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Direct Mail:Billing Methods

Last Updated:Mar 04, 2024

Direct Mail product (DirectMail) billing is based on the amount of mail sent. Currently, two billing methods are available: resource package and pay-as-you-go.

  • Email Sent: The total amount of emails sent by the Direct Mail to the user.

  • A message is defined as an email communication sent to one email address. An email communication sent to multiple recipients is treated as if it were a separate message sent to each recipient.

  • Billing range: After a successful incoming mail, the mail will be billed regardless of whether the result of delivery to the recipient's mail system is successful or failed. Delivery failures caused by exceptions in our system will not be included in the billing scope.

Special billing instructions:

  1. The console classifies the real delivery results, one of which is invalid address, this is the real delivery, accounting fees.

  2. The console classifies invalid addresses to facilitate users to remove them from the receipt list and reduce the generation of invalid addresses. The system will also automatically place addresses that have been judged as invalid addresses for multiple deliveries into the invalid address library. If the address is in the invalid address library when the user sends a letter again, the letter will be rejected, which is not charged.

Resource Plans

  • resource package is the subscription method. After the resource package is purchased, it takes effect immediately.

  • Duration (validity period):6 months. The validity period of each automated review plan is separately calculated. You cannot extend the validity period of your automated review plan by purchasing multiple plans.

  • Deduction method: the amount of resource package purchased within the validity period is deducted first within the resource package period. Multiple resource package are deducted first if the validity period ends first. When all resource package are deducted, the deduction is automatically converted to the pay-as-you-go billing method.

  • After the resource package is used or the resource package expires, the remaining traffic cannot be unsubscribed or refunded.

Note
  • Special situation: If the resource package is about to expire, please use it at least two hours before the expiration time to avoid deduction failure.

  • The billing is hourly.

Resource Plan Specifications

resource package specifications (sealed)

Price (USD)

Subscription duration

Discount amount compared to pay-as-you-go (USD)

50000 seal

$13.05

Six months

$1.45

500000 seal

$121.8

Six months

$23.2

1 million seal

$230.55

Six months

$59.45

5 million seal

$1123.75

Six months

$326.25

Pay-as-you-go

Pay-as-you-go is a post-payment method. You are charged based on the actual usage. The unit price is $0.29 USD per 1,000 messages. This billing method does not need to be actively activated. After the Direct Mail product is activated, the default billing method is pay-as-you-go. If you purchase a resource package, the billing method is automatically changed to pay-as-you-go when the resource package quota is used up.

The calculation formula is: Pay-as-you-go fee=Mail volume sent / 1000 x $0.29 USD. 
The fee is accurate to two decimal places, that is, the minimum bill amount is 0.01 USD. 

Free Quota

Each Alibaba Cloud account of the Direct Mail is entitled to a total of 2000 free letters, with a maximum of 200 free letters per day.

If the user has a free credit limit, the free quota will not be included in the resource package or pay-as-you-go billing range, and the amount of mail exceeding the free quota will incur fees.