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Summary

The removal of Yahoo email addresses from sender lists is primarily driven by Yahoo's ongoing efforts to clean up inactive accounts and enforce stricter email authentication standards. This process (a form of account clean-up) can lead to a sudden increase in hard bounces, even for addresses that were previously active.

What email marketers say

Email marketers frequently report encountering sudden and significant removals of Yahoo email addresses from their sender lists. This behavior is often perceived as 'odd' or unexpected, particularly when it affects a large volume of subscribers. Marketers highlight the challenges of obtaining clear explanations from their ESPs regarding these removals and the underlying causes, suggesting a need for better communication and transparency from service providers. Many indicate that their internal systems automatically remove these bounced addresses, impacting list size and reach.

Marketer view

Marketer from Email Geeks states they have observed a significant number of Yahoo errors in recent days and are inquiring about similar spikes in errors from other senders.

20 Mar 2019 - Email Geeks

Marketer view

Marketer from Quora suggests that Yahoo's spam blocking effectiveness is contingent on senders having properly configured SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.

15 Jan 2024 - Quora

What the experts say

Experts confirm that Yahoo (and AOL) have been actively purging unused or inactive email addresses from their systems. This behavior is consistent with past patterns and explains the sudden increase in bounces and removals observed by senders. While generally intended to clean up user bases, this process can sometimes lead to legitimate, active accounts being mistakenly removed. The broader context includes new, stricter requirements from major mailbox providers for bulk senders, emphasizing robust email authentication to maintain deliverability and prevent blocklisting.

Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks observes odd behavior from Yahoo currently, indicating unusual patterns in email handling.

19 Mar 2019 - Email Geeks

Expert view

Expert from wordtothewise.com described an earlier spike in Yahoo unknown user bounces, stating that internal Yahoo teams were actively investigating the underlying causes of the issue.

16 Mar 2018 - wordtothewise.com

What the documentation says

Official documentation and industry updates highlight that major mailbox providers, including Yahoo, have significantly tightened email deliverability requirements, especially for bulk senders. These changes, often introduced annually or biannually, mandate robust email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and strict adherence to sender best practices, such as maintaining low spam complaint rates and managing inactive users. Hard bounces from Yahoo are frequently attributed to their ongoing account cleanup processes, which aim to deactivate dormant email addresses.

Technical article

Documentation from martech.org outlines new requirements for bulk email senders from Google and Yahoo, effective February 1, 2024, focusing on improved email authentication.

10 Jan 2024 - martech.org

Technical article

Documentation from serversmtp.com indicates that a high rate of hard bounces from Yahoo email addresses is directly attributable to the company's clean-up process, which commenced in March 2019.

10 Apr 2020 - serversmtp.com

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