Internet Marketing Tycoon

**thedot** · 08-26-2004, 05:05 PM

Hi folks,
I just started a new website:
I sell products to retail outlets and to individuals also.
But, my question is this.
I do not want to spam and do not want to be labled a spammer.
Is it legal and/or appropriate to send an email to someone, who I seriously think might be interested in buying from me?
I won't send the email more than once, but I don't want to do any illegal.
What your suggestions?
I don't even know what the spam law is.

Sincerely, thank you.

**phpservers** · 09-03-2004, 09:49 PM

how did you find that this person might actually want your product?

spam is a touchy phrase...

if you had good enough reason to say that it isnt spam, why dont you send a friendly, personal, non-formatted email to the individual (NOT a group) who may be interested... one email to one person wouldnt be spam, but mass mailing it to a large mailing list would be :\

**Anacrusis** · 09-03-2004, 09:54 PM

All it takes is one email.. if you send an email to this person and they think it's spam an reports it.. then you'll be labled.

Like phpservers says, if you send a polite, personal email to this person then your probably ok.
Spam is typiclly classified as unsolicited bulk email.

**Phaedrus** · 09-04-2004, 01:53 AM

I've been researching the same thing myself. I found that under federal law, a one-time email would be okay under certain circumstances. Unfortunately the STATE law in CA is more restrictive. You cannot send anyone an unsolicited email in which the main purpose is to sell them something. Period. (well, unless you have a 'prior business relationship'). I was pretty ****** off about it, because I need to market my product to college professors, most of whose email addresses are publicly available. But under the law, I still cannot send them an email even if, like you say, they "seriously ... might be interested in buying from me." I don't know the laws in other states, you may be able to get away with it outside of CA. But be careful not to send an email to someone who lives in CA, because that would come under CA law.

This is one of the sites I got my info from: http://www.spamlaws.com/