Shoe Catalogs You Can Still Order From by Mail

If you wear a hard-to-find size, need a specific width, or simply can't get to a store that stocks real depth, shoe shopping by mail is still the most practical option. The pair of shoes you need may not exist in three local stores combined — but it ships from a catalog warehouse within two days. The catalogs that survived the move online did so because they solved the real problem: letting customers buy shoes they can't try on, with enough selection and a return policy permissive enough to make the risk tolerable.

Zappos

Zappos (zappos.com) didn't just survive the shift to online shoe retail — it redefined what buying shoes by mail could mean. Founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn in Las Vegas and acquired by Amazon in 2009, Zappos built its entire model around the two things that made shoes-by-mail frightening for most shoppers: shipping and returns. The answer was free shipping both ways and a no-questions 365-day return policy. That policy is not a promotional teaser — it is the core product. It exists because Zappos understood that a shopper who can't try shoes on needs the return window as a substitute for the fitting-room.

The selection at Zappos spans hundreds of brands across every category: running shoes, dress footwear, boots, sandals, athletic, comfort, and orthopedic-friendly styles. Sizing and width filters are genuinely useful — they narrow a search to what actually fits rather than surfacing every shoe on the site. Brands like New Balance, Brooks, Clarks, Vionic, Dansko, and Birkenstock sit alongside trend-driven labels, which means both the comfort shopper and the fashion-first buyer find what they need in the same place.

Zappos prices at or near full retail, so it is not a discount destination. What it offers instead is the lowest-friction return experience in the shoe business and a depth of selection no physical store can match. Customer service is a genuine differentiator — Zappos has a reputation for resolving problems with a minimum of friction, which matters when a wrong-fit return is the only way to course-correct on a purchase you couldn't test in person. For most shoppers, Zappos is the default and the safest place to start.

Massey's

Massey's (masseys.com) is the legacy women's footwear catalog, and it exists to solve a specific problem that Zappos's breadth can dilute: hard-to-find widths at value prices. A long-running mail-order shoe catalog now part of the Bluestem Brands family (which also owns Blair), Massey's built its following among customers who need narrow, wide, and extra-wide widths in dress shoes, comfort flats, and seasonal footwear. These are the sizes that mainstream retailers rarely stock across a full style range — a retailer may carry a wide-width label but offer only three styles in it. Massey's constructs its catalog around width availability rather than treating it as an afterthought.

The assortment leans toward comfort and easy-care styles rather than trend-driven fashion. Dress pumps with a generous toe box, comfort flats in extended widths, casual walkers, and seasonal boots in wider fits make up the core. Prices are accessible — well below what the specialty comfort-shoe stores charge — and Massey's offers a deferred-payment credit plan that has been part of why the catalog retained its loyal, older customer base through the transition online. Customers who found Massey's in print decades ago still order from it because the sizing problem it solves has not been solved better elsewhere.

If you have struggled to find a wide-width dress shoe, a comfortable flat that actually fits across the ball of the foot, or an extended-size casual walker at a price that doesn't require justification, Massey's is purpose-built for that problem. It is not the right catalog for athletic footwear or fashion-forward styles, but within its lane — women's footwear in non-standard widths, value pricing, comfort emphasis — it is the most focused option available by mail.

Blair

Blair (blair.com) rounds out the value tier with footwear sold alongside its broader apparel line. Founded in 1910 by John Blair in Warren, Pennsylvania, Blair has more than a century of mail-order history — which makes it one of the oldest catalog retailers still operating. Like Massey's, Blair is today part of Bluestem Brands, but the two catalogs have stayed distinct: Massey's is the footwear specialist; Blair is the general apparel catalog that happens to carry a solid shoe selection alongside its clothing, outerwear, and accessories.

The footwear at Blair emphasizes easy-entry styles: slip-ons, comfort walkers, casual flats, and low-profile boots in generous size and width ranges. Prices are among the lowest in catalog shoe retail — Blair's customer base is value-minded, and the catalog prices accordingly. You will not find running shoes or performance footwear; Blair's strength is in the practical everyday: a comfortable pair of slip-ons that won't hurt after a few hours on your feet, a casual flat in a wide width, a seasonal boot at a price well below what specialty retailers charge.

The convenience argument for Blair is real: buying footwear and apparel from the same catalog, on the same order, means a single shipment and a single account to manage. For a shopper who is refreshing a practical wardrobe on a budget — a few tops, a pair of slacks, and a comfortable pair of shoes — Blair reduces the friction of sourcing from multiple places. It is not where you go for the latest style, but for dependable, affordable everyday footwear, it delivers consistently.

OnlineShoes.com

OnlineShoes.com (onlineshoes.com) occupies the space between the giants and the value catalogs. One of the original internet shoe stores, it built its reputation in the early years of online retail as a dedicated footwear destination with a multi-brand selection and a stronger-than-average focus on comfort and orthopedic-friendly styles. That heritage shows in how the site is organized: fit details, width options, and support characteristics get prominent treatment rather than being buried in a product spec sheet.

The catalog covers comfort-focused and orthopedic-friendly brands with more depth than a general retailer typically allocates. Shoppers dealing with plantar fasciitis, wide forefoot issues, high arches, or other foot conditions will find the kind of targeted filtering — by support level, width, and fit characteristic — that makes a real difference when a wrong choice means pain. Brands oriented toward therapeutic fit and all-day wear are a core part of the selection, not a niche corner of it.

OnlineShoes is the strongest choice when the purchase is driven by a specific comfort requirement or foot condition rather than brand loyalty or style preference. The selection is large enough to cover most needs without being overwhelming, and the fit information available on product pages tends to be more actionable than what the larger general retailers surface. For shoppers who have already determined they need a particular kind of support and want a focused catalog rather than a search through hundreds of unrelated options, it is a well-organized middle path between Zappos's scale and the legacy value catalogs.

Returns, sizing and width: what to know before ordering shoes by mail

Buying shoes without trying them on introduces one real risk: fit. The strategies that reduce that risk are measurement, understanding width designations, and choosing a catalog with a return policy that lets you exchange without penalty.

Measuring your feet at home takes five minutes and prevents most sizing errors. Stand on a sheet of paper, trace each foot, and measure the longest dimension (toe to heel) and the widest dimension (ball-width). Feet change over time — adult foot size shifts with age, weight change, and pregnancy — so measuring annually is worth the time even if you've ordered shoes successfully for years. Measure both feet: they are almost never identical, and you size for the larger one.

Width designations run from AAA (narrowest) through AA/A (narrow), B (standard women's), D (standard men's / wide women's), E/2E (wide men's), and 4E (extra-wide men's). Not every catalog carries every width in every style — this is the core shopping constraint when buying by mail. Massey's and Blair are specifically organized around extended widths for women; Zappos offers the broadest width range across the most brands; OnlineShoes.com surfaces width options clearly in its filtering tools.

Return policy is the deciding variable. When you cannot try a shoe on before purchase, the return window functions as your fitting room. Zappos's 365-day free-return policy is the benchmark — it removes the cost and time pressure from a return decision. For Massey's, Blair, and OnlineShoes.com, check the current return terms on each site before ordering, as policies can change. Look specifically for: free return shipping (or prepaid label), the window length, and whether exchanges are processed as new orders or directly. A restocking fee or a short return window turns a wrong-size purchase into a financial loss, not just an inconvenience.

Matching the catalog to your need

No single catalog dominates every dimension. Zappos wins on selection and return policy; Massey's wins on width specialization for women at value pricing; Blair wins on price for everyday comfort styles and for convenience when combining a clothing and shoe order; OnlineShoes.com wins when a specific support characteristic or foot condition is driving the decision.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find my shoe width for mail order? Stand on a sheet of paper and trace your foot. Measure the widest part — across the ball of the foot, just behind the toes. Compare to a width chart for your shoe size; most catalog sites publish one. Women's standard width is B; men's standard is D. Wide women's is typically D or E; wide men's is 2E or 4E. If you've never measured, do it before ordering: buying a length-correct shoe in the wrong width is the most common mail-order fit error.

Which catalog has the best return policy? Zappos has the most permissive return policy in the category: free return shipping both ways, 365-day return window, no questions asked. For Massey's, Blair, and OnlineShoes.com, check the current return terms before ordering — policies vary and can change. The key things to verify: whether return shipping is free or at your cost, the return window length, and whether you can exchange for a different size without paying again.

Can I still order shoes from a paper catalog? Zappos and OnlineShoes.com are online-only — no mailed print catalog. Massey's and Blair have deep roots in print catalog mail-order and may still distribute print editions or mailer booklets to existing customers, though their primary ordering channel is now the web. If you receive Blair or Massey's mailers, the phone-order option typically remains available; the website is the most current view of inventory.

What if I'm between sizes? The standard guidance is to size up by half a size if you are between sizes, then return if the fit is wrong. This is where a permissive return policy matters most: if a catalog charges for return shipping or has a short window, the cost of a half-size error accumulates quickly. Zappos's free-return policy makes the half-size gamble genuinely low-risk. With other catalogs, factor the potential return shipping cost into the purchase decision before ordering a borderline size.

References

• Zappos: https://www.zappos.com
• Massey's: https://www.masseys.com
• Blair: https://www.blair.com
• OnlineShoes.com: https://www.onlineshoes.com