You’re growing your business and need to reach more people. Building an email list from scratch feels like watching paint dry—so slow it hurts. Buying one? It’s a quick fix that puts thousands of email addresses at your fingertips.
But here’s the thing: buying an email list doesn’t just fail—it backfires spectacularly. It damages your reputation, tanks your deliverability, and leaves you scrambling to clean up the mess.
Worst of all? The damage doesn’t stop with your marketing emails.
The Risks of Buying an Email List
1. Blocklists: The Silent Killer of Your Domain
Blocklists are no joke. When your domain or IP lands on one, it sends a clear signal: this sender can’t be trusted.
The consequences?
-
Email Reputation Tanks: Even your legitimate emails—like invoices or proposals—get flagged.
-
Link Reputation Suffers: URLs in your emails can also be blacklisted, hurting your ability to drive traffic and conversions.
Corporate firewalls and government systems rely heavily on blocklists. One corporate trainer learned this the hard way: her follow-up proposals, requested by potential clients, never made it past their firewalls. Why? Because her emails looked spammy.
Blocklists don’t care about intent. They only care about protecting inboxes, even if that means blocking a good email to prevent a bad one.
2. Spam Filters Aren’t Letting You In
Even if you avoid blocklists, spam filters are still watching. These automated systems analyze your email’s content, engagement, and reputation—and purchased lists set off alarm bells.
Here’s what spam filters see when you send to a purchased list:
-
High Bounce Rates: Stale addresses signal your list isn’t clean.
-
Spam Complaints: Recipients who didn’t opt in are much more likely to hit “report spam.”
The result? Your emails never even make it to the inbox. Instead, they’re shuffled off to the dreaded spam folder, where they’ll never see the light of day.
3. Bad Engagement Numbers Hurt Your Reputation
Email benchmarks for legitimate, opt-in lists look like this:
-
15-25% (or higher) open rates
-
2-5% click-through rates
-
0.5-5% conversion rates
Purchased lists? They trend 50-75% lower:
-
7-15% open rates
-
1-3% click-through rates
-
0.1-1% conversion rates
Those numbers don’t just mean your emails are ineffective—they tell mailbox providers your emails aren’t worth delivering. Once your sender reputation drops, it can take months of flawless sending to recover.
4. Spam Complaints Are a Kiss of Death
Mailbox providers like Google and Yahoo expect spam complaint rates to stay below 0.1%. Purchased lists nearly always blow past that threshold.
Here’s what happens when complaints stack up:
-
Deliverability Drops: Even legitimate subscribers start seeing your emails in spam.
-
Reputation Recovery Takes Time: Damaging your reputation takes minutes; fixing it takes months.
And the worst part? Some providers may never trust your domain again.
5. The Legal Risks Are Real
While CAN-SPAM in the US operates on an opt-out basis, state and international laws like GDPR and CASL require explicit opt-in. Purchased lists rarely come with proper consent, which means:
-
Hefty Fines: GDPR penalties can climb into the millions, and CASL fines aren’t far behind.
-
Reputational Fallout: Even one violation can lead to public backlash.
And if that’s not enough, most email marketing platforms prohibit purchased lists entirely. If you’re caught, your account could be suspended or terminated, leaving you without a way to send campaigns.
If the list members didn't opt-in to hear *from you*, then they're not opt-in. They're just expensive garbage.
Alison Gootee, Compliance and Deliverability expert
What to Do Instead
If you want an email list that works, you’ve got to build it the right way. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it takes effort. But the payoff? Engaged subscribers who want to hear from you—and who actually convert.
1. Offer Something Valuable
People aren’t going to hand over their email address without a reason. Give them something they can’t resist:
-
A checklist for solopreneurs (“10 Steps to Marketing Your Business Without Burning Out”).
-
A legal guide for small businesses (“Avoid These 5 Common Legal Pitfalls”).
-
A real estate market report or “First-Time Buyer’s Guide”.
Promote your resource on your website, social media, and through your network.
2. Build Real Relationships
The best way to grow your email list? Meet people, talk to them, and offer value.
-
Follow up with people you meet at events or online.
-
Use personalized emails to invite them to join your list.
For example, a real estate agent could email open house attendees with a thank-you note and a link to sign up for market updates.
3. Make It Easy to Sign Up
Your list won’t grow if people don’t know how to join. Add sign-up opportunities everywhere:
-
On your website’s homepage, blog posts, and contact page.
-
In your email signature or on printed materials like business cards.
-
On social media, with posts linking to your opt-in page.
4. Leverage Your Existing Network
Your current clients and contacts already trust you, so start there.
-
A solopreneur could email past clients with an invitation to join their newsletter.
-
A legal firm could encourage happy clients to forward their newsletter to colleagues.
-
A real estate agent might offer early access to new listings as an incentive to sign up.
5. Collaborate with Trusted Partners
Host webinars, Q&A sessions, or co-branded events with complementary businesses. For example:
-
A legal firm and an accountant could team up for a webinar on business compliance.
-
A solopreneur could co-create a guide with another industry expert.
-
An email marketing agency founder could guest speak on podcasts.
Final Thoughts
Buying an email list isn’t a shortcut—it’s a time bomb. From blocklists to spam complaints, the risks are too high and the rewards too low.
The good news? Building your list organically gives you a foundation you can trust—and one your subscribers will trust, too.
Need help refining your email strategy or recovering from deliverability issues? Reach out for expert support tailored to your business goals.
