To buy leads/email list or not?

[mellymom3]

I don't even know if this is the right thread to post this in but, I'll give it a shot.
I am currently working on building up my list(I know who isn't?). I have only a few subscribers as I have only had my website up for about 2 months now. Traffic seems to be slowly climbing due to article marketing, forums, free ads, and a few others.
But no one is opting in to my list. So my question was...

I want to get involved with one of the next great giveaways to build up my list even more but in order to participate you have to have at least a few on your own list to contribute to the advertising. (I think it is more like 500 not 5 )
So, I found a site that has a good price for buying so many subscribers. I have never done this before and was wondering if anyone could tell me how it works and if it is worth it, and why if so.
Any recommendations would help.

Thanks!

[JeanM]

[mellymom3]

Thank you Jean.
I realize the confusion you were facing. So I have changed my signature again. The opt-in form is on my actual site.

[JeanM]

thanks! I seem to stay confused!

[karynsolo]

[DaveAMWSO]

I would definitely not recommend buying a mailing lead list. Most likely what will happen is that you'll get your email address/domain quickly added to many SPAM blacklists. The "leads" are probably junk email addresses (you'll get a lot of bounce backs, again contributing to you being classified as a spammer). If there are good addresses on there, they are usually untargetted.

Consider yourself, how often have you ever responded or read a completely unsolicited email offer or advertisement?

Keep building your own list. Perhaps consider finding another site/marketer within your niche and work some kind of "affiliate" deal where they'll mention your site in return for your mentioning theirs. Offer some contest or giveaway on your site/blog...some incentive to get people to sign up.

[kirkward]

[Osobase]

My experience with buying leads have been awful at best. So I would generally advice anyone to stay away from buying leads.

Consider...

1. If you receive an email from someone totally strange selling you some stuff, would you buy from him? What I do? I hit the spam button quick!

2. 99% of leads being sold are blacklists... Ok, I might be wrong with my stat but seriously, think about this: After working so hard to build your list, would you risk your reputation and sell it for some quick cash? I won't and many (if not all) serious Internet marketers won't either.

3. Any guarantee that you're buying a safelist? Some lead companies sell blacklists harvested using spam robots and so YOU might be accused of spamming. Yes, this can happen even though you have, along with the email addresses, the names and other contact information of the list.

4. If any lead company tells you that the leads they sell is exclusive, they've just lied to you (except they sell a lead for $10 or more). This is no 'small' lie at all! If they can say this, then lying that their list is a safelist is no big deal for them. Nowadays, there's no such thing as an "exclusive lead" for pennies on the dollar.

Sometimes, list building can be a painfully slow process, but it's well worth it...

[karynsolo]

[mellymom3]

[Katarina1]