When doing a direct mail piece, it helps many times to rent names from another organization to complement your in-house mailing list.
Rentals are typically for one-time use only unless otherwise stated.
If you prefer to acquire the names for permanent usage, the fee is usually 3 times the stated price if the firm is willing to provide this option. If acquiring a list for a promotion, the company selling the list usually requires that they want to review a sample piece. Lists can usually be provided in several formats including on labels, magnetic tape, or disk. Many firms charge additional fees for coding the list or sorting the list to meet certain criteria. Names of list brokers can be found in your local telephone directory.