- Buying a marketing database gets you a 12-month multi-use licence for your own business's marketing, not ownership, and it can't be resold.
- Every care home we hold (17,946 records) costs £3,948.12 plus VAT; the smallest order is £300 plus VAT.
- Before you buy, know who you're targeting, which channels you'll use, your budget and where the data will live.
- Ordering runs: free count, sample records, written quote, payment, then Excel or CSV usually within 24 hours.
- You can post, phone (after TPS/CTPS checks) and email companies and LLPs, but not email sole traders or ordinary partnerships without their consent.
- If you're looking at databases for sale elsewhere, ask for the source, the licence terms and the date the phone numbers were screened.
01
What do you actually get when you buy a database?
You're buying permission to use a set of business records, for your own marketing, for 12 months. You don't own the data, and you can't sell it, share it or pass it to another company.
People say they want to buy a database, but what changes hands is closer to a licence than a purchase. You get a file. You also get a set of terms that say what you may do with it. Ours are simple:
- Twelve months. Use the records as often as you like for a year from supply: one mailing or twenty.
- Your own business. The records are for marketing your own products or services, not for a client, partner or sister company.
- No resale. You can't sell the file, rent it out or bundle it into another product.
- Checked before supply. At least 95% of the records you buy are guaranteed accurate, and phone numbers are screened against the TPS and CTPS before we send them.
Contacts who reply, enquire or become customers during that year are a different matter. Once a business has dealt with you directly, that relationship is yours, so record it in your CRM with the date and how they came to you.
If you're still weighing up buying against building a list yourself, the complete guide compares them in buy, build or rent.
02
What does a typical database order cost?
Most orders fall somewhere between £300 and a few thousand pounds. The four examples below are priced from real counts we hold today; every record in an order is charged at the rate for that order's total size.
| Order | Records | Rate per 1,000 | Price ex VAT | Price inc VAT | Why it's priced this way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every care home we hold, all fields | 17,946 | £220 | £3,948.12 | £4,737.74 | Post, phone and email in one file |
| Estate agents with a named contact email only | 7,606 | £245 | £1,863.47 | £2,236.16 | Email-only slice, so you pay for fewer rows |
| Accountants and solicitors together, all fields | 26,800 | £195 | £5,226 | £6,271.20 | Two sectors combined reach a cheaper band |
| Insurance brokers with a named contact email | 899 | £295 | £300 | £360 | £295 per 1,000 comes to less than £300, so the minimum applies |
A whole sector is the simplest order: one category, every field. An email-only slice costs less because you only pay for rows that have a named contact email, which suits you if you'll never post or phone. Combining related sectors can tip you into a lower band: accountants and solicitors together (26,800 records) are charged at £195 per 1,000, against £220 for either sector on its own.
Small, tight selections often fall under the £300 minimum. That's worth knowing before you narrow to one county and one job title: you may as well widen the selection until it's worth the minimum. The full price bands are set out in how much a marketing database costs.
03
What should you have ready before you buy?
Before you buy, decide four things: who you're targeting, which channels you'll use, what you can spend and where the data will live. Each one changes what you should order.
Who you're targeting
Sector, area, size and the job title of the person who decides. Start from your best existing customers rather than everyone who could buy.
Which channels
Post needs addresses, phone needs numbers, email needs email addresses. Only order the fields you'll actually use.
Your budget
Work back from what you can spend. The rate falls as the order grows, from £295 down to £170 per 1,000, with a £300 plus VAT minimum.
Where it will live
A CRM, an email platform or a spreadsheet. Check it can import Excel or CSV, and decide who keeps the opt-out list.
Also have your current customer list to hand. Removing existing customers from a new file stops you sending a "nice to meet you" letter to someone who already buys from you.
04
How does ordering a database work?
Ordering with us takes five steps: ask for a free count, look at sample records, accept a written quote, pay, and receive your file in Excel or CSV, usually within 24 hours of payment.
- Free count. Tell us the sector, area, size and contact type you want. We reply with how many records match, and how many have a named contact, a phone number and a named email.
- Sample records. We send real rows from your selection so you can check the job titles, addresses and email formats before spending anything.
- Written quote. A fixed price for the exact number of records, with VAT shown separately. Nothing is charged at this stage.
- Payment. Once you're happy with the quote, you pay and we prepare the file.
- Delivery. Excel or CSV, sent by secure email transfer, usually within 24 hours of payment. Phone numbers are already screened against the TPS and CTPS.
You can change the selection at any point before paying, and we'll recount it. For the planning side of buying (choosing channels and preparing your compliance paperwork) see the 7 steps in the complete guide.
05
What can you do with a database once you've bought it?
You can post to, phone and email the businesses in your file for 12 months, within the law. The main limit is email: PECR lets you email companies and LLPs from a bought list, but not sole traders or ordinary partnerships without their consent.
- Post isn't covered by PECR, so you can write to any business in the file.
- Phone: numbers arrive screened against the TPS and CTPS. Screen again before calling after 28 days, and never call anyone who has asked you not to.
- Email: fine for limited companies, LLPs and other corporate bodies if you say who you are and include an opt-out. Sole traders and non-LLP partnerships need consent given to you.
- Named contacts are personal data under UK GDPR. Tell them where you got their details within one month, or in your first message if sooner, and stop if they object.
Unsure whether a business is a company or a sole trader? Treat it as a sole trader and use post or phone. The full picture is in the law section of the complete guide, and the paperwork you should keep is in our database compliance guide. If email is your main channel, the email marketing database guide covers deliverability too.
06
How do you check databases for sale before buying?
Plenty of databases for sale are advertised online. Before buying any of them, ask three things: where the records came from, what the licence lets you do and when the phone numbers were last screened.
- The source. How the records were collected and how they are kept up to date. "Compiled from public sources" on its own tells you little.
- The licence. How long you can use the data, how many times, and whether it is for your business only. If there's no written licence, ask for one.
- The screening date. When the numbers were checked against the TPS and CTPS. After 28 days you need to screen them again before calling.
A file with no clear source, a very low price for a very large number of records, or a seller who can't say how often it's checked are all reasons to slow down. The same questions apply to us, and we're happy to answer them.
For a longer checklist of what to ask any supplier, see how to choose a B2B database provider.
07
Buy a database: FAQs
Can I just buy a database of businesses?
Yes. You can buy a database of UK businesses selected by sector, area, size and job title. With us you get a 12-month licence to use it for your own marketing, starting from £300 plus VAT.
Do I own the data after I buy it?
No. You buy a licence to use the records for your own business's marketing for 12 months. You can't resell or share the file. Businesses that respond and deal with you directly become your own contacts.
How much does it cost to buy a database?
£170 to £295 per 1,000 records depending on the size of the whole order, plus VAT, with a £300 minimum. For example, all 17,946 care homes we hold cost £3,948.12 plus VAT.
How quickly will I get the data?
Usually within 24 hours of payment, as an Excel or CSV file sent by secure email transfer.
Can I see the data before I pay?
Yes. We send a free count for your exact selection and sample records from it, then a written quote. You only pay once you've accepted the quote.
Can I email everyone in a database I've bought?
Not everyone. You can email limited companies, LLPs and other corporate bodies if you identify yourself and offer an opt-out. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships need consent given to you. See the law.
Can I use the database for more than one campaign?
Yes. The licence covers as many campaigns as you like across all channels for 12 months. Keep removing opt-outs as you go.
Can I buy a database for a client?
No. The licence is for your own business's marketing only. If you're an agency, your client should buy the data in their own name.