Help & knowledge base
Common questions, written tutorials (videos as we film them), account and billing, underage & guardian help, legal, and safety. Still stuck? Contact us or email [email protected].
Popular topics
- How to complete your first swapFrom directory → request → accept → mail → mark received.
- Who can see my address and email?Street, city-only, partners-only, and email sharing options.
- Optional subscriptions & donationsPayPal Supporter tiers and one-time donate — how billing works.
- Can kids and teens join?13+ only; ages 13–17 need parent/guardian consent.
- Block someone or file a reportStop contact, hide from directory, and alert Richard & Megan.
- My swap is stuckNudge, close, remind/expire, or ask hosts.
Browse by topic
Getting startedJoin, set up your profile, and take your first swap.15 articlesTutorials & videosStep-by-step walkthroughs with written steps. Video still uses the hosts intro until dedicated clips are recorded.3 articlesAccount & loginPassword, email, profile, and membership badges.6 articlesSwaps & mailingRequests, labels, packing notes, tracking, and thank-yous.27 articlesPrivacy & addressWho sees your street, city, and email.2 articlesBilling & support tiersOptional PayPal subscriptions, donations, and refunds.2 articlesUnderage & guardiansAge 13+, parent consent, and what teens can do.3 articlesSafety & blockingBlocks, reports, stalking, and staying safe with mail.3 articlesLegal mattersHouse rules, illegal mail, and what hosts can do.2 articlesTroubleshootingEmails not arriving, stuck swaps, and site issues.4 articles
All articles
- Getting startedWhat is this community?Friendly sticker and mail swaps between real people — Happy Mail, Mystery Mail, forum, and gallery.
- Getting startedInvite a friendShare your personal signup link. Community stamps unlock when they finish real mail.
- Getting startedHow to complete your first swapFrom directory → request → accept → mail → mark received.Tutorial · video soon
- Swaps & mailingCommunity challengesJoin a shared mail goal and watch the progress wall fill up.
- Swaps & mailingPacking this weekTell the community you’re assembling envelopes so ready mailers can find you.
- Swaps & mailingMail day deskWho to pack, this week’s letter, print sheets, and I’m packing today — one page for the envelope in front of you.
- Swaps & mailingOpen mail deskWho just landed, mark received, a four-line thanks card, and haul-photo rules — one page for the envelope in your hands.
- Swaps & mailingPostage & customsLetter vs packet, honest customs, and a clerk cheat you can print — country only, no stamp prices.
- Swaps & mailingPack slipsCut-and-tuck cards of what you packed — skip list, a write-in line, city and country only. Copy onto I mailed it at home.
- Swaps & mailingReturn address cardsPrint your own street for the envelope flap so lost mail can come home. Do not photograph this sheet.
- Swaps & mailingWaiting on mailEnvelopes still in transit — expect-around dates, Mail is late, and no daily DMs. City and country only.
- Swaps & mailingQuiet swapsPending requests and silent swaps — one kind reminder, or close if plans fell through. City and country only.
- Swaps & mailingPause your mailboxHide from the directory and stop new swap requests while you travel or catch up.
- Swaps & mailingThank a swap partnerAfter a swap finishes, leave public kudos, print four-line cards for the next envelope, and optionally share a haul photo.
- Getting startedArtists cornerShare sketches and original art. Follow artists for new-post alerts. Adults can list a shop — the site never takes payment.
- Swaps & mailingISO / have-to-send boardTell people what you hope to find, and what you currently have to mail.
- Swaps & mailingMail passportFinished swaps stamp the countries you’ve mailed — a little collection to show off.
- Swaps & mailingMy penpals (address book)One place for people you’ve mailed, open swaps, unlocked addresses, and private notes.
- Swaps & mailingTake a writing break (kind pause)End a penpal correspondence politely without blocking, ghosting, or closing the whole mailbox.
- Getting startedMessages (community messenger)Chat with members in the site — on your phone or PC — without a separate Facebook app.
- Getting startedCommunity server (not public Matrix)Host news, file packs, and rooms inside Messages — like Hotline or ICQ, without a public Matrix network.
- Swaps & mailingLetter promptsA rotating prompt for when you don’t know what to write next.
- Swaps & mailingFirst envelope kitPrint packing plus this week’s letter for one swap — city and country only, no street.
- Swaps & mailingHow swap circles workMonthly rounds: join, get one person to mail, keep the kindness moving.
- Getting startedFirst-swap buddiesNew members can ask a seasoned person to walk them through one swap.
- Getting startedCountry & region forum roomsUS, UK & Ireland, Canada, Europe, Oceania, and rest of world.
- Swaps & mailingWatch a forum roomFollow a whole board so new threads (not just replies) show up in Alerts.
- Getting startedSay hello to new membersIntroduction threads with no replies yet — a short welcome helps people stay.
- Swaps & mailingHas room to swapSee how many open swaps someone already has, and filter to people who can take another.
- Swaps & mailingHow soon I usually mailTell partners your packing pace, and promise a mail-by date when you accept.
- Swaps & mailingMail-by calendarI’ll mail by dates for envelopes you still need to pack — overdue first. City and country only.
- Swaps & mailingInternational swapsWhat to pack when your partner lives in another country, and when a swap is blocked.
- Getting startedWelcome wagonOpt in to greet people who just joined — you get an alert on each new signup.
- Getting startedSet up your profile the right wayBio, interests, languages, privacy, programs, socials, and do-not-send.Tutorial · video soon
- Getting startedChange the site languageSwitch menus, buttons, and signed-in chrome between English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Japanese.
- Getting startedClassroom: lessons, workshops, and remixesLanguages, mail skills, health and nursing maps, criminal justice, forensics, civics, science, computers, arts, money, college-ready habits, remixable workshops, and host-written courses. Members 13+ only. Family print packs (preschool through early years) are a separate 18+ tab.
- Getting startedWorkouts: sketches and official videosHome cardio, strength, breathing, and stretch sketches, plus CDC and HHS clips we have the right to show. Not medical advice.Video
- Underage & guardiansFamily print packs (parents, supervised kids)18+ parents can print kitchen-table activities for their own children. Kids stay supervised. No under-13 accounts, no kids messenger, no mailing to members in a child’s name.
- Tutorials & videosTutorial: request and accept a swapClick-by-click for requesting, accepting, and declining.Tutorial · video soon
- Tutorials & videosTutorial: labels, packing notes & trackingPrint To/From labels, leave packing notes, add tracking.Tutorial · video soon
- Tutorials & videosTutorial: forum & gallery basicsPost threads, watch topics, reply, and share swap photos safely.Tutorial · video soon
- Account & loginAdd the site to your phoneInstall Penpal like an app so Home, Swaps, and Alerts are one tap while you pack envelopes.
- Account & loginInstall Messages as its own appPut a Messages icon on your phone or PC. The website still has Messages — this is the same inbox in its own window.
- Account & loginLock-screen alerts on your phoneOptional push alerts for swap updates and forum replies, same as the header bell.
- Getting startedSearch the communityOne search box in the header for members, forum, gallery, and help.
- Account & loginSign in, password & email changesCan’t log in? Need a new password or email?
- Account & loginMembership badges & verificationSupporter tiers, verified members, and what badges mean.
- Account & loginLeaving or deleting your accountHow to stop swapping and ask hosts to remove access.
- Swaps & mailingSwap statuses explainedPending, accepted, mailed, received, completed, closed.
- Swaps & mailingMailing labels & packing notesPrint-ready To/From, private packing notes, and what’s in the envelope.
- Swaps & mailingWhat’s in the envelopeA short partner-visible note when you mark I mailed it — packing notes stay private.
- Swaps & mailingHappy Mail vs Mystery MailCheerful kindness vs themed surprise — both stay wholesome.
- Privacy & addressWho can see my address and email?Street, city-only, partners-only, and email sharing options.
- Privacy & addressI moved — how do I update my address?Change profile address; open swaps may alert your partners.
- Billing & support tiersOptional subscriptions & donationsPayPal Supporter tiers and one-time donate — how billing works.
- Billing & support tiersCancel a subscription or ask about a refundManage PayPal billing; contact hosts for badge or refund questions.
- Underage & guardiansCan kids and teens join?13+ only; ages 13–17 need parent/guardian consent.
- Underage & guardiansHelp for parents & guardiansWhat consent means, what teens can do, and how to get help.
- Safety & blockingDating (18+ only)Optional adult listings, isolated from the mixed-age swap directory.
- Safety & blockingBlock someone or file a reportStop contact, hide from directory, and alert Richard & Megan.
- Safety & blockingStay safe when mailing strangersPractical tips for wholesome, low-risk swaps.
- Legal mattersLegal & community enforcementZero tolerance for stalking, illegal mail, and serious abuse.
- Legal mattersWhat counts as illegal or banned mail?If it’s illegal to send or against house rules, don’t send it.
- TroubleshootingEmails and alerts not showing upSwap mail, newsletter, forum replies, and spam folders.
- TroubleshootingMy swap is stuckNudge, close, remind/expire, or ask hosts.
- TroubleshootingWebsite bugs & technical issuesSomething broken on the site? Tell the webmaster.
- TroubleshootingHow do I get human help?Contact, email aliases, and what to include.
Short FAQ · New-member checklist · House rules · Legal & safety · Support us