Ecommerce SMS list calculator
For ecommerce brands that text customers and subscribers: estimate how much of an SMS list is a live mobile number, and what the dead and landline numbers cost on every send. Every rate is editable; nothing is stored.
Why ecommerce SMS lists go bad
- Checkout and popup forms can carry mistyped or made-up phone numbers.
- Past customers change numbers between orders, and a number can go dead while it stays on the list.
- Exports merged from more than one store or platform can overlap and carry older contact data.
- Billing phone fields can hold landlines and office lines, and standard landlines cannot receive texts.
How to get your real numbers
- Pull a random sample of 500 to 1,000 numbers from your SMS list.
- Validate it against live carrier data (TrueSearch for Business does this in about 30 seconds per 1,000).
- Enter the dead, landline and VoIP percentages you get back above, and switch the calculator to SMS.
- Repeat per signup source to see which forms collect the most unreachable numbers.
Read about SMS list cleaning and SMS list hygiene, count segments with the SMS character counter, remove repeats with the duplicate lead remover, or check single numbers with the carrier lookup.
Start 3-day free trialQuestions
Are the default rates typical for ecommerce SMS lists?
No. They are editable placeholders, not industry statistics. Bad-number rates depend on how the numbers were collected and how old they are. Validate a sample of your own list and enter what you find.
Can I clean a customer or subscriber export?
Yes. Upload the CSV to TrueSearch for Business and download it back with each number marked valid or dead, with its line type (mobile, landline, VoIP or toll-free) and carrier, so you can drop numbers that cannot receive a text before you import the list into your SMS platform.
Should I remove VoIP numbers from an SMS list?
It depends on your list. Some VoIP numbers can receive texts and some cannot, so a VoIP result is a flag to decide on, not proof the number is bad. Landlines are the clearer case, since standard landlines cannot receive SMS.
How do I find the cost per text to enter?
Use your SMS platform's rate per segment plus any carrier fees it passes through. A message over 160 GSM-7 characters is split into multiple segments, and each segment is billed, so check your usual message length with the SMS character counter.
Does a valid result mean a customer opted in?
No. TrueSearch checks the phone number, not consent. Marketing texts in the US generally require prior express written consent under the TCPA, and some states add their own rules. A live mobile number can still be someone who never opted in or who has since opted out. Confirm your program with counsel.
Does this check Do Not Call, consent or litigator lists?
No. The calculator only estimates reachability, and TrueSearch for Business checks validity, line type and carrier. It does not verify consent and does not scrub against Do Not Call registries or litigator lists. Use your consent records and the official National Do Not Call Registry (donotcall.gov) for that.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. TrueSearch for Business checks validity, line type and carrier from licensed telecom data. It does not check the National Do Not Call Registry, state DNC lists or the FCC Reassigned Numbers Database. Not a consumer reporting agency; not for FCRA purposes.