That mailed shoe is not a postcard. It’s a “postcardized” package. Package by size and weight, with outside writing that the Post has tolerated, so the mail piece was accepted for circulation. The postage may or may not be enough for that kind of package.
I have a Facebook group “How to create your own postcards?”.
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I once received a picture cut out of a Magazine accompanied by a letter. That is not a real postcard.
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As we obviously love discussing this question, and I’m a linguist by profession, let me give you a scientific definition of a postcard. And no, that’s not the one you would find in a dictionary!!!
Language has been around long before dictionaries, and even before the concept of a “definition”. So if words have a concrete meaning, this meaning cannot possibly be defined by a definition - because HOW would people have communicated before they came up with the abstract idea of definitions???
The real meaning of words actually cannot be strictly defined in such a way that you can tell in absolute terms whether or not a given word can be applied to a given thing. To use some examples a bit easier - and less controversial 
- than postcards:
- A plane may in poetic terms be referred to as a “beautiful bird” - though usually we all would agree that a bird is an animal and a plane is not.
- While biologists have been explaining over and over again that a whale is not a fish for decades if not centuries, they will NEVER get done with it, as any human child first seeing a whale will describe it as “a big fish”. Somehow its “fishy” appearance just brings the word to mind…
- I once came across a furniture factory that had a gigantic structure placed in front of it - some 20 metres high - which I immediately recognized as “a chair”. Now how could that be possible if the meanings of words were defined by definitions??? By definition, a chair is “a piece of furniture designed to accommodate one sitting or reclining person (…)”. But this thing? No way anybody could ever sit on it or you could put it inside a house! And yet, my wife also thought it was a chair.
Well, the secret behind all this is actually pretty simple. The meaning of a word is stored in our brains as a so-called “prototype” - that is, we all have a concrete picture in our mind of what an X should look like. And then we apply the word to anything that appears similar.
As we all learn our language in different contexts, these prototypes can differ - but they are similar enough for us to be able to communicate…
So my prototype of “a postcard” would be:
a piece of cardboard sized 10x15 cm with a picture on one side and space for writing on the other, with a line dividing the spaces for message and address as well as lines for writing the address on, and a little box indicating where you should put the stamp.
For most of us, I guess, the thing we have in mind when we think “postcard” will be fairly similar. The arguments arise only about HOW MUCH we allow a thing to differ from the prototype to still be willing to call it a postcard. And that, I’m afraid, is a personal choice - and thus a matter that cannot be settled
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I always, when someone plays dumb, like “yes a pen is a postcard”, think, if you put a postcard, a pen, a shoe, a photo and paper to the table, and tell a child to choose the items that are postcards, they choose the postcard.
Yes, dictionaries and definitions are old dated already when they are published.
People who use the language, are most often correct, or changing the language to the direction it one day will be in the dictionary and definitions. (edit. maybe the nowadays children are not so familiar with postcard, but the idea is this).
Still I like the shoe 
it looks like bent blackboard 
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Through the years, I’ve received a few folded cards, cut to become a postcard. However, I keep them with the same nice feelings as if they were real postcards. Not sure if it’s about me as non-native english speaker, that I can understand that maybe in certain languages card and postcard could means the same. But at the same time, I know that’s not something I would send in Postcrossing to another postcrosser.
I found more complicated to digest when I have received an envelope, with a postcard, a printed message and a piece of newspaper. It happened to me a few times now, from different accounts. Not sure if are the same person with multiple accounts. Because even if this person have sent a postcard, there is no sense of personal involving in the process to send the same printed message to several postcrossers.
I still have a few that says “IKEA Kort” and “IKEA Kortebo”.
Last time I went to my nearest Ikea, I found some lovely prints called Yllevad, that shares names with some photo frames.
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IKEA cards are always welcome to me! I have got over 24.000 postcards during 12 years but none of IKEA.
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For me every piece of Postcrossing mail sent is a little gift of the sender. It is nice if someone meets your interests, but more so I enjoy the writing on the back more then the criteria of the definition of “a real postcard”.
Keep also in mind that not every Postcrosser is able to meet all the definitions and demands, especially what you quite often see in the profile of Postcrossers, for many reasons…
So be kind and most of all happy that someone in the world has taken the time and effort to send you a postcard❣
H🙃ppy Postcrossing to you all.
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Postcard that brings happiness
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Hi. I didn’t read every one of your replies, so this may be said already.
This isn’t ‘pointed’ at you Saouri. I just want to point out to people reading that where I live it is almost impossible to still find postcards to buy. They simply are not in shops any more. There are few postcards to purchase in NA online, none that are postcards I like. I know Europe has plenty!!! but the middle of Canada (In fact, even when I travelled to huge cities, I still can’t find many) does NOT.
For that reason I make my own. I have a good, expensive camera and take photos that are just as good as most of those bought ones (after all…they are just someone’s photo). I have a subscription to a graphics program and I have them professionally printed so they stand the mail well.
So, I consider my created postcards ‘real’.
I think people who are doing Postcrossing for investment purposes (postcards that may have monetary value some day) have missed the mark of what the club is best at…spreading global good-will, community, cultural information and spreading joy.
Yes, I know this is a bit of a rant…but I am really getting tired of the ‘real’ thing. I have been doing this since 2013 and have gotten about 5 postcards that were actual photos, paper copies or whatever.
Have fun postcrossing everyone.
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Honestly just send whatever type of thing you can that can be mailed…I mailed regular photographs I taken with my phone and had it developed at Walmart and I buy a bunch of real copper postcards and even real cactus seeds in a postcard …I honestly wouldn’t mind getting sent none postcard things I would get very exited and id even register it for making my day 
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I think, that real postcards are cards what you can send by post. It doesn’t matter if there is or isn’t printed text, lines etc. in the back. It doesn’t matter where you bought it or is it handmade. Some peoples just think it ‘has to be’ certain size or tourist cards are only ‘real’ cards etc. I send cards what I have and I try to match peoples interests.
About envelopes I have to say, that for example in Finland, it’s recommended that handmade cards are sent in envelope to protect the card in case glued parts fall of or stickers got stuck somewhere etc. I think that card is card even you use envelope.
Cards made and send by third part are bit boring to me. Actual stamps and and handwriting makes the card complete. But at the same time I understand peoples who may have problems to get cards from stores or do handwriting.
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Although I am a plant enthusiast and I personally would find it very cool to receive the seeds, a packet of seeds is not a postcard and people who come here for postcards might be disappointed. There are also various policies on importing plant material in different countries and it may get destroyed at the border 
I really like the idea nonetheless!
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Sorry but this is a bad advise.
We are not obliged to register what ever items someone sends, so sending something that is not a postcard is waste of money.
I don’t know what goes on in the heads of people who join postcard swapping community, but aren’t willing to send postcards 
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That’s fine if people don’t want to but I personally never had a problem…people I sent these to liked it a lot
I always look up those rules before sending anything…from what I’ve only read is that actual living grown plants with soil in it are not allowed but seeds are allowed and should be labeled what it is…I’ve only sent 3 before and they arrived to their destination perfectly fine
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I agree that a packet of seed is not a postcard but she sent Postcard Seed Pack. And I think it’s okay. Postcard doesn’t have to be a paper. There are wood postcard, line postcard, metal postcard, etc. Even there are chocolate and coffee postcard.
I sent this coffee postcard. the backside has writing side to put message, line of addresses and small box to put stamp. It was produced by a local coffee shop in cooperation with Indonesian post office.
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What a cool postcard seed pack.
I know someone who will love to receive this unusual postcard seed pack.
cc: @KoJep
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As I said, I personally would enjoy such things. However, I don’t think anything is a postcard just because it was marketed as a type of postcard. To me a postcard in its truest form is a card (paper to be on the safe side). And I believe that is what people who want only real postcards mean. My point is I wouldn’t send such things to people who state that they are only interested in “real postcards”.
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I found this idea very fun. Sounds Dada to my ear. Like a kind of art experiment you would see in a museum. I would be very happy to receive such a “postcard” that pokes fun about our inside-the-box thinking. It’s even more impressive that the postman actually delivered the item, lol. This could be a super cool opener in the Postcrossing gatherings. 
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I love your scientific definition and examples! Thank you 
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