Assorted Footwear

Buying Shoes Online - What to look for

Buying shoes online can help save enough money to easily make it worthwhile. For the best possible shopping experience, there are a couple of things to look out for, and even though it requires a little effort, it will give a fun, safe and rewarding shopping experience.

Buying Shoes Online How can I know it will fit?

We are all blessed with a different and unique foot shape, and because of this, a shoe fitting perfectly on one foot can cause discomfort, and even pain on another, doesn't matter if the size is the same. Remember this when shopping shoes online or via mail order. Buying shoes and other miscellaneous footwear and clothing products online is supposed to be a fun, easy and convenient experience. Having to return one pair after another is not.

The last time I was shopping around for a new pair of trekking shoes, I spent hours going through at least five different physical shoe stores carrying various brands and models. Upon finding a model that felt good on my feet, which by the way turned out to be a pair ofAsicsrunning shoes, I paid roughly two times more than what I had in mind initially. The thought of buying shoes online had not crossed my mind at that point, and I could have saved maybe $50 if I had decided not to buy it in that particular store and instead placing an order online, for the very same shoe model. And yes, those are expensive shoes.

When buying shoes online:

  • Look up information online (see price check services below)
  • Visit the manufacturer's website, see if they list stores in your area
  • Go there and try it on - take your time
  • Do a price check online
  • Order the same model at a (hopefully much) lower price

I often recommend this method to my friends and family when they approach me with questions on how and where to go for buying shoes online:

Try it on in a physical store first, then buy it online. Never buy shoes online without trying it on first, or you might waste your time and money; thousands of mail order customers return their shoes every year, main reason being it did not fit, and they had not tried it on beforehand. When you find a pair that feels great on the foot, consider ordering more than one pair online - you never know whether that particular model is still available next year.

Breaking in new shoes

One of the main reasons for visiting a physical shoe store before buying shoes online is to get a chance to talk to experts, compare shoe models and trying it on before returning home to place an order online. They will know the assorted models they carry pretty well, and if not then find someone who does. They will also be happy to share useful information with you, such as giving advice on how to break in your new shoes; usually they will tell you to only wear it at home for the next couple of days. If they have equipment for measuring your feet shape and pressure when walking (or running), use it to make sure that sometimes annoying feeling when a new shoe doesn't fit perfectly on your foot, will be gone when they are broken in.

Nubuck and suede leather shoes usually break in within the week end (if you are wearing your new shoes outside when breaking it in, have some band aid in your pockets just in case). With proper care they will last for several years.

When looking in the right places, you can save a significant amount of money by shopping smart. A 50% price cut or even more, is not unheard of. As long as you visit a store carrying your brand, and try it on before ordering online, you can often afford better shoes than you had in mind initially.

Protected by Copyscape Online Infringement Detector