Why is it so expensive to send an email?(evancz.dev)
13 pointsby wheatBread6 hours ago5 comments
  • throwaway815232 hours ago
    It's because of IP reputation and spam blocking. You can't start with a "clean" address and send mail. You need to spend some time on "address warming" to build reputation for the address before the big providers will accept mail from it.
  • Arnt4 hours ago
    I'll suggest a possible answer: vetting customers is expensive, and if you don't vet, Spamhaus vets you.
  • npilkan hour ago
    There are certainly cheaper options than $15 per 1000 emails - I think Amazon's SES is more like $0.10 - $0.20 per 1000.
  • dcrazy3 hours ago
    It was very disorienting to be reading about “Elm development” in the context of e-mail, but having it refer to the language and not the e-mail client from the 1980s.
  • sltr5 hours ago
    Related question: Why is it so expensive to send (or charge) money? At least in the US
    • theamkan hour ago
      Because of extra services. Unlike emails, which usually come with no guarantees or support, the money-sending services are protected. Even with something like EFT, consumers have 60 days in case of actual fraud or bank mistakes, and with credit cards, you are also protected from things like product non-delivery.

      Those protections exist and cost money - both to pay for customer support handing those, as well as to reimburse customer when the original money cannot be found anymore.

      (And related, this is one of the big problems with cryptocurrencies: most people are not happy to know that one typo / software bug means their money is lost forever. Those protections on regular baking are there for a reason.)

    • wg02 hours ago
      How expensive is it?
      • hoppyhoppy25 minutes ago
        In the U.S. you can send a check of any amount to anywhere else in the U.S. for 82 cents in postage, but that might not be what they're talking about.