I requested production access for Amazon SES about a year ago and was rejected almost immediately. Since other people seemed to be having similar experiences, I switched to Resend instead. It has a great interface and is easy to use, but it's becoming expensive for my setup because we need several custom domains and the extra features add up quickly. SES would be much cheaper, so I'm considering applying for production access again. Our website has now been running for over a year, we have real users, and our emails are legitimate and permission-based. Does having an older website and an established product help with approval? What information can I provide to show AWS that we'll use SES responsibly?
2 Answers
Approval can still feel a little opaque, but the age of your website usually isn’t the deciding factor. AWS is more interested in your specific sending use case, expected volume, how users opt in, how you handle bounces and complaints, and how recipients can unsubscribe. Start by verifying your domain and identities, then request a realistic sending limit with clear details about your email types, audience, estimated volume, and monitoring. Mention the systems you’ll use for bounce and complaint handling, and avoid making the request sound vague or overly broad. If it’s rejected again, use the feedback to improve the explanation and apply again rather than creating another account.
SES approval protects AWS’s overall email reputation, so showing that you intend to follow the rules may not always be enough by itself. If your current provider can demonstrate a solid sending history, include that context in the request and explain that you’re moving an established, legitimate mail stream to SES. Evidence of clean sending, permission-based recipients, low bounce and complaint rates, and a gradual migration plan could make the application more convincing.
Thanks, that helps a lot. I’ll make the use case and handling processes much more specific this time.