Category Archives: Buying Shoes Online

For those of us that love designer shoes, a variety of on-line stores offers the best selection and allow us to find the best prices. I’ll break the various stores down into three categories: US Department stores, International stores, and US based internet only stores.

US Department stores, like Nordstrom, Saks, Neiman Marcus, Barneys and Berdorf Goodman. The pros: They all have a great selection, carry only shoes from the current season or the upcoming season, and have a great return policy. They also offer excellent customer service. The cons: The shoes are very rarely on sale, it takes a few days to process the order, so no matter what shipping method you choose, you will not get your shoes for at least a few days.

International stores like Louisaviaroma, My Theresa, Browns, Forzieri and Farfetch. The pros: Designers that are based in Europe like Christian Louboutin, Giuseppe Zanotti, and Alexander McQueen cost less from these stores, sometimes up to hundreds less. They have a great selection and offer new styles weekly. The cons: shipping fees and VAT tax (however some of these stores include them in the price of the shoe and the price still comes out lower than if we bought in the US). It takes longer for the shoes to arrive since they are traveling from another continent. They only carry current collections and pre-sales and only have sales once or twice a year.

US Based Internet only stores, like Zappos, Endless, and Piperlime. The pros: They have a huge selection, from past seasons to the current seasons and have many shoes on sale year round. They offer free shipping, sometimes free overnight shipping, or a low cost. They have excellent customer service and offer free returns. Offer customer feedback on their sites. The cons: They don’t have any pre-sales reservations, so when a popular shoe becomes available, it can be gone within days. They can be slow in getting new collections.

One thing to be wary of is on-line stores that look completely professional, but offer fake ware. There are a couple of big on-line presences that I know for a fact carry fake designer shoes and handbags. If you aren’t sure, go someplace else. The above stores, with their strengths and weaknesses, are 100% legit

Anytime I provide a link off this site it is only from a reputable store, with excellent products and customer service. Some stores I like more than others based on price, selection, and customer service.