How to Stop Catalogs in the Mail
Catalogs come from two places: retailers you've bought from, and retailers that got your name from someone else. Each needs a different opt-out.
By Jake WaitzmanUpdated Sources linked throughout
Short answer: Cancel the catalogs you get now with Catalog Choice (free, run by The Story of Stuff Project). Register with DMAchoice ($8 online for 10 years) to cut catalogs from companies you've never bought from. Retailers you've ordered from in the past two years need a direct request, and there's an email for that below. Most requests take effect within 6 weeks to 3 months.
Why do I get catalogs I never asked for?
Because names travel. A retailer mails its own customers, then looks for new ones through rented or exchanged lists and marketing-data companies. The industry's opt-out service, DMAchoice, draws the line this way: if you've bought from, subscribed to or donated to a company in the past two years, you are its customer; otherwise you are a “prospect.” Prospect catalogs and customer catalogs are stopped in different ways, so the steps below cover both.
How do I stop catalogs?
Four steps, each aimed at a different source of catalogs.
Cancel the catalogs you get now with Catalog Choice
Catalog Choice is a free service run by The Story of Stuff Project, a nonprofit. Create an account, search for each catalog by name and submit an opt-out. Catalog Choice sends the request for you or points you to the retailer's own form. Keep the mailing label handy: some retailers ask for the customer number printed on it.
Register with DMAchoice to cut catalogs from companies you don't buy from
DMAchoice, run by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), costs $8 online or $9 by mail and lasts 10 years. Participating companies remove registered names before mailing people who aren't their customers, and the ANA estimates that cuts this prospect mail by about 80%. Allow 90 days.
To register by mail, send the mail-in form (or a written request) with a $9 check or money order payable to the ANA to: DMAchoice, Consumer Preferences, P.O. Box 900, Cos Cob, CT 06807.
Ask retailers you've ordered from to stop
If you've bought from a company in the past two years, it counts you as a customer and DMAchoice won't remove you. Call the number in the catalog, use the retailer's mailing preferences page, or email its privacy contact (the template below is ready to paste). Ask it to stop sending catalogs and not to rent, sell or exchange your name. When you order online, look for a box to skip catalogs.
Opt out of the marketing-data companies
Catalog mailers also find new customers through data companies. Epsilon takes opt-outs through its online consumer request form or at (866) 267-3861, and Acxiom at acxiom.com/optout or 1-877-774-2094. Each opt-out covers only that company's databases. More data broker opt-outs.
Copy-and-paste email: ask a catalog company to remove you
Look for the company's privacy contact in its website footer or privacy policy (often a privacy@ or unsubscribe@ address). Email gives you a dated record of your request.
Subject: Please remove my address from your mailing lists
Hello, Please permanently remove my name and address from all of [COMPANY]'s direct mail lists, including your own customer or prospect lists and any rented, exchanged or co-op lists you use. The name and address exactly as printed on the mail I received: [NAME] [STREET ADDRESS] [CITY, ST ZIP] I have not asked to receive marketing mail from [COMPANY]. If this address came from a list provider, please also ask them to suppress it. Please reply to confirm when this is done. Thank you, [NAME]
Catalog Choice or DMAchoice: which do I need?
Probably both, because they reach different mail. Catalog Choice works one title at a time on the catalogs you already get. DMAchoice works on companies you've never dealt with, including ones that haven't mailed you yet.
| Opt-out | What it covers | Cost | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog ChoiceFree. 6 to 8 weeks per request. | Catalogs you pick from nearly 10,000 titles, including some charities | Free | 6 to 8 weeks per request |
| DMAchoice$8 online, $9 by mail, for 10 years. Allow 90 days. | Catalogs and other prospect mail from participating companies you don't do business with | $8 online, $9 by mail, for 10 years | Allow 90 days |
| Asking the retailerFree. Varies by company. | That company's catalogs, including when you're a customer | Free | Varies by company |
| Epsilon, AcxiomFree. Acxiom: within two weeks of confirming; Epsilon: weeks to months. | Your name in that company's marketing databases | Free | Acxiom: within two weeks of confirming; Epsilon: weeks to months |
Sources: Catalog Choice, DMAchoice, Epsilon and Acxiom websites, October 2026. The 10,000 count is Catalog Choice's own.
Where do I find the customer number on a catalog?
On the mailing label. Catalog Choice says the customer number is usually in a blue box or on the line above your name, often a string of numbers starting with the letter C, and the source code sits in a gray or yellow box. Many retailers don't need either, so leave those fields blank if you can't find them.
Why do catalogs keep coming after I opt out?
Usually timing. Catalogs are printed and addressed weeks ahead, and Catalog Choice says a merchant can take 6 to 8 weeks to stop after a request is processed. If one keeps arriving, compare the label with what you submitted: a middle initial, a misspelling or a second address counts as a different record. DMAchoice lets you register up to five versions of your name and five addresses. And some companies simply ignore requests; as Catalog Choice puts it, no law requires companies to honor opt-outs.
What happened to the Abacus opt-out?
Older junk-mail guides, including earlier versions of this one, told readers to email an Abacus opt-out address. Abacus was a database in which catalog companies pooled customer data, run by Epsilon. Epsilon now uses the Abacus name for a U.K. co-op, and the old opt-out address no longer appears on its U.S. privacy pages. Use Epsilon's own opt-out instead (step 4).
Stopping catalogs: quick answers
How do I stop all catalogs at once?
No single service stops them all. DMAchoice ($8 online for 10 years) cuts catalogs from companies you don't do business with in one registration. Use Catalog Choice (free) for individual titles, and ask retailers you've ordered from directly.
Is Catalog Choice really free?
Yes. Catalog Choice is run by The Story of Stuff Project, a nonprofit, and says it relies on donations to keep the service free of charge.
Why do I still get catalogs after opting out?
Catalogs are addressed weeks ahead, so allow 6 to 8 weeks after a request is processed. If one keeps coming, check whether the label spells your name or address differently and submit again. No law requires companies to honor opt-out requests.
Is the Abacus opt-out still worth doing?
Abacus was a database in which catalog companies pooled customer data, run by Epsilon. The Abacus opt-out email that older guides list no longer appears on Epsilon's U.S. privacy pages. Use Epsilon's own opt-out, online or at (866) 267-3861, instead.
Can I stop catalogs from companies I've ordered from?
Yes, but you have to ask each one. A company you've bought from in the past two years treats you as a customer, and DMAchoice won't remove you. Call the number in the catalog or email the company's privacy or customer service contact.
How long does it take for catalogs to stop?
Catalog Choice says 6 to 8 weeks after a request is processed, and DMAchoice says to allow 90 days. Catalogs already printed and addressed can still arrive in the meantime.
Can I stop catalogs addressed to a previous resident or someone who died?
Yes. Catalog Choice lets you submit opt-outs for another person, including a previous resident or a family member who has died. For someone who died, also register them on the Deceased Do Not Contact list.
Sources
- Catalog Choice, home page and FAQ, accessed October 2026
- DMAchoice (ANA): Consumer Choice Tools, accessed October 2026
- DMAchoice (ANA): Consumer Choices FAQs, accessed October 2026
- Epsilon: Consumer information and opt-out requests, accessed October 2026
- Epsilon: Abacus Services Privacy Policy (U.K. Abacus Alliance), accessed October 2026
- Acxiom: Opt Out Requests, accessed October 2026