i think it is best to have a variety of stamps to choose from, just like cards, as it is fun to choose a card and stamp -at times you can match well the recipient´s likes 
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A good stamp is one I think the recipient will enjoy - for whatever reason. Because it’s old or very new, because it matches the card or their interests, because it’s unusual in some way (like huge or shaped or scratch-and-sniff - not that any of those are very common for German stamps … 
) or even because it’s small and leaves the largest possible space for a message.
I’ve stocked up on the new Christmas stamp, but I guess a lot of Germans will be using them from now on, so I will not use them on all my cards - probably mostly on Christmas-related cards - so as to still give people a bit of variety.
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I generally love all us stamps, they are very beautiful and constantly updated.
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I think the US stamps are so beautiful because the USPS isn’t run by government money. The postal service receives zero tax for operating expenses.
Instead, they rely on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund everything.
So beautiful stamps. Collectors will buy them. The USPS makes money.
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To be honest, when people just write that they want “good” or “beautiful” stamps on their profile, I wish they would be more specific. Each person’s definitions for “good” and “beautiful” are different. What if they want “beautiful” stamps but the only ones left in my stash are flowers but the rest of their profile says NO FLOWERS? I have those awesome T-rex stamps–but should I put them on a postcard requesting good stamps but they don’t like animals or illustrations? If someone puts on their profile that they want good stamps with the old fashioned gum in the back, how is someone supposed to react if their country has switched entirely to stickers?
Of course, the correct answer is just to use whatever stamps you have on hand. No one can absolutely dictate what you should use. But for those of you who do put on your profile that you want “good” and “beautiful” stamps, do you assume that everyone will know what you’re talking about or are you just using these terms to let people know you prefer non-typical stamps? Would you still prefer people not to use an awesome stamp with topic X even though you hate topic X on your postcards?
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whoops! that’s me! I have written: “I would greatly appreciate beautiful and interesting stamps” in my profile. And yes. I guess non-typical sums it up pretty well. I would of course be super happy with something that matches the things I have written for my postcard preferences, but I am not at all expecting it. …not really expecting it for the postcard either, so maybe other people are more picky than me.
I think one rule applies for most stamp-collectors: Rare is interesting. So (especially if you are from a big postcrossing country like USA or Germany) if you have the opportunity to use something other than the standard forever stamp or the flower definitives, this is a chance to use it where it will be appreciated.
The only cases where I would not use a “special” stamp for someone who has expressed interest in stamps, is if they have also expressed a dislike for topics where it’s not just about aesthetic preferences. e.g. if someone specifically writes that they do not like cards with bugs, I assume they might have a phobia, and I won’t use stamps with bugs for them. Same thing with religion, sex and politics. I’d still use these stamps if I didn’t have any others. But if I have a choice, I won’t waste a fun stamp on someone who would be offended by it.
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I’d say lickable, undamaged stamps are good stamps, especially if they get a cancellation that isn’t a sharpie scribble. Anything goes though, it doesn’t matter what stamps you use as long as there’s enough of them.
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This is a website for exchanging postcards, so I don’t like it if people are specific about the stamps they prefer. I also only say I’m happy about interesting stamps and I leave it to the sender to decide what is interesting. I am not a stamp collector, so I’m just excited to see a stamp I haven’t seen before.
I’m also happy to use nice stamps on my cards and I try to match them to the card or the user’s interests, but it annoys me a bit when someone asks for penguin stamps or hand cancellations. That’s going too far as far as I am concerned. You can look for swap partners or go on a stamp collectors’ website for that kind of thing.
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I agree as well–I would rather people not mention anything about stamps. But perhaps this is more of a semantic issue and perhaps an extension of my own frustration with words not being used with their intended meaning. I find the words “good” or “beautiful” or “interesting” to be inaccurate substitutes for non-definitive stamps.
I’m sure the easier terms are better to comprehend for non-English speakers, but I find that the terms good, beautiful, and interesting can also be applied to some definitive stamps, too. And I’m sure there are some non-definitive stamps that are not good, beautiful or interesting. (One example off the top of my head are the Swiss Postcrossing stamps. I really did not like those stamps because of all the horrible caricatures of non-European people. Maybe other people are fine with them, but I’m not. I really wish whoever designed those stamps had found another way to show the international nature of Postcrossing without resorting to stereotypical folk costumes and facial features.)
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But how do you know that people mean non-definitive stamps when they say “beautiful” or “interesting”? Especially when it comes to rare countries (postcrossing-wise), I may never have seen their definitive stamps and may find them fascinating. Or when a new series of definitives comes out, they’re interesting and, well, new. 
I think such wording is mostly aimed at people from countries that are the most active in Postcrossing. And since I’m from one of those active countries, I automatically assume they don’t want the definitive stamps because I’ve seen complaints of how common those are.
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I think I mention in my profile that I like to see interesting stamps - but that doesn’t mean I exclude the definitives with that statement. Just something that perhaps I haven’t seen before. It can just as well be the most common definitive from a few years back. Whatever “interesting” means, I leave up to the interpretation of the sender.
This is so interesting to me. I purposefully list the types of stamps I enjoy – in an attempt to solve @syaffolee’s point of how people define “good stamps” differently. The list also reflects my interests in general.
Stressing “prefer” and “enjoy” here. No one should demand anything, stamps or otherwise, and that’s not what I’m doing with my list. I 100% understand that some people only have access to definitives, some don’t care to use anything but definitives, etc. But as a recipient, I don’t want to miss an opportunity for the sender who has access to something that fits even better.
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Then you know they care for stamps - so no labels if possible. And maybe not the definitive ones, as those are most common.
But actually I added some of my favourite themes for stamps, to give an idea (especially because they differ a bit from my postcards taste). But really… every real stamp makes me happy, a special (not definitive) stamp happier and one of my favourite themes makes me even more happy. But those are nuances.
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Oh dear, I’d never seen the Swiss postcrossing stamps. Yikes.
I said I like to see different stamps on my received cards. It’s open to interpretation, since you don’t know what might be different to me. 
I just wanted to say something because I know that when I’ve had the choice between “basic” or “novel” (to me), I put the basic ones on the cards for people whose profiles don’t mention stamps at all. But that doesn’t mean I only consider non-definitives novel, interesting, or different. The latest “basic” stamp is still interesting to me, a combination of lower-value “boring” stamps is interesting, a stamp that used to be used a lot but has been superseded by something else and so doesn’t get used so often … I don’t know, there are lots of ways that stamps can be interesting - even with the postmark, which the sender often doesn’t have any control over.
Unless your postal staff is known to be unpleasant, or some other reason specific to your country or post office, I would think it costs you nothing in effort or money to simply ask the clerk for a variety. It costs you nothing, your cards will arrive just the same, and the bonus is someone might appreciate it. Sounds like a win/win to me. I just buy some of everything anytime I’m at the counter.
I totally agree with you. I had one person write “If you are in the US DO NOT use the forever flower or flag stamp as I have way to many of those. Then I got from another person a note”Since the US has the best stamps you need to use different and amazing stamps. Our local post office sells ONE International forever stamp. I like them because they are easy to use and do not take up a ton of room. You also can’t just go to the post office and have a long list of stamps you want. Regular mail stamps come in just a few designs, postcard stamps only have 1 design. I do not feel I have to build someone’s stamp collection. There are tons of other sites for that. I do have a stamp broker that gets me amazing stamps 20% lower then the post office. People always ask me where I got them. 
I do enjoy matching up stamps with the card theme or if they have a hobby that I might have a stamp to match. As long as my cards get here and get sent and make it, I am happy.
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A good stamp is any stamp which isn’t your default stamp you get at every local post office.
In 
we have special stamps, aside of the usual flower stamps you get everywhere. In the 
there are some other international standard letter stamps I think.
Like these:
https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/global-chrysanthemum-S_572604 or doing something with two 55ct and some small additional ones.
I’m fine with receiving normal stamps, because I know not everyone can get special issue stamps…