In today's electronic world, who doesn't like to receive "snail mail" from friends and family. Nine out of ten Americans look foward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards. With a little of your time, you could be sending handmade thank you, birthday, wedding and many more greeting cards that have been personalized to anyone. For those looking for a few accent pieces or for the novice beginner, eBay offers whatever you are looking for or would ever need. Did You Know: Greeting Card History Beginning in the early 1800s, greeting cards were sent to family and friends by only the elite and wealthy members of society. This was due to cards being hand delivered so prices were very expensive. In 1840 when the world's first postage stamp was issued, greeting cards gained mass popularity as the price became more affordable for the working class. This encouraged some printer and manufacturer's to begin hiring artists to design and then print affordable and expensive cards during the late 1850s. Valentine and Christmas cards were the most popular cards. The oldest known greeting card is a Valentine card in a British Museum from the 1400s. Paper Valentine's were exchanged in place of gifts once companies began assembling them in factories to lower the prices. The Hallmark company was begun by Joyce C. Hall in Kansas City where in 1915, he had his own presses manufacturing his own cards. Today, more than 7 billion cards are sent each year with up to 1/2 of all greeting cards sent during the holiday season with women purchasing 80% of all greeting cards. Occasions to Send Cards Birthday Just Because Get Well Thank You Christmas Congradulations Hannukah Sympathy Mother's Day Father's Day Anniversary New Baby Invitations Wedding Easter Thinking of You 5 Quick Ideas to Get You Started 1. Simple cards are sometimes the most elegant. 2. If you have the time and supplies, create a duplicate card to have a card on hand for another time when you don't have time. 3. Fold the card at a different angle to add some flair. 4. Use a picture of a child playing with a gift on the front of a "thank you" card to show the recipent that the gift is being used. 5. Change the size of your card, from the standard 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" to a 4" x 9", a 3 1/2" x 6", or try a square card. Find Items to Make Cards on eBay Now that you have decided which type of cards you want to make, you can search eBay's listings, beginning in the craft category. Then, you can click on Paper Crafts & Origami, Scrapbooking, and/or Rubber Stamping & Embossing. Each of these categories have thousands of listings that you can narrow down to find exactly what you need by selecting the categories down the left side of the page. Favorite Product Suggestions Great Store with Good Products and Supplies (http://stores.ebay.com/Denises-Little-Scrapbook-Shop) This store always has the latest items for great prices! (http://stores.ebay.com/IMO-Scrapbooks) Store with lots of emblishments and deals. (http://stores.ebay.com/Scrapbooking-Made-Simple) Purchase Products with Confidence To protect yourself when buying items from sellers: *research the seller (feedback rating, return policy) *know exactly what you a buying (a lot or single item) *understand your protection options (PayPal and eBay) *don't hesitate to ask the seller questions (know exactly what you are buying)