recipient’s name to indicate which cards have not been sent yet and a darker yellow in the date fields to indicate that the card has not reached that step in the process.
I enter one line for the card to be received and another for the card to be sent.
1 Like