What percentage of returns is typical?

Even double opt-in contact lists can experience a high bounce rate the first time a sending is performed. 

Getting bounce rates higher than 5% is normal in the first sending and usually decreases significantly in later sendings. At Acrelia News, we make sure that your contact lists are up-to-date by discarding hard bounces, spam reports and unsubscribe from future sendings to maximize your delivery and open rates. 

If you get high bounce rates, it is advisable to analyze the quality of your list: how did you get the contact list, when was the last time you used it to make a sending and what were the bounce and unsubscribe rates of previous sendings.