Disclaimer: I know through Postcrossing everyone can send whatever postcard they want - everything below is about optional things, not demands.
To be honest I like the typical tourist postcards or ones related to the senders country the most but recently I’ve realised that many people don’t have an easy access to them or just dislike them. I’d like to add an alternative to my wishlist for those people… But things that come to my mind are maybe too specific.
I’d like to ask if you know any easy, broad enough themes, maybe that’ll give me an inspiration for what I’d like to gather other than tourist cards. Again, just as an interest, not a requirement. I’ve only thought of cute animal illustrations so far, but I think illustrations can be hard to get, too.
A few safe ones I’ve found to keep stock are Blue cats, and/or cats in general, pinup girls, lighthouses, artworks by famous artists, nature, and a few random postcards you find here and there in your daily lives. Sometimes certain profiles match a particular ad card thats been living in my stock for a long time.
I also like to get boxed sets (eg Flower Fairies/studio ghibli/disney etc) as they are more financially friendly AND many people love them as well.
If you don’t have the capacity to buy so many themes (same girl same), you can also opt to do non-written cards in an envelope trades in an RR or a tag.
Oh, and A LOT of people love handmade cards as well!
Movies, books, televion shows or series. I have a friend who collects Christmas themed cards that they enjoy receiving at all times of the year so if there’s a holiday you really enjoy or maybe food. I have seen some really neat cards that are food/recipe themed as well. Cars, trains, planes, transportation theme in general. Any hobbies you enjoy there are likely postcards out there for the hobby. Birds or other animals as well. I do enjoy when profiles have lists of things they enjoy so that I can try to send something someone enjoys. The longer the list the more likely I can get a card they enjoy. I try my best to always matching something on their list when there is one
I’d say animals like cats and butterflies, and I think you can never go wrong with a nice seasonal card. I don’t mean holidays like Easter or Christmas because those are ambivalent again, but just a card that generally suits colourful spring, a cozy autumn or winter mood etc. . Also food or recipe cards are often mentioned in profiles.
If you just want an alternative to a tourist card for people that don’t have them, then how about “something typical of your country”.
That gives scope for illustrations, recipes, animals, flowers, almost anything. You might then add a writing prompt for people to tell you the relevance.
Since you are asking for opinions and suggestions, I will give you mine. I don’t quite agree that people “don’t have easy access to postcards” or “many people dislike tourist cards.” I think you [plural] need to show some initiative and research, not only what people like, but also where one can obtain postcards. There are so many online venues to purchase postcards.
I know that when I sent out postcards, I would look briefly at a profile; if I had one of their preferences…great. If not, I would try to send something linked to the US. In other words, I stayed far away from generic cards; those cards that could be from anywhere. But to answer your question, you may want to consider some good, solid non-viewcards. MAPS are hugely popular, ships, trains, aircraft too. Historical postcards linked to your country can be useful.Although technically a view, Lighthouses are very popular. These are just a few suggestions. Take a look at peoples’ walls; you might get some other ideas from there.
Themes from Poland would be great postcards for many people: castles, Polish food, UNESCO World Heritage Sites from Poland, city skylines of the nearest big city, bookstores in a nearby big city, famous Polish writers (like Joseph Conrad, Olga Tokarczuk who won a recent Nobel Prize in literature), famous Polish people (Marie Curie, Lech Walesa, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Copernicus, Chopin for those who love music, Robert Lewandowski for those who love sports …)
I love postcards, so for me that means I buy subjects I enjoy and prefer. Therefore the easiest theme wishes to fulfill are the ones that align with my interests Occasionally people give me cards, but they’re usually leftover travel cards and it’s often hard to find a recipient for those in the official PC.
If you prefer a specific suggestion, art is the easiest theme. I’m an artist and have many art cards. Next favorite themes are cats, natural scenery and views, and flowers, plants and trees. Whatever you do, enjoy Postcrossing!
Some people have “send me something you would like to receive” or something like that. That is a buletproof option Everybody has a card they like and you can learn something about the sender.
Agreed - ‘something typical of your country that isn’t a viewcard’ is the second category in my filing system. Flags, maps, national flower, etc and in my case, if i can find them, Dragons.
In the beginning, I bought two boxes - one related to books, the other one related to animals and wildlife - and a friend gifted me cards with natural/scenic views of Germany. I could fulfill most of the wishes with this very small selection. Lots of people want card related to books/reading and there are literally dozens of different boxes around to fulfill these wishes.
Ive found investing in a few boxes which workout economic per card on cats/Harry Potter / nature etc cover most people who don’t want views whilst you grow your stash. They are compact too not taking up much space. I then buy cards wherever I go that are a bit different/odd . Graveyards come up surprisingly often on wishlists. Most important is to enjoy.
I’ve found that I tend to buy cards featuring maps of states, UNESCO sites, recipes cards, movies, celebrities, lighthouses, national parks, museum prints/artwork, animals, cartoons, bridges, major cities (even if they’re not where I live!), and waterfalls.
I buy cards on my travels or in used bookstores or thrift stores and I always get them even if I’ve never been there or if they’re a theme I’m not partial to. (For example, I’m not a huge Disney fan but I’ll buy those kinds of postcards just to send out to people who LOVE it!)
Good luck and remember to start small. Your collection will grow slowly but surely if you keep your eyes open!
One word - CATS! Oh, wait - that’s MY favorite!
I deliberately wrote my profile describing myself so the sender can decide what to send. I’m fine with profile lists, but I’d rather get to know the person a bit, then pick a postcard I hope they will enjoy.
You will start seeing similar requests and be able to grow your collection. (Cats, dogs, nature, lighthouses, recipes, etc.) But, most everyone appreciates “tourist” cards of your area and you won’t go wrong with that! I believe the majority of Postcrossers really connect to the message you write. I have “favorite” postcards that were for the message, not the picture.
Good point with card boxes. I’ve recently seen Pantone cards decorated on back or front side and I really like that idea, I’d love to get such a card. But that also sounds oddly specific to me lol
That’s what I’m trying to do myself, I’m constantly on a search for new places to buy postcards from
On the other hand, if someone really doesn’t want to send viewcards, I don’t want to force them, just like I’m not going to send for example cars because I really dislike this theme. If someone was interested in cars but mentioned they also like trains, I’d be much happier to send a train. And that’s a win for us both, I guess
Occasionally people give me cards, but they’re usually leftover travel cards and it’s often hard to find a recipient for those in the official PC.
Everybody has a card they like and you can learn something about the sender.
I kinda lumped them together with tourist cards or cards that show the culture in general.