Sending a letter

How does PostalGenie work, start to finish?

PostalGenie turns a plain-words description into a real, physical letter — printed and mailed for you. No forms, no formatting, no trip to the post office. Here's the flow: 1. Describe it. Tell Genie what you need to send, in your own words. Genie asks one question at a time for anything it still needs — and only for facts you haven't already given. 2. Review the draft. Genie formats your details into a complete letter in the right tone. It doesn't add facts you didn't provide. You can edit every word. 3. Add the addresses. Confirm your return address, then find the recipient — look up a business, organization, or government office by name, or type the address yourself. The address is checked against postal databases before you pay. 4. Preview and pay. You see the exact PDF that will be printed. Once you approve and pay, we hand your letter to a print-and-mail provider, and it goes out as real paper mail. You get a receipt and a PDF copy of your letter to keep. Nothing is printed, mailed, or charged until you approve and pay.

What kinds of letters can Genie write?

All kinds — you never pick a template. Genie figures out what you're writing from what you say and shapes the letter accordingly, matching the tone to the job: firm for a complaint, warm for a thank-you, persuasive for an appeal. People send things like: - Thank-you notes, congratulations, and recommendations - Invitations, announcements, love letters, and condolences - Apologies and get-well notes - Requests, inquiries, and business letters - Complaints, appeals, and notices - Product returns, cancellations, and change-of-address letters One thing Genie is not: a lawyer, doctor, or financial advisor. Letters generated through PostalGenie are not legal advice and may not satisfy specific legal notice requirements. For legal matters, consult a qualified attorney.

Can I edit the letter Genie drafts?

Always. The draft appears in an editable box — rewrite as much or as little as you like. Before checkout you'll preview the exact PDF we'll print, so what you approve is precisely what gets mailed. Nothing is sent without your approval. Genie can make mistakes, so please double-check your letter before submitting. Genie only formats the details you provide, but you're the author — review names, dates, and amounts before you approve. If you edit the letter after it has been reviewed, it's automatically re-checked before you can pay. A draft you haven't paid for stays in your account so you can come back and finish it later. If you decide not to send it, just delete it — there's nothing to cancel or refund for an unpaid draft. Inactive unpaid drafts may be removed after 90 days.

Can I change or cancel my letter after I've paid?

Unfortunately, no. Payment is your final approval — your letter goes straight into the print-and-mail pipeline, and once it's handed off for printing it can't be recalled or changed. That's why we show you the exact PDF before checkout: what you approve is precisely what gets printed and mailed. Please review the letter and the recipient address carefully before you pay. Before payment, everything is free to change — edit the draft, swap the address, or delete the draft entirely. If something looks wrong with an order you've already placed, email support@postalgenie.app and we'll look into it with you in good faith.

Who can I send letters to?

You can write to businesses, organizations, and state or local government offices — found by name with our address lookup — or to any address you enter yourself. A few rules, so you know what to expect: - U.S. destinations only. Letters go anywhere the U.S. Postal Service delivers: all 50 states, Washington, D.C., U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands), and APO/FPO/DPO military addresses. Senders must be U.S. residents located in the United States, and at least 18. - Private individuals: enter the address yourself. To protect privacy, we don't offer automated address lookup for private individuals. If you're writing to a person, supply their mailing address yourself. - No U.S. federal government recipients. PostalGenie doesn't send mail to U.S. federal government agencies or offices — see "Why won't PostalGenie mail my letter to a federal agency?" State and local government offices are fine. - You send as yourself. You send on your own behalf, with your real name and return address — not for someone else. You can also add an "Attention" line (for example, a department name) so your letter reaches the right desk at a large organization.

Why do I need a return address?

Every letter needs a genuine return address — yours. It's printed on the letter, and it's how the recipient (or the postal service) can reach you back. Your return address must be your own real, current address. You send letters as yourself, on your own behalf — sending under a false name or address is a serious violation of our Terms. The good news: you only enter it once. Your return address is saved to your account, so you don't have to re-type it for each letter. We verify it can receive mail when you save it, and you can update it any time on your account page.

Can I attach a file to give Genie more context?

Yes. Attach a bill, receipt, or past email and Genie reads it for context — so your letter cites the right names, dates, and details. PDF, DOCX, JPG, and PNG are supported. Attachments are for context only. The file itself is never stored: it's screened for safety, read in memory to pull out the text, and then discarded. Only the extracted text becomes part of your letter's content. One caution: text pulled from a file automatically may be incomplete or inaccurate. Please confirm any details drawn from a file — account numbers, dates, amounts — before approving your letter.