To buy good condition shoes for 2YO DS from ebay? Long explanation!

[youngbutnotdumb]

ARGH sorry this is a bit of a daft thread but am bloody angry!

Well basically I took DS to get his feet measured last week and he has gone up a size since his last pair fair enough! But as u all know Clarks are absolutely extortionate, well in my opinion. We are not exactly flush with cash so thought I'd get him a pair of Doodles as they are around £15 and is around £30 for shoes/trainers. So got home oand bought hima pair from ebay which were on sale in clarks for £20 but I got them for £2.50! They are in excellent condition and have only been worn a few times am very pleased with them but DP and a friend have said that I shouldnt buy used shoes as its disgusting and just stingy on my part and theyll prob be uncomfy as hey have been worn!

Am soo annoyed with them both am trying to save some money and making small cutbacks I dont see the problem with buying from ebay or am I basically bloody neglecting my child?

Just reminded me actually she has a pair of silver weird tie up shoes her nan bought her that were too small, may as well shove 'em on ebay.

You should not feel guilty. Shoes in Clarks are a rip off and expensive. I never buy shoes from places like this.
I get ds measured and walk out of the door to a cheaper shoe shop or I buy new clarks or similar shoes from ebay for less than half the price.

I don't see what is wrong with buying a pair of shoes which have been worn only once or twice by a child. I wouldn't buy used shoes which are very worn in.
My family do not have 'parasites' on our feet!!

Properly fitting shoes are important. Their feet are still growing and shoes that don't fit could leave them with life-long problems. Shoes that have been worn by someone else will have become shaped to their feet so are not suitable for another child. Sorry, but it's the truth. Just because Clark's are expensive, or some assistants aren't great at measuring, it doesn't make that untrue.

It's no good just getting them measured in Clarks and buying the same size elsewhere - manufacturers vary, just as the do in clothes sizes. You need to try the shoes on, and you need a shoe fitter to check that they do indeed fit properly, with decent support and room for growth.

Good god am surprised at all the replies!

Ineedacleaner- I am in Elgin so just a train away from Inverness, where are u from?

Edam- I don't think anyone said that correct fitting shoes aren't important I got my DS measured in Clarks and tried on the trainers I have bought from ebay(although were £28 in shop) so I know they fit fine.

Thank you all for your replies BTW this seems to be a bit of a controversial subject doesn't it am quite surprised.

Edam I don;t see how shoes worn once or twice (if at all) can possibly be shaped to the feet of any child even a wildly rambunctuous 2 year old.

Sorry - I'm really not convinced with how clarkes make such a brillinat job of fitting shoes for my 2 year old and he will be hobbled for life if I don't buy them. My rare experiences of Clarks are inevitably that they try to sell me shoes far too big.

Where shoes are more expensive and I can't affords to bin them if they don't fit (Eg as they get older) then I would go to a shop and get DS to try pairs on and choose a pair that fits - partly because that doesn't rely on a saturday girl in Mothercare making a decision but he can tell me himself whetehr the shoe is pressing anywhere.

Kewcumber - With me it's all scare tactics I must say. My mum has 'dodgy' feet which is apparently caused by the fact she may have worn badly fitted shoes as a child so, I trust the only people there really are to trust on this issue I guess and that just happens to be Clarks.

Don;t get me wrong I relaly have no conerns with anyone wanting to buy Clarkes new. But most of our parents who suffered from badly fitting shoes were probably (in my mothers case) a combination of being too poor to buy new shoes regularly and stuffing your ffeet into shoes patently too small and winklepickers.

Actually now that I think about it I do have some shoe snobbery.

I would much rather buy a pair of second hand Clarks that I know are the right size for DS, than buy a new pair of shoes from say Next where there are no different widths and often the shoes are made from synthetic materials.

Kew, my DH who, due to his retail shoe fitting experiences, knows a bit about this, says that the main cause of bunions are too tight shoes, particularly those with pointy toes. He is happiest when I am wearing a pair of walking boots and it has made me see high heeled shoes in a whole new light. I ended up parting company with my beautiful purple Russel & Bromley wedges because they hurt my fight and all I could think of was how unfortunate it would be to become an old lady wiht bunions.

Feet not fight of course

I'm with your DH rookie - I think the wrong type of shoes casue far more damage than any other single - thNkafully boys don;t mind sensible shoes so one less thing to worry about for DS and I have to wear sensible shoes as I can;t get my orthotic insoles into any other sort of shoe (your DH would love me!)

Gawd I don't trust Clarks at all. I don't rate their fitting service. It's too variable.

DD has terribly awkward feet and we go to an independent which stocks a much wider range of styles. Because it's style and shape as much as size that determines fit. Like bras IME

I could fit her shoes. After all this time I know what I'm looking for, and the fitters in the shop I go to have shown me what to do. I go there for the range realyy. And the ability to size up her feet at a glance and bring out the styles that are most likely to fit. Again like a good bra fitter...

I see no problem with buying secondhand shoes. If you have the money to buy Clarks shoes every 6 weeks then lucky you but otherwise as long as they are the correct size why not buy used!! If my DD isn't in a half size I also buy from Woolies as you can get really nice shoes/trainers/wellies for a fiver! The main thing is your child has shoes on his feet not where they bloody came form!

youngbutnotdumb I am just North of Inverness about an hour north of Elgin.
I am planning a trip to Elgin soon, take the kids to Forres for Bumbles then down to Elgin for a nosey in Asda.

You don't have to go to Clarks if you don't want to, just to a shoe shop that does proper fitting and measuring.

I am a secong hand maniac, 99% of DD's clothes are second hand, for environmetnal and ethical reasons as well as the fact I'm a skint sinlge mum. I'm complimented on her wardrobe ( wardrobe! She's 22 months. I am mental) by strangers, she has gorgeous things. But I always get her shoes fitted on the day, usually from Clarks as there's not much choice round here. The way I see it, she wears one pair every day pretty much, maybe she will have 2 pairs including sandals in summer, so they have to be right. Wellies, sandals etc are on for a morning or a day so I'll get them from cheaper places but "school shoes" are on every day. So I wouldn't buy them second hand.

I do give the old ones away though and they are in good condition, each to their own.

I have to say I have just bid on a pair of new doodles on ebay- not in the box but clearly not worn. I also might consider putting some shoes on there myself as my dd1 got some which were the wrong width and were hardly worn from clarkes. I stupidly had only bought new trainers for her in an F fit, so bought shoes in an F fit and they were too small Waste of money.

Clarks measure feet as a starting guide (I speak as a little girl who spent her summer holidays at their head office for 40p and a c hocolate biscuit helping new recruits learn to fit with a bottle of talc to get the right fit!!), the fitting determines the best fit not the initial measure.

Tori, If Clarks fit the shoes you can return them.