How to Stop the Delivery of a Mail Order Catalog

Just as retailers' websites act as full pictorial spreads of the collections of merchandise they offer, mail order catalogs gives customers the chance to see things in print rather than online, without the capability of real-time updates. If you decide that you no longer wish to receive catalogs from a company, canceling your subscription will take you no more than a few minutes.

Instructions

1. Contact the retailer via phone to stop delivery of the catalog. Call the phone number listed on the back of your catalog and inform the representative that you would no longer like to receive the catalog.

2. Send any catalogs you receive within a few days of the phone call back to the retailer. Write "RETURN TO SENDER" on the catalog anywhere near the address, then drop it in a USPS box. As changes to a retailer's computer mailing list can take a few days to go into effect, you should not be alarmed if you receive one more catalog, even after you have canceled your subscription.

3. Register an account at dmachoice.org, a website the official "Direct Mail Association" set up to allow consumers to control which catalogs they receive. After setting up your account, click the "Mail Preference Service" button and browse through the list of mailings to opt-out of any you no longer wish to receive.

References

• MSNBC Consumer Man: Stop the Catalog Madness

Resources

• DMAchoice: Stop Mail Order Catalogs