Global Remove Email Lists are a SCAM!

Have you ever gone to import a list of leads you just purchased, only to find that 33 - 75% of your leads are not allowed, then you have been hit by the scam known as the Global Remove List (GRL). Give me a break... this list is a joke. If you have half a brain you will stop and logically think about how this "global" list could actually be compiled. The belief in the GRL requires the same level of belief for those who believe in Santa Clause.

There are five main arguments as to why I say this whole idea of having a universal, central database of "remove" emails is a scam.

First, do you really believe that all the major ISP's (AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, Earthlink, Gmail, MSN, SBCGlobal, Road Runner, etc.) are going to cooperate and share data? Not on your life. Being an ISP is one of the most competitive markets on the planet. Yahoo is not about to help out Google's Gmail. MSN is not going to give any data to AOL. There simply isn't that level of cooperation to allow this type of GRL to exist on this level.

Second, do you really believe that all the major autoresponder companies and bulk email companies (Aweber, GetRespondse, Email Aces, MLMPowerMarketing, Constant Contact, iContact, etc.) are going to cooperate and share data? Again, not on your life. Profit margins are not that great for these companies due the maintenance and marketing that is required. Why would GetResponse provide data to help out Constant Contact? Why would Aweber want to assist Email Aces? In some cases, there may be some comradery, but not to the level of allowing their competition to dominate a market. There simply isn't a global remove list where autoresponders share their data. Get real!

-- editorial comment --
This is not to say that these autoresonders are using a universal GRL. Having people unsubscribe from your list is much, much different than a GRL. Most of these are excellent autoresponders and I use one myself. In fact, the best AR I have found, of it's kind, to date is Aweber.
-- end of editorial comment --

Third, some spam organizations, like Spamhaus, claim there is some list to purchase where you can get some of these email addresses that have been removed. There are several falacies with this. Such a list would be too expensive because it would be required to be updated at least once a month. Also, the complexity of this list would far surpass that of the U.S. Do Not Call list. There are far more email addresses than phone numbers, and to think that one company could house all the email addresses that have ever requested to be removed is ludicrous. This would also require the cooperation of all the ISP's and the autoreponders, and that ain't happening.

This point is even supported by nearly every one of the spam filter companies. They believe the GRL is as big of a scam as I do!

Fourth, in order for ISP's and autoresponder companies to subscribe to such a list, it would be far too expensive and there is no way that Aweber or A1eBiz could charge less than $20 per month for their services if they were paying to belong to such a list.

Finally, there is always the notion that each autoresponder company calls their removal database the "Global Remove List" even though it only represents those who have made it to their removal list. However, to think you own a database of 20,000 leads, and you import them into your autoresponder, only to find that two-thirds (about 13,000 leads) are not allowed. In my opinion, something else is the issue here.

Even if you were using older leads (6 months and older) it is not logically possible that two-thirds of a list are on a GRL. It defies all mathematical logic and statistical probability that this could even happen. Let me say it again, in my opinion, something else is the issue here.

If you were using a newer list of leads (1 month old or newer) the maximum statistical probable percentage of leads that could be on an individual company's GRL is no more than 10%. To assume that every emailer is using the same company as you, AND, that more than 10% of the leads have asked to be removed, AND, they have also requested to be on the GRL, is not possible beyond 10%. So, let me say it one more time, in my opinion, something else is the issue here.

Okay, so what is my opinion? Three brief things that may be happening:

1. Your autoresponder is stripping out (or filtering out) particular domain names and calling it "Global Remove." What would happen if they began removing all the Yahoo, CS, Hotmail and MSN emails? Well, you would lose 30, 50, or 70% of your leads. Your autoresponder company just doesn't want to go through the time to remain whitelisted with these ISP's, so it's just easier to remove them.
2. Your autoresponder company is moving non-responding email addresses to the GRL. If a lead doesn't respond to an email within a certain period of time, then they add them to the GRL. It is taxing on a mail server to be sending out millions of emails... so the solution, move the non-responding emails to the GRL and prevent anyone else from sending to it.
3. Autoresponders want to put the blame back on your leads. While it is true you will have some leads on the GRL, you should not expect such large percentages. If you are receiving more than 33% for new leads, and more than 50% for aged leads, maybe you should throw the ball back at your autoresponder company and ask them how they get their GRL, how does a lead get put on the GRL, etc.

Here's my bottomline - stop being naive to the fact that the lists you own are where the problem lies. While I am sure there are some bogus lists you can buy, to believe that an autoresponder company can strip away half your leads and say "Not my problem" is simply bad business - both on your end and theirs.

Maybe it's time to stop living under the dependence on other's systems and have your own. While having your own autoresponder, mail server, etc. is an whole other topic, if you're serious about your business, then maybe it's time to say "adios" to your autoresponder company and have your own system. It's not for everyone I know, but the choice is to either put up with this scam called the Global Remove List, or build your business on your terms.