Why do postcards now come with envelopes?

[Barbara]

Do people actually buy postcards but no longer use them as intended, which is to add a stamp and mail them?

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[Cat]

I'm not sure about the regular postcards, but I've used some of the foil postcards for other purposes (rsvp & enclosure cards) where I didn't design it as a postcard but just with a solid color on the back because they're the only foil option for a smaller size than the foil invitations. So the envelopes come in handy for that (especially the RSVP stuff). My guess is that people are using postcards maybe as budget invites or something? I dunno.

[Barbara]

I was designing just a plain old standard postcard. I thought maybe people could put a stamped postcard inside some sort of invitation and use it as an RSVP, but then why not just buy RSVP cards? I'll have to stare at it some more in case I have an epiphany.

Minor epiphany: I didn't realize we could delete everything on the back of the card so we could make the card into anything at all we please. If we made it into a non-postcard--say, a recipe card--wouldn't Zazzle still stick it into the postcard category? If so, I'll stop thinking about it.

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[Cat]

This is what I meant. Elegant Gold Foil Blush Pink Wedding Details Card | Zazzle I used the postcard product but designed it such a way that it's not a postcard. This one is an enclosure card so it wouldn't need an envelope. Here's one that's designed as an rsvp card where you'd need an envelope: Elegant Gold Foil Navy Blue Wedding RSVP Card | Zazzle

I've also got rsvp postcards that are designed as postcards which wouldn't need envelopes: Lacy Gold Calligraphy Chic Navy Blue Wedding RSVP Postcard | Zazzle but I think for privacy reasons some people prefer the cards with envelopes so the whole world can't read the info.

[BKMuir]

@Barbara  Yes I've designed several RECIPE cards using the standard Post Card, both horizontal and vertical (I may have even sold a few???)

Recipe Card - Peaches
by bkmuir

[Windy]

This is something I have personal experience with. Yes, there are people who want postcards to come to them in envelopes, rather than "bare". I see this in Postcrossing fairly frequently.  Many postcrossers are collectors, and want the postcards protected as they go through the mails. They also very often would love to have something included along with the postcard. A common request is a teabag!  Many of them collect stamps and love it when you throw a few cancelled stamps into the envelope. So it's kind of a nice option for Zazzle to offer an envelope with a postcard, whether or not any post card collecting hobby has anything to do with Zazzle decision to do so. 

[Barbara]

Including the envelope appears to be the default, which seems the wrong since most buyers are probably looking for them without and might not notice they're paying a small amount extra for an envelope they don't need. My postcard sales are almost exclusively in the reunion arena where the organizers are looking for the least expensive choice. On the other hand, I often wonder about those buying my local area tourist-type cards. Could they be involved in postcrossing?

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[Windy]

Maybe. Nearly ten percent of postcrossers are US based. https://www.postcrossing.com/stats/users

[Cat]

If you go to edit details > product merchandising you can change the default setting so that envelopes are not the default. Not sure if you can do it in bulk or not.

[Barbara]

I imagine that, if a customer clicks for no envelope, then buys 60 of the card, they'd all be sent without envelopes. Or do you mean for the designer to change them? I don't know about that because I'd have to check to see if envelopes can be turned on. (I always turn it off...I think.)

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[SimplyDesigned]

I know this doesn't particularly apply here but I DID read that the price of stamps was doing up again soon-ish in a couple months. I know some folks that still do snail mail like to stock up on stamps before price increases. All this postcard talk jogged my memory on it hehe 🙂

[Barbara]

They can stock up on stamps at the lower price, but if they want to use them after the price increase, they have to buy extra stamps to up the amount being paid. Unless, of course, they buy the "forever" stamps, so there's a thought.

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[ColsCreations]

It depends on the blank used, too. The generic all-purpose "postcard" has an option to add an envelope. The Holiday postcard does not. Oddly, the Invitation and Announcement postcards don't have the option to add an envelope either which is weird as I'd think those are the blanks people would be using to make wedding RSVPS and such where people would want an envelope to protect both the physical card and their privacy.