Check out the many round robins and tags. You will see there are expectations for reporting cards sent, cards received.
I am certain you will enjoy so many choices.
Haha, my vote for Princess Elsa from Frozen or Merida from Brave
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Indeed, I noticed that a lot of male Postcrosser like trains, cars, planesā¦ But it dependsā¦ I think you have enough postcards with those ou listed, donāt worry!
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If a Postcrosser has a sparse wishlist or none at all, sometimes I will write something like āAs to day is the 23rd day of the month I am sending you the 23rd card in my stackā. I havenāt had a single negative reaction to it yet, and one recipient even discovered a new interest and added it to her wishlist.
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Thank you for reminding me to add āPlease nothing cute (kawaii) - save those for someone else.ā In 160 cards, I have never received anything like that, but would not keep one if I did.
This has been an interesting thread, thanks for creating it!
You used the phrase ātypical gender norms.ā I like to think there arenāt any, but I also think that at 60 years old, Iāve certainly been influenced by both my personal history and the society I live in to have quite a few. Iād encourage you to keep in mind that postcrossing is a global activity, with global participants who hail from a vast variety of cultures. You have entered a world that may be (perhaps is likely to be) bigger than the one you were previously exposed to, with a greater variety of social mores, value systems and perspectives. So I respectfully submit that your idea of what ātypical gender normsā equates to may have to grow.
I entered this world 5 years and a couple of days ago. At first, I struggled to write a bio; I would not have called myself a collector of postcards back then. Truly, I still wouldnāt (although in reality, I am!). I did not know that there were very serious collectors, that there were postcard shows, that this area of human interest is called deltiology. I thought that postcards were the typical touristy ones I had seen at tourist gift shops. How naive I was. Gradually I started to get these gifts from strangers and find out that this was a new universe, and that there were cards for just about anything. The things I really liked I added to my list, and I segregate those in the boxes I store my cards in. Most folks who collect cards sort them one of two ways: by topic or by geography. Thatās what youāll see if you go to a postcard show (and yes, Iāve been. Iāve hosted two postcrossing meetups at postcard shows). But hereās a little secret: the most entertaining and interesting way to sort your cards is by the message on the back!
Iāve told you that I am not a collector of postcards, and in my head that is really true. I am a collector of experiences, as we all are. That makes me something deeper and more complicated every day as they accumulate. I like that. Thatās is why I am a posctrosser. So I encourage you to think of the card that you send as not just an object to be enjoyed, but as an experience to be had. Based on the very little data you have about this stranger who is the recipient, create a positive experience for them by sharing part of yourself when you create the gift you will send. This may mean you make a drawing, or write a haiku or a limerick, or just share an important experience you had recently, or a book or film or music recommendation. What I am really trying to say here, is that if you share a part of yourself when you give this gift to a stranger, then whatever is on the front of the card wonāt really matter as much, if at all.
Send love. Looking at your profile I see you have not yet received any cards. You will know exactly what I am talking about once you do. Some stranger, hundreds or thousands of miles away, across an ocean, on another continent, whose mom just died, or just had baby, or just got fired, or just graduated, or had a ridiculously busy week, or who is all alone, or who canāt get any time to themselves took a few minutes of the only life they get to send you a gift. And somehow, that little piece of cardboard (or cork, or wood, or leather, or cloth, or copper, or ceramic to name but a few!) travelled through who knows what, across oceans and deserts and mountains and rivers, and actually made it to your mailbox in Orlando. When you open that box, savor that moment. Because you just got a miracle! Welcome to postcrossing!
Well, Iāve digressed all over the place. Hereās more of the answer you were probably seeking:
When I first started I bought some boxed sets as I started to see what peopleās interests seemed to be. Here is some more concrete advice:
1 - Donāt buy very specific boxed sets. I have a gorgeous set of cards of 100 different species of beetle. Then there is also the one of 100 different bicycles. Thereās even the one of the McQuarry paintings of Star Wars imagery, used to develop the film (probably available in the gift shop next-door at Disney). I may have sent 20 of those so far (as opposed to two or three beetle cards!)
2 - As others have said, scenics work well. Really, who doesnāt like a nice view of a lighthouse or beach or waterfall?
3 - Natural phenomenon fit the same bill; the aurora, the night sky(space), sunrises and sunsets (an easy Florida choice!) always seem to be popular choices.
4 - Think about what makes where you live unique or special to someone who has never been there and share that. If I were to sum up the positive things Iād like to share about Florida how would I do it? Because a postcard is a pretty small summary. Here in Maryland, that would be history (Revolutionary, 18212 and Civil wars), proximity to DC (a zillion monuments, there are some beautiful cards of The Mall), the Chesapeake Bay (which is much of what defines who we are in this state), crab cakes, crab soup, fried chicken (recipes), waterfalls (the Appalachians in western Maryland). Thatās my go-to box. For Florida, maybe that is a Key lime pie recipe, alligators, beach, Disney, NASA, everglades. Now youāve got the basics covered. Thatās your generic base set. by the way, map cards are usually a summary of all of that!
One last recommendation: click on the āedit my profileā button, and at the bottom click yes to the box that allows you to send and receive cards for your home country. A few reasons. One is that the U.S.A. is a vast place with lots of very different regions, and youāll get a lot of really cool cards that way! Another is that it drops the overall cost a bit as the domestic postcard postage rate is less than a third of the international postcard postage rate (make sure you are aware of that and using domestic postcard stamps!). The best however is this: the average turn-around time for both sent and received cards (from my stats over 5 years) domestically is 9 and 10 days respectively. The more quickly those turnover, the more quickly you get to have more cards in transit, and the more cards you have in transit, the more quickly you receive cards eventually.
Hope this helps. Again, welcome to postcrossing! You are in for a real treat!
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@floridagirl10 this is great advice from @eta55!
I clicked the āhome countryā button from the get-go for the reasons that @eta55 mentions. Sadly, of over 600 cards received in nearly three years, Iāve only received nine cards from Canadians. Thatās less than 1%. 
Canada, like the US, is so large and diverse and I havenāt had a chance to visit every corner yet. So, learning more from other Canadians is a lingering desire.
As mentioned earlier, there are a number of ways to increase your US exchange the Forum.
If you are hoping to widen the range of cards in your āsend stashā, join one of the NA Traveling Envelopes round robin.
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Hello Kitty doesnāt conflict with gender.Many boys around me also like to use pink things deliberately.
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Thatās it! Nothing conflicts with gender! It is always a matter of personal likes, not of gender.
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Flags, maps
Beautifully written - Thankyou for putting what is in my heart so well
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Happy to know Iāve a kindred spirit in England!
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I enjoy many topics, and mostly non-masculine. OK Nudes are ok with me and ācards you canāt send to anyone elseā
I like cards MADE from grocery boxes, to see what is available in other countries.
Manga, which was rare when I was a child.
Fantasy. Sci-Fi is ok, but Fantasy and mythology is better
You can have a look on peoples profile wish list and also their favourites to see which cards they like and if any themes emerge.
For men and women some cards are good to have:
- UNESCO world heritage sites if you live near any are popular as many people try to collect all of these.
- For those in the states a card with your state on, Iāve seen people try to collect all of the states
- Illustrations such as Blue Cat, Moomin and Studio Glibly are popular if you can get these
- Also Harry Potter
- The Royal Family (if your country has one) itās like marmite but some people LOVE these cards and being from the UK I try to have a couple in my collection to send when the person has them on their wish list.
If in doubt try to get cards that show something unique or interesting about the area that you live in. Most people will like to hear a little about your area.