On Thu, Oct 3, 2019 at 11:31 AM Nick Ryan <[email protected]> wrote: > Have you contacted vultr? Their faq states it could be blocked and its > worth checking with them. > > Do you allow outbound SMTP? > <https://www.vultr.com/resources/faq/?query=Smtp#outboundsmtp> > > In some instances, outbound traffic to the SMTP port may be blocked for > new accounts. If you encounter this restriction, contact our support team > from the customer portal. > > SOLVED!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Just reporting back here that Nick Ryan has nailed the issue: Vultr. Apparently they're borderline militant anti-spammers who block SMTP by default and also refuse to unblock it for you for any kind of promotional emailing including to double- and triple- opt-in verified contacts. IOW: practically speaking, you can't use a Vultr instance for mailing anything resembling "marketing" emails, because, let's be honest here, you're GOING to get spam complaints... all businesses do, no matter how 'clean' your list and how white hat and ethical you are as a business. Heck, I had an instance years ago where GoDaddy (hate them) threatened to revoke a domain registration because exactly *ONE* person complained that I was a spammer over the course of *years*. Said grouser had originally gotten onto my list back in 2008... I emailed him a handful of times a year for the next few years with no issues, then in 2014 (yes, six YEARS he was on my list), he complains to GoDaddy that I'd "spammed" him. (I didn't.) Luckily, I keep all the original sign-up info (IP, user_agent, etc), so I was able to get out of the issue, but that *was*a complaint. Would Vultr terminate my hosting with them after that? From their TOS it sure seems like it. Soooo... as much as I like them technologically, I'm looking for a new ISP now. (Anyone got recommendations for cloud-based OpenBSD hosts? I'm done hosting bare metal...) Thanks for the help everyone (double thanks to Nick Ryan), and let this serve as future notice to anyone RTFAs, attempts to redact or withhold information when you're seeking help from the list is just stupid. Even the *tiniest detail* can be THE key to solving your issue. Disclose anything or figure it out on your own. Kevin
