What is Postcrossing?

If you came to my site and are reading this article, I’ll try to explain Postcrossing to you and answer the question: What is Postcrossing and why does it make me and other people happy?

These days, everything is done online and people are weaned off of holding a pen or marker. When you ride the subway or bus, every other person is holding a smartphone and reading the news or playing games on it.

But we are not like that, are we? Although we also like to check our email or watch YouTube. What I sure love to do is when I see a notification on my smartphone – “HURRAY” – it means that my postcard has reached its recipient and the recipient has registered it in the Postcrossing system and written me some warm, nice words.

Who Invented Postcrossing?

Postcrossing was founded by Paulo Magalhães, a software developer from Portugal. He created the platform in 2005 as a way to connect people from all over the world through the exchange of postcards. The idea behind Postcrossing was to bring a little piece of the world to people’s homes and to help promote cross-cultural understanding.

Today, Postcrossing has millions of registered users from over 200 countries and is one of the largest online communities for postcard exchange.

His idea was to connect people around the world, regardless of their location, age, gender, race or beliefs. “Postcards make the world a happier place”, the Portuguese is convinced.

What Is Postcrossing?

So, what is Postcrossing and why do people want to sign a postcard with their hands, glue stamps and especially enjoy receiving a postcard in their personal mailbox?

As you have already understood, we are talking about postcrossing, a free service with which you can exchange postcards around the world. It is to receive postcards to your home mail, not email. Do not confuse the two. You will receive only email notifications if your postcard has reached its destination!

Postcrossing will turn your home mailbox into a box full of surprises and excitement.

How You Got Started With Postcrossing

Postcrossing is a free online platform and community of people who exchange postcards with people from all over the world. Participants register on the site and are given a unique address to send the first postcard (country ID and code). After sending the postcard, they receive another participant’s address to send another postcard. This process continues, allowing people to receive postcards from all over the world and send postcards to different countries in return.

Postcrossing is a fun and unique way to connect with people from different cultures and learn about different parts of the world through postcards and stamps received.

How Many Postcards Can I Send?

The essence of Postcrossing is that by registering for free on the official site you get randomly 5 addresses of postcrossers from around the world and sign postcards to them. The more you send, the more the limit for receiving and sending will be opened.

However, it’s important to note that each postcard you send must be unique and sent to a different member.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to keep in mind that postcrossing is meant to be a fun and personal way of connecting with others, and not a mass-mailing exercise. Sending postcards at a reasonable pace and taking the time to write a personal message and choose a special stamp can make the experience more enjoyable for both you and the recipient.

How Do I Get Postcards?

You get exactly as many cards as you send. 

Answering the question of what is postcrossing also want to tell about it.

New postcrossers can send a maximum of 5 postcards. Accordingly, you will also receive about 5. As soon as the first postcard arrives, you will have the opportunity to send a new one. 

If you live in Europe, then the postcard to Russia can take from 2 to 4 weeks. Everything is very relative. It all depends on how close the country is. The closer it is, the faster it will reach you.

What is a Postcard ID and where can I get one?

The postcrossing system automatically writes a code with a country ID and a number that your recipient registers the postcard on the site. 

Postcard ID is a small, unique code. It consists of two parts. The first part is a country code, the second part is a number.

US-12345678 (US - United States of America, DE - Germany etc)

As soon as the recipient registers the postcard, i.e. enters the country code and number, your address will be opened to the recipient and he or she will send you the postcard.

You won’t know from whom or what country the postcard will come to you, but I’m sure you’ll be very much looking forward to the letter carrier who will put it in your mailbox. It will be a very good surprise.

What Should I Write On My Postcrossing Profile?

Is Postcrossing Safe?

Very often when I explain to my friends or colleagues at work what Postcrossing is they ask me: Is it safe?

People are afraid that someone can use your residential address or some personal data.

The developers of this wonderful service, of course, took every precaution to keep all of your information private. 

I and my friends have NEVER had to deal with any type of scam or unfortunate events with this service. All information you put in your profile is up to you. You can make any settings in your account more confidential. 

For example, so no one can see your email or date of birth. It’s up to you to choose. I want to say right away that your address will only be seen by community members and only those people who will get a chance to send you a postcard. 

You will have a personal page with your nickname. People will see your profile but no one will see your address. Do not worry about that. You can always put your nickname instead of your real name.

If you don’t want to put your physical address, you can open a mailbox at your post office and put your mail address.

Post Stamps

If you’re a philatelist and like collecting stamps, you’ll have a great opportunity to get stamps from all over the world. Sometimes people glue really historic or old stamps. For that, I am very grateful to them.

Postcrossing has been such a hoot for me and everyone involved that getting postcards has become a goal! Getting a postcard from Elizabeth II or an envelope from the island of Guernsey…

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Receiving postcards with unique handwriting was the most interesting and exciting adventure. Seeing a picture of another world and touching another culture on a postcard. No travel show can replace that experience.

Direct SWAP Postcrossing – What is it?

But this is not the only way to exchange postcards. The service also provides for direct swap.

That is, you can offer any participant of postcrossing from any country to exchange postcards on a topic of interest to both of you.

For example, I write a private message in the system with the exchange of not only postcards, but also to exchange tickets to the theater or the bus (I always like to look at these things from other countries). It all depends on your hobbies. 

I once even sent a wine cork because the person I was sending the envelope to was a winemaker. After that I started collecting wine corks too.

Sending postcards has become very popular today and is gaining momentum. Especially a lot of people joined during the lockdown (COVID-19) because people had a lot of free time and people wanted to be closer to each other.

So I suggest you register on the site for free and send your first few postcards. And, of course, read my quick guide on how to join postcrossing!

Postcrossing Hobby

Looking ahead, I would like to say that I have been into it for over 7 years now and it is my most devoted hobby. Almost all of my family and friends are into it as well. We love to get together on holidays and look at each other’s cards. 

What’s a birthday if friends come over and you haven’t signed a couple of postcards?

You’ll ask, “What’s the fun in that?”. You can email or messenger a person. Yes, you’re right! But the fun is that you sign a postcard to a stranger whose profile you’ve read on the site and you also get a postcard from a stranger who will write you a recipe for a favorite meal or how he spent his summer, etc. 

It all depends on your preferences, on what you write in your profile. When you fill out your profile, you’ll be sure to write about it all. I’ll help you with that.

My Short Experience

As an avid postcard collector and enthusiast, I have been deeply involved in the world of postcrossing for over 9 years. From the moment I discovered the hobby, I was instantly captured by the excitement of connecting with people from all over the world through postcard exchange. It’s especially interesting to read different handwritings. A little tip: Lately, I’ve been asking people to autograph their handwriting on postcards as well.

How Many Postcards I Sent And Received

Every year my passion for postcrossing has only grown stronger. I’ve sent and received postcards from countless countries (about 300 sent and received) and I’ve learned about different cultures, customs and lifestyles along the way. The relationships I’ve built through postcrossing have enriched my life in countless ways and made me appreciate the simple joys of communication and connection.

With over 9 years of postcrossing experience, I have gained a wealth of knowledge and understanding of this wonderful hobby. Whether you are an experienced postcrosser or just starting out, I strive to share my passion for postcrossing with others and help them experience the joy and excitement it brings to my life every day.

As I’ve written before I’ve sent about 300 postcards. That’s not much actually in 9 years, as my student has already sent over 2,000. But it is also influenced by facts that happen in life or crashes like the war in my country.

My Experience with Postcrossing and the Relationships I’ve Formed Through the Hobby

One of the most interesting aspects of postcrossing for me has been communicating with people from all over the world. Through postcrossing, I have connected with people from countries as far away as Guernsey, Australia and South Africa, as well as from many countries closer to home, i.e. Europe.

These connections allowed me to expand my cultural horizons and learn about different lifestyles, languages and traditions. I had the opportunity to send postcards to people in countries with rich cultural history, such as China and Greece, but also to countries with stunning natural beauty, such as Norway and New Zealand among others.

It was an ordinary day when I received a small rectangular envelope in the post. When I opened it, I was immediately struck by the bright colours of the postcards inside. They were from the UK, a country that I have always admired for its beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage and of course football! By the way, I even have postcards from Buckingham Palace itself. You can read how to do that in my article.

Looking through the postcards, I was delighted to find a small magnet depicting the quaint houses. I willingly hung the magnet on my fridge, where it became a constant source of inspiration for me.

But the surprises didn’t end there. To my surprise, there was also an article about Leeds United football club among the postcards. A used stadium ticket for a football match, a transport ticket and a wonderful wall decoration, in the form of a small poster from the UK has become one of my most treasured possessions, a symbol of the bonds I have formed through this amazing hobby.

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This envelope, like various others from the UK, will always hold a special place in my heart and I am grateful for the incredible experiences and relationships I have gained through postcrossing.

Overall, my experience with postcrossing has really changed my life, and I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with people from so many different countries and cultures.

If you need help registering and filling out your profile, be sure to use my tips on how to sign a postcard, how to properly fill out your profile, where to put stamps, what to write on the postcard, etc. so that your first postcards are sure to reach your recipients!