We don’t buy or rent lists because we’ve never found one that actually worked, but we do test it every 6-9 months with one of our clients. As direct marketers, we are always looking for new ways to prospect for new customers and rented email addresses, if done properly, should be no different from renting physical mailing addresses. With over 25 years in direct mail catalog experience, we know that catalogers are sending fewer catalogs and moving from print media to other alternatives, most significantly email. I believe that in time, these catalogers will begin renting/trading their email lists just like they currently rent/trade their physical mailing addresses. Once they figure out how to do this legally and ethically, I hope that this type of prospecting will become feasible and an alternative to others like Google PPC.

Our email deliverability vendor Return Path was in the list brokering business until only a few months back. Unfortunately, I never got around to testing their list.

In the meantime, we tell our clients that renting lists is not an option and give them the most recent test results from November 2008. I’ve also blogged about our miserable list buying/renting test results as we continue to strongly recommend avoiding this as an option.

I always enjoy your comments John. Keep it up!

I’m sorry, but this just doesn’t pass the smell test for me….

I have no sympathy for the purchaser. To me it’s just one shady character getting ripped off by another shady character….

Do you know of a real source to buy opt-in email addresses?

Purchase and opt-in don’t belong in the same sentence!