AliExpress sneakers: half the price, but sizing is another story
AliExpress sneakers costing 20-30 euros are compared with 60-100 euro branded pairs, but sizing and import duties change the final price.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
AliExpress sneakers: 30 euros measured against 100-euro pairs
A shopper finds a pair of sneakers from a Chinese brand for 25 euros and orders them. Six months later, the sole is worn out and his toes have suffered blisters. Another buyer, meanwhile, has been buying 15-euro shoes on Temu for years and swears the performance is the same as that of 100-euro pairs that fell apart within two months. Those who try it once come back; those who get burned never do.
The numbers are striking: 20-30 euro models from AliExpress hold their own against Spanish sneakers costing 60-100 euros. But price is not the only battleground. Chinese sizes do not match European ones, and shoes need to be tried on, insists someone who has had to return more than one pair. Import duties have crept into the equation: a pair of Hikeup shoes that cost 32 euros in January now comes to 44 after a 3-euro surcharge. The savings are still there, but the fine print keeps growing.
The height of regret is summed up by the shopper who let that deal slip: the shoes now cost 12 euros more, and hope is gone. Meanwhile, brand loyalty comes at a steep price, and the question remains: how much is a half-size that never quite fits really worth?
A shopper finds a pair of sneakers from a Chinese brand for 25 euros and orders them. Six months later, the sole is worn out and his toes have suffered blisters. Another buyer, meanwhile, has been buying 15-euro shoes on Temu for years and swears the performance is the same as that of 100-euro pairs that fell apart within two months. Those who try it once come back; those who get burned never do.
The numbers are striking: 20-30 euro models from AliExpress hold their own against Spanish sneakers costing 60-100 euros. But price is not the only battleground. Chinese sizes do not match European ones, and shoes need to be tried on, insists someone who has had to return more than one pair. Import duties have crept into the equation: a pair of Hikeup shoes that cost 32 euros in January now comes to 44 after a 3-euro surcharge. The savings are still there, but the fine print keeps growing.
The height of regret is summed up by the shopper who let that deal slip: the shoes now cost 12 euros more, and hope is gone. Meanwhile, brand loyalty comes at a steep price, and the question remains: how much is a half-size that never quite fits really worth?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (29 replies).
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