Tomba doesn't promise a single accuracy number for its data, and it can't promise that every email works. Instead, it shows how sure it is about each email, and you can verify any email before you send to it. If an email from Tomba hard bounces, you can report it, and get a credit back once Tomba confirms the bounce.
How sure is Tomba about an email?
Every email in Tomba has a confidence score from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the more likely the email is to work. Scores also come in colours that give you the same answer at a glance. See What do the colours in every result mean?
A score isn't a guarantee. To find out whether the mailbox exists, verify the email.
What do the verification statuses mean for sending?
When you verify an email, Tomba asks the mail server whether the mailbox exists, without sending anything. The status tells you what to do:
Valid: the mailbox exists and accepts mail. Send.
Accept All: the company's mail server accepts mail for any address, also called a catch-all domain, so this mailbox can't be confirmed. Send with care.
Unknown or Blocked: the mail server blocked the check or didn't answer. Send with care, or verify again later.
Invalid: the mailbox doesn't exist. Remove it from your list.
To learn more, see Email Verifier and Confidence Score.
Why can a valid email still bounce?
A Valid result means the mailbox passed Tomba's check at that moment. A verification shows how likely delivery is. It isn't a certainty, and things can change after the check:
The person leaves the company, and their mailbox is closed.
The company changes its mail server or its email settings.
The receiving server refuses your message for another reason, such as the message itself or your sending reputation.
So verify close to the time you send, and verify an older list again before you use it.
What if an email from Tomba bounces?
If an email from Tomba bounces, report it. If Tomba confirms a hard bounce, which means the address was refused for good, you get 1 search credit back. This is Tomba's data-quality guarantee. Conditions apply, for example about how you sent the message. See Report a wrong email and claim a credit back.
How fresh is Tomba's data?
Tomba updates each type of data on its own schedule. Email verification happens in real time, each time you verify. Domain information is updated weekly, person profiles every two weeks, company data monthly and technology data quarterly.
Tomba also removes old data. After six months, any contact or company information with no valid public source is removed. Before that, it's flagged with a Removed label. See How often is the data updated?
Where does Tomba's data come from?
Tomba collects email addresses that are already public on the web, such as on company websites, blog posts, PDFs, forums and professional directories. When an address isn't public, Tomba predicts a likely one from the format the company uses, checks it and gives it a confidence score.
Tomba leaves out personal webmail addresses, disposable addresses, duplicates and results with a low confidence score. See How we find email addresses.
💳 Credits: Verifying an email uses 1 verification credit. A confirmed hard bounce gives you 1 search credit back.
Common questions
What bounce rate should I expect?
Tomba doesn't promise a bounce rate, because your bounce rate depends on your list and how you send. To keep it low, verify your emails close to the time you send, send only to Valid emails, take care with Accept All ones, and remove Invalid ones. See Clean a list before a campaign.
Do I need to verify emails before I send?
Yes, verify emails before you send to them, unless Tomba already shows them as verified. It's the easiest way to avoid bounces. See Do I need to verify emails from Tomba?
Can I see where Tomba found an email?
Yes. Click Show sources on a verification result to see the public pages where Tomba found the address.
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