27.3.13

Shinternet Shoes

Have you had any luck buying shoes online?  I used to indulge in quite a lot of internet shopping in the UK, but for some reason it has not really taken grip in Australia, in my experience, to quite the same degree.  This makes no sense whatsoever given the tyranny of our distances, but hey.

I was coveting a pair of gorgeous clog sandals last week sported by a friend and hopped straight on line when I got home to arrange procurement for self.   Funkis are a Swedish/Australian outfit with a few retail outlets in Sydney (I don't live in Sydney, goddam) and an online store.  They purvey a range of gorgeous things, including their clog/sandal range.  It was love at first websight.  I am a bit of a cripple with very flat feet so spend most of my time in Birkinstocks.  Funkis have a moulded base with good support so hurrah, I may actually be able to wear them.

 (Aside: Kylie posted a picture last week which was not actually about shoes, but did include a pair of shoes that I suspect may also be from Funkis.  Coincidental.)

So I ordered a pair of these which arrived two days later.  I adored them immediately.



But woe!  Although they are the right size, the 'fit' is all wrong.  They are very wide over the toe, so my foot rattles around in them.  I suspect they would be thus rather uncomfortable.  Upon reading the fine print, apparently other higher heeled styles have a narrower fit.  So with great reluctance I package them up and send them back, at a cost of $13.50, with also another postpack for $13.50.  The new ones I've chosen are $10 more, so all up the exercise to try on another style is now costing me $37.  Ouch, that pinches.  

These are the new ones I've chosen.  


Sadly this higher narrower style does not come in the lovely red.  I wait with baited breath, and will let you know how they go.

But regardless, it does pose the question, is it really worth buying anything online when you have to pay to return them and pay again for a replacement to be sent?  I can't help thinking that if a vendor is selling to customers without retail overheads, they should be able to absorb this cost.   In the UK you can often buy without paying postage costs, which is maybe why this channel is so much more popular there.

In this case, cause I really want them, I'm sucking it up!

3 comments:

  1. I buy almost everything online except shoes, as I am very hard to fit. I bought tons online when building my new apartment, and the convenience was wonderful. The only downside, as you mentioned, was the occasional return. Even when I got free shipping, I had to pay return shipping...and reimburse them for their "free" shipping if I wanted a refund. Also, there was often a restocking fee for returns...so I guess online purchases are only great if you keep the items.

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  2. I find shoe shopping online to be particularly tricky, so I only buy brands that I am familiar with but even then, the cut is sometimes different and i end up having to send them back.

    PS: I'm currently hosting a new Fitskin giveaway, open to Australian residents only and I hope you will enter! http://www.underlockandkeyblog.com/2013/03/fitskin-naturally-review-and-giveaway.htm

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  3. Hi Patsy, yes you eagle-eyed thing you (!), they were Funkis, and because they are the higher heeled ones they are tighter across the width of my foot (perhaps a little too tight - but I do the ugly step-sister thing and squeeze my trotters in!) so your new ones should fit perfectly.
    It's the postage that kills online shopping for me.

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