To buy second hand school shoes from ebay for my ds1?

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I always go and get feet measured then buy plimsolls or cheaper sandals in store, then go onto ebay to buy the more expensive school shoes, as ds, like all kids, grows out of them so quickly that we can't afford brand new shoes 3/4 times a year.

I thought this was perfectly acceptable, but my mum has just made me feel super guilty for not buying properly fitted shoes.

So am IBU? Or is my mum?

Are you near Swindon or Bicester? There's a Clarks outlet store in Swindon Designer Outlet and in Bicester Village - you can get some good bargains there sometimes. I once got some light up trainers for DD for £5 in the swindon one.

Also look out for sales - my husband bought DD some light up Clarks boots - real leather, fur lining and really pretty for just £12 in the Clarks high street shop.

I would never buy secondhand shoes for children, however I am very thrifty and have never bought full priced shoes for DD.

op, when money is tight the fact my ds has feet that seem to grow daily is a really worry!
ive opted for a ' shoe jar' to help...
I've asked all his random relatives to not send Easter eggs for example ( as he gets plenty from close family,)

instead a small donation to his 'shoe jar' would be better. this tactic has paid for lots of his shoes so far!

Oh and atheletes foot, warts in general, bacteria that make your feet smell... Second shoes are like second hand underwear. No.

I spent £40 on startrite school shoes for dd.....which is about double the cost of my new shoes. She wore them for 3 months and then I had to buy £30 shoes in the same size as they rubbed her feet red. They were badly fitted but just didn't suit her feet and so u had to buy softer leather ones.

I do wonder if cheaper ones replaced more regularly would have been better.

i think if they have hardly been worn it is fine

they will support growing feet, better to have leather and supportive shoes than cheap trainers or plimsolles worn all the time

ds had his cousins kickers (hardly worn) i have given away shoes that ds has worn a few times to my friends children (who can certainly afford to buy new shoes)

It isn't something I would do tbh, for all the reasons given. The only footwear passed down in our house is wellies and slippers as they get very little wear. Ds' also have very different fittings, one fat footed and one skinny. I do know lots of people who do it and have sold on shoes in good condition. I am very lucky though as my parents save £2 a week per child especially for shoes for them so that helps.

Do you have a Clarks Outlet near you ? I paid £19 for shoes that are normally £32

Didnt the op say they just buys off the shelf rather than second hand after getting the fitting done at the more expensive place?
i think that is fine- kids shoes are way overpriced in the places they fit you.As long as you use the right size from tesco or wherever i think that is fine until maybe school when one good pair would be preferable.

How many pairs of school shoes do most of you go through in a school year? DS, now 9, seems to average 3 pairs since he was 6. I am really hoping the pair he got in January will last til the summer holidays. I couldn't wait to bin them the day they broke up last summer, as they were falling to bits the last couple of weeks. But surely nobody else would fork out that late in the year? Or am I just too frugal?

I wouldn't recommend second hand shoes either, although as is obvious from my post above, I squeeze every bit of wear I can out of new shoes!

Wow, wasn't expecting this much of a response, thank you!

nalubedsgirl My mum already pays for swimming lessons, so I couldn't ask for shoes too. Apparently learning to swim is more important than new shoes!

It does seem to be the overall opinion that second hand shoes are a no-no. I'm still torn about buying cheap supermarket shoes though, they surely can't be better than hardly worn ebay shoes? Can they?

We go through three pairs of school shoes and trainers and plimsolls every year. So far. We don't have an outlet that near. Bicester is about an hour's drive away but by the time you drive there and back, you might nearly as well have bought new! I am going to try Shoezone, as someone up-thread mentioned, as well as that website, which has some good deals on it.

I can't beat myself up about it. I do the best I can with the resources we have available. But if I can find a way of stetching to buy new, it seems it might be the best thing to do!

If you are going to try cheaper shoes, as a compromise between eBay Clarks and brand new Clarks, I would recommend the Sainsburys ones over Next or M&S. I had to replace both the latter after half a term, (they both developed tiny holes in the soles that were hard to see) whereas the Sainsburys have lasted a term twice and they are also cheaper (about £12/13, if I remember right).

CremeEggThief thanks for the tip. I've never looked at Sainsbuys school shoes so will have a squizz next time I'm there.

No problem. Hope I haven't just been lucky with the 2 pairs we've had though :)

I just wanted to add that I was so cross about DD wearing out her Clarks and Hush Puppies school shoes, that I followed an MN recommendation and bought some Toughees in January. DD says they are very comfy and so far they look pristine and the toes are completely unworn. Price wise they are on a par with Clarks (maybe a little cheaper) but I'm very impressed with the durability.

I buy second hand wellies and spare shoes from NCT sales.

But I always buy new school / nursery shoes. Why, only this month I've shelled out almost £80 on 2 new pairs of shoes .

I think Clarks are worth the money, especially when your childrens feet don't grow so quickly. My son has been a size four since last July thankfully when I paid £45 for his school shoes and because I have looked after them there is still loads of wear in them. I definitely think it's worth paying for quality.

Get some from shoezone or Asda , no need to spend a fortune

I agree with Marathonrunner - getting good shoes for school is important.But so is getting them at a knock-down price. I tried a pair of 'supermarket' shoes and they lasted a few weeks before they fell to bits (having two sons in the playground, 5 days a week - they just couldn't handle it! So now I only buy decent shoes for them, but generally get them online. Yes I get their feet measured either at Clarks or a Start-rite shop, but then I go online to either Amazon or www.shoesforkids.co.uk/index.asp - and buy them from there.

DONT go the supermarket route. They may appear cheaper, but wont last....

You really cannot compromise with school shoes, they are in them all day. Clarkes all the way and out of school mine has supermarket shoes, at home she is mostly barefoot.

Preworn shoes are a HUGE no no as everyone walks differently and wears shoes accordingly.

If you need to, cutback somewhere else, decent shoes are not a luxury, they are essential to a child's development!