Why Your Mailing List Goes Bad (and What to Do About It)
Mailing lists decay at 20–25% per year. Learn why addresses go bad, what it costs in wasted postage, and how to keep your list clean.
Why Your Mailing List Goes Bad (and What to Do About It) If you've been using the same mailing list for more than a year without cleaning it, you're almost certainly wasting money. The average mailing list loses 20–25% of its accuracy every year — not because of anything you did wrong, but because people move, businesses close, and addresses change. Here's what's happening to your list and what you can do about it. The Numbers Behind List Decay According to USPS data, approximately 40 million Americans move every year — about 14% of the population. That's the primary driver of list decay. But moves aren't the only reason addresses go bad: Residential moves — the most common cause; USPS only retains change-of-address records for 48 months Business closures and relocations — B2B lists decay faster than consumer lists because business churn is higher Deaths and household changes — the person you're mailing to may no longer be at that address Address standardization errors — "St" vs. "Street," missing apartment numbers, incorrect ZIP codes — these pieces get delivered to the wrong address or returned New construction and address changes — USPS periodically updates delivery point codes as new addresses are added How Fast Does a List Go Bad? Here's a rough model based on industry data and USPS move statistics: 0–3 months old: approximately 1–2% undeliverable 6 months old: approximately 3–5% undeliverable 12 months old: approximately 6–10% undeliverable 18 months old: approximately
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