Purchasing shoes online has a number of advantages brick-and-mortar stores will never be able to match: first, you can do it from the comfort of your home, in your PJ’s; second, the selection is enormous – not only can you browse any online shoe store in the known universe, but often online shoe stores also have much larger selections than retail stores; and third, as anyone who has ever shopped online knows, online stores will often afford you with some amazing deals. You can read our guide about all the advantages of buying shoes online here.
There are, however, several things to pay attention to when you purchase shoes online, especially if you’re a first-time online shoe buyer or you’re ordering from a store or a brand you’ve never shopped from before. Here are some things to keep in mind when you set out to buy shoes online:
Know your correct shoe size
Everyone had once a frustrating experience of ordering shoes online, only to find that the shoes do not fit their feet correctly. Knowing your correct shoe size is vital for two reasons: US, UK, and European shoe sizes are different; also, different brands of shoes go by different size charts.
Read our guide to learn how to measure your foot and know your size.
Always read the store’s return policy
Read the store’s return policy carefully, and look especially at these two points: Who pays for return shipping (you or the store)? And does the store offer a full refund or store credit only? If the store’s return policy is particularly overlong or too severe – you might want to skip that store.
Read about the shoe’s materials
Naturally, you can’t touch the shoe or ask the salesperson directly, so you can’t get an accurate idea of the quality of the shoe’s materials. Therefore, read the description of the product and do not hesitate to contact customer service if anything is unclear. Also, remember that the images of the shoe may not be accurate in terms of the product’s color, so check the description for color as well.
Always read customer reviews
Never, ever, skip this stage. Once you’ve found a shoe you like, look up the exact name of the shoe and read customer reviews. Whenever available, read customer reviews about the online retailer you’re buying from as well.
When buying high heels shoes – check the heel height and the pitch on a shoe
Heels are the hardest thing to buy virtually since they can include heels of all kinds, from stilettos to kitten heels. The heel height is one major indicator of comfort, so we recommend to search for it. The higher the heel, the scarier it becomes to make a gamble but remember, not all four inches are created equal.
In order to identify a good quality shoe so you can feel confident wearing, you should also check out the pitch on a shoe, a.k.a. the incline of the heel, the construction of which affects the space between the heel and sole. The higher the pitch, the more your weight will shift to your toes.
Check for coupons to get the best deal
Most US-based online stores offer promotions and sales that you can take advantage of. Getting a really good deal generally takes a bit of work and patience but there are many coupon sites and price comparison sites to help you save a ton of money. Read our guide to find out the most popular websites for online deals and price comparison.
After you get the shoes, try them on
And do so immediately. Try them on indoors, so you don’t damage them and make them impossible the return.
Shop for shoes from the top brands in the USA and use USaddress for cross-border delivery to your country
Thanks to Skymartbw cross border delivery service, shopping shoes online is really simple and easy, even if you live on the other side of the globe and even if you find that your favorite store doesn’t ship to your country.
You would also be able to consolidate several orders from several stores to save shipping costs by up to 70%.
Thanks a lot, this is insightful, i will share with other fellow students and compatriots, alumni in the US, Canada, diaspora.
Thanks a lot, this is insightful, i will share with other fellow students and compatriots, alumni in the US, Canada, diaspora.tom