If you ever wondered why you have so much spam, an article in today's New York Times provides an excellent summary of the reasons. The response rates from most spam is a minor fraction of a percent, but because the cost to send these e-mails out is so low, nearly all of the responses are converted to direct profit. If the spammers had to pay for mail the way direct market land mail firms do, most spam would stop over night. If you haven't read my recent article on how to prevent spam, I would highly recommend you review it for some great solutions on how to decrease the amount of junk that is winding up in your inbox.
New York Times September 28, 2003