"[2] The name Postcrossing is a union of the words postcard and crossing, and its origin "is loosely based on the Bookcrossing site".

As of January 2025[update], Postcrossing had over 805,000 members in 211 countries and territories,[4] and over 80 million registered postcards had been exchanged.

[6] Each member can write profile text visible to the sender which can contain personal information and postcard preferences.

The system attempts to adjust for these issues to reduce the difference between the number of sent and received postcards of each member.

[8] Globally, most postcrossers reside in North America, Europe, and East Asia.

As of January 2025[update], about 40 % of the combined total of postcards were sent from Germany, the United States, and Russia.

The project rapidly grew internationally, initially via word-of-mouth then promoted by media attention.

Since then more than a dozen countries' postal services have followed suit and some released multiple Postcrossing-themed stamps.

[186] A lesson plan was created in eight languages to help teacher introduce postcards to young children in schools.