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Postmark

Send account messages and receipts through a dedicated stream. Test the connection and review what happened to an individual message.

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Where should a purchase receipt go in Postmark?

Use a Transactional Message Stream for a receipt triggered by one customer’s purchase. A stream groups one type of mail and its activity. Use a Broadcast Stream for an announcement to many customers.

Your app chooses the recipient and creates the receipt after payment succeeds. It can hand the message to Postmark from its server or through SMTP, the standard connection for outgoing mail. Keep the sending credential in the server settings.

How do I test the receipt before customer sending?

Create a Sandbox Server for tests and a separate Live Server for real mail. In Postmark, a Server is a sending setup you create in its dashboard. A sandbox receipt can show as Delivered in Postmark, then go to a test sink that discards the message.

  • In the sandbox, trigger one receipt and find it in the stream’s Activity. The sandbox type stays fixed and its messages count toward your monthly usage.
  • Use Postmark’s fake bounce addresses to exercise what happens when delivery fails. A fake bounce also counts toward monthly volume.
  • On the Live Server, try a real inbox you control at a domain you verified. Wait for Postmark to approve your account before sending to other domains. The account owner can submit the request. Postmark’s test sink remains available during review.

How do I confirm the address customers see?

For one From address, confirm a Sender Signature by email. To send from a domain you control, follow Postmark’s domain instructions and verify the records it provides.

The domain instructions cover a DKIM record, which helps receiving servers check who signed the message, and a custom Return-Path for delivery failures. Confirming your From address and getting the Postmark account approved are separate steps.

Where do I find a missing receipt or a bounced address?

Open the Transactional Stream’s Activity and find the message. A live Delivered event means the receiving server accepted the mail. Ask the recipient to check junk or quarantine if it still does not appear.

A permanent bounce or complaint can put the address on that stream’s suppression list. Use the reason there to decide whether you need a corrected address. If a purchase event repeats, look at the saved send operation and message history before sending a second receipt.

Which emails use the monthly allowance?

The Free Developer plan includes 100 emails per month and has no expiry or overage option. Each sent message and sandbox test counts. Add each copied recipient and, if your setup receives mail, each incoming message Postmark processes.

The first paid Basic tier lists $15 USD per month for 10,000 emails and $1.80 USD per 1,000 extra. Paid service continues with overages. Estimate both test and live usage before sending and check that your plan covers your busiest month.

How much history can I take with me?

Postmark keeps message content and activity for 45 days by default. On eligible plans, the optional 7-to-365-day setting applies across the account to messages processed after the change. Expired Activity stays unavailable.

An Activity CSV holds up to 500 records. Filter by date or event type for smaller batches, or retrieve more with the Messages API. Historical permanent bounces and spam complaints can still appear in the stream’s suppression list after the related messages expire. Export suppression entries separately as JSON or retrieve them through the API.

Postmark does not transfer a sending setup, activity, domains, confirmed From addresses or templates directly between accounts. In the new account, add and verify the sender, configure new credentials and recreate the settings. Keep copies of template content and check which fields the new setup needs.