Why was the site created?
Why are there so many people with mismatched feet?
Do any shoe manufacturers or dealers sell individually sized shoes?
What has been done in the past to help people who need shoes of different sizes?
How does this website attempt to address the problem of mismatched feet?
How do I use the website?
Why can’t I upload my photos?
How do I determine a price for the shoes I post?
How do I pay for or receive payment for shoes?
I don’t live in the USA, can I still use your site?
I have a dispute with the buyer/seller. What shall I do?
How do you afford to run the site if there are no fees?
I don’t seem to be receiving any emails from Odd Shoe Finder, what’s wrong?
My question isn’t answered, what shall I do?
Why was the site created?
A study in the 1980s found that approximately two thirds of American men and three fourths of American women have one foot longer than the other, with one third of Americans demonstrating a difference greater than half a shoe size. Foot widths show even greater discrepancies, with over three out of five men and almost one of three women having one full shoe width difference between feet. Click here to read the case study (Used with permission from Seward S. Case of the Month. JAAPA; 2005:9 pg 71-72. © Haymarket Media Inc. and the American Academy of Physician Assistants.)While most people are either unaware of the difference in the size of their feet or the differences are small enough for a single shoe size to accommodate both feet, some people have feet so different in size that they must buy two pairs of shoes, leaving two shoes of different sizes unused. This site is intended to be a partial remedy to the problem of buying two pairs of shoes for one set of feet.
Why are there so many people with mismatched feet?
There is a lack of perfect symmetry of the body in everyone, although such asymmetry is usually minor. Many people are born with clubfoot, which can lead to severely mismatched feet. Although polio is rare today, millions of polio survivors still suffer from its effects, which often left one foot and leg much smaller than the other. Lymphedema and diabetes often result in swollen feet. Diabetes can also lead to injuries that result in one foot being larger than the other.
Do any shoe manufacturers or dealers sell individually sized shoes?
Birkenstock offers mixed size pairs of shoes at less than the cost of buying two pairs of shoes. NORDSTROM will sell mixed size pairs of shoes online as long as there are 1.5 or more sizes different.
What has been done in the past to help people who need shoes of different sizes?
There are several organizations that were formed to address the problem. The National Odd Shoe Exchange was formed in 1943 to put people with similar tastes in shoes, but opposite foot sizes, in touch with each other. The mission of the organization expanded as amputees needing only one shoe returned from the war. The organization now ships new shoes to people across the United States and Canada.
There have been number of different websites and Facebook groups that have spring up from time to time, though most of them have been short-lived, due to small inventories and/or reliance on volunteers. We’ve been around since 2007 and we’re not going anywhere.
While the National Odd Shoe Exchange provides a valuable service and deserves our support (They can use donations of both shoes and money.), the organization is staffed by volunteers. A request may take a considerable amount of time to fill due to a shortage of volunteers. In addition, despite the large warehouse full of shoes, it is unlikely that they will be able to locate two shoes of the same brand, style, and color in both of your sizes to meet your request. There are just too many different brands, styles, and colors of shoes out there. For example, online shoe store zappos.com lists well over 500 brands. When you consider that most brands have quite a few styles, with many – if not most – styles coming in several colors, you begin to understand the magnitude of the problem of matching shoes.
Trying to match people with opposite shoe sizes faces a similar uphill battle. While there may be many people with opposite shoe sizes from you, what are the odds that you will find one who will have similar shoe-buying habits? A 20 year-old construction worker who wears Red Wing
How does this website attempt to address the problem of mismatched feet?
With so many people buying two pairs of shoes, there are probably millions of odd shoes languishing in closets, eventually being thrown out. There are also millions of people who could use those shoes. This website is an effort to bring those people and shoes together.
To buy or sell shoes, you must first register. It’s completely free.
You can use the website to search for the perfect pair or single shoe.
What makes Odd Shoe Finder unique, is that users can search for shoes based on the individual shoe size.
Simply click on the size shoe you’re looking for each foot.
If you’re just after one shoe, you can search for single shoes only, or for those prepared to split a pair.
You can also search for shoes based on brand, style, condition and any other information that a seller decides to enter as the keywords for the listing.
If you find shoes you’d like to buy, simply click the “buy now” button. You will be put in communication with the seller to make arrangements.
You can sell shoes for any price from $0.01 or more. Simply follow the prompts after clicking the “sell” tab on the home page. Here’s some tips to help you sell your shoes.
Why can’t I upload my photos?
There is a file size limit of 450kb per photo, and a total file size limit of 1MB for free members (premium members get extra space), so you may need to reduce the size of each photograph.
Please also note that there are only certain file types we accept; .gif .jpg .jpeg and .png.
Read here for help with uploading your photos.
How do I determine a price for the shoes I post?
Keep in mind that other users are taking a risk buying shoes from you rather than from a retail site. They have no idea who is posting the shoe. They do not know whether you will actually ship the shoe(s) once they pay you, whether the description of the shoe(s) is accurate, etc. You are an anonymous seller, while sites such as zappos.com and shoes.com have a stake in maintaining their reputations. Therefore, there is no incentive for users to buy your shoes if they are not considerably below the retail price.
How do I pay for or receive payment for shoes?
Those arrangements are to be determined by buyer and seller. As always, use caution in providing anyone with credit card information or in sending cash. We recommend using PayPal or any other reputable money transfer service.
I don’t live in the USA, can I still use your site?
Yes! Although most of our users are from the US, we also have many from the UK, Canada, Australia and all over Europe and South America.
We currently support listings in 25 different currencies. Sellers are encouraged to include “worldwide” on their shipping information.
Please also note that shoe sizes are listed as US. International members should clearly state the shoe size system they are using when listing shoes.
I have a dispute with the buyer/seller. What shall I do?
It is a condition of use on this site that you understand that arrangements between buyers and sellers are private arrangements and that Odd Shoe Finder has no formal role or power to resolve any disputes.
Buyers and sellers are advised to take all due diligence. If we believe that a user has behaved in an inappropriate, unethical, fraudulent or illegal manner we may suspend or delete their account.
In eight years there have been next to no disputes between buyers and sellers on this site. We hope things remain that way into the future.
How much does it cost to use the website?
For most users, there is no charge to list, buy or sell your shoes.
If you’d like to support our site financially, you may wish to consider taking out Premium Membership for a nominal $5 per year. Premium Members receive a higher photo limit, and credit towards extra features to help sell their shoes faster. Some extra features can be purchased seperately.
How do you afford to run the site if most people don’t pay any fees?
Very good question! There are many expenses involved in running this site which is why we need to run banner advertisements and promote (relevant) products from time to time. We also received a generous start-up donation from Gold Medal Health
Please support our sponsors who support our site. And please consider taking out “Premium Membership”for a very low $4.95 per year.
All funds collected go to the further development of the site.
If you’re interested in advertising on this site, please contact us.
I don’t seem to be receiving any emails from Odd Shoe Finder, what’s wrong?
It’s possible that our emails are ending up in your spam folder, so you should always “white list” us. If we’re not whitelisted you will miss messages from other buyers and sellers.
Some email programs (we’re looking at you, sbcglobal.net) block us completely. We don’t know why. There are always processes available to add our site to the safe list.
My question isn’t answered, what shall I do?
A good place to look for a quick answer is to visit the Forum. (note : the forum is temporarily unavailable) If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, you can post a question. It’s generally better than emailing, because it helps build our knowledge base for other users. Of course, you can still contact us by email.