Email delivery evidence guide
Separate provider acceptance from final email delivery.
An accepted SMTP or API response records one handoff boundary. It does not prove what the recipient provider later did with the message or where the recipient saw it.
Follow the delivery stages in order
EmailDesk first runs the checks that apply to the sending path. It may then store a local queue item, attempt a provider handoff, and record the provider response. Recipient systems can later accept, defer, reject, bounce, quarantine, or place the message in Spam/Junk.
An EmailDesk queue acknowledgement proves EmailDesk stored the handoff. An SMTP 250 queued or successful API provider response proves immediate provider acceptance at that moment. Neither proves final delivery.
Read each status as bounded evidence
Queued means EmailDesk or the provider owns work that is not yet final. Accepted means the upstream handoff succeeded at that stage. Blocked before provider means EmailDesk stopped the attempt locally. Rejected or deferred describes a provider refusal, while bounced describes later delivery failure evidence.
A timeout can leave the outcome unknown because the request may have completed without its response reaching the sender. Check history and recipient evidence before manually submitting again.
Keep delivery evidence separate from quota units
Quota used equals recipient units plus applicable attachment units. A local pre-provider block uses zero units. A genuine provider attempt is billable even when the provider rejects or defers it, because EmailDesk performed the outbound attempt.
A later bounce, complaint, or Spam/Junk placement belongs to the original attempt and does not create another recipient or attachment charge.
1 message to 3 recipients = 1 message transaction and 3 recipient units at provider handoffIf one recipient later bounces, message count remains 1 and quota remains 3; the bounce is later evidence, not another send.
Build a complete evidence trail
Keep the timestamp, source path, sender and destination domains, EmailDesk message or queue identifier, local decision, selected provider, immediate response, and later bounce or complaint evidence. Do not include credentials, message bodies, or private customer records in public diagnostics.
For an accepted message that is not visible to the recipient, check later events, the recipient's Spam/Junk folder, authentication results, suppression evidence, and the recipient provider's available response before retrying.
Know which systems control the final outcome
EmailDesk controls its configured sender checks, applicable protection decisions, queue records, provider-handoff attempts, quota events, and stored evidence. The configured provider and recipient systems control their own acceptance, throttling, filtering, bounces, and placement.
No queued, accepted, authenticated, or provider-message identifier proves final delivery. A clean evidence trail supports troubleshooting but cannot force inbox placement or prove that a recipient read the message.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this guide.
Does SMTP 250 queued mean the recipient received the email?
No. It means the provider accepted the handoff at that moment. Later recipient delivery, filtering, bouncing, and Spam/Junk placement remain separate.
Why does a provider rejection still consume quota?
Quota is recorded when EmailDesk makes a genuine provider-handoff attempt. A local pre-handoff block uses zero units, but a provider refusal occurs after the attempt.
Does a later bounce consume another recipient unit?
No. The bounce is later evidence for the original attempt. It does not create a second provider handoff or quota charge.
Continue with evidence