barney15c Posted September 5, 2012 Posted September 5, 2012 I recently bought a pair of hidden platform pumps of a Chinese based seller. I ordered a pair sized Size UK11 / US14/ EU44, alarm bells should have rang there and then as the sizes don't really tally, but i thought as i ordered their largest size i might get away with it. When they arrived they were at least 2 sizes too small. it looks like to me that they have taken a Chinese 44 (a UK8 US10 EU42????) called it a EU44 and then did ballsed up conversion of that, my wife who is a wide UK7 was able to wear them but not comfortably. So beware when you order shoes from these Chinese sellers as you may find you end up with the wrong size. I give below a link to the shoes i ordered to illustrate my point. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320949593618 (btw the large sizings are greyed out now). In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!!!
FreshinHeels Posted September 5, 2012 Posted September 5, 2012 that sucks bad, but it's a good seller, Did ye try and get you're money back? In the process of becoming the person I always was...but didn't dare to let her come out
hoverfly Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 Sizing can be a little tricky, best to know your foot length. That usually helps to match up to the correct size, if the seller provides the information. Hello,  my name is Hoverfly. I’m a high heel addict…. Weeeeeeeeeee!  👠1998 to 2022!
Gudulitooo Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 (edited) Not only the chinese. I browsed the Newlook internet website and found a lot of shoes in size "UK9 / EU 43". But on the french website, nothing was available in a size larger than 42. Then I went in a Newlook store, I understood : the shoes are labelled with both UK 9 / EU 42 for some and UK 8 / EU 42 for others, in the same store, on the same rack, two adjacent boxes of the same brand. I discussed with a colleague of mine who has very small feet, so small she also buys her heels online. Her strategy is to buy 4 pairs of diffrent sizes and colors each, and resend the ones that do not fit or try to resell them on ebay / give them to friends. I see why it is so much more profitable to open a web store than a real store : not only you don't have to rent for the place, but also your customers buy twice as much as the customers in a real store.... Edited September 6, 2012 by Gudulitooo
Marion Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 Not only the chinese. I browsed the Newlook internet website and found a lot of shoes in size "UK9 / EU 43". But on the french website, nothing was available in a size larger than 42. Then I went in a Newlook store, I understood : the shoes are labelled with both UK 9 / EU 42 for some and UK 8 / EU 42 for others, in the same store, on the same rack, two adjacent boxes of the same brand. I discussed with a colleague of mine who has very small feet, so small she also buys her heels online. Her strategy is to buy 4 pairs of diffrent sizes and colors each, and resend the ones that do not fit or try to resell them on ebay / give them to friends. I see why it is so much more profitable to open a web store than a real store : not only you don't have to rent for the place, but also your customers buy twice as much as the customers in a real store.... I own several New Look shoes (I love that brand), and I find that : UK 9 shoes are EU42 / 42,5 UK 9 Wide shoes are EU 43 Each brand sizes and fits differently and I think it needs time and trial to "learn" how. My shoe collection album
onyourtoes Posted September 6, 2012 Posted September 6, 2012 Once upon a time a shoe salesman noticed that EU 35 fits US women's 5 and 36 fits 6. So, just subtract 30 to convert. That's what the store owner told the clerk in 1969 when I bought my first pair of clogs, and they still believe it.
Dr. Shoe Posted September 7, 2012 Posted September 7, 2012 Once upon a time, US and UK sizes also had a width size too. In the US you can still buy shoes sized at 9B or 8C or whatever. In Europe, they chose to incorporate both size measurements into one so making the width a function of the size according to a particular formula. This means in practice that a 43 would be a wider UK9 and a 42 would either be a narrower 9 or a wider 8. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
Guest Posted September 7, 2012 Posted September 7, 2012 I've had a few from New Look mostly 8/41 some are perfect some narrow and needing a stretch some need to much stretch! Al
benno Posted September 7, 2012 Posted September 7, 2012 Not sure why you put Chinese in the title. Isn't it ever so slightly casually racist to only blame the Chinese for this problem?
barney15c Posted September 8, 2012 Author Posted September 8, 2012 I think you are being overly sensitive, there was nothing racial inferred at all. The facts are the trader I dealt with was based in China, the sizing strongly suggests they used the Chinese sizing system (which is different from the European system) to base their sizing, which was wrong. I fail to see what's racial about that. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!!!
SleekHeels Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 Globalization (not specifically any nation) might be a bit of an underlying issue. I've personally found that shoes made in Spain, Italy, Brazil tend to fit me better. I'm not sure if that's because of the country of origin or because they were designed and manufactured specifically for a UK/EU market (which I believe tends to be slightly wider than the North American market for example). Globalized manufacturing, in part towards the Far East, is perhaps homogenizing these regional differences, which is maybe why I'm increasingly finding my usual UK7's a little too small (usually in the width) while UK8's still tend to be too long. I'll only buy shoes that fit well and I can wear all day. If you like it, wear it.
Dr. Shoe Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 I do't think it's particularly racist at all. This is a perennial problem with the average Chinese supplier. Graduate footwear designer able to advise and assist on modification and shoe making projects.
barney15c Posted September 8, 2012 Author Posted September 8, 2012 I will give an example.... about 2 years ago i bought a pair of mules from 6in heels forever before their prices rocketed (who manufacture their shoes in China), but as they offer a kind of bespoke service (made to order) they were far more attentive when it came to sizing, in their case i had to order a Chinese size 46 which is a UK10, maybe a little ove and a narrower width. It's obvious therefore that the 44's i got were going to be far too small. Its seems highly likely they thought their Chinese 44's are the same as a EU44 which they are most definately not. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king!!!
benno Posted September 8, 2012 Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) Barney, I wasn't saying you were being racist. What I was saying is some casual racism (which is completely different) crept into you rational. It's somewhat similar to when people laugh at mistakes on menus in foreign restaurants. I feel sorry for the Chinese as a nation. They make almost everything for the rest of the world and invented some of the world's greatest things. Yet people often view them as greedy and trying to make a fast buck. I would hate to think of the mistakes I would make if I tried to setup a company selling shoes TO China and in Chinese sizes. I have received some of the worst service from UK companies. There was a programme on TV here in the UK about attitudes to Eastern European builders. The makers of the programme arranged for exactly the same work to be carried out on a few identical houses. Some of the British builders were liars and carried out dangerous work whereas all the Eastern European builders were delightful and did amazing work. Maybe, just maybe, you should have named the thread People Miss-sizing shoes? Cheers, Ben Edited September 8, 2012 by benno
Recommended Posts