Is it permissible to email market to old lists of eBay buyers?

Summary

Experts and marketers overwhelmingly advise against emailing old lists of eBay buyers. Key reasons include outdated email addresses (particularly given eBay's current use of privacy proxies), the likelihood that the list doesn't represent actual eBay buyers, and the risk of damaging sender reputation through spam complaints, spam traps, and low engagement. Email permission is not permanent and expires over time. Instead of emailing the entire old list, consider list cleaning, re-engagement campaigns, and prioritizing fresh, opted-in contacts.

Key findings

  • eBay Data Outdated: eBay's current privacy practices make old lists of buyer email addresses likely invalid.
  • Consent Expires: Email permission is not perpetual; consent expires over time.
  • Reputation Damage: Emailing old lists damages sender reputation and deliverability.
  • Engagement Decline: Old lists have low engagement, negatively impacting deliverability metrics.
  • Increased Spam Risk: Old lists increase the risk of spam complaints and hitting spam traps.

Key considerations

  • List Cleaning: Regularly clean email lists to remove unengaged subscribers.
  • Re-engagement: Implement re-engagement campaigns to win back inactive subscribers.
  • Opt-in Focus: Prioritize acquiring fresh, opted-in subscribers.
  • Segmentation: Segment your list to provide targeted and relevant content.

What email marketers say
13Marketer opinions

Emailing old lists of eBay buyers is generally discouraged due to potential negative impacts on sender reputation, deliverability, and compliance with privacy regulations. eBay no longer provides direct buyer email addresses, making old lists likely outdated. Experts recommend against directly emailing old, unengaged lists, suggesting instead to focus on list cleaning, re-engagement campaigns, and acquiring fresh, opted-in contacts.

Key opinions

  • Deliverability Risk: Sending emails to old lists damages sender reputation and increases the risk of landing in spam folders.
  • Engagement Decline: Old lists typically have low engagement rates, negatively impacting deliverability metrics.
  • Privacy Concerns: eBay no longer provides direct buyer email addresses, suggesting any existing lists are outdated and may violate privacy.
  • Spam Traps: Using old lists significantly increases the risk of hitting spam traps, which can lead to blacklisting.
  • Wasted Resources: Emailing uninterested recipients wastes resources and negatively impacts ROI.

Key considerations

  • List Cleaning: Regularly clean your email list by removing unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability.
  • Re-engagement Campaigns: Consider implementing re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers before removing them from your list.
  • Opt-in Practices: Focus on acquiring fresh, opted-in contacts to ensure a healthy and engaged email list.
  • Segmentation: Segment your list to provide relevant content to subscribers.
  • Compliance: Be aware of changes to privacy policies and proxy practices on Ebay.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailOctopus suggests implementing a re-engagement campaign for inactive subscribers, rather than simply emailing the entire old list. This involves sending targeted emails to those who haven't engaged in a while, offering them a reason to stay subscribed or unsubscribe gracefully.

April 2021 - EmailOctopus
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks points out that eBay's website states they no longer show buyer email addresses in orders to protect privacy and combat spam/phishing.

March 2025 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from ActiveCampaign emphasizes that regularly cleaning your email list is crucial for maintaining a healthy sender reputation. They advise removing unengaged subscribers to improve deliverability and engagement rates.

January 2023 - ActiveCampaign
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus notes that email lists naturally decay over time due to people changing email addresses or losing interest. Sending to these decayed addresses hurts your sender reputation and deliverability.

June 2022 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel identifies one of the biggest email marketing mistakes is sending to an outdated list. They highlight that this lowers deliverability and wastes money on uninterested recipients.

July 2022 - Neil Patel
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor recommends segmenting your list and sending targeted re-engagement campaigns to inactive subscribers before emailing the entire list. They highlight the importance of providing value and an easy way to unsubscribe.

July 2021 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from OptinMonster suggests running targeted re-engagement campaigns to win back subscribers who have become inactive. They emphasize providing value and a clear call-to-action to re-engage.

February 2023 - OptinMonster
Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks notes that eBay currently provides buyer addresses behind a privacy proxy (`members.ebay.com`). If the recipients on the list aren't mostly at that domain, it's a sign it's either quite old, or not a list of eBay buyers.

December 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from GetResponse explains that sending emails to unengaged subscribers significantly decreases email deliverability. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) track sender engagement, and low engagement indicates a negative sender reputation.

September 2022 - GetResponse
Marketer view

Email marketer from Omnisend warns that using old, unengaged email lists is one of the quickest ways to get your emails marked as spam. They advise against purchasing or using outdated lists.

July 2024 - Omnisend
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailerLite states that emailing old lists can seriously damage your sender reputation, land you in spam folders, and result in low open rates. They suggest cleaning your list or reconfirming subscribers before sending.

October 2023 - MailerLite
Marketer view

Email marketer from Moosend highlights that cleaning your email list regularly improves deliverability, engagement, and ROI. Removing inactive subscribers leads to better results than emailing an old, unengaged list.

May 2022 - Moosend
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit strongly advises against emailing old lists due to potential damage to sender reputation, increased spam complaints, and low engagement. They suggest it's not worth the risk.

May 2024 - Reddit

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Experts agree that emailing old lists of eBay buyers is not permissible. The email addresses may be outdated and not accurately reflect eBay buyers, and any previous consent is likely expired. Sending to these lists risks hitting spam traps, generating complaints, and damaging sender reputation. Regular list hygiene, re-permissioning campaigns, and acquiring fresh, opted-in contacts are recommended.

Key opinions

  • Data Age: Email data ages, and consent is not perpetual.
  • Invalid Data: Old lists may not accurately represent eBay buyers.
  • Deliverability Risks: Emailing old lists increases the risk of spam traps and complaints.
  • Reputation Damage: Poor engagement from old lists damages sender reputation.

Key considerations

  • List Hygiene: Regularly clean and maintain your email lists.
  • Re-permissioning: Consider re-permissioning campaigns for older lists.
  • Opt-in Focus: Prioritize acquiring fresh, opted-in contacts.
  • Engagement Tracking: Track and monitor engagement metrics to identify and remove inactive subscribers.
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks believes that the list is likely not a list of eBay buyers and there is no such permission attached to the list.

June 2022 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource explains that emailing very old lists carries high risks of hitting spam traps, generating complaints, and damaging your sender reputation due to lack of recent engagement. They suggest focusing on acquiring fresh, opted-in contacts.

September 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise strongly suggests that consent to email is not a perpetual state, and data ages, becoming less reliable and potentially harmful to email deliverability. They advocate for regular list hygiene and re-permissioning campaigns.

February 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests focusing on the age of the email addresses and working from the angle that the addresses are too old to mail, as permission is not permanent.

February 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Documentation from multiple sources (SendGrid, HubSpot, Spamhaus, and Mailchimp) indicates that emailing old lists of eBay buyers is not permissible due to negative impacts on deliverability and sender reputation. Permission is not permanent, and unengaged contacts should be reconfirmed or removed. Sending to old lists increases the risk of bounces, spam traps, and blacklisting.

Key findings

  • Permission Expiration: Email permission is not a one-time event; it expires over time.
  • Deliverability Impact: Sending to old lists negatively affects deliverability, causing higher bounce rates and lower engagement.
  • Reputation Damage: Poor engagement from old lists damages sender reputation.
  • Spam Traps: Emailing old lists increases the risk of hitting spam traps.

Key considerations

  • Re-confirmation: Reconfirm subscriptions from contacts who haven't engaged recently.
  • List Cleaning: Regularly clean email lists to remove unengaged subscribers.
  • Engagement Monitoring: Monitor engagement metrics to identify inactive subscribers.
  • Opt-In Practices: Focus on acquiring fresh, opted-in contacts.
Technical article

Documentation from Spamhaus explains that sending emails to old lists increases the risk of hitting spam traps, which can severely damage your sender reputation and lead to blacklisting.

October 2023 - Spamhaus
Technical article

Documentation from SendGrid emphasizes the importance of permission and suggests that even if you previously had permission, if the contacts haven't engaged recently, it's best to reconfirm their subscription to avoid deliverability issues and potential blacklisting.

April 2021 - SendGrid
Technical article

Documentation from HubSpot indicates that emailing old lists can lead to higher bounce rates, lower engagement, and damage to your sender reputation, negatively impacting deliverability. They recommend regularly cleaning your list.

August 2022 - HubSpot
Technical article

Documentation from Mailchimp reinforces the concept that permission to send emails is not permanent. Subscribers who haven't engaged recently should be reconfirmed before sending, or removed from the list.

February 2024 - Mailchimp

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