Wednesday 9 January 2013

Second hand sports shoes are gross?

For my partner, H, buying nothing new poses different challenges than for me; she is rather particular about the things she buys, is very sporty* and has specific sports-wear requirements.  We would both like to demonstrate that it is possible to buy what you need and want second hand, no matter your taste or style.  

One of the items on H's wish-list has been some branded boxing boots.  We both have a thing about second hand shoes (we think they are gross) but we are having to open our minds as part of this challenge.  

So, this week H started on her hunt for some boxing boots on e-bay, and within a couple of days found some advertised as 'worn once'-perfecto.  She snapped them up for £10.50 including the postage; a saving of £26 compared to buying them new.  

The boots arrived today and here they are:




We all performed a smell test and and they scored 1 on a scale of 1-to-stench.  There was a slight odour on the outside of the boots but this may be because they came from a smoking household.  



There were no toe creases or visible signs of wear, other than slightly dirty soles and a little toe scuffing.  So all in all H is very happy and looking forward to training in them, next week.

There may be hope yet for me in making second hand shoe purchases, Dear Readers!  Have you experienced success in buying second hand shoes?

Love Alice, H and Treacle x


*I am not

  

4 comments:

  1. I bought some beautiful patent leather Jaeger peeptoes from ebay for something like £12 that someone had bought for a wedding and then decided to sell as they were a bit too big for them and they were lovely. I then sold them on (they were a bit big for me too) and the person who bought them (third hand, yum!) was very happy with them. They were practically new despite being through two people beforehand, and they still smelt of new leather.

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    1. Wowee Lucy, Third-hand that is amazing! You are an expert in second-hand shoe living. Thank you for following the blog and commenting!! xx

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  2. Yes, I have bought loads of Church shoes - mainly loafers - from ebay.

    They are far too expensive for me to buy new so I look for resonably priced second hand shoes from Church, Crockett and Jones etc. and have them resoled if they need it.

    Good quality leather shoes last ages and I haven't had any that smell.

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    1. Hi Tim,
      Thank you so much for commenting. What an excellent tip to get them re-soled if need be. It looks like e-bay is the answer- I will work up to buying some myself, soon, xxx

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