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What's it all about? Postcard swapping sites are websites where you exchange postcards with random people around the world. Generally, you sign up with your name and mailing address, then request the address of another randomly selected member somewhere in the world. Then you snail mail a postcard to that person, and once your postcard is registered as received, your name will go into the pool and someone else will send you a postcard. Where to buy stamps (USA) USPS - United States Postal Service is the place to buy stamps. You can order them online and have them delivered right to your mailbox, or visit your local post office and purchase them in person. You can pay online by credit card or PayPal. eBay Multiple sellers offer vintage mint (unused) themed postage stamps. One of my favorite sellers there is Daniel's Coins and Collectibles - most of his stamp lots are sold at face value + shipping. Postcard Postage (USA) Did you know that mailing a postcard can cost less than mailing a letter? In the USA, the USPS has a special postcard rate, but not every postcard qualifies! To qualify for the domestic postcard rate, your card must be rectangular, at least 3.5 x 5 inches, no larger than 4.25 x 6 inches, and meet USPS thickness requirements. Larger postcards, such as the popular 5 x 7 inch size, generally require First-Class Mail letter postage. Sending postcards internationally? You'll generally need the international postcard rate instead. A Global Forever stamp is a convenient option for mailing qualifying postcards anywhere in the world. You can use multiple smaller-denomination stamps instead of a single stamp, as long as their combined value covers the required postage. This is a great way to use those beautiful vintage unused stamps! For current postage rates and mailing requirements, visit the USPS First-Class Mail information page. Where to buy postcards Brick-and-mortar stores: In the USA, I have found and bought postcards in museums, gift shops, hotel lobbies, souvenir shops, grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations, stationery stores, card shops, bookstores, estate sales, tourist attractions, and travel-related stops such as Love's. Online:
Postcard Swapping Sites (Free to use!) and Letter Writing Clubs (some subscription-based)
Other Postcard Swapping Sites There are a number of other free-to-use postcard swapping sites. I have tried a few of these but I tend to participate mainly in the three major sites listed above.
Letter writing and Pen Pal Resources The Letter Exchange is a subscription-based service (about $23 per year). They will send you a lovely printed and staple-bound booklet that lets you find snail-mail pen pals through listings posted by people like you. The booklets are interesting reading by themselves, even if you don't decide to participate. The listings are mostly for letter writing, but there is also a section for people interested in postcard swaps. Bonus: There are people who want to exchange letters written in fountain pens here! The booklets arrive three times a year, with autumn, winter, and summer editions. Each is about 30 pages long. They are jam-packed with letter-writing history, interesting articles, nostalgic images and illustrations, and much, much more. Letter Writing and Postal-Related Sites WriteALetter.org A lovely and interesting blog by a retired postal carrier. The Letter Writers Alliance is an archive with free downloads, recorded events, and blog posts (it was previously an active member-based organization dedicated to keeping letter writing alive). What to Write on a Postcard So you've signed up for a postcard swapping site, received your first random address, and now you're sitting there staring at a blank postcard, wondering what on earth to write! Don't worry, it doesn't have to be anything profound. Just be yourself! Tell the recipient a little about yourself, where you live, the weather, something interesting about your town, your hobbies, your pets, or what you've been doing today. If the postcard features a photograph or artwork, you might explain a little about the image. Even a few friendly sentences can brighten someone's day. Be sure to read the recipient's profile, too. Many members mention their interests, favorite subjects, or things they'd enjoy reading about. Some even have special requests, such as a favorite quote, a recipe, or a few words in your native language. I recommend writing the date on every postcard, including the year! Years from now, someone might be looking at your card and wondering when it was written. A little bit of everyday correspondence can eventually become a fascinating piece of postal history. And please, don't forget to include the Postcard ID if your swapping site requires one. Without it, the recipient may have trouble registering your postcard when it arrives! Be a good swapper You can, of course, meet only the basic requirements: write a postcard, put a stamp on it, and drop it in a mailbox. The automated postal machines will do the rest - recklessly splattering a hellish dotmatrixey machine mark all across your lovely card, then roughly shoving it to the next automated sorting machine. Or, (and I don't know which is worse), nothing at all will be imprinted on your card, and to the recipient, it will be indistinguishable from a card that was simply handed to them, never mailed. Egads! So, if you can, please go to the post office and ask the clerk to hand-cancel your card. If they can accommodate your request, they will apply an official postal cancellation mark to your card. The result will be a lovely historical card for someone's collection, complete with recorded and verifiable provenance showing when and where it was mailed. That little mark preserves a bit of precious postal history: the date and the post office where it was canceled. I say this as someone who has spent countless hours researching vintage postcards. I still have piles of cards I'm trying to sort and classify. Please don't let your postal effort end up as a statistic in someone's B pile. The unverified pile. Newbies may not notice or care, but experienced postcard collectors will love and appreciate it very much! Thank you! Send Me a Postcard! If you include your mailing address on the card, I will send you one in return! Please handwrite the date and get it postmarked, if you are able to :) BarbiQ62 PO Box 64713 Lubbock, Texas 79464 USA |
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