We have set up info@wassersport-koller.at as our connected inbox address in HubSpot. When customers send emails to this address, we receive them in HubSpot and can reply from within the platform. However, when the customer replies to our response (sent via HubSpot), their reply does not always reach us.
This issue seems to occur particularly when the customer is replying from Gmail or Hotmail accounts.
Upon closer inspection, we noticed that when we respond via HubSpot, the customer’s reply is no longer directed to info@wassersport-koller.at. Instead, the reply-to address appears as something like info=wassersport-koller.at@bf.eu1.r.hubspot-inbox.com. These replies do not reach our inbox in HubSpot, which causes us to miss important customer responses.
Can you help us understand why this is happening and how we can resolve it?
Hello @MDorfinger ,
When you reply via HubSpot’s connected inbox, HubSpot automatically adjusts the reply-to address for tracking and conversation threading purposes. That’s why you’re seeing an address like:
info=wassersport-koller.at@bf.eu1.r.hubspot-inbox.com
This helps keep email threads organized in HubSpot, but some email providers may treat these addresses differently, which can sometimes cause delivery or reply issues.
Here’s how you can fix this:
- Go to Settings > Inbox > Channels
- Click Edit next to the HubSpot fallback email
- Under “From address”, switch from the default to “Customize from address”
This will let you use your original email address as the sender, which should help avoid redirection problems.
Let me know if you’re still experiencing any issues after making this change. Happy to help further!
Hello @MDorfinger
Feels awful to lose customer answers mid-thread
From what I know, the culprit isn’t Gmail or Hotmail but the way HubSpot rewrites the Reply-To header so it can thread the conversation. That funny string info=wassersport-koller.at@bf.eu1.r.hubspot-inbox.com is a one-time alias HubSpot spins up; every reply should land back in the Conversations inbox through that route. When it doesn’t, one of three things is usually blocking the hand-off:
• Channel set-up mismatch If the address was connected only as a sending inbox (Settings → General → Email) but not as a team email inside Conversations → Inbox → Channels, HubSpot can send but has nowhere to receive the alias traffic.
Quick fix: add a Team email channel, grab HubSpot’s forwarding address (emailaddress@bf.eu1.hubspot-inbox.com), and create a rule at your mail host that forwards every message sent to info@wassersport-koller.at to that HubSpot address.
— Without that forwarder, the first customer email works (direct to your server), but their second-level reply goes to the alias and bounces silently.
• Missing or broken forwarding rule – Even if you did add the channel months ago, double-check the forwarder inside your provider’s control panel; I’ve seen them break after password resets. Send a test from a Gmail account straight to the alias address—if it never shows in HubSpot, the forwarder or an upstream spam filter is blocking.
• Legacy “direct reply-to” toggle – HubSpot recently added a switch under Channel → Advanced settings called Use your connected email as the reply-to address. Turn it on and replies go straight to info@…, skipping the alias (threading isn’t as clean, but the mails arrive). This feature is still rolling out—if you don’t see it, Support can enable it.
Quick diagnostic I use
- Copy that exact alias (info=wassersport-koller.at@bf.eu1.r.hubspot-inbox.com).
- From an external Gmail account send a plain-text “hello”.
- If it fails, you’ll get a bounce notice; the bounce headers usually say the mailbox doesn’t exist—proof the forwarder is missing. If it does land in HubSpot, then the real customer replies are getting filtered (check your Junk/Security settings or DMARC).
Hardening deliverability
Even once replies flow, add these DNS bits so Gmail/Hotmail fully trust your messages:
- SPF include: _spf.hubspotemail.net
- DKIM: publish the two CNAMEs HubSpot gives you under Settings → Domains
- DMARC: at least a p=none record if you don’t have one yet.
From what I can see, fixing the channel/forwarder covers 90 % of missing-reply cases; the direct-reply toggle is a nice safety valve if IT doesn’t want to maintain the rule.
Let me know how those steps go.
Hope this helps.
