Make Something. Mail Something. Receive Something.

Zine Exchange is a free-first community platform for sharing, trading, discovering, and mailing independent zines. It is not a creator marketplace. It is not a content engine. It is a small piece of infrastructure for moving handmade media person to person.

What is a zine?

A zine is a small, self-published work. It can be art, writing, comics, essays, guides, poetry, collage, manifestos, research, jokes, recipes, field notes, grief notes, or whatever else you can fold, staple, print, copy, or mail. There is no length minimum. There is no quality bar. There is no review committee.

If you printed it, photocopied it, folded it, and handed it to someone — congratulations, it's a zine.

Ways to participate

1. Receive zines. Sign up, add a mailing address, opt into things you want. Real envelopes show up at your door.
2. Send zines. Submit a zine you already made, or make one for an upcoming exchange.
3. Trade zines. "I'll send you mine if you send me yours."
4. Join a topic exchange. Every month, a prompt. Make something. Get matched. Mail it out.
5. Form a group. Friends, classmates, local scenes, mutual aid networks, book clubs, art collectives.

The four-step ritual

1. Create or list a zine. Upload a cover, write a description, choose your format and how people can get it (free, trade, pay-what-you-want, fixed price).
2. Join a topic or exchange. Pick a monthly prompt. Or just publish standalone. Or join a private group.
3. Mail it out. Send your zine directly, coordinate a trade, or (eventually) use our print-and-mail tools.
4. Get weird mail back. Receive zines from real people with real thoughts, real obsessions, real stamps.

You do not have to become an influencer to have readers.

How exchanges work

An exchange is a small, defined swap with a deadline. Every month we open new topic exchanges. You can also start your own — public, private, friends-only, classroom-only, scene-only, whatever fits.

• One-to-one trade. Two people. Two envelopes. Done.
• Topic exchange. A monthly prompt. Everyone makes a zine. Everyone gets matched and sends/receives.
• Group exchange. A circle of members exchanging within a private group.
• Free distribution. Mail it to whoever raises their hand.

Mailing guidance

Use whatever envelope fits your zine — manila envelopes, mailers, mini-zine pouches. Postage varies by country and weight; if you're nervous, weigh it at the post office once and you'll know. We strongly recommend using a PO box, a friend's address, or otherwise being thoughtful about what you put on a return envelope.

If you don't want to put your home address on outgoing mail, that's fine. We never make addresses public — only Zine Exchange admins see them, and only to coordinate mailings.

Community expectations

• Send what you committed to sending.
• Respect boundaries.
• No harassment, doxxing, or threats.
• Credit artists, writers, and contributors.
• Don't be a fascist creep.
• Weird is welcome. Harm is not.

What "Free Forever" actually means

The first 100 members get permanent free access to the core exchange features — profiles, listings, topic swaps, groups, and the community side of the platform. Future paid features may include printing, bulk mailing, storefront tools, advanced group features, and custom fulfillment. The core community will stay free for the first 100.