a method of buying and selling in which the buyer chooses goods at home, either from a catalogue (= a book containing pictures and descriptions of goods for sale) or from the Internet, and has them sent to their home:
• I buy most of my software by mail order.
• a mail-order catalogue
• a mail-order house (= a company that sends goods direct from a warehouse to customers )
— mail-order verb [intransitive, transitive] :
• CD ROMs can be mail-ordered too.
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mail order UK US (also mail-order) noun [U] COMMERCE
► a way of buying goods in which you choose what you want, usually from a catalogue or from a website, and it is sent to you by mail: »
There are three methods of buying meat: supermarkets, butchers, and mail order.
through/by mail order »She started a business selling clothes by mail order.
mail order business/company/supplier »Our mail order business is slowly taking over our in-store sales.
»mail-order clothes/cosmetics/plants
»For mail order sales call this number.
mail-order verb [T]
► »
Mail-ordered goods accounted for much of the increase in sales.
Financial and business terms. 2012.