As regular readers of the blog will know, since early 2023 I’ve been taking part in the Postcrossing project.
The project, based in Portugal, has been running since 2005. It allows members to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world. That’s real postcards, not electronic! There’s a lot more about Postcrossing, and its history on their website.
The project’s goal is to allow anyone to send and receive postcards from all over the world! The idea is really simple: for each postcard you send, you will receive one back from a random Postcrosser somewhere in the world. Postcrossing brings many people together, making new friendships, learning about other cultures; and generally making the world a smaller and happier place – one postcard at a time.
Why? Because there are lots of people who like to receive real mail. Receiving postcards from different places in the world (many which you’ve likely never heard of!) can make your mailbox full of surprises. And of course your cards arriving with other Postcrossers can bring them a small piece of joy.
How does it work? Once you’ve joined Postcrossing, it goes like this …
You write a card. First request to send a postcard; you’ll be given the address of a random member and a Postcard ID, and see the recipient’s profile. Choose a postcard, write a friendly message and add the Postcard ID, the address given, and of course stamps. The etiquette is that, unless you know otherwise, you write in English. You don’t put your complete address on the card – if only to avoid later spam etc. You can also scan the picture side of the card and upload this to the Postcrossing site.
Now post your card.
When your postcard arrives, the recipient registers it using the Postcard ID. You’re now eligible to receive a postcard from another member – somewhere in the world; you don’t know who, where, or what the card is until it arrives! Once the card arrives, it is now your turn to register it – which makes the sender eligible to receive another card.
You can have a number of postcards travelling at any one time. You start with an allocation of five cards you can send, and as your cards arrive you’ll get a larger allocation. So the more you send, the more you can both send and receive. How many and how often you send cards is up to you.
It can be quite interesting. The cards people send are very varied. Many will try to pick a card which reflects your interests (which you’ve written about in your profile), and/or something they’re interested in and which they hope will also interest you. They may also write a message in the same vein. This is something I try to do; where possible suiting the card and my message to the recipient.
Postcrossers have many and varied approaches too. A few will send their card in an envelope (because they don’t like cards mauled by the postal service). Some will send a mini-gift: a small coin, a tea-bag, a stamp, … Some will adorn their card with stickers or washi tape. And of course some will go out of their way to find interesting stamps.
Most people write their message, so the messages are mostly short, and sadly often hard to read. However I know my handwriting is dreadful, so I print the message on a sticky label and stick it to the card. This way it is both legible and can be a bit longer and more interesting. I suppose it is technically against the spirit of Postcrossing, but few people mind and many are quite appreciative.
What does it cost? Basically your only costs are the postcard and the stamp for overseas postage (which in the UK is getting increasingly expensive). There is no cost to being a member of Postcrossing, although they do appreciate donations.
Of course there is the environmental question of the many millions of airmiles and the like the postcards accumulate. To counteract this the Postcrossing owners (and the local Postcrossing community) are helping replant a local (Portuguese) forest.
Like many (probably most) Postcrossers I’m filing the cards I receive. I’m also posting them on our corkboard as they arrive – it just takes 50 cards. When the board is full I photograph it, before filing the cards and starting over. At the time of writing (mid-October 2024) I’ve received 220 cards in 18 months. Here are the full corkboards so far …
 Postcrossing Cards 151-200 |
 Postcrossing Cards 101-150 |
 Postcrossing Cards 51-100 |
 Postcrossing Cards 1-50 |
I’ll try to remember to add new collections as they happen.
© Copyright Keith C Marshall, 2024. All rights reserved.
Last updated: 21 October 2024, Keith Marshall