How Old Is an Aged Lead?

How do our aged lead bands and prices break down?

We price our aged merchant leads across four age bands:

• 1–30 days: $6 per lead. • 31–90 days: $3 per lead. • 91–180 days: $1.50 per lead. • 180+ days: $0.75 per lead.

The oldest tier begins at day 181. A lead that is exactly 180 days old remains in the 91–180-day tier; the 180+ label means older than 180 days for pricing purposes.

These are age-based prices, not ratings of merchant quality. Pricing can vary for high-risk or high-volume leads. We recommend choosing a band that fits your outreach capacity and acquisition budget rather than treating the lowest price as the strongest buying signal.

Does the youngest aged tier mean every new lead is immediately available?

No. An age band describes how old a lead is; it should not be read as an automatic release schedule. Your purchase decision needs to distinguish the lead’s age from its availability for aged resale.

Our fresh shared leads cost $25, and fresh exclusive leads cost $45. Fresh exclusivity does not prohibit later disclosed aged resale. You should therefore distinguish an exclusive fresh purchase from permanent control over all future distribution.

When buying aged inventory, assess the age band and the purchase terms together. A lead appearing in a younger band does not, by itself, establish that it has never been purchased or contacted.

What changes as a merchant inquiry gets older?

More time allows the merchant’s circumstances to change. A merchant may have selected a processor, postponed a POS purchase, changed ownership or decided to revisit pricing later. None of those outcomes follows automatically from age, but each is worth checking before you build a proposal.

We recommend approaching an aged inquiry as a reason to reopen a business conversation, not as evidence of a current buying deadline. Ask whether the original processing need still exists and what has changed since the inquiry.

For older bands, put current fit ahead of a lengthy pitch. Confirm the business is operating, establish the merchant’s present processing priorities and identify whether there is a practical next step.

How should you choose between the four age bands?

Choose 1–30-day leads when you want the youngest aged band and can support the $6 price with timely outreach. Consider 31–90-day leads when you want a lower purchase cost while keeping the inquiry within roughly three months.

The 91–180-day band suits a deliberate re-engagement approach: you need time to determine whether the merchant’s earlier need remains relevant. The 180+ band has our lowest listed price, but you should budget for qualification work rather than assuming inexpensive inventory means inexpensive acquisition.

We recommend comparing bands separately. Track meaningful conversations, proposals, signed accounts and retained merchant earnings by purchase cohort. Combining all ages into one average can hide which band actually fits your sales process.

Does lead age tell you how many representatives have worked it?

No. Age and prior buyer activity are separate considerations. A newer lead can already have buyer competition, while an older lead’s age alone says nothing conclusive about previous outreach.

Our shared leads have a maximum of three buyers. Our aged leads have a maximum of five sales. Those limits describe distribution, not the number of calls a merchant has received or whether a conversation occurred.

You should not interpret an age label as a promise of exclusivity, untouched demand or a merchant waiting for your call. We recommend keeping your opening neutral: identify yourself, explain the merchant-services purpose and establish whether the conversation is relevant now.

Does an aged lead come with renewed permission to contact the merchant?

No. Buying an aged lead does not renew consent. Our own campaigns display this disclosure:

“By submitting, you agree that MerchantCardLeads and its partner payment-processing providers may contact you by phone, text and email about merchant services, including via automated technology. Consent is not a condition of purchase.”

New campaign leads carry the captured consent text, timestamp and source page in dashboard, email and webhook delivery. That statement concerns new campaign leads; it is not a blanket claim about all older inventory.

You are responsible for TCPA and DNC rules in your own outreach. Review the consent evidence and applicable restrictions before contacting a merchant. Your opt-in to buyer SMS alerts is separate from a merchant’s permission to receive your messages.

What should you check before placing an aged lead order?

Our aged minimum order is 25 leads. Before buying, choose the age range your team can work, review the purchase price and reserve enough capacity for follow-up. We have no contracts; you can pause anytime.

Separate contact validity from sales readiness. Our return window is 72 hours, and aged lead returns are limited to bad phone numbers. A merchant who is not currently shopping does not become returnable simply because the inquiry is old.

We recommend reviewing purchases promptly and recording outcomes by age band. That gives you a practical basis for the next order without assuming that age, price or prior exclusivity predicts a sale. For buying questions, contact our founder, Chad Buchanan, at (248) 686-6955.