The Mailshell.com service provides consumers with reviews and samples of e-mail lists and offers private e-mail addresses they can use to subscribe to newsletters and other services. The service allows marketers to name their own user acquisition price, the company said.

Mailshell.com, Santa Clara, CA, said there are 1,300 companies in its network of more than 1,000 affiliates.

"The current e-mail infrastructure will soon collapse unless a balance is reached between the needs of marketers and users," said Tonny Yu, Mailshell.com's president/CEO. "Users should be empowered to judge for themselves which e-mails they should or should not receive, and marketers should not waste their time or money on people who have not explicitly requested those offers."

Mailshell.com said that unlike conventional opt-in services or cost-per-click programs, it only charges marketers for complete subscription referrals. The company does not use lotteries, sweepstakes or promotions to attract users.