Can marketplace.amazon.com email addresses be legitimately used for marketing opt-ins?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 29 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
7 min read
A common question arises for marketers, especially those operating within the Amazon ecosystem: Can email addresses ending in marketplace.amazon.com be legitimately used for marketing opt-ins? This isn't just a technical query, but one deeply rooted in email deliverability, privacy, and compliance. The short answer, based on Amazon's own policies and general email marketing best practices, is typically no. These addresses are not intended for direct marketing communications.
Understanding the nature of these email addresses is crucial for any seller or marketer looking to engage with customers who interact with Amazon's marketplace. Misusing them can lead to significant deliverability issues, including being blocklisted, and potentially violate privacy regulations. We'll explore why these addresses are unsuitable for marketing and what proper strategies you should adopt instead.
The true purpose of marketplace.amazon.com addresses
The marketplace.amazon.com email domain is primarily used by Amazon Seller Central to facilitate communication between buyers and sellers regarding specific orders. These are typically encrypted or obfuscated addresses, acting as internal relays. They are not the customer's direct email address and are generally not provided to sellers for direct contact, especially for promotional purposes.
Amazon's policies strictly govern how sellers can communicate with buyers. The permissible communications are usually transactional in nature, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, or responses to customer service inquiries. Any attempt to use these addresses for unsolicited marketing emails would violate Amazon's terms of service and could lead to penalties, including suspension of selling privileges.
Additionally, customers have specific preferences for communication. Many Amazon customers actively opt out of marketing communications. Sending promotional emails to an address not explicitly opted into your marketing list, especially one that's an Amazon relay, goes against fundamental consent principles and can result in high spam complaints. This is why it is critical for you to ensure your marketing communications always follow proper email opt-in practices.
Legal and platform compliance
From a legal standpoint, email marketing is governed by regulations like CAN-SPAM in the U.S. and GDPR in Europe, both of which emphasize the necessity of consent. These laws require that recipients explicitly agree to receive marketing communications. Using an email address obtained through a transactional platform like Amazon, without separate and clear consent for marketing, does not meet these requirements.
Amazon itself has taken steps to curb unsolicited communication. In the past, they have warned sellers about contacting opted-out buyers, even for non-marketing purposes, if the customer has expressed a preference not to be contacted. This highlights a broader trend towards stricter consent and privacy controls that marketers must respect.
Failing to adhere to consent laws not only exposes you to legal risks but also severely impacts your email deliverability. Internet service providers (ISPs) and mailbox providers increasingly prioritize user engagement and consent. Sending emails to recipients who haven't explicitly opted in, especially if they mark your emails as spam, will damage your sender reputation and lead to your emails consistently landing in the spam folder, or even result in your domain or IP being added to an email blacklist or blocklist.
Important legal compliance
Always ensure you have clear, affirmative consent before sending any marketing emails. This means avoiding pre-checked boxes or assuming consent based on a purchase or registration. For more information on legal compliance, refer to email newsletter compliance guidelines and legal requirements for email marketing.
Risks of misusing amazon marketplace email addresses
Attempting to use marketplace.amazon.com addresses for marketing opt-ins carries significant risks. The primary risk is poor email deliverability. When recipients don't recognize or expect your emails, they are far more likely to mark them as spam. High spam complaint rates can quickly damage your sender reputation, causing your emails to be filtered to spam folders or rejected entirely by mailbox providers like Google and Microsoft. This can affect all your email campaigns, not just those sent to Amazon-related addresses.
Furthermore, being perceived as a spammer can lead to your sending IPs or domains being placed on various blocklists or blacklists. Once on a blacklist (or blocklist), it becomes incredibly difficult to reach inboxes. This impacts all your legitimate email communications, including transactional emails, which are vital for your business operations. Understanding what happens when your domain is blocklisted is crucial for maintaining good deliverability.
Beyond technical issues, there's the risk of legal action and reputational damage. Violating privacy laws or platform terms can result in fines and a loss of customer trust. Protecting your sender reputation and brand image should always be a top priority. As for addresses, it is also important to know what email addresses to avoid.
Risky approach
Source: Harvesting or purchasing email addresses, especially those relayed by Amazon.
Consent: No explicit, verifiable consent for marketing.
Instead of trying to use marketplace.amazon.com addresses, focus on legitimate methods for collecting email opt-ins. This typically involves driving traffic from Amazon to your own controlled channels, such as your brand's website. Once customers are on your site, you can offer them incentives to subscribe to your marketing list. You can collect emails as an Amazon seller by encouraging customers to visit your own branded website, where you can then capture their email address directly and transparently.
Implement a clear and transparent opt-in process. This includes using prominent sign-up forms, clearly stating what type of content subscribers will receive, and preferably using a double opt-in mechanism. Double opt-in requires subscribers to confirm their subscription by clicking a link in an email, verifying the address is valid and the user genuinely wants to receive your communications. This significantly reduces the likelihood of spam complaints and helps maintain a healthy email list.
Regularly clean your email list to remove inactive subscribers, bounced addresses, and those who have opted out. A clean list ensures higher engagement rates and signals to mailbox providers that your emails are valued, thereby protecting your sender reputation. For more insights into email list management, consider reviewing Amazon SES best practices, which emphasizes strategies like double opt-in and list validation.
Example of a double opt-in confirmation emailemail
FROM: newsletter@yourbrand.com
TO: customer@example.com
SUBJECT: Confirm your subscription to Our Newsletter
Hi [Customer Name],
Thank you for signing up for our newsletter! To ensure you receive all our latest updates, please click the link below to confirm your subscription:
[CONFIRMATION_LINK]
If you did not sign up for this newsletter, please ignore this email.
Sincerely,
Your Brand Team
Prioritizing consent and deliverability
The fundamental takeaway is that email deliverability and compliance are built on consent and transparency. While Amazon's marketplace provides a powerful sales channel, it does not inherently grant permission to use customer contact information for broader marketing initiatives. Adhering to strict consent protocols protects your brand, ensures better inbox placement, and fosters long-term customer relationships.
Focus on building your own email list through ethical and compliant methods. This involves clear opt-in forms, respecting user preferences, and regularly maintaining your list. By doing so, you can build a highly engaged audience that genuinely wants to receive your communications, leading to better campaign performance and sustained business growth.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always direct Amazon customers to your own website for explicit email opt-in, never assume consent.
Implement double opt-in for all new subscribers to verify their email address and intent to receive communications.
Segment your audience and personalize content to ensure emails are relevant and engaging, reducing unsubscribe rates.
Common pitfalls
Attempting to use marketplace.amazon.com email addresses for marketing purposes will lead to significant deliverability issues.
Assuming implied consent from a purchase on Amazon does not meet modern email marketing compliance standards.
Ignoring Amazon's communication policies can lead to penalties and account suspension.
Expert tips
Leverage Amazon's transactional email capabilities for essential updates, but build separate funnels for marketing consent.
Consider using unique landing pages for Amazon customers to capture opt-ins for exclusive offers.
Monitor your sender reputation closely to identify and address any deliverability issues promptly.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that the marketplace.amazon.com email addresses are encrypted relay addresses, designed for transactional communication between buyers and sellers, not for marketing opt-ins. Using them for promotional content would violate Amazon's policies and lead to deliverability issues.
2023-08-15 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says they've never seen these addresses legitimately used for marketing purposes. They are primarily for internal relaying of email to Amazon sellers for order-related messages, not for collecting marketing subscribers.
Google and 
Microsoft. This can affect all your email campaigns, not just those sent to Amazon-related addresses.
