Selling Worn Shoes, Heels and Trainers

Shoes are the biggest ticket in worn items and the most awkward to handle. A well worn pair of trainers can go for three figures. They also cost you real money to source and real money to post, so the maths has to work before you list.

Sourcing without losing money

Do not buy new shoes to sell worn unless the buyer has paid a deposit or the item is already priced to cover it. Your own worn shoes are your stock. The pairs you have had for two years, that you wear to work, that have moulded to your feet, are worth far more than a fresh pair you wore once for a photograph. Buyers can tell the difference and they pay for genuine wear.

What buyers look at

The insole. Every time. The insole tells the buyer how much the shoe was actually worn, whether it was worn barefoot or in socks, and how the foot sat in it. Photograph it clearly and close. Then the sole, then the heel, then the shoe on your foot. Four photographs minimum. If a buyer asks about wear detail, answer plainly rather than dodging, which is the same principle as making a listing read as trustworthy.

Wear time

Shoes are the one category where longer is almost always better. A pair worn for a year beats a pair worn for a week. Say how long you have owned them, how often you wore them, and whether you wore them with socks or barefoot. Barefoot wear is a common request and worth stating either way.

Pricing shoes

Start at what the shoes cost you, add your wear, add your postage, then add your margin. Trainers with heavy genuine wear typically start around sixty pounds and climb. Heels vary hugely with brand and condition. Never quote a price before you have checked the parcel cost, because shoes are heavy and a wrongly priced shoe sale can leave you out of pocket.

Packing and posting

Stuff the shoes with tissue so they hold shape. Bag each shoe separately if the buyer wants scent preserved. Box them, plain brown box, no branding, no shoe box logos on the outside. Weigh the finished parcel before quoting postage, and check whether it fits a small parcel rate or tips into medium. For international, shoes are heavy enough that postage can exceed the item price, so quote it properly.

Go and photograph the insoles of the most worn pair you own. If they look genuinely lived in, that pair is your first shoe listing.