Spam lists might cost you $19.95 for a million names, or perhaps $20 per month for "fresh e-mail addresses" or "safelists." I encourage you to avoid these like the plague.

Legitimate targeted opt-in lists, where individuals have given permission to receive information from third-party companies like yours, are expensive. Expect to pay $20 to $40 per thousand e-mails sent out (that's 2¢ to 4¢ per name. $2,500 minimum). You'll never see the actual e-mail addresses. The listowner will arrange to have the e-mail blast sent out by a contracted service.

Though you can shop for lists yourself, I strongly recommend that you find a competent list broker to find appropriate lists for you. Having a list broker doesn't cost you anything. The broker is paid by getting an industry standard 15% to 20% discount from the listowner while charging you regular price. (You couldn't get the discount price yourself anyway!) When you shop for yourself, you deal with list managers who work for the listowner. When a list broker shops for you, he or she is negotiating on your behalf, with your best interests in mind. You get the advantage of years of experience in the industry.

Realize, however, that list brokers are really only able to assist those who have a minimum of say $5,000 to $10,000 to spend (50,000 to 100,000 e-mails or more).