How to resolve QQ.com IP block issues and improve email delivery?

Key findings

• User-level blocks: The error message "Mail is rejected by recipients" from QQ.com often indicates that individual users have added your sender to their personal blacklist or set up specific filters.
• Not global IP blocks: If not all QQ subscribers are bouncing and other Chinese domains are unaffected, it's likely not a widespread IP blacklist or blocklist issue for your dedicated IP address.
• List quality: High bounce rates, even if user-initiated, can negatively impact overall sender reputation with ISPs over time. Ensuring good domain reputation remains important.
• Chinese ISP specifics: QQ.com and other Chinese ISPs are known for their strict filtering and unique challenges, making general deliverability difficult at volume. For more on best practices, see our guide on email deliverability to QQ.com.

Key considerations

• Identify the source: Investigate how these specific QQ addresses were acquired and why mail is being sent to them despite rejections.
• Stop sending to bounced addresses: Remove these permanently bouncing QQ addresses from your active mailing lists to prevent further issues.
• User re-engagement: If possible, contact affected subscribers through alternative channels to encourage them to remove the blocks or re-opt-in.
• Proactive list management: Regularly clean your lists and implement stricter signup processes to ensure high engagement and prevent future user-level blocks. Read more on how to prevent this in this guide to email deliverability issues.

Key opinions

• Individual blocks: Marketers frequently report that QQ.com rejections often signal that specific users have blocked or filtered the mail, not that the sending IP is globally blacklisted.
• List hygiene is key: The consensus among marketers is that maintaining a clean and engaged subscriber list is paramount to avoiding these types of blocks, especially with sensitive ISPs.
• Difficulty with Chinese ISPs: Marketers acknowledge the inherent challenges in achieving high deliverability to Chinese mail providers, even if some mail gets through.
• Direct communication: Some suggest attempting to reach affected subscribers through alternative channels to resolve individual blocks.

Key considerations

• Audience segmentation: Consider segmenting your QQ audience and closely monitoring engagement to identify and suppress inactive or problematic recipients. This can also help prevent spam signups.
• Review acquisition: Re-evaluate the methods used to acquire QQ addresses, ensuring they are opt-in and genuinely engaged to improve sender reputation.
• Avoid aggressive sending: Sending to non-responsive or bounced addresses can worsen your sending reputation with QQ.com.
• Whitelisting efforts: Consider exploring direct whitelisting opportunities with QQ.com if available, as suggested by some deliverability experts, this can improving deliverability to QQ.

Key opinions

• User-level, not global: Experts concur that the rejection message indicates individual QQ users are blocking mail, not a general IP block or blocklist.
• List quality is paramount: A clean, engaged list is crucial, as sending to disengaged or problematic addresses will lead to user-level blocks that can affect overall reputation. This is similar to how Yahoo Mail handles IP blocks.
• Challenging environment: Deliverability to QQ.com at scale is exceptionally difficult due to strict filtering and user behavior, even for senders with good practices.
• Address acquisition audit: It's essential to scrutinize how QQ email addresses are sourced to prevent future issues with uninterested recipients. For more on how email blacklists actually work, check out our in-depth guide.

Key considerations

• Focus on engagement: Prioritize sending to highly engaged QQ users and segment out those who are inactive or bouncing.
• Long-term strategy: Recognize that achieving consistent high deliverability to QQ may require a sustained effort, including potentially reducing volume to certain segments.
• Local nuances: Understand that Chinese ISPs operate differently from Western counterparts, often with less transparency and more emphasis on local user feedback.
• Beyond IP reputation: While IP reputation is generally crucial, QQ.com's system appears to layer individual user preferences more heavily into its filtering decisions. This complex interaction can be influenced by factors beyond traditional blocklist checks, often requiring senders to delve deeper into the quality of their recipient list.

Key findings

• Clear error message: QQ.com's bounce message, "用户设置个人黑名单或者过滤器拒收" (user set personal blacklist or filter rejection), directly states that the block is due to individual user settings.
• Sender responsibility: Documentation often implies that senders are responsible for maintaining lists of willing recipients to avoid such rejections. Proper email authentication such as DMARC, SPF, and DKIM also plays a role.
• Reputation impact: Consistent individual rejections, even if not a global IP block, can contribute to a poor sender reputation score with ISPs like QQ.com.
• Feedback loops: ISPs (including QQ.com, although their program may not be public) typically use feedback loops to inform senders about user complaints, which can lead to these personal blocks. This is vital to understanding why your emails fail.

Key considerations

• Interpret bounce codes: Carefully analyze bounce messages to differentiate between IP-level blocks and user-level rejections. QQ's specific message is a direct indicator.
• Adherence to policies: Ensure your sending practices comply with international email best practices and any specific guidelines QQ.com might publish, as found at QQ's official mail service documentation.
• Consent and opt-in: Verify strong, explicit consent for all recipients, particularly those in markets with stringent privacy and spam laws.
• Unsubscribe process: Provide clear and easy unsubscribe options to allow users to opt-out gracefully, reducing the likelihood of them resorting to personal blocklists.