[Magilla Marketing] Marketers have been waiting for Goodmail Systems to announce a price, and as of this morning they have an answer—sort of.

The company that created a firestorm early this year by announcing AOL was implementing its CertifiedEmail scheme announced in a press release yesterday that it is offering 90-day free trials of its system. So-called charter senders who meet undisclosed volume requirements will also get significant discounts for continuing using the serve beyond the trial period, Goodmail said.

AOL in January announced it was implementing Goodmail’s system under which marketers could pay an unspecified fraction of a cent per e-mail to have their messages guaranteed to be delivered with graphics a links intact and a small symbol certifying them as safe.

Internet activists, such as Moveon.org, went into a frenzy over the deal, claiming it would create a two-tiered system where those who paid received better delivery service than those who didn’t.

Most marketers, however, took a wait-and-see approach, figuring if the service generated a positive return on investment, they’d be willing to pay for it.

AOL addresses have been getting less attractive to marketers because the portal blocks graphics by default and has begun serving banner ads with e-mail that cuts the viewing area by a third.

Some well-known merchants such as Overstock.com and Petco have reportedly been testing CertifiedEmail. However, it is not clear what their results have been. Representatives of the companies were not immediately reachable.

Goodmail this morning also put out a press release claiming Time Consumer Marketing experienced a 27% to 30% increase in response rates using its service.

Marketers have been waiting for Goodmail Systems to announce a price, and as of this morning they have an answer