Helpie FAQ

Lead time is shown on your order receipt. You will receive an shipment notification once your order ships. Please avoid inquiring about order status unless one week more than stated lead time has passed without shipment notification. Note that digital orders have the same lead time as physical orders. This is because they go through the same highly customizable process which is our bottleneck rather than actual 3D printing.

For further details, please see our order policy page.

We no longer provide shoe last sizing recommendations based on foot measurements alone. This is because the shapes of the foot and shoe last also have an impact on what size is best (along with many other factors). A tracing could help us make a recommendation, but by the time we start inputting measurements and analyzing tracings and comparing to specific shoe last designs, we’re well along the path of the full bespoke process. So we tend to just suggest bespoke lasts unless you are familiar with what shoe size typically works best for you. Customers with an interest in sizing might consider reading the following resources which could help them decide on a shoe last size on their own:

viewing our collection of insole patterns

measuring girths

tracing the foot and taking measurements

adding allowances to foot measurements

The best way to see pricing is to add items to your cart. All prices get updated based on your selections. For instance, choosing a bespoke or custom shoe last from the level of customization drop down affects cost. When ordering size runs (add various sizes of a style to your cart), discounts get applied automatically once items are in your cart.

We ship pretty much everywhere. Shipping prices are shown as you proceed through the checkout process and shipping discounts are applied automatically when ordering in volume. Shipping usually takes a week in North America and two for overseas orders. We can use DHL’s fastest shipping which is more costly but gets it to most places within a couple business days. We don’t know the final cost of DHL until after production at which point we’ll invoice you the extra cost. Expect DHL to cost around twice as much as regular shipping.

Please have a look at our guide to shoe lasts for particular footwear styles. It is a work in progress, but you might find the answer you are looking for there. If not, please contact us and we’ll be happy to advice you.

Conventional shoe lasts are CNC machined out of high density polyethylene. We also use a type of polyethylene for our 3D printing process. Our material tends to be a bit harder though, and so it is best to make sure you have sharp nails, such as BLUED BRADS. Another difference is that conventional shoe lasts are solid whereas ours are hollow. However, the wall thickness is plenty thick for receiving nails, have proven to hold up under common footwear manufacturing methods, and the lighter overall shoe last is less expensive to ship. Finally, our rail joint system is different compared to conventional hinges. Ours takes more time to open and close given a drill is used, but it results in a much smoother and easier process that is less likely to damage the footwear.

A very small percentage of our shoe lasts have failed so far, and usually because the rail joint was operated incorrectly. As long as you follow the instructions sent with the shoe lasts, they should hold up for a long time to come.

You can purchase the insole template before ordering the actual shoe lasts. The way you do this is as follows (please do all steps):

1. Choose “No Shoe Last” under the “Type of Shoe Last” drop down.
2. Check the box for adding the insole tracing to the order.
3. Please make sure to choose local pickup at checkout so that you aren’t charged shipping for a digital product.

Once your order is placed, it goes into our queue (we try to process it quicker than full orders). After it is processed, we’ll send you a PDF by email which you can then print.

If ordering specialty sizes or bespoke or custom shoe lasts, you will still have to pay the additional fees even if you are only ordering the insole pattern. This is because it requires extra effort on our part to develop the patterns, despite not manufacturing the actual shoe last. What we can do though is provide you a refund for these extra fees when you go to order the corresponding physical shoe last at a later point (please request this in the checkout order notes).

Toggle ContentWe now have a way to check the exact measurements of any given shoe last in any given size. On the product page, simply choose a size and check the ‘Show Measurements’ checkbox. And for a general idea of how we grade our shoe lasts, see our shoe last sizing charts.

Quantity discounts get applied after items get added to your cart and are as follows (per item):

2-5: 5%
6-10: 10%
11-15: 15%
16-20: 20%

We do have an overseas source we can use for plastic shoe lasts, though there is no price savings and delivery times may be longer. We haven’t yet looked into CNC machined wooden shoe lasts, but for a large order volume it’s something we’d be willing to look into.

To order the CAD file (stl format), simply choose this from the “Shoe Last Type” drop down. Please make sure to read the terms and conditions.

Please see our Refund/Warrant/Return policy.

We do provide an option for picking up orders from our shop which you can choose at checkout. But we do not have a showroom for you to visit. This is partly because we only produce orders as they come in and so don’t have a selection of physical shoe lasts and components to show. Also, we are a very small business and aren’t yet able to allot time for in person visits.

Aside from some exceptional situations, we generally do not provide phone support. We are a very small business and do not yet have a dedicated customer service person, which makes providing phone support impractical.

Despite being in Canada, the majority of our orders come from the US. Because of this and the fact that it is simpler for a very small business like us to only accept a single currency made us decide to stick with just US currency for now.

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