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Postage & Shipping - FAQs

What is the difference between Standard and First Class postage?​

Standard postage is the lower-cost option and sufficient for most campaigns. First Class postage costs a few cents more per piece, delivers roughly 5 days faster on average, and includes return-to-sender service if the address is undeliverable. Standard postage does not include return-to-sender or individual piece tracking.

How long does delivery take?​

Standard postage typically arrives in 7–14 business days from the print date. First Class typically arrives in 3–10 business days. Delivery times are estimates - actual transit varies by destination, USPS conditions, and season.

Does thanks.io support international delivery?​

Yes. thanks.io supports international delivery for all mailer types. Delivery times for international mail vary by country.

How much does postage cost?​

Postage is included in the per-piece price. See thanks.io/pricing for current per-piece rates by plan and mailer type.

What happens if a mail piece is undeliverable?​

With First Class postage, undeliverable pieces are returned to your return address. With Standard postage, undeliverable pieces are discarded by USPS and not returned.

Can I get tracking on my mail?​

Individual mail-piece tracking is not available for Standard postage. For engagement tracking, use QR codes - every scan is logged in real time regardless of postage class.

When do orders process and ship?​

When an order for postcards, letters, or notecards is submitted, you have a 1-hour window to cancel before it is processed. After that window, the order cannot be cancelled.

Orders placed before 11am Central time are processed that same day. Orders placed after 11am Central time are processed the next business day. Orders placed after 11am on Friday, or on weekends, are not printed until Monday morning. Average processing time during regular business hours is 24 hours.

After USPS picks up, First Class mail typically arrives at the recipient's address within 5-7 days.

What state do mail pieces ship from?​

All printing and mailing is handled at thanks.io's U.S. facility in Texas.

Where is thanks.io based? Where do mailers print from?​

thanks.io's operations are based in Alaska (handling paperwork, finances, and returns). The company is officially registered in New Hampshire. All printing is done at a U.S. facility in Texas.

Does thanks.io work in Canada?​

Yes. Canadian addresses are supported at the international mailing rate - see thanks.io/pricing for current rates.

The following services are not available for Canadian accounts: purchasing lead mailing lists, website retargeting (VisitorView), and gift cards.

What countries are not available for international mailing?​

The following countries are currently not supported per USPS restrictions (last updated March 2022):

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, Cuba, Curacao, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Island, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Maldives, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, St. Marten, Suriname, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia

Contact support@thanks.io if you have questions about a specific country.

Can I use an international return address?​

No. Pre-sorted commercial mailings require a valid U.S. return address per USPS requirements.

If your company is based outside the U.S., use a valid U.S. return address in Account Settings → Mail Preferences when Show Return Address is enabled.

Why don't you offer EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail)?​

thanks.io sends via First Class Mail only. EDDM works differently and is not the right fit for everyone:

  • EDDM advantage: You do not need a mailing list - mail goes to every address in a chosen neighborhood, with lower postage rates.
  • EDDM drawbacks: No personalization (no recipient name on the piece), you must mail to the entire neighborhood with no way to limit quantity, and the broad approach wastes budget on people outside your target market.

thanks.io is better suited for businesses targeting a specific audience, controlling send timing and quantity, and personalizing each piece.

My card was delivered with smudges - what happened?​

Smudging can happen when USPS ultra high-speed sorting equipment runs mail pieces through belts that rub against the front (non-address) side of the card. This is a USPS handling issue outside of thanks.io's control, though the printer works closely with USPS to minimize it.

Tips to reduce visible smudging:

  • Use lighter background colors on your design. Lighter backgrounds make smudging far less noticeable - black backgrounds show smudges most, white backgrounds show them least.
  • The area most affected on 4x6 postcards is the center-left portion of the card front.

Why does my order status say "error"?​

Review the error details shown in your dashboard - they will indicate the specific issue. The most common causes are:

  • Address Incomplete or Missing - the street, city, state, or ZIP is missing or incorrectly formatted
  • Address Undeliverable - the address failed verification (see Address Verification FAQs)
  • Same recipient receiving a mailer to the same address on the same day (duplicate/spam protection)
  • CSV formatting errors (especially when address fields contain commas without proper quoting)
  • Integration not set up correctly - if entering an address on a single line, format it as: Street, City, State, ZIP with commas separating each part

Do you use recycled paper?​

Yes. thanks.io letters and postcards use recycled paper with between 10% and 100% post-consumer waste (PCW) material.