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Old shoes - resole, donate or toss?

post #1 of 10
9/18/11 at 12:26pm
Thread Starter 
I am sorting through old shoes to determine precisely what to do with them. Some hail from before I learned much about shoes and shoe care and as such are not in the best of condition.

I have a pair of Bruno Magli shoes with a hole through them. (See pic.) The upper has a nice shine but the leather is pretty cracked. I couldn't have spent more than maybe $150 on these at some Nordstrom sale long, long ago. Local cobblers want ~ $85 to re-sole. Is it worth doing?

If not, then I would be curious to know whether shoes like these should be donated or tossed, and what the rules are for donating shoes of poor condition. (i.e. what is the minimum condition that can be accepted.) I dislike the notion of throwing something away if there's a slight chance it could be used by someone in need. Of course, a few dollars in pocket or a tax deduction does not hurt either, although that wouldn't be the point.

Just curious what everyones' thoughts are; I have five or so pairs in the same situation that have sat in a closet due to my uncertainty about what to do with them.

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post #2 of 10
9/18/11 at 2:14pm
2 suggestions that come to my mind:
1 Donate something that you yourself would want to have.
2 Donate and let it sort itself out. In this condtion they'll probably toss them unless they have nothing better to put on the shelf.
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post #3 of 10
9/18/11 at 2:26pm
If those were mine, I would have 'em resoled and have the cobbler refinish them at the same visit. No, they won't look brand new and will still have some creasing and cracking, but I suspect a decent cobbler will be able to make those look a lot nicer than you think.

The key question is really if you like the shoes otherwise. If they were in better condition, would you wear them? If the answer is yes, bring them to your local cobbler and ask him to do his best refinishing 'em without going to (pricey) extremes. And wear them with a little character. Have 'em resoled with danite and wear 'em as beaters. But if you still like the shoe, you can still get use out of it.
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post #4 of 10
9/18/11 at 8:56pm
If it is a shoe that I wear often and is comfortable then definitely resole. If I do not wear it often then I would probably toss it. Really comfortable dress shoes are hard to find for me. So when I find them I keep them.
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post #5 of 10
9/18/11 at 9:05pm
ask yourself, if you saw them in their refinished condition and they fit and were comfortable, would you buy them for $85?

don't think about the price you originally paid versus the repair becuase it was a good deal when you bought them and you used that value already.
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post #6 of 10
9/18/11 at 11:04pm
I say donate. They don't look appealing enough to go through the trouble.
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post #7 of 10
9/18/11 at 11:17pm

if you are still wearing them, resole.  or put plastic topy sole to use it as a beater.

 

otherwise donate.  donation centers/boxes will sort out if those are worth keeping. 

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post #8 of 10
9/19/11 at 8:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chogall View Post

if you are still wearing them, resole.  or put plastic topy sole to use it as a beater.

 

otherwise donate.  donation centers/boxes will sort out if those are worth keeping. 


You can't add a sole guard when the leather is weak.
You're just wasting your money.
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post #9 of 10
9/19/11 at 8:55am
Offer them for sale on B&S.

It'd fit right in with all the other junk
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post #10 of 10
9/19/11 at 1:00pm
I'd donate them.
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