How to Verify an Inherited or Acquired Email Database Before the First Send
Verify an inherited or acquired email database before you send anything from it, and check three things in order: whether you may email these people, how old the data is and whether each mailbox still exists. A database you did not build is a database whose history you do not know. You inherit its dead addresses, and the first bounces land on your sender reputation.
Step 1: settle permission first
Verification checks mailboxes. It does not tell you whether you are allowed to email them. Before you spend anything, find out how the addresses were collected and what the people agreed to. Rules differ by country; our guides to GDPR and verification and B2B cold email under GDPR are a starting point, not legal advice. If the answer is no, stop here.
Step 2: date the data
Add a column for the last meaningful contact: a purchase, a reply, a sign-in, an open if you trust opens at all. Then split the file.
| Segment | Handling |
|---|---|
| Contacted or bought in the last 12 months | Verify, then send |
| Between one and three years | Verify, send in small batches |
| Older than three years, or undated | Verify and treat as a cold list; consider emailing a dormant list only with care |
Step 3: clean for free
Run the duplicate email remover and the email typo corrector. Merged databases contain the same person several times. In B2B lists, expect people who left the company and domains that changed after the acquisition.
Step 4: verify the lot
Export to CSV and upload it on the verify page. Each row gets a status (valid, risky or invalid) and a reason. Download the three groups separately. How to read a verification report explains the output.
Step 5: send carefully
- Send a small batch of valid addresses first, from a secondary domain you control and have warmed up.
- Watch the bounce rate for a few days. Calculate your email bounce rate shows how.
- Move up in size only if it stays low.
- Keep risky addresses for a later, smaller batch.
What this will not fix
A clean list is not a consented list, and valid does not mean interested. An address can pass and still belong to someone who has not heard of you for years. Expect a low reply rate and some spam complaints from an old list, and write the first email so it reminds people who you are.
Next step
Run 100 free checks on a sample of the database to see how much of it is dead before you commit to the rest. See pricing for packs from $15 per 10,000 checks, Starter at $9 a month and Pro at $39 a month.
Common questions
Can I email a list I inherited in an acquisition?
That is a legal question that depends on your country and on what the people agreed to. Verification answers a different question: whether the mailbox still exists. Settle permission first, with a lawyer if needed, then verify.
How old can an inherited email list be before it is risky?
There is no fixed age. Lists decay as people change jobs and close mailboxes, so the older the list and the less recent the last contact, the more likely it is to bounce. Verify any list you cannot date, and see how often to re-verify a list.
Should I send from my main domain to an inherited list?
Not first. Verify, send a small batch from a secondary domain you have warmed, and move up only if the bounce rate stays low.
What do I do with addresses that come back risky?
Do not put them in the main send. Hold them for a small second batch, watch the bounce rate, and drop them if it rises.
How much does it cost to verify an inherited database?
The first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in. One-time packs start at $15 for 10,000 checks, Starter is $9 a month for 2,500 emails and Pro is $39 a month. Duplicates are not counted.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.