A system and method for an e-mail rating system, where e-mail senders are evaluated based upon past performance. When an individual receives an email message and determines it to be SPAM, they notify a central database, repository or server. This central server, known as a Span Detection Server or SDS, maintains a list of e-mail senders and their associated spam rating. Spam thresholds are applied to incoming e-mail by a spam filter in conjunction with the SDS. Depending upon the sender's rating as compared to these thresholds, a received message is classified as desirable, undesirable or conditional.