Straight answers about selling an old postcard collection by mail: how the quote works, how you know the offer is fair, what shipping and payment look like, and what kinds of cards collectors want. If your question is not here, ask me on the contact page and I will reply by email, usually within two business days.
How does selling my postcard collection work?
You fill in the
quote form with a description and, ideally, a few photos. I reply by email, usually within two business days, with an offer for the whole collection. If you accept, I email a prepaid, insured shipping label. When the box arrives I check the cards and pay you within two business days by PayPal, check, Zelle or Venmo.
Do I pay anything to get a quote or to ship?
No. The quote is free, the shipping label is prepaid and insured, and if a revised offer after inspection doesn't suit you, the return shipping is on me too. You're never out of pocket for asking.
What if I do not like the offer?
Then you simply say no. Before anything ships, declining costs nothing. After the cards arrive, if what I find differs from the description and my offer changes, you can decline the revised offer and I ship everything back to you free, insured.
How do you pay?
By PayPal, Zelle, Venmo or check by mail, whichever you prefer. Payment goes out within two business days of the box being delivered to me, and I email you when it's sent.
Do you buy small lots or single cards?
My focus is collections and large lots, but a smaller group of good real photo postcards, early holiday cards or strong topicals is welcome. A handful of common printed views usually isn't worth shipping, and I'll tell you so honestly.
What if I have no idea what I have?
That's a very common situation, and it's fine. Describe what you can see in plain words (albums or boxes, roughly how many, black and white photographs or colored prints) and add a few photos. I'll tell you what it is.
Who are you?
I'm Mike Ferreira, a passionate vintage postcard collector based in Sarasota, Florida. I buy old postcard collections by mail from all over the United States, and I personally review every submission. More on the
about page.
Why do you buy whole collections instead of picking out the best cards?
Because a collection is easier to judge as a whole, the common cards aren't left behind for you to deal with, and you get one simple payment. Cards pulled out of an album also lose context that collectors value.
Is I Buy Postcards a company?
No. It's just me, Mike Ferreira, one postcard collector in Sarasota, Florida. There's no team, no staff and no call center behind this site. I read every form, write every quote, open every box and send every payment myself, so the person you email is the person who buys your cards.
What happens to the postcards after I sell them?
Every card gets looked at. Some I keep for my own collection, and many go on to other collectors who focus on a particular state, town, topic or holiday. Local history collectors and family researchers end up with a good number of them.
Are you a dealer or an appraiser?
I'm a collector and a buyer. I don't charge for looking at a collection, and my quote is what I'd pay. If you need a formal written appraisal for insurance or tax purposes, an independent appraiser is the right person.
How long does it take from start to finish?
Quotes usually go out within two business days of your form. Once you accept, the label arrives by email, and shipping typically takes a few days. Payment goes out within two business days of delivery, so the whole sale is often done in about a week or two.
What if the collection is not what I described?
It happens, usually because damage wasn't visible in photos or part of the collection was left out. If that changes my offer, I explain why by email with a revised number. You can accept it, or decline and have everything returned free.
How do I pack the postcards?
Leave albums closed and cards in their sleeves or boxes. Stand loose cards upright in bundles held with paper bands, fill empty space with crumpled paper, bag them if rain is possible, and tape every seam. Then attach the label I send. The
how it works page has more detail.
Is shipping insured?
Yes. The prepaid label I send carries insurance for the full price you accepted, so the risk while the box is in transit is mine, not yours.
What kinds of old postcards do you buy?
Real photo postcards above all, especially small-town streets, storefronts, occupations and transportation. Also town views, embossed holiday cards (Halloween especially), topicals such as railroads, early cars, advertising, disasters and expositions, and whole inherited or estate collections. See
what I buy.
Do you buy chrome or modern postcards?
Inside a larger older collection, yes, I take them with everything else. A collection of only glossy chrome cards from about 1960 onward has very little resale value, so I usually decline those on their own.
Do you buy foreign postcards?
When they come mixed into an American collection, yes. My focus is United States cards, but I take foreign cards along with the rest of the lot.
Should I send the albums or take the cards out?
Send the albums as they are. Removing cards can damage them, especially if they are glued or held by old photo corners, and an intact album tells me more about the collection.
What is an RPPC?
A real photo postcard: an actual photograph developed on photo paper that had a postcard back printed on it. They were made from about 1903 into the 1950s, often by local photographers in small numbers, and they are the most collected kind of American postcard. See the
RPPC page.
How can I tell a real photo postcard from a printed one?
Look at the picture under a magnifier. A printed card shows tiny dots or a screen pattern; a real photograph is smooth, continuous gray. Real photo cards often have a paper maker's name such as AZO or VELOX in the stamp box, and many have white hand-lettered captions on the picture.
Are postcards with writing on the back worth less?
Generally no. Most collectors are happy with used cards, and a message or a clear postmark can add interest. What lowers value is damage to the front: creases, tears, stains, tape or glue.
What are old postcards worth?
Most printed views, and most cards from the 1930s on, are worth well under a dollar each in quantity. Real photo postcards of identifiable small towns, businesses, occupations, transportation and events are often worth several dollars to tens of dollars each, and rare ones more. The
values guide explains why.
Why not sell them one at a time online myself?
You can, and for the best cards it may bring more per card. It also means identifying, photographing, listing, answering questions and shipping every card separately, and many listings never sell. Selling the whole collection at once trades some of that upside for one fair payment and no work.
I am handling an estate. What should I do with the postcard collection?
Leave it as you found it, don't split it up or throw away plain-looking cards, and get a quote on the whole thing first. A written offer gives the estate a clear figure, and payment comes with a paper trail. The
inherited collections page covers the details.
Do I need to sort or count the cards first?
No. A rough estimate is fine: count one album page and multiply by the number of pages, or figure a full shoebox at around eight hundred to a thousand cards. Sorting and counting is my job.
Can I drop the collection off in person?
I buy by mail, which is how I can buy from every state. The prepaid, insured label makes shipping simple, and you never pay for it.
Can I keep some of the cards and sell you the rest?
No. My offers are for complete collections, as they are. Taking cards out changes what a collection is worth, and the plainest cards are often the valuable ones. If you'd rather keep the collection, keep all of it, with no cost for having asked.
How do I know your offer is fair?
You don't have to take my word for it. The quote comes in writing with a short note on what drove it, you're free to get other offers first, and nothing ships until you say yes. If the cards turn out to be different from the description and I'd pay less, you can decline and I'll ship everything back at my expense.
How I handle every collection
These answers come from how I set up this service: by mail, nationwide, one collection at a time, with the seller in control at every step. You do not need to read them top to bottom. Skim for the question closest to your situation, and if your case is unusual, just describe your collection and ask. A quote is free and does not commit you to anything.
A few things are worth saying up front. First, you never pay anything. The quote is free, the prepaid insured shipping label is free, and if you decide not to sell after I have seen the cards, I ship everything back at my expense. Second, nothing ships until you say yes to a written quote. Third, I buy whole collections only. I would rather make a fair offer for everything than pick through a box, and that keeps the process simple for you.
How do you know the offer is fair? You do not have to take my word for it. The quote comes in writing with a short note on what drove it, you are free to get other offers first, and you can take your time deciding. If the cards turn out to be different from the description and I would pay less, you can say no and have everything back free. I will not inflate a quote to get the box and then lower it.
Most collections are a mix: some common tourist views, some greetings, and a smaller number of cards collectors really want, such as real photo postcards of small towns, main streets, depots, workers and events. You do not need to sort anything or know what you have. Photos help me give a more accurate quote, but a written description is enough to start. Payment is by PayPal, check, Zelle or Venmo, within two business days of the cards arriving.