How to Buy Shoes on the Internet
Useful Tips for Buying Women’s Footwear Online
There are many advantages in buying shoes on the internet these days. Once you have discovered your correct shoe size, you have a huge choice of brands and styles online
With today’s boom in online shopping there are a number of popular online stores dedicated to women’s fashion and accessories; not to mention the global success of eBay, which allows its members to buy new and used goods, often at a fraction of the price found in high-street stores. However, whilst many women have bought items over the internet, be it books from Amazon or a vintage purse from eBay, buying shoes online can be a minefield in terms of sizing.
Advantages of Shoe Shopping on the Internet
One of the biggest advantages of shopping online is that the world is your oyster in terms of product choices. No longer restricted by the stock in a particular store, just type your item description into a search engine, and hey presto, you can find anything from a pair of sexy red soled-Louboutin heels to a budget-priced jelly shoe!
For women whose feet don’t fit the majority of commercial store sizes, large and small-sized shoes can be tracked down at specialist online stores. e.g. Designer Shoes.com specializes in large sizes and wide fittings for women with bigger feet. Zappos.com offers a huge range of sizes in both wide and narrow fittings. Search by your exact shoe size, which will list your product choices in a matter of moments, thus saving you time.
The Problems of Buying Shoes Online
The biggest issue is sizing, as there are more variants with shoe sizes than with clothing. There are US shoe sizes, UK shoe sizes, Australian shoe sizes, Chinese sizes, Japanese – to name but a few. Depending on the place of manufacturer, and the location of the stockist, sizes may vary considerably.
Secondly, the cost of shipping and returns may daunt a potential shopper. As there is a greater issue with finding the right fit, there is more chance that the footwear needs to be returned.
How To Find Your Exact Shoe Size
The golden rule for shoe shopping online is to know your exact size before you buy. This means taking into account quirks like your feet are fatter in the afternoon, (after they have been walked on for a while) and the fact that your shoe size can fluctuate along with your weight. During pregnancy feet are particularly susceptible to swelling.
The best option is to get your feet measured professionally in a shoe store, but it is possible to do it yourself by measuring the length and width of your foot, and then using a cshoe-size conversion chart. Place your bare feet on a sheet of plain paper, and mark where your toe begins and the heel ends. You can then ascertain the length of your foot. When measuring the width choose the widest part of your feet and make a mark either side of the foot, then measure the difference between them. Don’t forget to measure both feet, as one foot may be slightly bigger than the other;in which case, choose a size that fits the larger of the two.
You can find your own preferred chart by doing an internet search or clicking on this useful link.
Know Your Footwear Brands
You will gradually get to know the brands and footwear styles which best fit your feet. Once you have a preference for a particular brand, it is easy to search for online stockists. Certain shoe styles will suit your feet more than others. Whereas a D’Orsay pump might not fit your instep well, a court shoe may be the perfect fit.
Returns Policies and Shipping Costs
If the cost of returning shoes is a big consideration, then major footwear shopping sites like Heels, Shoes and Zappos.com, offer a more than generous returns policy. Footwear can be returned within a 365 day period, providing they are in the same condition as they were bought and in the original packaging.
Look for sites which offer reasonable shipping costs. Obviously if you are ordering outside of your home country then international shipping rates will apply.
Some sites, like Zappos, offer free shipping both ways, if you are making a domestic purchase, although certain conditions often apply. There is definately an incentive to buy from online stores which offer such benefits, as buying footwear over the internet then proves no more costly than buying shoes from a local store. Plus, you have a much wider selection, to boot!
