Terms of Service

These terms are an agreement between you and the person who runs Snail Mail (“we”, “us”). By creating a mailbox or using the site you agree to them. If you don’t agree, please don’t use Snail Mail.

Who can use Snail Mail

You must be at least 16 years old to have a mailbox. You must be at least 18 to list yourself in the pen-pal directory or to write to people you found there. One person per mailbox, and the details you give us should be honest.

Your mailbox

Keep your password to yourself; you’re responsible for what happens in your mailbox. You can download your data or delete your mailbox at any time from Settings.

Your letters

You own what you write. You give us permission to store your letters, carry them to the people you address, show them to those people when they arrive, and keep them until you or the recipient deletes them. That permission exists only so we can run the service.

Anyone who has a letter’s tracking number can see its journey: the names on the envelope, the two towns, the carrier and the timing. Never the words. Anyone who has a letter’s private link can read it once it arrives, so share links only with the person they’re meant for.

Delivery is slow on purpose

Snail Mail is a toy for patient correspondence, not a dependable messaging service. Arrival times are estimates, delivery isn’t guaranteed, and letters can be delayed or lost if something breaks. Don’t use it for anything urgent, important, or legally significant, and don’t use it to reach emergency services.

Behave yourself

Follow the Community Guidelines. In short: no harassment, threats, hate, spam, scams, unwanted sexual content, impersonation, sharing other people’s private information, or anything illegal.

Moderation

When a letter is reported we may read it, remove it, and pause or close the sender’s mailbox. We can also act on our own if we believe someone is breaking these terms or putting others at risk. We may share information with law enforcement when the law requires it or when someone’s safety is at stake.

Changes and shutting down

Snail Mail is free and run as a personal project. We may change features, update these terms, or shut the service down. For significant changes we’ll post a notice on the site, and if we ever close we’ll give reasonable warning so you can download your letters. Continuing to use Snail Mail after changes take effect means you accept them.

No warranty

Snail Mail is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

Limits on liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, we aren’t liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost data, lost letters, or anything other people write to you. Our total liability for any claim about Snail Mail is limited to US$50. Some places don’t allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

Your responsibility

You agree to cover any claims, losses or costs that arise because of what you write or because you broke these terms.

Ending things

You can delete your mailbox whenever you like. We can suspend or close mailboxes that break these terms. The sections on liability, warranty and your responsibility survive after that.

Contact

Questions about these terms: the Report button on any letter, or Settings in your mailbox.