One of the things I love most about running is its material simplicity. While having high quality kit like shorts, tops, shells, vests, and socks are nice to have, they’re hardly essential. I get by just fine wearing old race swag and stuff from Goodwill. What I do consider essential, and what I am fussy about, are running shoes. I don’t need the top of the line, latest model, or favorite colorway, but because I spend a good amount of time running, I tend to wear running shoes at or near the top of a brand’s offerings, and these shoes often retail for $150 or more.
Before I explain how to find cheap, high quality running shoes, let me state that if you can afford to buy shoes at retail prices at your local run store, do that. Most brick and mortar run stores allow you to run in several pairs on a treadmill, in the store, or possibly outside. Most are staffed by runners who can match your needs to the right shoe. Stores in my area have weekly group runs where brands bring in demo shoes; an extended run being ideal for feeling out a shoe. Yes, paying full retail price costs more than buying discounted shoes online, but the value of testing shoes, good advice, and buying the best shoe for your needs—and avoiding the wrong one —is great too, so ante up if you can.
I have two circumstances that prevent me from patronizing my local run shops for running shoes: first, I’m legit poor, choosing vocations like writing that are less career paths than unmarked scree fields; second, I have huge feet (size 15) and I’ve never been to a retail store that has a shoe I want in my size…and no, I don’t want that two year old pair of Brooks Ghosts collecting dust in the warehouse. This alloy of poverty and genetic abnormality invariably forces me to shop online. As such, here are the places I go to find big shoes with big discounts.
Manufacturer sites
The first place to dig for discount running shoes is a manufacturer’s site. This is a good option if you have an idea of what shoe you’re after. The discounts tend to be higher on manufacturer sites than sites like Runner’s Warehouse, who are likely basing their discounts on the wholesale prices they paid versus the cost of manufacturing. Manufacturer sites tend to have free and easy returns and usually free shipping if you sign up for their “clubs,” whose “initiations” entail registering your info on their sites and allowing promotional emails, i.e. memberships require no blood oaths or sacrifices.
The best deals can be found when a manufacturer is transitioning between versions of a shoe. My go-to trail shoe for the last year or so is the Nike Zegama. When Nike was phasing out their first version, they discounted its retail price from $160 to $96, then they offered an additional 25% discount. Nike offers free shipping for purchases over $50 to club members, so the stacked discount got me a pair for $76 delivered (why I didn’t buy more than one pair is beyond me). I’ve seen similar deep discounts on the sites of Adidas, New Balance, and others.
The specter of Chinese tariffs and inflation may make these kinds of deep discounts rarer in coming days, but I think they will still happen due to the evergreen need to purge old stock.
An axiom I apply to getting deals, at retail stores, manufacturer sites, etc. is don’t buy shoes when you want, but when the deals are available. If you use Chrome, it’s easy to “track price” of a model so you’re not checking the sites every other day.
eBay
By far the most frequent site I purchase running shoes is eBay. EBay usually has a bounty of new and used shoes from most popular brands, and usually at the lowest prices. There are plenty of eBay stores that do returns, but the best deals tend to be on shoes that do not offer them. As such, I’d recommend using eBay when you know you want; I found this out recently when I purchased a well-reviewed shoe (the Asics Cumulus 25) that I couldn’t stand. Any price for a shoe you don’t want to wear is too much.
EBay offers a bunch of good deals on new shoes in current models, but often without boxes (the lack of box does not affect performance). I picked up a pair of new, unboxed Zegama 2s for $76 with $15 dollars shipping, totaling $96 with tax; this is versus the full retail price of $180 plus tax. To be fair, Nike’s non-stop online promo prices make the real price closer to $130 plus tax.
Great deals on new shoes are also available on old versions of shoes, fugly colorways, and shoes with manufacturer defects, none of which affect shoe performance.
The deeper discounts are on used shoes, of which I’ve purchased a couple pairs. I’m pretty confident most “used” shoes on eBay are from the aforementioned demo nights or returns from manufacturers and shops . These shoes are like new and usually have a handful of miles on them, but can’t be sold new. However, there are feckless sellers who’ll try to sell super spent shoes. This is where you want to be knowledgeable about what spent shoes look like. Typically, the amount of dirt and wear on the outsole is the best indicator of how much they’ve been used. The used designation can be good for a steep discount —50% or more. But again, these shoes are seldom returnable, so you better know what you want.
Shipping can also significantly erode a discount. It seems like $15 is the fair shipping price nowadays —i.e. what eBay charges the seller. Free shipping is great, but can be used to mask higher prices. EBay allows you to sort based on a combined item plus shipping price, so pay attention to that total price, not the word “free”.
Lastly, I’ve found that when I add a shoe to my eBay watchlist, sellers almost invariably offer a discounted price —usually a small one like 5%, but it’s something. I suspect I could haggle them down another few bucks, but I’ve never bothered if I think the price is fair. My cheapness has its limits as I understand my discount is someone else’s income.
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