Using Mandrill for Gmail-to-Gmail email delivery issues

Hey everyone,

I’m having trouble with Mandrill for sending emails between Gmail accounts. Here’s what’s going on:

  • I’m using Mandrill to send confirmation emails
  • My sender account is a Business Gmail
  • Emails to non-Gmail addresses work fine
  • But when I send to Gmail addresses, nothing shows up
  • Mandrill says the emails are delivered (green light in dashboard)
  • I’ve checked spam folders, but no luck

Is this a Gmail thing? Are they blocking emails sent through external SMTP services when it’s Gmail-to-Gmail?

Has anyone else run into this? Any ideas on how to fix it? I’m stumped and could really use some help!

Thanks a bunch for any advice you can give!

I’ve encountered similar issues with Mandrill and Gmail before. In my experience, it often comes down to authentication and reputation. Make sure your SPF and DKIM records are properly set up since Gmail is pretty strict about these. It also helps to warm up your sending IP gradually by starting with low volumes and slowly increasing them. Checking your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools can be quite revealing. Switching to Google Workspace or even a dedicated IP with Mandrill eventually got things working on my end. It took some trial and error, but persistence was key.

yo, i had this same headache with mandrill. try checkin ur authentication settings - spf, dkim, that stuff. gmail’s real picky bout it. also, maybe ur ip’s flagged? try sendin from a diff one. if nothin works, switchin to sendgrid might do the trick. they seem to play nice with gmail. good luck man!

I’ve dealt with this exact problem before. It’s frustrating, but there’s likely a simple explanation. Gmail’s filters for inbox placement are notoriously strict, especially for bulk senders. Even if Mandrill shows successful delivery, Gmail might be silently filtering the messages.

Have you verified your domain with Mandrill and set up proper DMARC policies? That can make a big difference. Also, check if your sending domain has a good reputation - you can use tools like MxToolbox for this.

If all else fails, consider using a transactional email service specifically designed for Gmail deliverability, like SendGrid or Postmark. They often have better relationships with Gmail and can improve your chances of landing in the inbox.