Method of selling in which buyers and sellers do not make face-to-face contact. Mail order firms (also called direct mail firms) use personalized letters and catalogs (disparagingly called junk mail) mailed on the basis of highly specialized address lists (called mailing lists) sold by mailing research firms. They also generate enquiries and orders through advertisements in suitable media including internet. Except industrial equipment and too bulky goods, almost everything is sold through mail order, generally at lower than retail store prices.