Are there any good documented arguments against using "free" email lists

TJ Spinks:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/ecommerce/bus61.shtm

To be certain, there is no such thing as a free lunch nor is there such a thing as a free email list of leads. The truth of the matter is that these lists of email addresses are likely:

• Spam Traps: an email address dedicated to identifying Spammers as no legitimate mailer should ever target it

• Hard Bounces: invalid addresses that are deactivated after long periods of disuse or never existed at all

For these two reasons alone "free lists / leads" should be avoided like the plague as they are damaging to an organizations brand and ultimately the infrastructure from which the message is sent which in turn impacts  other clients. Despite the previously mentioned reasons however there is one singular reason to avoid these for list growth and that it OPT IN.

Email addresses that are handed over to anyone that asks for them are NOT explicitly opted into the campaign marketing strategy that the recipient of the addresses is managing. Given that simple fact any address that is actually valid is highly likely to complain about receiving messages from a sender they have not heard of, once more damaging brand and infrastructure.

Finally, if even one email address on a free leads list was valid, indifferent to a lack of OPT IN practices, and genuinely interested in everything that arrived in the INBOX  it is highly unlikely that any one marketer NPO or otherwise might be heard above the din in that INBOX what with the ads for little blue pills and the like.

Short answer is stick with organic list growth and avoid run ins with the Acceptable Use Policy and Spam Complaints that damage org branding.

Thank you so much.  This helps a lot.  We have a board member that wants to use this and it has been a challenge to prove why this is a bad idea.  This gives me a great foundation.