Man Writing a Letter, painting by Dutch artist Gabriel Metsu, 1662-1665, seen on a 2003 Irish stamp.

Getting Started

If you're new to letter writing and not quite sure how to start, these tips gleaned from the 25 years' experience of thousands of Lexers might help:

—Be both expectant and cautious. Remember that your correspondents will start out as complete strangers. You can use the free forwarding service for as long as you feel more comfortable doing so.

 

—Be patient. Some Lexers receive dozens of responses to a single listing.

 

—Short or long, frequent or occasional, chatty or academic? Lexers approach letters from different angles; be yourself and you'll soon find similar writers.

 

—Don't be surprised if some attempts at sustained correspondence don't work out. Just try again.

 

—Keep your correspondent in mind as you write. This is by far the most common tip recommended by experienced Lexers.

 

Write a letter and seal it in an envelope. Add your return address and a stamp. Print the LEX Number of the person you’re writing to in the lower left corner; leave the usual address spot blank for the mailing label we’ll add.

Put your sealed, stamped envelope in a larger envelope (don’t fold them or the USPS machinery may mangle them later). Mail the large envelope to The Letter Exchange, 855 Village Center Drive #324, North Oaks, MN 55127-3016 USA.

Anyone can use it

You can use this free forwarding service to reply to listings whether you are a subscriber or not; all you need is a copy of The Letter Exchange. (We do not knowingly forward letters to or from prisoners.) We only forward letters to subscribers.

International Mailing

To reply from outside the U.S.—if you can get U.S. stamps, put them on your letters for forwarding. Otherwise, buy an International Reply Coupon at your Post Office for every two letters and include it in the larger envelope along with your sealed letters.

Forwarding Tips

If you include your return address your new correspondent can write back to you directly. If you're a subscriber you may choose to use your LEX Number as your return address; your new correspondent can write back to you using our forwarding service in the same way. (You might want to include an extra stamp for them to use.)

When the spirits sink too low, the best cordial is to read over all the letters of one's friends. — William Shenstone