Find mismatched pairs of shoes at OddShoeFinder.com
October 28th, 2008 | by mbhunter |
I bought two new pairs of shoes this weekend. They set me back $100. I need to buy two pairs of shoes each time because I wear a 7 1/2 4E on my right foot and a 9 1/2 D on my left foot. My right foot is a clubfoot.
I used to be able to get an orthopedic discount at some shoe stores (like 1/3 off of one pair) because of my funny feet, but I have yet to find a store where I am now that will do this. They certainly won’t let me mix and match. 
But paying for two pairs of shoes is only a minor annoyance considering that I can walk almost normally and do pretty much what I want; I’ve known people with my problem who can’t. My previous mismatched pairs have gone to charity, like the National Odd Shoe Exchange.
NOSE wrote me back after I donated five pairs of my shoes and said that finding someone with the opposite problem I had might be tricky. This organization is volunteer-run, and there’s only so much they can do at the moment.
As I was buying these shoes I had the idea of starting up a website that would serve as a marketplace for these kinds of shoes — something that was searchable.
Well, I found a site that already does what I had planned to do: OddShoeFinder.com. After signing up for a free account, I searched for my sizes, and found three matches for the sizes of my feet, though I think the right shoes listed was too narrow for my right foot. I’m sure there will be more posted later as the site grows. It’s possible to search for particular kinds of shoes, as well as for ranges of sizes.
There are already over 2,500 pairs listed on the site, and the prices people are asking are very reasonable. Even better, this site currently does not charge either buyers or sellers. It’s a bit like Craigslist in that regard but concentrated on mismatched footwear.
The icing on the cake was the support I got from the webmaster with my login issues — very personable, and very quick.
If you have the same problem as I do (mismatched feed) please head over to OddShoeFinder.com and see if you find the odd shoes you need, as well as list your odd shoes for sale!
8 Responses to “Find mismatched pairs of shoes at OddShoeFinder.com”
By Nick on Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
Never say never when it comes to the internet. Chances are if you need something, so does someone else and it’s only a matter of time.
By stocks on Oct 28, 2008 | Reply
My dad has polio, so of course, one foot is bigger then the other, what an odd website idea, thanks for the link.
By Chris on Oct 29, 2008 | Reply
I found oddshoefinder.com soon after the webmaster started the website. He and his family have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that thing, and for those of us that have problems needing either 1 shoe or mismated shoes, it’s an amazing resource. For those of you out there that are looking for resources, NOSE and oddshoefinder.com are two goods ones. The one and only store that really caters to these types of issues is Nordstroms (www.nordstom.com). I don’t know if they publish it anywhere, but last time I checked you can buy mismated shoes for regular price (that’s 50% off for us used to buying two pairs). They keep the mismates you don’t need for whatever reason. You can both buy in stores or by calling in an order, and the people I have talked to knew about the discout/offer. Please pass on these resources to those in need.
By Kent on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the nice write-up and comments. We continue to improve the site.
As for “sole mates” (people with opposite foot sizes with whom one can exchange shoes), we are working on a way for users to find them – perhaps in the range of sizes in which people ask to be notified weekly. A user would be able to view a list of his/her sole mates with contact information.
We may include a place for information such as what sort of shoes a user has and is looking for, and a user’s location so that someone doesn’t waste their time looking for sole mates on another continent. There are users on every inhabited continent except Africa.
I just went to look at storage buildings with my niece yesterday, so we are looking to continue selling shoes ourselves. That was not my original intention, but we’ve found cheap sources of shoes and have made sorting into a family event. Two of my nieces, their husbands, and children get together and sort thousands of shoes.
We WERE throwing away shoes for which there were only rights or only lefts. However, we accidentally came upon a use for many of those. Some construction workers saw bags being hauled to the landfill and asked if they could have them. They sorted them out by size and wear two shoes that do not match when doing concrete work. Then, they throw the shoes away. It is nice to know that those shoes are not totally wasted.
By jennysmith on Nov 1, 2008 | Reply
Basson kicked off the recycling theme at Odd Shoe Finder.com by recently purchasing 5,469 unused, brand name shoes and boots from an asset recovery company. The original size of the shoe lot was about 12,300 single shoes from which 1,900 matched pairs were created.
By Marion on Dec 11, 2008 | Reply
I am looking for a female to exchange shoes with. I wear either a 6 1/2 W to 7 W on my left foot and a 8 M on my right foot. I need flat soled tie shoes with deep heels
I currently have a brand new pair of athletic, “skate” type looking Route 66 brand tie shoes. The Left shoe is a size 8, the right shoe is a size 7 both medium. They are dark brown with light blue leather accents.
By Kent on Dec 12, 2008 | Reply
Hello, Marion. If you have not already done so, you should register at OddShoeFinder.com and indicate that you are looking for a “sole” mate. Eventually, maybe someone with opposite feet will register (The feature is new, so not that many are using it yet.) and the two of you can exchange shoes. Also, it is a simple matter to post your shoes for sale on the site. Give me a call at 703-505-9750 should you have any questions or problems. Thanks.
By Kent on Dec 12, 2008 | Reply
Marion, if you have not already done so, you should register at OddShoeFinder.com, indicate that you are looking for a “sole” mate, and post your own shoes. It is really very simple. Send me an email at kbasson@hotmail.com if you have any problems. Thanks.
Kent