Do you love shopping for shoes for your children? They’re hard to resist. Their little feet are adorable but those little shoes are almost as cute.
Online shoe shopping is even more fun because there are no heavy bags to lug around. That being said, shopping for shoes online also presents a level of uncertainty. Fit, quality, and secure transactions rank at the top of the list for online shopping concerns.
Here are a few online shoe buying tips to make sure your online shoe shopping experience is a positive one.
Take Advice From the Experts – The Better Business Bureau
The BBB recommends only shopping at secure sites with the prefix HTTPS in their URL. The S means it’s secure.
If a site asks you to register, protect your password and make it unique from all your other online passwords to ensure sure your personal information isn’t stolen.
Verify the online shoe store has a privacy statement and make sure they’re both committed to protecting your information and do not rent or sell it to third parties.
Know the shipping & returns policies before you make the purchase. See what the costs are and check if you have to pay for shipping on any returned items.
Keep accurate records and receipts. If an item arrives damaged or you need to return it, it’s important to be able to quickly access your receipt.
Do Your Research
Look for online reviews about the store. There are many review sites online which make it easy to find information. The Better Business Bureau is also a great place to find feedback.
Research the brands and designers the store carries as well. Check them out just to make sure they have a reputation for quality. Are the shoes true to size or do they tend to run a bit large?
Accurate and Descriptive Information
The best online retailers provide very detailed descriptions about their products. They’ll provide information about the materials as well as information about the size.
A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s not entirely true because a picture won’t tell you whether an item is leather or pleather however it will help you see color and style.
Know Your Child’s Shoe Size
While most children’s shoes are sized fairly consistently, shoes come in varying sizes depending on where they are made, the designer, and the country they’re being sold in.
Shoes can be measured in inches, millimeters and centimeters and it’s important to know what your child’s measurements are and how that data converts. Why? Because different countries size their shoes differently. This includes U.S., U.K., European, Mexico, Japan and even U.K. Australia shoe sizes. However if you know their measurements you can be certain to get the right size in any brand.
There are websites devoted to shoe size conversion so if you know your child’s US size then they’ll tell you what size your child would wear in Japan and UK sizes too.
If you’re uncertain about how your child’s shoe size translates to the brand and make of the shoes you’re looking at, order a half to a whole size larger. That way they at least have room to grow.
Online shoe shopping can be a tremendous time saver and a whole lot of fun, provided you take a few minutes to protect yourself. Make sure you know your child’s shoe sizes, and how they convert, and make sure you’re shopping with a responsible retailer.
