Keen Savings on Shoes

I just did something for the first time...I bought a pair of shoes off of www.ebay.com.   Now, I've purchased many things from this wonder of wonders...but never something that I needed to wear or rely on for a good fit.  But I took a risk that is going to pay off in spades!  I've been looking for my favorite brand of shoes--Keen.  They are made in the USA and are a little pricey.  Ok.  A lot pricey.  But they are awesome shoes and fit my feet extremely well.  I have a couple of pair, identical, except one is brown and the other is black. 


I purchased them at Nordstrom's and they have lasted through extensive wear and tear.  But with our recent move...they are somewhere extraordinarily safe, protected, and entirely unknown to me.  In a week and a half, I'm taking a couple of my kids half way across the country and know that I'm going to be doing a lot of walking.  My clogs and flip flops aren't going to do the job.  And I've been thinking that I need to prepare and get my good walking shoes ready to go.  But with utter chaos in the city of cardboard boxes, I decided it would be most sane to just purchase another pair of my favorites!  Who couldn't use another pair of comfortable shoes?

So I hit the mall on Saturday to check out the selections at the European Comfort Shoe Store, Macey's, and Nordstrom's Rack.  I must be searching between inventory reduction sales and new lines yet to come...because I did not find the pair or the size that fit the bill.  Keen's run anywhere between $90-120.  When I'm willing to break the bank and get a pair...I want the pair waiting for me--if you know what I mean!  But I had absolutely no luck on Saturday.  And rather than going downtown, to see if the only other store in eastern Washington that I hadn't checked yet, had a pair--I turned to ebay.

What I found had me leaping for joy!  Because I'm a previous Keen-wearer, I know how the sizing runs and what styles work best on my feet.  I found a range of shoes that ran from $15-100.  Some were new and some were slightly used.  The pictures showed the wear and tear.  The price on many of them included the shipping.  To save time, I narrowed my search down to only "buy it now" options.  I realize that by doing this, it costs me more in the end, but I only have a week and half till I need to fly.  But I was jealous because many of the auctions were ending with people getting stellar deals.  "Newer" Keens for $20-25, including shipping, is a complete bargain!  I found my new favorites in Texas for $29.99, with a "buy it now" price of $34.99.  Shipping is $5.65, for right around $40.  They are brand-new and still in the original box.  They won't be here till Friday or Saturday, and I'm thrilled!!

I was able to glean the colors, styles, and sizes that I wanted to look at by typing my request on their search bar.  The prices varied from very low to full retail.  If I were a patient woman, I would watch the auctions to score the best deals.

I think that I have found a way to feed my expensive shoe appetite.  It pays to "shop" around, even if it means "around" the country!  For the price that I paid, I could easily buy 2-3 pairs off of ebay, versus at an expensive retail store.  I'm definitely going to check out ebay when it comes to shoes for my kids.  I don't know why I haven't thought of this before...but it was a huge "cha-ching" moment and worth sharing!!

So when the dust settles upon my return, I will start looking for the perfect Keen sandals to augment my growing collection.  I only buy a pair of really good shoes about every other year, so this is like ChRiStMaS in April...May...and maybe, June!