Elswyth Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 I'm considering buying shoes online since it's pretty hard to find a decent variety in my area. But it just doesn't make me feel comfortable, buying shoes without being able to try them on first! Many online stores have good return policies, but I'm afraid of the fine print and ending up wasting good $$ on a pair that doesn't suit me well. Does anyone here regularly buy shoes online? Ever had problems with returns?
fumikaheels Posted December 24, 2011 Posted December 24, 2011 I'm considering buying shoes online since it's pretty hard to find a decent variety in my area. But it just doesn't make me feel comfortable, buying shoes without being able to try them on first! Many online stores have good return policies, but I'm afraid of the fine print and ending up wasting good $$ on a pair that doesn't suit me well. Does anyone here regularly buy shoes online? Ever had problems with returns? I understand exactly what you mean and do regularly buy online. With so many manufacturers and varying styles, the fit can differ. My personal technique has worked well for me on many occasions but its just my experience mind you. When I find a pair that I'm interested in, I do a pretty good web search looking for numerous customer reviews of the shoe. I can usually get a good idea of how they fit, width, etc. Remember also that toe box styles fit differently, i.e. a round toe as opposed to a pointy toe, the former allowing for more toe room and comfort in my opinion. I also buy from well known online outlets that have good and responsive customer service. You might try calling customer support and asking them for a clear explanation on purchase and return policy before placing your order. Thus far I haven't had to return a pair but I believe its due to thoughtful shopping. Your wish to try before you buy is certainly the best way of going about the process but I think you may have to take a chance and try ordering if your selection is limited and if your are still unsure, call ahead and get the policy of exchanges/returns explained. I'm not sure if this was any help but I thought to throw it out there. Good luck!
DProud2700 Posted December 25, 2011 Posted December 25, 2011 I have ordered heels online with no problems.
jwhite44 Posted December 25, 2011 Posted December 25, 2011 Most of the bigger online places: endless.com, amazon.com, probably shoes.com - have pretty straightforward return policys (endless I think is: return (unworn) withing 1 yr, free return shipping). Next are B&M stores, where you can order online (Macy's, Sears, Payless, Nordstrom), and if you have to do a return, you can typically return to a local store. For both of these, no real harm in ordering neighboring sizes (say, 9 & 9 1/2), compare the fit, and return for no cost (other than time) the pair(s) that don't fit. If you get into smaller stores, that doen't have a big a presence, that might be a little pickier on the return policy. In general I'd like to think anything that is unworn would be returnable. What might vary is the return period (hopefully at least 30 days), and if you get a full refund, or else store credit.
roniheels Posted December 26, 2011 Posted December 26, 2011 Many members here have bought many shoes on-line and have had great success. I have not bought on-line for a long time. I had good luck in the past when I did. But, depending on the shoe and manufacturer, I can wear a variety of sizes between 10 and 12. I prefer to try the shoes on before buying them. But is you are very familiar with the shoemaker and have had success in the past, and you are confident with your shoe size, go for it.
NrthEastHeel Posted December 26, 2011 Posted December 26, 2011 check out endless.com .. free shipping to nz for orders over $100, and massive range of styles/brands and sizes..
legs777777 Posted December 26, 2011 Posted December 26, 2011 Hi all, any time I buy I use ebay, never had a problem yet.
JeffB Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 I've bought shoes and boots online from the likes of amazon.com and Zappos and never had any trouble. Considering I need a bare minimum of 13 wide for comfort, I have no choice but to order online. I don't want to LOOK like a woman, I just want to DRESS like a woman!
steve6 Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 Elswyth, Bought on-line many times (far too many my wife would say). Mostly I buy from the USA because they have the best stores (Zappos, ShoeBuy, Ros Hommerson, Avenue, Amazon, etc). But the UK stores (such as Marks and Spencer) are also OK; provided they are not just a re-mailing service for American stores. And I am a BIG BIG eBay fan!! I use MyUS.com quite a lot which is a great re-mailing service, so those retailers that ship to the USA only can ship there (it's in Florida) happily and then MyUS courier them onto Australia. Being in Australia I have learned to put up with some inconveniences and I reckon that is part of the cost of living where I do. The first is that it costs to mail. I pay $30-50 to have a pair of shoes/boots sent out directly to the Antipodes. If I use MyUS, then I tend to order several things and let them accumulate in their warehouse before shipping, because the courier costs are typically $150 a time. It makes it seem a bit silly when I pick up a pair of shoes for $20 on eBay to pay fortune in postage, but I guess that is the way it works. I try to buy several pairs over a week or two, and get them all sent out. It is like Christmas when they arrive. The second is that returns are pretty hard to the USA, because of the postage. My way of handling all these things is to rationalize them in terms of my options. I could go to the States and buy the shoes directly but that's going to cost me $2000 for the air fare. I could live there (but it is not for me). I could return shoes if they don't fit, but it costs and once I have paid the return shipping (which is often the way it works), then I will have paid out $30-40 and got nothing. So in the end I choose not to return shoes that don't fit, and I sell them on eBay. It is a hassle but I tend to come close to break even. I have learned which brands suit my feet and what their sizes are, and I limit my purchases to those brands which cuts down the problems of fit. I guess I now run to 10-20% disappointment (i.e. wasting $$) and that is part of the overhead. I can't buy these sort of shoes in Australia, so I put up with the cost. Good luck with your buying.
Elswyth Posted December 27, 2011 Author Posted December 27, 2011 check out endless.com .. free shipping to nz for orders over $100, and massive range of styles/brands and sizes.. Wow, thanks!! Have you ever used their returns policy before?
Nielle Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 Note: Zappos has amazing customer service, and sometimes they even upgrade you to overnight shipping for no reason, which is wonderful. I have pretty "difficult" feet in that they are smallish...but wide. I wear shoes ranging from 6.5 to 7.5. I actually rarely buy a shoe online unless I've already tried it on in store. What I end up doing is trying on certain shoes in person, and then looking for sales online (this works especially well for DSW when you wait for the clearance prices). As easy as it is to make returns, sometimes it's just a real hassle.
NrthEastHeel Posted December 27, 2011 Posted December 27, 2011 Wow, thanks!! Have you ever used their returns policy before? surprisingly i´ve never had to use the return policy. i´ve purchased both men´s and women´s shoes, and all have fit very well. There is a pretty good size chart on endless.com. I would suggest though as mentioned before by another, go for a brand/s you already wear and like, as you´re more likely to get the size more accurate. And the flip side is that if the size is wrong, youŕe really likely to break even by re-selling online (or you could return). endless.com displays all shoes really well, and the pictures are quite accurate. I have been caught out once with the $10 shipping fee once (i purchased a particular pair that invoked the fee, but couldn´t really complain, its not much for shipping. The other positive was the fast shipping, the 4 times ive ordered, all orders arrived in less than a week. I´m in auckland, so if you´re further down south then it might take an extra day or 2. And if you´re like me and just have to know where your parcel is during transit, there´s some cool apps for smartphones to track parcels.
Steve63130 Posted December 29, 2011 Posted December 29, 2011 I bought two pair of Nine West hh loafers ("Newhouse" and "Newkimmie") in 12M on Endless.com last week, and even with all the Christmas shipping chaos, they were delivered to me in 2-3 days. I was impressed. Sadly, neither of them fit well or were comfortable, so I returned them Monday and was notified by email today that Endless refunded my money in full. The entire event cost me nothing, as Endless paid the shipping both ways. What a great company! I highly recommend them. I don't recommend Nine West loafers, though. Steve
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