When I first joined postcrossing I thought the highlight would be receiving hand written happy mail. Although I do love when cards arrive, turns out sending post cards is my favorite part! I love reading people’s profiles and choosing a card specific to their interests. I also love bringing out my little box and postcrossing supplies when its time to send cards. What is your favorite sending or receiving and why?
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Hi, your question has been part of this topic, that’s why I moved it here 
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I’d love sending cards. It’s more funny for me to send a little surprise like a card. I’m not a collector, just only have fun.
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I love hearing the letterbox go and see postcards poking through, really makes my day!
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Like many others here, I love sending postcards - I’ve been doing it my whole life, mainly through my travels, as a way of sharing my experiences with others (including myself). I also love receiving cards too because it means there are people out there willing to share and have a connection with me too.
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I collect postcards showing distant places.
And I like to write all sorts of things on the cards.
To be honest after 7 years in this hobby I feel like I’ve been gradually losing interest…
I think at the moment sending cards is more fun than receiving
When I started postcrosding many years ago, receiving was the most important thing for me
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I joined purely so I would have a reason to paint and for inspiration. However, as time as gone on, I enjoy the forum as you can learn so much about cultures, stats are always interesting and the heartwarming thought that a total stranger has sat down, written a nice message, paid money for postage (it’s not cheap!) and walked the card to the postbox. I like to think each card is a well thought out, considerate, kind gift.
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I found this website a few years ago when I was searching for Rina Zenyuk’s blue cats. But I only joined recently when I realised the world is never going back to what it was like before covid. People no longer want to go to office etc. So I started looking for new ways to connect to others.
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I have always been interested in different cultures, in people and I love the old fashioned way of sending a postcard. For me, being at home most of the time due to chronic illness, it’s the best hobby ever nowadays! So the moment I read about Postcrossing I immediately signed up and still I am super enthusiastic about this wonderful hobby!
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Why did you decide to join Postcrossing?
For me, I had several reasons. The main one was that I absolutely love mail, but don’t have a lot of people who send me any, even if I were to write to them. I also wanted to help support the postal service. Another reason was that I would love to travel more, but I am limited in how far I can go. So this is a unique way to experience other parts of the world. And finally, it’s really cool to make connections with people (and hopefully put a smile on their faces)!
I’m curious to find out from others, though!
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Firstly I am Working At India Post ,
And from there My Interest In Mail and stamps are started,
And I mostly Always Very Happy To see
Different types Of stapms, and also Happy To receive Stamps form others but there is no one to send it for me … I want to collect many more stamps from other countries, and want good collections of stamps and postcards , and become good collector…
Like to interact with peoples from other countries…
Thank you
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I’m a Socialiser. I like both sending and receiving.
There’s something so good about completing the task of getting handed a profile, selecting a card, writing, adding the stamp and sending it on its merry way. I feel a high when I do it, same as when I write a letter to one of my pen pals. I dislike when the profile is mostly empty, but even more when there’s a list of wants that borders on (or is straight up) rude. Those kind of people eventually get a more generic card from me. I was going to get into detail about it but I have few cards sent yet and I don’t want to besmirch anyone 
Receiving is also a joy. However, I also have over 20 pen pals, mostly international, and stamps can be pricey. So sometimes when I’ve had to get a lot of stamps I take breaks from Postcrossing, because for 15 cents more I can send a letter to one of my pen pals that covers a lot and is more deep. (But the postcards are good too in the sense that there’s no expectation of a reply - you can see my ambiguous feelings about the whole thing lol).
I’m in it for the human connection. I don’t collect any type of card or stamp but I do love when the stamp is pretty and the back is personal. Printed messages are a turn off. I also like art cards but I don’t request specific artists and I have gotten a few pleasant surprises and artists I didn’t know before.
I use the forum because I like to talk about stuff I like. However it can frustrate me sometimes because I see a lot of people try to start a conversation and the topic will be merged into another one that’s already big. Lengthy topics that are a few years old discourage me - too long to read everything, sometimes I’m replying to something that was written two years ago. I think it would make the forum more dynamic if topics could be allowed to exist instead of putting everything together. Of course the super frequent questions could be all be gathered into one thing, but I’ve seen other not so frequent topics being gathered as well.
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In MMOs, I do change with time and the game. In one game, which I have played for more than five years, I started out as an achiever, turned into a killer, and am now a socialiser. I assume the same thing happens with Postcrossing and other things with this sort of categorisation.
In Postcrossing:
I enjoy picking cards that I think people will like, and looking out for postcards that will suit different tastes. Its important to me that I have bought the card I send, rather than someone else buying it for me to send on.
Of course, its nice to receive postcards too, and I do keep all the ones I get in order of when I get them.
I don’t really care about my stats in Postcrossing, but I might look at it when I am into triple figures.
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I joined postcrossing for a couple reasons
I retired a couple years ago, so my socialization level had dwindled quite a bit. Then late last year my best friend passed. So the motto “postcrossing is about connecting, not collecting” totally drew me in
Also, for several years I’ve been sending cards to a couple relatives with medical issues but due to the issues, I don’t get cards back in return. I do get the happiness of being told how much they look forward to them. But the idea of happy mail coming to me is wonderful! I now look forward to going to the mailbox each day!
I design postcards using my photos; and it gives me more of an outlet to share my photos, which gives me joy.
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It’s such a fun hobby to have for a super introvert like me.
I can interact with people in my own pace without getting my mind and brain bombarded with too much going outs which makes me feel knackered easily.
I am able to collect/buy postcards, stamps, pens, washi tapes for myself and for others. I find it fun shopping for things thinking what others would like to receive. There are so much diverse people here I end up buying topics of things that I wouldn’t usually get which can be fun. I feel like it broadens my world.
I love the process of getting a card ready. I love picking cards, stamps, and decorating with stickers, tapes, doodles, or with full text. I am not so much of a creative person, but every time I get to prepare card I get that small space where I can express myself.
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I’m probably inbetween Explorer and Socializer. I just like to get mail because it isn’t very common nowadays. Even though in my country we get mail every day, it is usually junk mail. Not even bills arrive through mail anymore they just take it out of my account haha.
I enjoy receiving cards because I want to see the different places they come from I also enjoy sending and supporting our post office and the lost art of communicating without telephones. Being a millennial in the silicon valley, I grew up around technology and love it, but over the past years I have seen how technology has negatively affected people’s ability to interact and socialize with people. We no longer take communication seriously. We take the fact that everyone is accessible through Insta or messenger for granted and we don’t bother to send a message. A letter or postcard brings back the reminder that, hey, it is actually cool to take the time and effort (and money haha) to write to someone and they don’t expect it.
I send snail mail to my friends and I at least get a thank you and a text with a picture of whatever I sent, whether a letter or postcard and to me that is awesome satisfaction. As for Postcrossing, I enjoy getting the cards and seeing something in my PO BOX. Sending is so expensive now, but I enjoy that part as well and reading the thank you messages. Although when I send thank you notes when I receive a card, I don’t seem to get many replies back.
I don’t do any of the RoundRobin stuff or games. To me that takes away from why I am here. Just mailing and getting postcards. Doing the games doesn’t really help the stats as well haha.
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Fascinating thread. I love a bit of psychology!! 
Postcrossing is the latest in a long line of life lessons for me. I’m not sure I know how to explain this really. But I know it’s not really about the postcards, it’s about the life lessons and opportunities to be a better person.
I realise that might possibly sound a bit odd to some people. 
But all the things that I find are challenging to my psyche, like:
- empty profiles,
- or demanding profiles;
- or being instructed to ‘check my zillions-in-number collection and/or favourites so you don’t send me a duplicate’;
- or putting my address online for perfect strangers to have access to;
- or creating something, letting it go and having no control over what happens to it/what the recipient thinks of it.
- Having no control over whether my postcard arrives, or not.
- Whether the recipient likes it, or not; registers it, or not.
- Putting money into all these unknowns and uncontrollables.
These things are all life lessons for me - lessons in letting go, being non-judgmental and tolerant, letting people be who they are without judgement; honouring them as the humans they are, their feelings, preferences etc. All lessons in highlighting the expectations in my own mind, being aware of them and the effects they may be having and being aware of any attachments I might have to outcomes.
To manage the things I am not keen on, I try to see it as part of the entertainment of the project. The old ‘if we were all the same it would be boring’ thing. Another postcrosser’s post helped me with this - something I read that stuck in my mind. (Not sure now who it was or where it was posted). But it was along the lines of ‘live and let live’ - get a kick out of the demands, be positive and move on. 
To be fair though, most profiles I have read are lovely - positive, interesting and fun. Just ordinary folk wanted to connect with the rest of the human race. 
So I consider what the recipient wants, and I consider what I want equally and add a good dose of positivity and enjoyment into the whole venture. I take the positive ‘hurray’ messages I have received as my guidance that, for me personally, I am getting it right, or as right as I can for all involved. 
We none of us are perfect and shouldn’t be expected to be. 
I like the ‘official’ side - that you get an address issued to you, and a code number and a profile to work to, then the system/process/agreement is to register on receipt. This all speaks to me on some level - think because (a) it feels like ‘playing post offices’ and I have always loved writing letters and everything around that; and (b) because know I where stand with the structured system; (c) because I see beauty in the simplicity of it.
The forum-based round robins, lotteries etc hold absolutely no interest for me whatsoever - too complicated, too many rules for me personally - it feels too ‘bureaucratic’, and I get enough of that in my working life. It’s something I understand, but in my mind it is ‘not fun’ when it comes to my ‘hobbies/having fun time’.
Bartle’s taxonomy is vaguely interesting to me, but have learned to become very wary of labelling/pathologising/pigeon-holing people.
I enjoy sending and receiving equally, the human connection/interaction, learning what life lessons this project is showing me, and making an effort to put some positivity into the world while I am at it. Playing while I learn. 
These are the points of it for me. 
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I find it interesting that you removed the info in your profile that you might destroy the card to keep the stamp. I personally want someone to tell me that so I don’t send my favorite lenticular cards to them…and save it for someone that would enjoy the card more! Someone from India recently said in their profile that they collect the stamps (a clue that they might destroy the card) and they didn’t mind envelopes. So I sent them an envelope with a card but added several stamps loosely for them to use as they wish. I like the transparency. If the postcard doesn’t matter so much to you, it’s fine to let us all know!
Also, it lets me know that I shouldn’t spend too much time crafting a message about things like the time I had to hide food in someone’s houseplant because it tasted so awful. I can just say, “Hello, here’s a stamp from my country!” 
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Love it!!! Good for you!!! Sat here properly snorting with laughter! I’d love a message like that!!! 
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I love the sending part a bit more than the receiving. Reading the profile, carefully choosing the postcard, deciding on the stamps and the decorating elements, finishing up with a nice message - putting it all together. As someone who grew up with limited access to stationery and aged into someone who has a stash (keyboard therapists, I hear you psychoanalysing right about now ), I simply love to share the goodies and make others happy. I have been known to send the official card AND another one from the recipient’s wishlist or an extra envelope with paper crafting supplies.
I find the message to be the most important part of the card although I highly value the effort put into decorating it, too. I have zero interest in stats.
I definitely enjoy the forum! It’s the variety of opinions for me!
So, why do I postcross? Why, the connection with folks around the globe who happen to share my love for snail mail, of course!
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