Men's Dress Shoes, Walk Away with Treasure
Looked at less than Women's shoes, with just as much opportunity.
Lots of people troll thrift stores Women’s dress shoes and brand-name athletic wear looking for that next great deal. A pair of Nike Air Jordans will be gone in a flash if it even makes it to the sales floor. That Prada won’t make it off the cart they use to push merchandise to the floor.
Men’s dress shoes are an under-the-radar opportunity. Lots of them are hiding in plain sight. For the most part, this is a very niche industry with lots of smaller boutique-type brands. Even well-known names like Florsheim aren’t automatic wins.
It isn’t unusual to come across men’s dress shoes thrift priced at ten dollars or so that sell for fifty to a hundred or more online. A nice return on investment in a less competitive category.
On a recent check of sold used Men’s Dress shoes on eBay, sorted from highest to lowest price, the first 1,200 sold for over $280, plus shipping!
One’s ability to learn, and to translate that learning into action, is the ultimate competitive advantage. Jack Welch (edited)
How to quickly find potential value:
With all the boutique and small house brands, a list of a few brand labels helps but isn’t enough.
Start with quality!
With a bit of practice, real quality will stand out. The materials feel different, the soles are solid, and the stitching is precise. More on that soon.
Markings are important.
Key things to look for:
Hand Made
Made in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, England, or the US
Shell Cordova label (an expensive type of leather processing)
Vero Cuoio (high-quality leather sole) usually stamped on the bottom
Goodyear Welted or Blake Stitching, quality methods to attach the sole to the shoe
Well-known designer labels, like Gucci that aren’t primarily known as men’s shoe brands
Large (12+) and wide sizes are harder to find and sell quicker
Unusual materials like real Snake, lizard, crocodile, eel
Woven leather
If you find these, especially several, do more research you are probably on to something.
Condition:
As with all things second-hand condition has a huge impact on value. That $100 shoe might really be worth $10 if it has walked too many miles.
Heel wear should be minimal and not rolled over
Wear on the sole, when the bottom feels soft it’s worn out
Tears, cuts, or rips in the leather. Can’t be fixed
Tears on or near stitching
Fraying along seams, especially at the top
Undue sweat stains on the inside
Smell
Scuffing, if it can be polished out no problem.
Too many creases and micro creases that have turned into cracks
Adding value by cleaning:
Shoes are one of the few thrift categories where you can add value and make things sell faster by putting a little work into them.
Saddle soap is a great product to clean road wear off of shoes. Then add some conditioner then cream polish. For a little extra add a wax polish.
This is a great explainer video:
When I was with Goodwill a gentleman that worked for us was a wizard at bringing shoes back from the dead. Time and time again, shoes that would have gone to salvage looked like a million bucks when he was done.
A deeper dive into spotting value:
Brand: Just like clothing, the brand name is an early clue to identifying value. There are so many low-production, specialty men’s shoemakers that it can be hard to know every label.
Materials: Better brands use better materials. Leather is still the most common material. Much like high-end women’s purses the feel is different. Compare a big box brand to a handmade pair, it’s amazing.
A huge flag are exotic skins like alligator, snake, eel, or ostrich. These materials require skilled craftsmanship and take work to maintain. When you see obviously better quality materials, take an extra look. There are a lot of faux versions of exotic skins and leather, so make sure it’s the real deal.
Stitching: Will be consistent and even throughout the shoe with no missed or double stitches or unevenness. There won’t be glue pushing out from any edge. Two popular methods include Blake stitching, attaching the sole of a shoe to the upper using a single stitch that passes through the insole, upper, and outsole. It results in a sleek and lightweight shoe but can be less durable than other methods. Then there is Goodyear Welted construction. A more durable method involves a leather welt stitched to the upper and insole and a separate outsole attached using a second stitch. This allows the outsole to be replaced when it wears down.
Details: Expensive men's shoes often feature intricate details such as broguing, stitching, or unique designs. When handmade these details require more time and skill to create and add to the overall value of the shoe.
Sole: Will usually be a flexible multi-layer leather with an inside lining that makes the shoe more comfortable and helps account for the arch. This is where the Vero Cuoio mark comes in. It’s a solid indicator that the sole is high quality and designed to stand up over time. When men spend hundreds of dollars for a shoe they expect them to last. Some better quality do use manmade materials.
I mentioned earlier that a list of brand labels is of limited value, still here are a couple for you to consider.
Twenty men's dress shoe brands over $100 with their average sell prices new:
Allen Edmonds - $395
Alden - $550
Crockett & Jones - $650
Church's - $550
Edward Green - $1,200
John Lobb - $1,500
Gaziano & Girling - $1,200
Carmina - $475
Loake - $225
Meermin - $200
Tricker's - $500
Cheaney - $450
Edward Green - $1,200
John Lobb - $1,500
Santoni - $600
J.M. Weston - $1,100
Grenson - $350
Barker - $250
Herring Shoes - $300
Septieme Largeur - $400
You are unlikely to run into shoes priced over a thousand dollars, but they are out there. Prices are for new.
John Lobb: $1,200-$1,500
Edward Green: $1,200-$1,500
Gaziano & Girling: $1,200-$1,500
Crockett & Jones Hand Grade: $900-$1,200
George Cleverley: $1,500-$2,000
Berluti: $1,500-$2,000
Stefano Bemer: $1,500-$2,000
Saint Crispin's: $1,500-$2,000
Aubercy: $1,500-$2,000
Next time you are in a thrift store, walk down the Men’s shoe aisle. It will be much smaller than Women’s but will hold plenty of hidden value.
Tim Gebauer
Thrift Retailer - Dedicated to the business of thrift.
You can find me on LinkedIn I would love to connect!
Check out my Thrift Merchandising e-book
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