Leave the Amazon SES sandbox

New AWS accounts start SES in sandbox mode: you can only send to verified email addresses and domains, and daily volume is capped (typically 200 messages/day at 1 message/second). Production access removes the recipient verification requirement and raises limits — required before any real client campaign.

Sandbox vs production

Capability	Sandbox	Production
Send to unverified recipients	No	Yes
Typical daily cap	~200 emails	Starts higher; grows with reputation
Bounce/complaint enforcement	Yes	Yes (stricter scrutiny at scale)
Required for EonMailer live sends	No (test only)	Yes

Warning Do not launch a client newsletter while still sandboxed. EonMailer may show sends as accepted, but SES will reject mail to unverified addresses.

Before you request production access

Complete these first — AWS reviewers reject vague requests:

1. Verify the sending domain in SES (or at least the subdomain you’ll use, e.g. mail.client.com).
2. Verify a From address you’ll use in tests.
3. Have a public website for the client (even a simple marketing site) — reviewers check it.
4. Draft your use case in plain language: transactional + marketing, opt-in list source, expected monthly volume.
5. Ensure bounce and complaint handling — EonMailer processes webhooks, but AWS wants to know you won’t ignore complaints.

Step 1 — Open the production access request

1. Sign in to AWS Console in the same SES region you’ll use for sending.
2. Go to Amazon SES → Account dashboard (or Getting started).
3. Find Sending limits or the banner Your Amazon SES account is in the sandbox.
4. Click Request production access (wording may be Create account details in SES v2 setup wizard).

Step 2 — Fill out the request form carefully

AWS typically asks:

1. Mail type — choose Marketing and/or Transactional honestly. Mixed is fine if you describe both.

2. Website URL — client’s primary domain.

3. Use case description — example template:

   Acme Agency sends opt-in marketing and account notifications for ClientCo (B2B SaaS). Lists are imported from ClientCo’s product signups and event registrations with double opt-in where required. We expect ~25,000 emails/month initially, scaling to ~100,000/month. Bounces and complaints are processed via SNS/webhooks into our ops platform (EonMailer) with automatic suppression.

4. Compliance — confirm you only mail recipients who requested mail and you include unsubscribe links in marketing messages.

5. Contact email — use an monitored address; AWS may email follow-up questions.

Tip Mention concrete numbers (monthly volume, list size) and how opt-in is collected. “We send newsletters” alone often gets a follow-up delay.

Step 3 — Submit and monitor

1. Submit the form. Approvals often arrive within 24 business hours, but can take up to 48 hours or longer if AWS needs clarification.
2. Watch the root/IAM email and SES console for status changes.
3. While waiting, continue DNS setup and IAM credentials work in sandbox — you can still test to verified inboxes.

Step 4 — Confirm production status

When approved:

1. Return to Account dashboard.
2. Confirm the sandbox banner is gone and Sending quota increased (exact numbers vary).
3. Send a test from EonMailer to a non-verified external address (e.g. your personal inbox not added in SES). It should deliver.

If AWS denies or pauses the request

Common reasons and fixes:

• Vague use case — Resubmit with list source, sample template, and volume forecast.
• New domain with no website — Publish a minimal site or use the client’s existing corporate domain.
• High-risk vertical — Some industries get manual review; provide additional compliance detail.
• Previous abuse on linked account — May require AWS Support ticket with evidence of remediation.

Open AWS Support → Create case → Service limit increase / SES if the console doesn’t offer a resubmit button.

After production: protect reputation

Production access is not unlimited trust. AWS still pauses accounts with high bounce or complaint rates.

1. Follow Email warmup basics on new domains.
2. Enable event publishing (bounces/complaints) when connecting EonMailer.
3. Keep complaint rates well under 0.1%; bounces under 5% on active lists.

Checklist

• Domain verified in SES (same region)
• Production access approved
• Test send to unverified recipient succeeded
• Runbook updated with new sending limits
• Warmup plan documented for launch week