Hello .
I am a beginner and decided to buy postcards on different topics to please other postcrossing participants, but the choice is very large and I need your advice (help). What are your favorite postcards? What kind of postcards do you send more often: tourist or animal, cartoon or historical?
I want the recipient to be happy, but so far I have little experience, and the world of postcards is very large. What postcards did you buy to send when you were new?
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Hi! When I first started, I had 3 different Disney postcards in bulk I bought at a thrift store. This was probably back in 2011 (I have a new account, as my last was inactive for years after I joined the military). My town didn’t have postcards and at the time, I wasn’t sure where else in particular to get them.
I honestly wouldn’t worry about getting certain types of postcards to appease recipients, especially right off the bat. Start small and maybe pick up some touristy cards of your area. When you go on vacations or even road trips, pick some more cards up from places you stop. In a year or two I’m sure your collection of blank cards to send will be a lot bigger and you’ll have more to choose from to fit people’s wish lists. I’ve noticed some gas stations have them, the bigger touristy areas that have souvenir shops and sometimes even small restaurants have them. Remember, some people collect the cards- but it’s really about the message 
For postcard ordering, I usually like supporting small businesses. There are a ton on Etsy. As for larger businesses, I love postallove, postcards market, zazzle is great- but can be expensive, you can even make your own postcards on sites like vista print if you don’t mind ordering in bulk.
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I’m in the same boat as a beginner and don’t wanna go overboard in postcard purchasing (although Im still doing that a bit anyway, lol). I’ve learnt that there are many boxes of postcards, with 50 or 100 cards for a reasonable price (<20 euros), so you can pick a theme you like and then still have many different postcards to choose from.
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Touristy postcards of your area is a good place to start.
I would say don’t worry too much about pleasing other postcrossers, have fun along the journey. You will develop your own tastes in time 
PS. I see that you’re in Poland, perhaps consider supporting your local businesses?
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I bought a batch of vintage viewcards online that I am slowly working through, and then I pick up a handful if I see ones I like the look of in person.
Tourist cards are a good staple, especially if you can get them from slightly lesser known places; other than that, start by getting the ones you would like to receive.
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Etsy has a ton of options! Most Postcrossers tend to like animals, particularly cats.You can never go wrong with a box set of animal cards.
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Some more useful links for postcards Made in Poland:
https://allegro.pl/listing?string=pocztówka%20żywiec&order=p
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There’s a lot of good recommendations here already, I’ll add some not so obvious themes:
- mushrooms
- dinosaurs (especially good when you’ll pull kid’s profile)
- windmills
- lighthouses
- trains
- local foods
- cars and vehicles (also good for kids)
- bicycles
- something black and white
But yeah, touristy cards are the most popular request. And cats. Maybe also dogs.
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Oooh… thanks a lot, sounds great
I want everything at once, I will definitely look, thanks
Thank you I will definitely look
If you are starting out, stock general viewcards. You can’t go wrong with those.
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Thank you I doubted about cats and dogs, now I will definitely take it
Thank you I will definitely take
Cool, thanks very much
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Thank you 
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Welcome to the Forum & to Postcrossing Katya!
Postcrossing is not just about pleasing other people, it’s about connecting with them.
One of the things to work on when you’re newer to Postcrossing is to figure what images/cards you’d like to send to others. It can take some time to figure this out & then build up a bit of a collection of cards, including where to buy or get cards made for yourself.
For example, I made a decision early on to mostly send view cards of Canada & so that’s what I buy & I’ve had a lot of fun having cards made from images too. I don’t do series cards like MOTW (Maps of the World) or Blue Cats etc & I do just fine. You need to figure out what cards will work best for you.
What images do you love, bring you joy that you’d love to share with other Postcrossers?
Remember that you can choose to meet someone’s wish list for cards, but you don’t have to - you just have to send them a card, especially when you 1st begin Postcrossing. Enjoy the journey!
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@LC-Canada makes a very important point here. While most Postcrossers offer suggestions for cards, these are not “must have” lists. Just suggestions.
I find that many Postcrossers really want to read your note that tells a bit about the card, a bit about you.
- Why did you choose the card?
- What meaning does it have for you?
- What can you tell the reader about the image, the place, its history, etc.?
More than: “Happy Postcrossing”, or “I’m from Canada and I like kapusta. Have a nice day.”
It’s true; I love kapusta and make a very good batch! 
Ultimately, have fun with the cards you choose, the notes you write, even the stamps you choose, and each recipient will be glad to get your card in their mailbox.
Wesołych Świąt, Katya! Enjoy your Wigilia with your family!
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I second this.
At the beginning I used what I had in stock already and then purchased view cards to have in stock also. When I was starting out, I would even sometimes go out and buy specific cards for the profiles that I drew.
Since then, I have established what kinds of cards I personally like, and also what many other Postcrossers like (in general).
Recently, I used the following the most:
- tourist cards of my city/country
- Christmas postcards (since ‘tis the season ;))
- animals
- cute illustrations (I personally like them and whenever there is a profile that I feel that the person would enjoy such a card, I am delighted to send these)
I generally like to buy postcards from local artists and/or shops. It is always a good conversation starter – I can write about the artist or where I bought the card and what I was doing that day. 
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Pls don’t miss WHS around you… Many postcrossers have a collection and will get thrilled!!! World heritage site!
There is even a list at the UNESCO site!
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