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First purchase since lurking on style forum for 3 days. Feedback Wanted

post #1 of 51
12/30/11 at 10:28pm
Thread Starter 
 
I currently own some athletic shoes, a casual pair of Steve maddens and a dress pair of Steve  maddens 
 
I have been lurking on SF for the past 3 days and decided to visit an Allen Edmonds store.  I was sized at a 9.5 E in the Park Ave.  Unfortunately they are out of my price range and probably more so I wouldn't want to pay retail anyway. 
 
I was trying to decide to save up for 1 pair of AE Park Ave. or buy 3 pair of cheapos from K&G  mens super store. 
 
I took option C and decided to try my luck at bargain shopping.  However I am impatient so I just  bought the 3 cheapest AE's on eBay in my size. 
 
 I bought the 3 shoes listed below and wanted the SF members feedback on how my haul was. Did I waste my money?  what do you think of the styles,  are they even real?  I noticed the brown oxford has a rubber sole and i cant find it on the AE website. 
 
         
Allen Edmonds Sanford $51 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250960853826?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 
 
         
Allen Edmonds Hillcrest $76 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/260922904080?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 
 
ALLEN EDMONDS Brown Oxfords $51 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300622717631?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 
 
I already bought them so ill just put TLC in them and try to learn from my successes and failures. 
 
These will at least buy me time to shop for more shoes (let me know if you want to sell some 9.5 E's)

 


Edited by trapline - 12/30/11 at 11:01pm
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post #2 of 51
12/31/11 at 12:03am
those are all very worn and very old... all in all i say you did not do that great sorry.
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post #3 of 51
12/31/11 at 1:37am
Looks like you dropped $167.76 for three biscuits. The good news is those two sellers accept returns.

I like to think one of the primary functions of internet fora such as this is to enable oneself to make educated decisions based on the experience of others. Unfortunately all too often the advice taken is ill advice. I am not necessarily against buying pre-owned footwear but in this instance I would advise against it.

Treat your feet well. You did good in going to try shoes on. You did well in coming here for advice. Perhaps lurking more than 3 days would have served you well.

Now, then. When you receive the shoes, try them on and take a good look at them and remember this post. Then return them, eat the return shipping costs and leave good feedback for the sellers upon receipt of your refund. Set yourself up an ebay search using many of the model names in the SF shoe auction ticker (bottom of http://www.styleforum.net/f/6654/buying-and-selling#page=0&Filter[type][1]=true&Filter[type][2]=true&Filter[type][4]=true&Filter[type][5]=true&Filter[state][Open]=true&Filter[state][Sold]=false&Filter[categoryTag]=0&Filter[order_by]=Classified.bump_at this page)and check regularly, but make sure under "condition" you tick the "New With Box" option.

Also, browse the B&S section here, there are some amazing deals on there.

Here's an example of the ticker search I mentioned in your size range.

Welcome to SF.

Edit: My links didn't work

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Mixed-Items-Lots-/63850/i.html?US%2520Shoe%2520Size%2520%2528Men%2527s%2529=9%7C9%252E5%7C10&LH_ItemCondition=1000&_nkw=%28%22edward+green%22%2C+peal%2C+%22brooks+brothers%22%2C+alden%2C+lingwood%2C+lobb%2C+vass%2C+testoni%2C+edmonds%2C+mcafee%2C+church%2C+hermes%2C+crispin%2C+zegna%2C+santoni%2C+faconnable%2C+ferragamo%2C+gaziano%2C+guyot%2C+klemann%2C+loake%2C+maftei%2C+melkersson%2C+moreschi%2C+materna%2C+meier%2C+myhre%2C+pape%2C+peron%2C+petrocchi%2C+reiter%2C+scheer%2C+schneider%2C+stanislas%2C+suzuki%2C+crisci%2C+ugolini%2C+vogel%2C+yanko%2C+certo%2C+barbera%29&_trkparms=65%253A12%257C66%253A2%257C39%253A1%257C72%253A5833&rt=nc&_dcat=63850&_dmd=1&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_vc=1&_sop=15&_sc=1
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post #4 of 51
12/31/11 at 1:40am
The first pair is passable.

The second pair is ghastly. One search for ´bicycle toe´ on this forum will tell you why.

The third pair are scuffed, probably beyond repair and are also rubber soled.

Not a great haul, sorry.

For what its worth I bought some terrible shoes at the beginning of my 'style journey' too.
Consider this a rite of passage. Not an overly expensive one, at that.
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post #5 of 51
12/31/11 at 1:56am
number one and three can be saved. no worries.

welcome to sf.
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post #6 of 51
12/31/11 at 1:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jermyn View Post

The third pair are scuffed, probably beyond repair and are also rubber soled.
.

not at all. great beater for casual friday and foul weather. the heel fix is minor.
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post #7 of 51
12/31/11 at 6:33am
Thread Starter 

Awesome thanks everyone I appreciate the feedback. I will probably search the forums for what to look for in used shoes.  I guess I was naively hoping to throw some polish on them and have some treasures.

 

what is a reasonable amount to pay for a new AE shoe 50% off retail?

 

I figured it was better to have a few ok pairs to rotate than buy one pair of NIB  AE's and wear them everyday to work untill I can afford another pair.. because if I don't rotate them they will end up creased like beaters anyway right?

 

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post #8 of 51
12/31/11 at 7:19am
Have you checked out AE's current online sale?
http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/cati2_Sale_1_40000000001_-1_1_image_0_N_132807_132807_132809_subcategory
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post #9 of 51
12/31/11 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by trapline View Post

Awesome thanks everyone I appreciate the feedback. I will probably search the forums for what to look for in used shoes.  I guess I was naively hoping to throw some polish on them and have some treasures.

alright, just wait until you have them and then we can talk.
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post #10 of 51
12/31/11 at 7:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KObalto View Post

Have you checked out AE's current online sale?
http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/cati2_Sale_1_40000000001_-1_1_image_0_N_132807_132807_132809_subcategory


I was just going to suggest that. There are a few very nice models for $199.

 

If you are buying pre-owned shoes from eBay, make sure they are in perfect condition. Good shoes like AE, when maintained properly, should remain in great condition for a long time. So, take your time and look for a really good deal, rather than just jump on the first thing.

 

For example, this is my one and only shoe purchase on eBay (I think I may be developing a shoe fetish, this forum partly to blame) but the shoes are in near new condition, only a minor creasing, which is natural: http://www.ebay.com/itm/370569873899?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

As you can see, if you wait patiently, you will come across some amazing deals.

 

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post #11 of 51
12/31/11 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fritzl View Post

not at all. great beater for casual friday and foul weather. the heel fix is minor.

You may be right.
I was more thinking about the scraped toe.
I am borderline OCD about my shoes though.
I have a pair of Vass on which I scraped the toe, on an escalator.
I now cannot bring myself to wear them at all, so have decided to send them to this guy to get them patinated as a ´disguise´.

Your attitude is probaly more healthy laugh.gif

@trapline: you definitely have the right idea as far as rotating shoes is concerned.
You are much better off buying 2 average pairs and caring for them, than running one good pair into the ground.
Not to mention, you have a lot more versatility with one brown and one black pair than just one colour!
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post #12 of 51
12/31/11 at 7:55am
I'm not sure if any of those shoes can be saved. Although AE's can be recrafted, they are usually not worth recrafting unless they are cordovan since on sale they can be had for ~ $200 and recrafting is ~ $100. A cheaper alternative is to bring it to a local cobbler and see if they can recraft pair #1 for cheap. #2 and #3 look like throw-aways.

Get out while you can before your place looks like a shoe store!

In all seriousness, I would say be patient and take your time. One of my biggest regrets with SF is that since I've been a member of SF each time I learned about a brand I liked I would rush out and buy multiples of that item/brand. What you want to avoid is buy a ton of old AE's that you won't wear much, then several cheap on sale ugly AE's, then some relatively cheap okay AE's, then some nice AE's, then move onto another brand. For me, that was my folly through several cycles and I ended up just donating ~ 20 pairs of shoes and still have way too many shoes sitting around. In fact, I'm planning on having a firesale soon on all the remaining unworn shoes I've acquired.

Take your time, read up on the forums, check out the shoes in person. It's definitely worth it to save up and buy several pairs of shoes, but make sure they are the right ones for you before doing so.
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post #13 of 51
12/31/11 at 7:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jermyn View Post

You may be right.
I was more thinking about the scraped toe.
I am borderline OCD about my shoes though.
I have a pair of Vass on which I scraped the toe, on an escalator.
I now cannot bring myself to wear them at all, so have decided to send them to this guy to get them patinated as a ´disguise´.
Your attitude is probaly more healthy laugh.gif
@trapline: you definitely have the right idea as far as rotating shoes is concerned.
You are much better off buying 2 average pairs and caring for them, than running one good pair into the ground.
Not to mention, you have a lot more versatility with one brown and one black pair than just one colour!

Paulus will do a fab job on your shoes, so do post pics. You could have tried Justin Fitzpatrick at G&H to polish rather than re-patinate given your proximity, unless he's the one who recommended Paulus in the first instance....
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post #14 of 51
12/31/11 at 8:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Northampton Novice View Post

Paulus will do a fab job on your shoes, so do post pics. You could have tried Justin Fitzpatrick at G&H to polish rather than re-patinate given your proximity, unless he's the one who recommended Paulus in the first instance....

Good call, I actually gave this pair to Justin a while back and he did a great job, I posted pics on the Vass porn thread I think.
The problem is that after a few wears the polish came off and the grazed toe remained discoloured (whiskey shoes, dark brown scrape).

I think that dye will provide the ideal solution, plus I´ve always wanted a pair of shoes that looked like a pair of haunted trees.
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post #15 of 51
12/31/11 at 8:07am
One more thing, if you're in the US, for easy to acquire brands, this has been my experience (I know this is open to debate):

Shoes I threw out that I had in my closet when joining SF: Aldo, many pairs of Kenneth Coles, Hugo Boss

Decent shoes to wear daily: Allen Edmonds

More difficult to find shoes that are on par with AE's: Santoni, Romano Martegani, Alden, Bally

Good quality relatively cheap shoes: C&J (mostly rebranded by RL and Brooks Brothers), Ron Rider house brand (during his sales, made by various manufacturers but the ones I have are Norveges welted), Grenson Masterpiece (from Ron Rider sales)

Good quality expensive shoes: Edward Green (best bet is rebranded RL on sale), Vass, John Lobb

I realize that there are multiple other brands frequently discussed on these boards, but from my experience they are less common in the stores around me (Los Angeles). Also, my favorite shoe guide has been:
http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Tutorials/JCuseyOnShoes.htm
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