Delivery & tracking
How long does delivery take?
After you approve and pay, your letter is typically processed and handed off for mailing within 1–2 business days. From there, most letters arrive in about 3–5 business days with First-Class. Certified Mail takes about the same time — it adds tracking and a delivery record, not speed. Actual processing and delivery times can vary and are not guaranteed. Printing, posting, and delivery are handled by our print-and-mail provider and the postal carrier, so we can't promise a specific mailing, postmark, or delivery date. Facing a postmark deadline? If you're up against a hard postmark date with only a day or two to spare, we can't guarantee your letter will be postmarked in time — so we don't recommend relying on PostalGenie for it. Use the service when you have at least 3–5 business days of lead time before the required postmark date. And note: the date you place your order is not the date your letter is mailed or postmarked.
Should I choose First-Class or Certified Mail?
The one-line difference: First-Class sends a letter. Certified sends a letter you can prove arrived. - First-Class ($4.99) is right for everyday letters — thank-yous, requests, notes, inquiries. Regular letter delivery, no tracking. - Certified Mail ($14.99) adds: - A USPS tracking number, so you can follow the letter. - A USPS record of delivery to the recipient's address (electronic delivery confirmation — not a signature). Pick Certified when it may matter later that the letter arrived — disputes, official notices, deadlines, or anything you might need on the record. If you need a verifiable record of when a letter was sent or delivered, Certified is the only option that provides one; no such proof is available for First-Class. Both travel at about the same speed — Certified is about proof, not speed. You choose the mail class on the Preview & pay step, right before checkout.
How do I track a letter I've sent?
It depends on the mail class you chose: - Certified Mail includes a USPS tracking number and a USPS record of delivery to the recipient's address. - First-Class letters travel as regular mail, with no tracking. After your letter is posted, its page shows a "Posted" mark and a tracking reference, and a Download PDF link appears so you can keep an exact copy. Your Outbox lists everything you've sent, with each letter's status. If your Certified letter's tracking hasn't updated in a while, or something looks off, email support@postalgenie.app — we'll work with our mail provider to look into it.