20 years of Postcrossing: a new global hobby?

Postcrossing is an international postcard exchange project. It was founded on July 14, 2005, by Paulo Magalhães, who is from Portugal. So, it has now been around for 20 years! Postcrossing has since grown into an exchange project with over 804.740 users (November 2023) from 209 different countries. In January 2021, the 60.000.000th postcard sent via Postcrossing was received. Many Postcrossing stamps have been issued worldwide. In this blog, we present a number of notable issues. Do you participate in Postcrossing too?

Post crossing

After creating an account on the Postcrossing website, participants can request a random address to which to send a postcard. Initially, a person can request a maximum of five addresses at a time, but as they send more cards and these are registered, they can request an increasing number of addresses simultaneously. A card is registered when the recipient enters the so-called “Postcard ID” on the Postcrossing website. This is a code consisting of two letters (generally the ISO country code) and a few digits. The sender must write this code on the card. If the sender forgets to do so, the recipient can ask the Postcrossing team for help to retrieve the ID, which is successful in the vast majority of cases. Once a card is registered, the address of the person who sent the card is released once in the database. Any other participant requesting an address afterwards will receive that address, and the card sender can then expect a new card. If a card is not registered after 60 days, it is marked as “expired”. The sender may still request a new address, even if the card is not registered, but the card can still be registered afterwards. After 365 days, the card is removed entirely, and registration is no longer possible. A user can indicate in their profile whether they wish to send cards within their own country as well. It is also possible for a user to participate as a group, such as a school or organization.  

Statistics

On average, five times as many women (65,1%) as men (13,5%) participate in the project. I was a member of Postcrossing for quite some time. I stopped this hobby during the COVID-19 period. I didn't know if the cards were actually reaching the sender because the mail wasn't being forwarded. Also, there were many addresses from Russia, and you received a lot of cards from Russia. And as a final argument for quitting, it was becoming an expensive hobby. PostNL's rates for international mail increased every time (now, as of July 1, 2025: 2 euros), and you also had to buy a card that fit the sender's profile card (theme). Towards the end of the period, I picked up free Boomerang cards at cinemas and restaurants/cafés and sent these cards. In Belgium, you can still use Belgian francs stamps. Member origin (status April 2022) Rang      Land      Percentage 

1. Russia 14,4%
2. Taiwan                  13,3%
3. China                      9,1%
4. USA 8,8%
5. Germany 7,3%
6. Netherlands 4,9%
7. Poland 4,1%
8. Belarus 4,0%
9. Ukraine 3,4%
10. Czech Republic 2,7%

 

Belgium (2025)

Many commemorative stamps will be released, and these will certainly be used on postcards by Postcrossing members. But the Belgian entry seems to me to be this year's winner.

The stamp sheet was designed by Geert Wille and features the country's two main languages. On sale from June 16, 2025. Everyone head to Belgium to use these stamps on postcards and send them to our family and friends with 'Greetings from Belgium'.  

Poland (2024 in 2016)

Postcrossing interviewed stamp designer Agata Tobolczyk to learn more about her inspiration and creative process. This is not the first stamp (or even the first Postcrossing stamp!) you have designed. How did you get started designing stamps? My journey into stamp design began in 2009, and since then I have been fascinated by this small graphic form. The interesting thing is that, aside from stamps, I usually work with much larger formats – for example, when I paint, the canvases are often larger than 200 x 200 cm! So there really is a difference in working on something as small as a stamp, and I truly enjoy that contrast. I have also had the opportunity to design stamps for Luxembourg and Slovenia, and what really fascinates me in all these countries is creating a complete visual world that goes beyond just the individual stamp. I am passionate about how stamps work together within a sheet or block, making the entire composition more than just a collection of loose elements – it becomes a work of art in itself. What inspired you to create this new design for the Postcrossing stamp? The Postcrossing theme holds a special place in my heart. For this year's stamps, I wanted to emphasize the joy and energy that come from sending and receiving postcards. There is something magical about how these little cards can bring so much happiness and connect people across great distances. My goal was to capture that movement and excitement – ​​almost as if the postcards are jumping from one place to another full of enthusiasm! I focused on playful imagery and vibrant colors to reflect that positive energy. What steps did your creative process involve? In recent years, I haven't sketched much anymore – the majority of my creative process takes place in my head. I have worked with the Postcrossing theme before, and although I might still have some old sketches from years ago, I haven't been able to find them! The idea for a running postcard actually came to me while I was working on the 2016 Postcrossing stamp (the one with the suitcase/mailbox). When I get a new project, a few ideas always pop into my head, and the running postcard was an idea I had set aside at the time. Because I had to design two stamps this time, I approached it differently – I wanted them to work as a pair. Naturally, the idea of ​​a cheerful mailbox, specifically a red Polish mailbox, came to me for the second design. One stamp is for international mail, where the postcard flies around the world, and the other, with a lower value, shows a cheerful Polish mailbox. Together, they tell a story of connection – both locally and globally.    Are you perhaps a letter or postcard writer yourself? Unfortunately, I have to disappoint a number of postcrossers here – I don't write postcards or letters as often as I would like these days. The fast-paced world and the convenience of modern digital communication have taken over. But I love the concept of postcrossing and think it is a fantastic way to connect people. There is something very special about this slower, more thoughtful way of communicating, and I admire how it brings people together all over the world. Previous Postcrossing stamp from 2016.  Hooray! July 14th is Postcrossing's birthday and we are incredibly happy about it! Eleven years of connecting the world, one postcard at a time. Postcrossing is not just a platform or a piece of code on a server. What makes this project so amazing is absolutely the community. Each and every one of you who might have viewed this idea with suspicion at first, but decided to give it a try anyway. Everyone who ensures that the world's mailboxes are filled with smiles and sweet words. Everyone who helps each other on the forum, who organizes and attends meetups, who sends us tips and ideas, who sends thousands of postcards to lovely ladies on their birthdays. We are grateful for your trust, support, and enthusiasm over the past 11 years. The Polish Post drew inspiration from the theme of travel through postcards and designed a 'suitcase for postcrossers', which naturally features a mailbox on the side.

 

Special stamps and events

The days when children and teenagers enjoyed pen pal friendships are long gone, and with that comes the opportunity to collect stamps from all over the world, or even to learn more about stamps in general. But what can you do when emails and messaging services are unbeatable in terms of cost and delivery times? So it is nice to hear that Postcrossing is apparently very popular. It allows people you don't know to send postcards to randomly selected other participants (“Postcrossers”). For every card sent, you receive one back from another random Postcrosser. This is a quick way to collect postcards, and usually stamps too, from all over the world. The only downside: you cannot choose from which countries you receive postcards, but exciting surprises are guaranteed. Beautiful cards with country-specific motifs, stamps, and a personal greeting are particularly popular. Everything on the website is handled in English to ensure consistent communication, but help is available in the accompanying forum in German. In its 20 years of existence, more than 80 million postcards have been sent. Some travel only a few kilometers within a country, others many thousands of kilometers. Every card is unique and simply a source of joy. In this way, many friendships have formed over the years, and card by card, people connect with one another. On May 31, 2025, the 6th Postcrossing meeting was organized in Bydgoszcz (Poland). A special stamp featuring a bird (stork) was available. Since October 1, 2020, Postcrossing has been celebrating World Postcard DayOn October 1st (so start the countdown), everyone is encouraged to send cards to family, friends, neighbors, etc. on that day. Simply as a token of appreciation. Beautiful covers, postmarks, and stamps are the result of this day. [/ One_half] [one_half_last]             Are you warmed up to join Postcrossing yet? Paulo Magalhães succeeded in his plan, as the platform continued to grow. A genuine community developed with a number of meetings worldwide. It has resulted not only in long-lasting friendships but also in several marriages. Sources used: Postcrossing.com and Bpost.be  

<strong> More info: </strong>

Postcrossing: https://www.postcrossing.com/ October 1: https://worldpostcardday.com/ Philanews Bpost No. 2/2025 with an extensive article on the issue celebrating 20 years of Postcrossing.