Can other people actually just buy shoes online?

[Konstantine8364]

When I go shopping for any shoes other than maybe flat, ankle boots I would have to try on maybe 5 or 6 pairs to get one that fit, then I might not like them on. So I probably try on 10+ pairs to buy one pair. So I always buy shoes in person as it would be mad to order 10 pairs. Do I have weird deformed feet or is this normal?! My friend today said she just orders shoes online, maybe 2 or 3 pairs and will pretty much always buy one or two from that.

YABU - most shoes in my size will fit
YANBU - I have to try on quite a lot of shoes to find comfortable ones

I mostly buy shoes online as I get bad Planctar Facilitis and need shoes that can support me better. I've yet to find a shop that stocks this. (I AM going to Skipton one day to visit cheerful soles)

Most highstreet shops won't have shoes I need.

Dd1 only buys online she is a size 9 and finding shoes in shops for her is a poor experience.

Don’t think I’ve tried shoes on in a shop in decades. Online all the way. Although I hate shopping in person so buy almost everything online anyway.

I would have to try on maybe 5 or 6 pairs to get one that fit
OP, do you mean you try on the exact, same shoe style to find one which fits or multiple, different brands and styles?

I have hobbit wide feet. Even with 'wide fit' I never know if they actually will fit or I'll need a size up. I have a certain type of trainers I buy online. I occasionally order 'wife fit' online and return about half. So I do a mix of online and in store.

Up until recently it seemed everything that was my size fitted fine, never had an issue and would buy any random pair online as a 6 is a 6 is a 6.

Not anymore though! All of a sudden it's a minefield, there's no consistency and I'm completely befuddled. This might be my sign to start going back to shoe shops!

I have wide feet, plus a high instep, and there are certain styles I know will just not fit. So nothing with heels + ankle strap, must have boxy toes etc but can usually get something, even if online. But I prefer to shop in person, sadly the good shoe shops are disappearing though. I'm not averse to spending a lot for the right pair though - have a gorgeous evening dress and bought Sargasso and Grey which are not cheap but really good for wide feet and so so comfortable.

Can't buy boots online as almost nothing works - few have zips that go low enough, or I can't get my foot round the bend due to the high instep. Plus due to a break I've a fat ankle and a less fat one. So boots even wellies I have to buy in person.

No chance. I have wide feet but narrow heels and shoes that don't blister me are rare.

I have arthritis in one foot and need to wear orthotics. I have to try on loads of shoes to get a comfortable fit. It is quicker, cheaper and easier for me to nip to the shopping mall and try shoes on there in the several shoe shops than to order online and return them until I find a pair that fit and are comfortable.

Charles Clinkard, Skechers, Rieker and Pavers are best for my feet. None are deeply fashionable, but I refuse to wear shoes that hurt my feet.

I buy a few brands (Pied A Terre, Birkenstock, Ecco, Shoe Embassy and Toms) second hand from eBay and Vinted (!) -their sizing is always consistent and I just know they will fit me. They are also always in great condition, hardly worn and a fraction of the price, with the added benefit of not having to contribute to the triggering of further manufacturing in an endless, resource-hungry chain of supply and demand.

Sorry haven't voted as like others on this thread I have identified 3 styles from 2 brands/sizes that I can buy online (eg Whisper wide fit ankle boots from Hotter, Saucony Triumph men's trainers) and just buy those on repeat. I can't buy any other shoes online but then I don't buy many others. When I go into a shop, if they have one pair of a vaguely suitable style that will fit, I consider myself lucky and will buy them.

I’m a pretty consistent UK 3 across all brands.

The only shoes that I prefer to buy in person are Louboutins, because I can fit anywhere between a 2.5 - 4 depending on the style.

I managed to buy slippers successfully the other week.
But I went into a store a week later to check that the size down wasn't a better fit.

Flat plimsoll type shoes are OK generally - but not trainers.

Like others, only if it’s a very very similar shoe to one I already have, from a reliable company where I am reliably always that exact size. Even then it’s hit and miss. V wide feet, size 8-9 and no tolerance at all (any more) for uncomfortable or poorly fitting shoes (if it feels like “I need to wear them in” I send them right back because they never work out).

Been having these same shenanigans with my teen son who has my square feet but men’s size 12-13. This time last year I must have ordered about 8 pairs of diff trainers just to find something that fitted. Similar with school shoes and same with walking boots. But all glory to be thanked, his feet have slowed right down and this year for the first time EVER we ordered another pair of trainers from the same company ( fitville, excellent for wide feet) in the same size he already wears, and they fit beautifully straight away! Such a relief.

I can safely order online from Clarks. I'm a half-size and quite a few brands just don't do half-sizes, but Clarks does and they always fit perfectly.

I have duck feet with high arches, narrow heels and high insteps so shoes have always been a very difficult purchase for me. Even trainers and shoes that are supposedly like walking on air rub my toes and cut my heels to shreds to the point they bleed. I tried a pair of Birkenstocks a couple of summers ago and they cut my arches to shreds. Got a pair of Clarks wide fit sandals to replace them but they gave me blisters too. A pair of M&S wide fit boots gave me huge blisters on the soles of my feet that took months to heal, that was a first. Got a pair of John Lewis boots last year and they made my ankles bleed I tried going up a size, down a size, padding my feet with moleskin, insoles, heel grips, applying antiperspirant to my heels etc but nothing helped.

Last year I finally found a brand of boot that works for me - Tamaris. I have three pairs which have all been comfortable from day 1. It sounds silly but it’s made a big difference to my life, previously I had to take blister plasters with me wherever I went.

It really annoys me that wide fitting options are so limited and often ugly, plus they tend not to be available to try on in store. Although I discovered wide fit don’t really work for me either because they slip off my narrow heels. I’m not looking forward to trying to find a summer shoe.

So agree @Jaehee - I had to learn the hard way that 99% of shoes are terrible on my feet, it doesn't matter how many other people assure me they're comfortable. I didn't have shoes that didn't give me blisters at first until I was forty fucking two years old!!

If I won the lottery I would buy handmade shoes for the rest of my life.

Clarks Tru-fit works. You select what brand of shoes you wear, style - loafers, trainers etc you wear and the size you wear. Tells you what size to order. Never had an issue with this.

Skechers I live and die in them and always have their 8s. I have bought some bargains on Amazon for £30-40 before.

Clothes, not so. As I have identical tops from the same range, different colours and some vary in fit and length. Usually order 2 sizes and try the larger one of the two. I can tell if I need to try the smaller one. I usually stick to the larger size, as longer in length by a 1cm or so as got a long body.

@WarmthAndDepth thanks for that prompt - just found a brand that I used to wear a lot on Vinted for less than £20 inc P&P - they're generally around £180.
The store I used to buy from closed down.
I hope their sizing hasn't changed (or my feet)

I buy from Hotter both in their shop and online, and I know several people who just buy them online. They’re utterly reliable, so I’ve never had to send any back. Well-made, sensible shoes and boots. Nothing spectacular! They fit reliably, and are so comfortable I don’t have to break them in.

I buy most of my shoes online as I am not a mainstream size.

I'm the same- wide foot that got larger in pregnancy and narrow heels. I wear orthotics and was told they are flat but with high insteps. Don't know how that's even possible! I'd love to hear any suggestions of good companies. I'm about 9-10.

I've never bought shoes online that actually fitted.

My feet are on the narrow side, high instep and my heels must be weirdly pointy because often the heel of shoes has gaps that make them slip about. And I'm sometimes a 39, sometimes a 40 and occasionally a 41. A few months ago I discovered yet another way that shoes don't fit. I bought a lovely pair of Veja trainers online, and they came so far up the top of my foot that they were digging into the front of my ankle and would have rubbed as I walk.

There used to be an independent shoe shop where I live where the owner used to import shoes from Italy. I could always find shoes that fit in there but sadly he retired years ago and no-one wanted to take it on as a business. It's just a house now. We've still got one shoe shop, another independent, but they never seem to have much stock and I can rarely get my size. Clarks and Stead and Simpson closed a couple of years ago.

It's fucking annoying, having to drive miles to buy shoes.

I have to buy online as I only wear 'barefoot' style shoes that allow the foot to spread/move properly.

This means a lot of trying on and many returns or re-sales. But the shoes I have wear and last well. It's frustrating but worth it for me.

Always buy online. I make a point to always read the size guide/description because brand dependent obviously but I find they often say things like ‘runs small, recommend half a size up’ or ‘true to size’ and also the reviews to check the consensus is the same and thankfully I haven’t got it wrong yet. I got the startrite measuring gauges for the kids during covid and always do theirs online too. Have had the odd return when ordering from a different brand to usual but I’d still say I get it right 90% of the time.

No I have to try on in the shops as I can be a size 6 up to an 8 both myself and Ds have very wide feet . I get sore feet due to ra so usually live in new balance or my fly boots