Can I ever email someone on a suppression list again?

Whether you can email someone on a suppression list again depends on why they're suppressed and what type of email you're considering. For unsubscribed addresses, you can only resume marketing contact if the person actively re-subscribes through a legitimate opt-in process. You cannot unilaterally decide to send to them again, import them from another list, or assume re-consent based on subsequent transactions. The re-subscription must be their choice, clearly expressed through an affirmative opt-in action.

However, transactional emails may still be permitted even for suppressed marketing contacts. If someone unsubscribes from marketing but remains a customer, you can still send order confirmations, account alerts, and necessary service communications. These are not marketing-they're essential communications related to the business relationship. Your suppression system should distinguish between marketing suppression and complete suppression, allowing transactional sends to reach subscribers who've opted out only of promotional content.

For voluntarily suppressed addresses (bounces, inactives, hygiene flags), the calculus is different. If an address was suppressed due to bouncing but has since become deliverable, you might cautiously re-enable it-though this carries risk if the address has become a recycled spam trap. Inactive suppressions might be reversed if engagement resumes through other channels. However, even for voluntary suppressions, re-enabling should be thoughtful, not automatic. Document why the suppression is being lifted and monitor the reactivated address for problems. The suppression list isn't necessarily forever, but removing someone from it requires a legitimate reason-for legal suppressions, that reason must come from the subscriber themselves.