A mail club runs on two things that have to work together: recurring payments and a monthly mailing list. Set them up once and both run themselves. Here is how to take payments and always know exactly who gets each month's mail.
Key takeaways
- Set up your own Stripe account at signup. Members are charged automatically each cycle.
- Offer monthly or prepaid plans. Prepaid changes how often you charge, not how often you mail.
- A cutoff date decides who is in each month’s batch, automatically.
- The batch only includes members who have actually paid. Unpaid are left out.
- A self-serve portal keeps cancellations, card updates, and address changes off your plate.
The hard part of a mail club subscription isn't the charge. It's knowing who gets which month's mail.
Step 1: Connect your payments
You need a processor that does recurring billing. On Posthouse you set up your own Stripe account during onboarding, so payouts go straight to your bank and your customers stay yours. Posthouse runs the subscription on top: creating the charge, storing the card, and renewing it.
Handled for you
Step 2: Set your price and tiers
Start with one clear price. About two-thirds of active clubs run a single tier. Add a second only when you have something distinct to offer, like an extra print or a note. You can also set separate domestic and international pricing, or cap a tier with a spot limit. For how to land on the number, see how much to charge for a mail club.
Step 3: Choose monthly or prepaid
Monthly is the default. You can also offer prepaid 3-month or annual plans, and about half of active clubs do. The key thing: prepaid changes how often a member is charged, not how often you mail. Someone on an annual plan still gets a mailing every month; they have just paid up front. Prepaid pulls cash forward and improves retention, so a small discount is a fair trade.
Step 4: Share your club page
Your club page and checkout come included: people read about your mail, pick a tier, pay, and leave their shipping address in one place. Address collection is built in and stored with the subscription, so there is no separate form to chase. Share the link on your newsletter, Instagram, TikTok, or a QR code at your market table, and use prelaunch mode to gather a waitlist before you open.
Step 5: Set your cutoff
The cutoff is the deadline for joining a given mailing, and it is the piece unique to mail. Pick a day that leaves you time to make and pack the work before your send day.
Handled for you
Step 6: Open the batch and mail
Each month, open the batch to see exactly who is receiving that mailing, then export the addresses for labels or use the handwriting view to address them by hand. Cards fail and expire, which is normal; Posthouse retries them automatically, and a member whose payment is still failing simply is not in the batch.
Handled for you
“I love that Posthouse makes the process of running a mail club simple by handling payments and address batches.”
Let members manage themselves
Give members a self-serve portal to update their card, change their shipping address, or cancel on their own, and keep the ability to manage any subscription from your dashboard. Address changes especially should never route through you; a member who moves can fix it before the next batch locks.
That's the whole setup
Connect your payments, set a price, decide monthly or prepaid, and pick a cutoff. From there the billing, renewals, failed-card retries, and monthly eligibility run on their own. Next, read how to start a mail club, see how much to charge, or see how easily other artists got started on Posthouse.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need my own Stripe account to run a mail club?
On Posthouse, yes, and that is a good thing. You set up your own Stripe account during onboarding, payouts go straight to your bank, and you keep your customers and your data. Posthouse handles the recurring billing on top of it.
Can I offer billing other than monthly?
Yes. You can offer monthly billing or prepaid plans, typically a 3-month or annual option. Prepaid only changes how often a member is charged, not how often you mail. The mailing cadence stays monthly.
How do I know who gets each month’s mail?
Your cutoff date decides it. When the cutoff passes, Posthouse locks the batch into a confirmed list of everyone whose payment has cleared as of that moment, so you know exactly who to mail. Sign-ups after the cutoff roll into the next month, and anyone whose payment has not gone through is left off automatically. You never sort the list by hand.
What happens when a member’s card fails?
Failed payments are retried automatically and the member is prompted to update their card. They are simply left out of the batch until it clears, and the subscription only lapses once the retries are exhausted.
Can members cancel or change their own subscription?
Yes. Members get a self-serve portal to update their payment method, change their shipping address, or cancel, and you can manage any subscription from your dashboard.
Can I give free or discounted subscriptions?
Yes. You can create discount codes, add complimentary members directly, and send gift subscriptions, so friends, trades, and promotions all have a home without breaking your pricing.
Does Posthouse print and mail the envelopes for me?
No. You create, pack, and send the mail yourself. Posthouse handles the club page, recurring subscriptions, address collection, and organizing your monthly mailing list.