The word ?mismatch? tends to have a negative connotation, while the word ?match? refers to things that are in harmony with each other. People are always looking for the perfect match, whether it be in a mate, a home, or a job. Unfortunately, millions of people ? almost always through no fault of their own ? have mismatched feet.



Due to afflictions like polio, clubfoot and accidents, those people have a Hobson's choice of buying two pairs of shoes (one pair for each size foot) or having at least one shoe that fits poorly. The first choice is expensive, while the second choice can result in further problems for the wearer of the shoes.

Problems from wearing improperly footing shoes can range from complicating physical problems with the feet to calling unnecessary attention to the mismatched feet due to changes in gait. The answer to mismatched feet is a pair of shoes that are a match for those feet, bringing things back into harmony.

As with so many things, the Internet has facilitated at least a partial solution to the problem of mismatched feet. At least two retail sites, MixMatchShoes.com and OneShoeTwoShoe.net, sell single and mismatched shoes.

Another approach is to use the never-worn mismatched shoes that result from those with mismatched feet buying two pairs of shoes. With so many millions who have spent much of their life buying two pairs of shoes at a time, there are no doubt untold millions of mismatched pairs of shoes taking up space in closets all over the world. The Internet allows the people with complementary sizes of mismatched feet to find each other to exchange shoes.

Possibly the most popular example of this approach on the Internet is OddShoeFinder.com, a free site that allows users to buy and sell their mismatched shoes. The site has many features that make it user-friendly. For example, users can request a weekly notification of newly posted shoes in their sizes. The site also allows users to search only those shoes in their sizes rather than having to wade through every entry.

For entrepreneurial types, OddShoeFinder.com offers the opportunity to start a business. Shoe stores, and other stores that sell shoes such as sporting goods stores, for various reasons can end up with thousands of single shoes in a year's time. Those shoes are often simply thrown out and tend to be available at little or no cost just so the stores do not have to pay someone to haul the shoes away and dispose of them.

Anyone with a large storage space and the willingness to sort ? or hire someone else to sort ? the shoes can usually find many shoes in the same brands, styles, and colors. Even though the shoes may not be the same sizes, they can be posted on OddShoeFinder.com for sale to millions of potential customers. That is hardly a niche market.