Volume I · Article I

The Terms of Foolscap

Last revised — April 2026 · Written to be read.

A note before we begin. Most terms of service are written to defend the company at all costs, in a language designed to be skimmed rather than understood. We have tried to do the opposite: to write this briefly, plainly, and fairly, so that you can actually read it and know what you agreed to. If anything below is unclear, write to us and we will explain. If it seems unreasonable, tell us and we will consider changing it.

Who we are

Foolscap is a correspondence service operated by Sachin Arora, a sole proprietor based in Pune, India, trading under the name Foolscap. We offer matched pen pal correspondence to paying members over the age of eighteen. Our site is at foolscap.space, and you can reach us by email at hello@foolscap.space.

What you're paying for

A Foolscap membership includes: one matched correspondent at a time; identity verification of that correspondent; a written introduction before addresses are exchanged; and the gentle option to be re-matched if your correspondence quiets.

A Foolscap membership does not include: physical stationery, postage, envelopes, or delivery of letters. The postal service is between you and your correspondent. We are the matchmaker, not the mail carrier.

Payment is monthly via Stripe. Your rate, if you joined under the founding tier, is locked at the price you signed up for, for as long as your subscription remains active. If you cancel and later rejoin, you'll rejoin at the then-current rate.

Who can join

You must be at least eighteen years old. You must provide a real name, a real postal address, and complete identity verification through Stripe before addresses are exchanged with a correspondent. Accounts created under false information will be closed, and any pending matches cancelled, without refund.

Cancellation and refunds

You can cancel at any time, for any reason, through the Stripe billing portal we send you. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period — you keep access to any in-progress match until then.

We don't offer refunds on completed billing periods, because our costs (matching, verification, and human attention) are front-loaded. If you feel you've been charged unfairly or by mistake, write to us and we will make it right — this isn't a refund policy carved in stone, it's a trust policy written in pencil.

What we ask of you as a correspondent

Foolscap is built on trust, and that trust only works if everyone behaves like a reasonable adult writing to another reasonable adult. By joining, you agree to:

Correspond honestly. Don't pretend to be someone you're not.
Not use Foolscap to sell, solicit, pitch, spam, harass, or proselytize to your correspondent.
Not share or publish private letters from your correspondent without their explicit written permission.
Not use information about your correspondent (their address, their employer, anything they've shared) outside of the correspondence itself.
Treat disagreements the way adults treat disagreements in letters — thoughtfully, and with time.

If you do any of the above, your membership may be closed without refund and, where appropriate, reported to relevant authorities.

What we ask of ourselves

In return, we owe you:

To read your profile personally, and match you thoughtfully rather than algorithmically.
To verify every member's identity before we pass along addresses.
To never sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties. Not for any amount of money.
To keep your postal address confidential until you consent to share it.
To respond to any reasonable email from you within seven days.
To be honest with you if the service is changing, shutting down, or otherwise not what you signed up for.

Content in your correspondence

We do not read the physical letters you exchange with your correspondent — they pass through the postal service, not through us. We do read the written introductions before addresses are exchanged, because that is a step within our service.

If your correspondent behaves badly — harassing you, sharing your information, or otherwise breaking these terms — write to us immediately at hello@foolscap.space. We take such reports seriously, will investigate, and may close the other person's account. We cannot, however, intervene in the postal service itself; that is between you, them, and your respective postal authorities.

Liability, briefly and honestly

Foolscap is a matchmaking service. We do our best to verify identities and to match thoughtfully, but we cannot guarantee the behavior of another person. You correspond with strangers at your own discretion and risk, as you would with any stranger met through any service or circumstance.

Our total liability to you under any circumstance is limited to the total amount you have paid us in the twelve months preceding any claim. We're a small service; we don't have insurance for catastrophic claims, and we're asking you to take that on with clear eyes. In exchange, we try very hard to be worth trusting.

Changes to these terms

If we change these terms materially, we'll email every active member at least thirty days before the change takes effect. You'll always have the option to cancel before the new terms apply. We won't change these terms retroactively.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of India, with disputes resolved in the courts of Pune, Maharashtra. If you're outside India, this may feel inconvenient; we're a small business, and we don't yet have the means to offer jurisdiction in every country where our members live. We hope never to need any court at all.

Questions about any of this?

Write to hello@foolscap.space.

A real person will read it.