The 270D was my very first embroidery machine. (Coincidentally, I'm also selling mine because I recently upgraded to the Brother PE 700II.) I never had a moment's trouble with the 270D; it's a great little machine. The Disney designs are cute, and at the time I bought the machine the Brother embroidery cards were readily available. But don't let the card thing deter you; the Brother USB card writer boxes can still be purchased, as can the blank cards.
I think the 270D is a good machine for someone just starting out in machine embroidery, as long as you can be happy with the 4x4" hoop for a while!