The Ultimate Toronto Thread

[SirReveller]

Flip back a few pages. They were discussed at length.

 

[rwtc]

What is your opinion on Meermin? They are better quality than AE? Some thread says they are cheaper than AE seconds on sale.....

IMHO Meermin leather is a little softer than AE, but still requires a break in period. My three pairs have some wrinkling despite not being worn that much and kept in shoe trees. Linea Maestro wrinkles a little less, for me at least.

My orders were hit with shipping every time ... Cost ~$400 CAD all fees in per shoe and maybe ~$600-700 for shearling lined galway boots. Note that I made the order when CAD was at its weakest ... but I was hit with a **** ton of fees every time. YMMV

All of my American shoe orders gets hit with customs. Not sure if bad luck or ...

Checked Meermin website, classic line for 175 USD. Anyone can tell me how much Fedex going to charge me for brokerage and import duties?

It's not going to be $175 USD. If you use PayPal, that's another 5%. Shipping is 35 USD. Not sure if the 5% is after the shipping or not, but for the sake of argument it is. So (175+35) * 1.05 = 220.5 USD --> ~300 CAD (PayPal's rip-off rate) Then add another $80-100 for taxes, duties, and other fees and you'll get to ~$400 CAD.

 

[7_rocket]

Meermin won't ship regular courier vs Fed ex?

 

[rwtc]

Meermin won't ship regular courier vs Fed ex?

They won't ship courier when I last ordered. To be fair it was quite a while ago, so it's worth shooting them an email

 

[Ebichuman]

I saw a comment about Meermin and/or Carmina on the forum that said that they would if requested. I took it to mean a phone conversation directly with Spain. I have never ordered from them though so I can't speak from experience.

As a side note, I found that Suitsupply improved their footwear quality. They're Blake stitched and while a few years ago I found their soles and leathers too thin, it seems they've gotten better. I got a suede derby pair and it's very nice. Fits me better than Loding and the suede is much nicer at $269. There is also the Premium line at about $319. Worth a look, imho

 

[CloudLi]

IMHO Meermin leather is a little softer than AE, but still requires a break in period. My three pairs have some wrinkling despite not being worn that much and kept in shoe trees. Linea Maestro wrinkles a little less, for me at least.

My orders were hit with shipping every time ... Cost ~$400 CAD all fees in per shoe and maybe ~$600-700 for shearling lined galway boots. Note that I made the order when CAD was at its weakest ... but I was hit with a **** ton of fees every time. YMMV

All of my American shoe orders gets hit with customs. Not sure if bad luck or ...


It's not going to be $175 USD. If you use PayPal, that's another 5%. Shipping is 35 USD. Not sure if the 5% is after the shipping or not, but for the sake of argument it is. So (175+35) * 1.05 = 220.5 USD --> ~300 CAD (PayPal's rip-off rate) Then add another $80-100 for taxes, duties, and other fees and you'll get to ~$400 CAD.

So the quality is on par with AE? I can use my USD credit card so I will not pay that extra 5%. BTW, what are the options for MTO instead of RTW? How much is the additional cost?

 

[rwtc]

So the quality is on par with AE? I can use my USD credit card so I will not pay that extra 5%. BTW, what are the options for MTO instead of RTW? How much is the additional cost?

You can see the MTO options on their home page.

There was a security issue in regards to their website for some time before I ordered, so I paid with PayPal to be safe. No idea about now though.

 

[clarksdb]

In my experience Meermin is a touch below AE in terms of quality. My two shoes just came with annoying issues. On one of them the leather sole was crazy slippery. To the point I almost slipped countless times. The other pair the tongue never stays in place. You WILL get hit with duties and BIG TIME. I remember it was a substantial amount. Felt like robbery.

AE is just uncomfortable in my experience. They don't fit me well. Remember you are also ordering seconds so there is a chance you might not like the defect.

I would recommend Loding. Their quality is at least on par with Meermin. Sleek lasts and great looking shoes. I own a pair of wingtip balmorals. I am eyeing their wholecut medallion next. And you get to deal with them locally.

 

[CloudLi]

You can see the MTO options on their home page.

There was a security issue in regards to their website for some time before I ordered, so I paid with PayPal to be safe. No idea about now though.

In my experience Meermin is a touch below AE in terms of quality. My two shoes just came with annoying issues. On one of them the leather sole was crazy slippery. To the point I almost slipped countless times. The other pair the tongue never stays in place. You WILL get hit with duties and BIG TIME. I remember it was a substantial amount. Felt like robbery.

AE is just uncomfortable in my experience. They don't fit me well. Remember you are also ordering seconds so there is a chance you might not like the defect.

I would recommend Loding. Their quality is at least on par with Meermin. Sleek lasts and great looking shoes. I own a pair of wingtip balmorals. I am eyeing their wholecut medallion next. And you get to deal with them locally.

I mean seriously, $400 why not Dack's? From my understanding, Cheaney's shoes is slightly better than AE. They just had an oxford clearance for $368.

 

[cloud82]

For duty+tax, I'd budget for 30% of the "CAD purchase price"...

 

[2942]

Meermin won't ship regular courier vs Fed ex?

They do. I emailed them after placing my last order (10/4/2016) and received the response below.

"Yes, we can ship using National Spanish Post (CORREOS) if you like. This service is much slower (Up to 30 days from our experience) & unsafe compared to UPS; FeEx or DHL, but if you prefer we can ship it via National Post."

It did take a about three weeks for me to receive the shoes, but didn't have to pay anything extra.

 

[CanadaCal]

I think it would be worth your while to not buy 4 pair of AE, and go to Leatherfoot, get a fitting and buy 2 pair of C&J, Alden or Carmina. You will be spending a bit more, if you shop their end of season sales, the prices are great.

Technically there is nothing wrong with AE, but trading up in footwear (to a certain level) can be your best wardrobe move as they last a long time and see a lot of use.

 

[RogerP]

^^^^ This.

 

[Steel28]



I think it would be worth your while to not buy 4 pair of AE, and go to Leatherfoot, get a fitting and buy 2 pair of C&J, Alden or Carmina.  You will be spending a bit more, if you shop their end of season sales, the prices are great.
   
Technically there is nothing wrong with AE, but trading up in footwear (to a certain level) can be your best wardrobe move as they last a long time and see a lot of use.  

200%. Or one pair of EG or GG without lasted shoe trees.

 

[Viral]

with the amount of shoe talk and screaming of bloody murder about the cost of the same, one would think ya'll walk around barefoot.......

...........except RogerP (his collection is amazing!)