ShinyLetter.com - Snail Mail Via the Internet

ShinyLetter takes snail mail online. Paper mail has become something of a rarity these days although it does seem to be a staple amongst the older generation who haven’t gotten into email. How many times have you wished you could email granny dearest, but lamented the fact that she just doesn’t get it? ShinyLetter lets you make a compromise—you can type out your mail online, just as you would any email; however, rather than hitting send and letting your letter travel the Ethernet, you’ll actually be able to have your mail sent via the good old postal office. You can write a letter of up to 4 pages and send it anywhere in the world for $2. There’s a selection of styles to choose from and they print on high quality paper.

“Shinyletter.com was created & designed as a result of a conversation that came up in our office in 2005.

The project started after one of our team members talked about how he wished his Grandmother had an email address. We then started talking about how easy & quick it is too email & how she couldn't relate to that idea when he spoke to her.

From that conversation, ShinyLetter.com was started. Our service is very simple, nothing fancy, just an easy, affordable & quick way to send a postal letter to anywhere in the World from your computer. We hope you use & enjoy ShinyLetter, this service is in beta, so stay tuned for more features coming soon!”

This actually isn’t a bad idea. It’s so much easier to write a letter online and not worry about postage and mailing. The price is decent too. This way you can surprise all your loved ones with real mail—who doesn’t like to receive snail mail?

First, the service doesn’t seem to work at times, so its reliability is questionable. With that in mind, how long does it take for letters to arrive? When are they shipped? Do they have different templates to choose from, icons, pictures etc? Will you be able to include photos?