Show HN: Keeps – Mail a postcard that plays your voice
WHAT IT IS Upload a photo (or pick from Unsplash), write a message, optionally add a 60 second voice note, and send a 4×6 postcard. QR code printed on the postcard links to a “digital card” that plays the audio. $5 flat, printing + postage included. No account required.
WHY I BUILT IT I love mailing postcards to my family but hate it's a hassle (finding card, buying stamp, handwriting, praying it arrives on time). I wanted to merge the charm of physical mail, the warmth of voice messages, and the efficiency of software.
HOW IT WORKS Built with Next.js, Supabase, Stripe, Resend, and Lob. QR codes link to hosted audio. Stripe handles payment. Lob prints and mails the cards. Resend emails status updates.
WHAT'S DIFFERENT - Voice note + physical card combo - Minimal editor, no sign-up friction - Transparent $5 price (everything included)
TRY IT FREE 1. Go to https://sendkeeps.com 2. Create your card 3. Use promo code SENDKEEPSFREE for a free send (first 50 people)
FEEDBACK WANTED - Editor UX - QR/digital card flow - Address autocomplete UX - Critical missing features - Interesting use cases (wedding thank yous, airbnb hosts, etc)
Happy to share details or answer questions!
“Failed to save your card: TypeError: Load failed”
After entering the addresses (recipient and return), the next button seemed to reload the same page. Maybe it was showing some error temporarily? I had to tap on it about three or four times to get to the next page.
Two things.
1) The photo upload gets stuck on loading from the landing page. I think this is due to the file size? I uploaded the same photo from the actual page where you can customize the postcard and I was given a size limit warning.
2) I tried using a non-US address for both the sender and recipient. Both addresses were verified, but on the preview all of the address was omitted except the street number. This could only be a preview issue but I re-added the address in the optional section just to be safe.
Edit: actually a third thing. The non-US address was recognized with the appropriate city but the country still shows United States. My order number is #2CD56A
How do you plan to market this? From what I can tell, you're only left with about $3.50 (~$0.90 for Lob and ~$0.50 with Stripe), unless there's some kind of upsell after completing the flow that I missed.
This is a fun side project built for myself, that I thought others might enjoy -- so maximizing revenue hasn't been a huge part of planning.
I plan to market this on traditional channels (Reddit, X, etc) and maybe test out some paid ads if the CAC is <$3.50 -- open to ideas!
Some honest feedback: isn't the magic of a postcard, especially a physical one, linked more to the handwritten aspect of the note, and less the voice? My old firm emphasized hand written thank you's for everything because it showed time and effort into this sort of item but I feel like that get's lost with a digital postcard + audio file link. Especially when considering going back and reading notes versus having to scan a link.
Curious how you're thinking about all this.
It was also just a fun way to learn how to connect all these technologies and be able to trigger an event in the real-world from a few lines of code.
Appreciate the feedback.
Your approach is great; I can see a good need for this, and it is a unique offering which amends rather than replaces postcards in my view.
I could even see you having real post cards that have a QR code to the voice version that you sell in shops.