What’s “inactive account”?

An inactive account is dormant and possibly abandoned:

What providers do:

After extended inactivity, accounts may be suspended. Eventually may be deleted. Some become spamtraps (recycled).

Inactivity timelines:

Warning: 6-12 months inactive. Suspension: 12-24 months inactive. Deletion or recycling: 24+ months.

Bounce behavior:

May return "user not found" after deletion. May soft bounce during suspension period. May silently accept (spamtrap risk).

Risks of sending to inactive:

Spamtrap hits: Recycled as monitoring addresses. Reputation damage: ISPs track sends to inactive. Wasted resources: Messages nobody reads.

Prevention:

Track engagement over time. Remove non-openers after 6-12 months. Re-engagement campaigns before removal.

Inactive accounts are abandoned ships. They may become hazards to those who approach.