# Have you ever paid more than $200 for a pair of shoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979 "2011-12-31T21:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/41 "2012-01-01T04:31:56Z")
I didn’t even realize they sell shoes for $20. :o ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/42 "2012-01-01T04:34:20Z")
[These](http://www.zappos.com/images/730/7309954/6218-401080-d.jpg), except in merlot red instead of brown. Any cooler and I would be assumed bodily into Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/43 "2012-01-01T04:35:56Z")
Yes, many times, because they were fabulous. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/44 "2012-01-01T04:37:32Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Yes, many times, because they were fabulous. Exactly this. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/45 "2012-01-01T04:45:40Z")
Shoes are purely functional items that rapidly wear out. Paying more than $50 for them is a fool’s errand. ---
**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/46 "2012-01-01T04:46:25Z")
Seriously, what shoes are people getting for under $20 (not counting flip flops, etc.)? For men who wear dress shoes, good shoes (which tend to cost over $200) are well worth the money. They look better, wear better, are easier to repair and refurbish and usually fit better. I’d much rather spend a few hundred bucks on a pair of shoes that will last me several years than $50 on one that will last less than 6 months (and never look or feel as good, even when new). ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/47 "2012-01-01T04:50:38Z")
No…I’ve paid I think $80 a couple times but never more than that. My current day to day shoes are SAS, and at $75 one of the pricier pairs I’ve owned. They’re hella comfy though. Usually I go to DSW and pay $40 or less. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/48 "2012-01-01T05:21:38Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > I try to keep it under $20. Same here. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $15 for a pair of shoes and my feet are just fine. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/49 "2012-01-01T05:29:55Z")
I’ve got several pairs of hiking boots that ran over $200, but no dress or casual shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/50 "2012-01-01T05:38:42Z")
Most I ever paid was about $150 for gortex thinsilate army boots. My usual foot ware are sneakers or plain black shoes at work. No need for $200 shoes. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/51 "2012-01-01T07:10:43Z")
Yes, I bought a pair of ankle boots last winter which cost me $227 - but they were reduced from $550, so I got a massive bargain, right? I pay about $180-$190 for my work shoes, which I buy new each year. Since I’m on my feet 40+ hours per week, I consider this money well spent. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/52 "2012-01-01T07:15:33Z")
I paid $400 for a pair of Prada suede mocassins about seven years ago. They were the _perfect_ pair of shoes for me, I simply _couldn’t_ pass them up. I justify splurging on shoes because basically I can wear them forever without suffering any wear and tear so they never have to be replaced. And to this day I wear those Prada mocassins like they are brand new; they _look_ brand new too. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/53 "2012-01-01T07:22:31Z")
I paid about $500 for a pair of Vivienne Westwood pirate boots a few years ago because I saw them in a magazine and fell in love with them. I had to order them from her boutique in London. I also bought a pair of New Rock boots for around $200. The things weigh a ton but they look great! Most of my regular shoes are much cheaper, though. I live in athletic shoes and boots which I buy on sale. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/54 "2012-01-01T09:10:39Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever paid $200 for shoes, but I have no objection to doing so for a really good quality pair. I did once pay $60 for a pair of flip-flops, though. That was 5 or 6 years ago, and I wear them almost daily during the summer…so I think I’ve gotten my money’s worth, considering they still look like new. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/55 "2012-01-01T11:16:01Z")
No, the most I’ve ever paid for footwear was for good workboots. I got the first pair for $100 and a second pair for $50. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/56 "2012-01-01T11:20:19Z")
Nope, $125 for a pair of hand stitched dove grey lined with red soft leather mary janes ‘driving shoes’ in 1987 - can’t really find an image online. The sole came up slightly high on the heel, protecting the back bottom of the shoe from excessive wear, and they were a glove soft kidskin but a bit more stiffness than ballet flats but not as rigid as most mary janes from nonsplit hide. Unfortunately a puppy teethed on one of them =( I also spent about the same on some standard black leather mary janes up in Boston in about 93 or 94, one of them has very slight damage from having something sharpish dropped on them at home marring the leather on one tow. To be perfectly honest, I now possess the black mary janes, a pair of brown clogs in leather, a pair of black new balance that house my orthotics, and a pair of white new balance that can house my orthotics. I really do not understand needing dozens of pair of shoes. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/57 "2012-01-01T11:36:31Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Shoes are purely functional items that rapidly wear out. Paying more than $50 for them is a fool’s errand. If you’re paying that little for them of course they will wear out quickly. Buy decent ones and they won’t, or at least shouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/58 "2012-01-01T12:45:28Z")
I paid near 120 once for workboots. Man it was seriously hard to justify, but I needed seriously warm, waterproof and steel toed boots. And you just don’t get that too cheep. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/59 "2012-01-01T13:14:12Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > If you’re paying that little for them of course they will wear out quickly. Buy decent ones and they won’t, or at least shouldn’t. That’s the theory. I’ve never really had the funds, nor the footwear necessity, to risk testing the theory out. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979/60 "2012-01-01T13:56:09Z")
Good lord, no. The most I’ve ever paid was $100 for a pair of shape ups when they first came out. I have enormous duck feet and will spend what I need to for well cushioned, supportive shoes that are wide enough, but so far I’ve never needed to spend anything remotely like $200. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-paid-more-than-200-for-a-pair-of-shoes/607979.md?page=4)