Are we paying too much for shoes?

About to go over to Sweatshop to see what they've got but may then buy on-line. In the past I've tended to look at whats in the sale, in my size and feels ok but since I'm now marathon training I think I'll be more choosy as long as my pocket can stand it.

Are shoes really that much these days? Blimey I must be out of touch - I've never paid much more than £50 myself - tend to buy from Derby Runner who give a 10% club discount and then look for something fairly cheap.

Derby Runner is excellent I have to say!

In relation to the arguments above, a lot of research in different markets indicates that UK prices are indeed much higher than in US and some other markets. Say 10-20 per cent depending on the market.

Manufacturers claim that the market here will STAND higher prices (i.e. people will pay more) and that the supply chain is longer and with higher overheads (which is mostly untrue in say the automotive sector and software licensing, which are well investigated).

Best way to get reasonable prices is to be member of a good affiliated running club and take the discount at LOCAL shops, normally 10 percent. They are normally staffed by runners and people who know the kit, unlike telesales staff in some of the distance selling companies. Not everyone has that luxury though.

Some distance retailers are not passing on their lower overheads to customers, and some are. Shop around, and a pattern quickly shows up. You also have to pay postage, be in to receive the goods and deal with occasionally obstructive companies who assume you won't apply the Distance Selling Regulations 2000 when they fail to deliver. Don't forget it is the vendor who is responsible for delivery and ensuring you get your goods.

Buying direct from the US is difficult, and unlikely to be cheaper with postage and the possibility of customs duties.

If you run or know anyone running a race in the US, stock up! The market here is unlikely to change significantly.

all this talk of differences between the US and here and no-one's mentioned the obvious one - size!
The USA is a MASSIVE country, so much bigger than the UK so how many units do you think are sold by companies? Millions? Hundreds of millions? How many recreational runners are there in the USA?
It's down to economies of scale - if the USA sells millions more units (of trainers) than in the UK then prices will be cheaper. This applies to anything that is sold compared to the UK. That's why it pays so well to have a product that can sell in the USA....

Hi, I live in the Cayman Islands, that's just over an hours flying time to Miami. I ordered a pair of Saucony trainers from a shop in Miami and they cost me US$124 and the shipping cost me $60.I paid duty here of CI$31.00 (US$36.90)My total cost US$ 220.90
I find this expensive but on the other hand I look at it if I don't look after feet then I wouldn't be running anywhere. You can always run cheaply in shorts & t-shirts but your feet are your most expensive outlay.

<investigates setting up running shop in the Cayman Islands>

Cayman Islands is very expensive, also I would like to point out that the US goods would seem cheaper as the pound is currently very strong against the dollar.

I was running in a pair of £25 Addidas shoes that I got from JJB (or similar). Got a few blisters but no major problems.

Now I've got the Asics GT2something or others (£70-odd worth) and I've got ITBS and a back injury.

I have to admit, I have run in cheaper shoes quite adequately but I do not find them durable i.e I get less than 150miles out of them. So really miles per pound is an important factor.

I suppose you can only be ripped off if you part with the money and pay more than retail price. The cost of R&D etc will influence the end price but at the end of the day the manufacturers/shoe shops will charge as much as they can get away with - Have you ever noticed how women's models are always cheaper than men's - that has nothing to do with R&D, material in the shoe, transportation costs - it's all about supply and demand and charging as much as they can get away with.

I never buy this years model and always shop around - I am only loyal to the shop that offers me the cheapest price at the point I need new shoes.

Byeee

Matchstick Man: Economy of scale has bugger all to do with it. I live and work in dollar economy (UAE) and pay pretty much the same price for running shoes as charged in the USA. Now Dubai is a city of 1.5 million there are only approximately 500 people here who run Competitively, factor in another couple of thousand who don't compete and you still have a small market. Even when you factor in tourists the number of sales isn't going to be huge.

So if we remove economy of scale and as already pointed out shipping costs from China don't vary a lot when your shipping by teh container load then the influence on pricing has to be tax, overheads, and profit margin.

Dubai has no sales / VAT tax so theres 17% off but still doesn't allow for the 50% difference in price to the UK. Overheads.. Shop rents will be as high as the UK but staff costs less so lets say a 20% saving.


Still doesn't make up the difference, therefore it has to be that shops here operate on a lower profit margin.

So do you get ripped off in the UK? Yes in my opinion BUT as someone did point out if you go a specialist running shop in the UK you will get quality service whereas here discussion on shoe Characteristics ends with the colours available.