With 24.2 billion pairs of shoes being made every single year, people are constantly turfing out old pairs to make way for new so, like clothes, many of the secondhand shoes on the market are either lightly or never worn. That’s true whether you’re shopping luxury consignment or browsing charity shops. By shopping secondhand everywhere from my local charity shop and Depop to pre-loved boutiques, I’ve found beautiful vintage leather boots, leopard-print, silver-toed cowboy boots, and brand-new-with-stickers platform loafers. Without exception, all my best shoes were sourced secondhand and almost all of them were unworn when I bought them. Although worn-in shoes have their advantages. “Secondhand boots are the best. Someone else wears them in ‘til they’re at the comfy stage! No blisters,” says Jen Samani on Twitter. In a similar vein, there are leagues of people who will seek out secondhand Dr. Martens over new because they’re notoriously painful to wear in.
