Genealogy Chat

I can't do this on my own so please help and if you think the idea is good, nudge this thread up the list. In an effort to stumble (in a kind of constructed way) on letters and postcards that my relations may have sent, I've embarked on sending ebay postcard sellers a message requesting that when they list cards they put the name of the addresee in the listing. As you can imagine there are an awful lot of people selling postcards on ebay so I need some help. Next time you're on the site take time to send them a message requesting the above. If you like you can use mine: Hello, I'm sending this message out to postcard dealers. Can you add the surnames of addressees and the destination town on used cards in your listing? As a geneologist researching my family tree I, like thousands of others would be thrilled to uncover a postcard that was sent to, or from a member of my family. I have put my family name in favorite searches and just need people like yourself to add those small details to your listing to be able to find and bid for such cards. Just a couple of extra words on a listing such as surname and town to which the card was addressed might get an otherwise dull card sold to someone who would treasure it dearly. I'd bid quite aggressively to ensure I got one of my ancestor's documents. Geneology is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the UK and members of GenesReunited are being alerted to the idea of obtaining documents via ebay. We just need you to see the opportunity too. I hope you think this is a good suggestion and one which would benefit buyers and vendors alike. Thanking you in anticipation,

that is a good idea I often wonder when they have things for sale who's name is on them.

Good idea Billy I look on eBay regularly but unfortunately a lot of the postcards are stated as unused. Some of the items for sale would be very exciting to people if they knew they existed but I've not yet found anything related to my family, more's the pity. Jennie

So far I've had four responses from ten ebay postcard vendors. Two are going to start adding addressee details to their listings and two don't think there's enough interest. So if we want to open this area of research up its up to us to convince them there is a market and to use it. I'll be replying to the pessimists with the message that at the moment, of course, the majority of people are interested in the face of a postcard because that's how its always been, but with the area of geneology being as big as it is now there are tens of thousands of people who would be interested in the reverse of the card if only they could access the information and we're only asking for the surname and initial of the addressee at the very least and at the most the address. Members of GR are being alerted to the possibilities. I can understand vendors not wanting to put full addresses in but the perfect listing would be Name, initial and the town the card is addressed to. It's a new market and if GR members put pressure on ebay vendors, there is no reason why it shouldn't work. Who knows you might end of finding a complete album of your relatives communications. Do it now!

When you send your message to the pessimists please point out that the average genealogist would be willing to pay a fortune just to see a mundane postcard. Here is a quote from a market research group in the U.S. in 2000. 'The popularity of genealogy is on the rise, according to a recent Maritz Poll by Maritz Marketing Research Inc., one of the world's largest marketing research firms, and Genealogy.*com, a leading developer of software and Internet tools that enable people to learn about their genealogy. According to the poll, 60 percent of Americans said they are at least “somewhat interested” in tracing their family history. This figure compares to a similar Maritz Poll that was conducted in 1995, in which 45 percent of Americans said they were at least “somewhat involved” with genealogy.'

Quite right Janet, I have just replied to them but I didn't have those statistics. Thanks. Can't do it on my own though and unless others join in they won't be convinced. So come on board, bombard them with interest and get your other GR mates to do the same!

I will certainly be checking e-bay postcard sellers and asking them to include the sender and recipients details.

Great idea - I will e-mail a few ebay sellers now.