Vibram FiveFingers Buying Experiences - Online Retailers

[floincali]

Hi, I recently purchased a pair of KSOs from Vibram five fingers mall http://vibramfivefingersmall.com and it has been horrible.  After receiving the wrong size, they will not give a return address or refund, instead repeatedly suggesting that I give the pair to a friend.  Given that their website claims that they will give a return address if requested, I consider this horrible service.

I'm not even sure their business is legal... might be, but they are a Chinese Wholesaler who ships directly from China.

Should have bought from REI!

Hate to break it to you but that site sells fakes (going by the wide array of *interesting* colorways)...hope you can get a refund or cancel your payment.

[Mar-k]

I have bought like 5 pairs in the last month...

1. Kso's Black from www.unshoessales.com (fakes..didn't know because i was such a newbie)
2. Kso's Black from eBay - seller was flashpoint_cycling good seller...shipped right away and got them in a week
3. Flows Black from eBay - seller was flashpoint again... same deal as before
4. Kso's grey/palm from www.vibramfivefingers.com (offical site) - Order came in about a week but i had to pay an extra $30 for customs charges
5. Bikila red/grey from CitySports - I put in the order and got an email saying that it was declined because they do not ship outside of the u.s. (came in a week later which surprised me because i gave up on that order and bought from a flashpoint on ebay)
6. Bikila red/grey from eBay - flashpoint again... prob going to return them since i have the bikilas from citysports.

Out of all the retailers i'd have to say that Citysports was the best. Lowest price and us/canada customs charges were $10 (better compared to the $30 from the official VFF website). Also their customer service was good. I sent a couple of emails and got quick responses. I tried calling but since it was the release o the bikilas it was always busy so i totally understand why i couldn't get a hold of them through the telephone.

Might not buy from flashpoint again because his markups are high and shipping costs are expensive. But his customer service is good..i sent him messages on eBay and he had quick response and offered to fix orders if the sizing was wrong.

Overall I give applause to the birthdayshoes.com storefront for the listing of online retailers. If it wasn't for them i wouldn't be able to find Citysports.

Im also pending on a buy on the buy/sell/trade section of this site. Im just waiting on the paypal receipt.

[Lreilly27]

Bought Mens KSO black/grey/camo size 41 from PrimalLifestyle.com
Shipped from the UK to the United States.  Arrived in 10 days from the day I ordered them
No contact info on the site kinda worried me but they're listed here on BDS.com so I took a chance and it paid off.  Legit VFFs
See my formal review of the site for more info...

[Vlad]

Has anyone bought them from REI?  (I'm a member so I've been tempted, but I'd still rather try them on in person if possible, you know?)

I refuse to buy stuff from REI.  They mark up most everything by 40 percent and then give you back 10 percent at the end of the year.... But that's just me.   

Hate to burst your bubble, but Costco aside, 40% is a fairly common markup.

[Vlad]

TRAVELCOUNTRY is the ****! I ordered 3 pairs, was not real confident I had a good fit so ordered two more. Total of five pairs, I was up front the whole time that all but one pair would be returned, and they always told me that was completely fine. Orders were fulfilled promptly, my returns were processed faster than I even knew USPS could move (let alone have the returns processed!), and the 60-day return policy is golden. What also really impressed me was...

1- Orders over $100 have free shipping, I realized once I returned the remaining shoes (if I kept KSOs and not Treks of course) my orders would both be under $100, I was worried they were going to ding me for that shipping since my orders were no longer over $100, and they did not.

2- Customer service was great. I never had an issue but I mentioned when purchasing the shoes that if 3-day shipping meant I would have them by Friday (and in time for the weekend) I wanted to do it... they rushed the order through and upgraded to 3-day shipping (I was charged for it, which I cleared- but most outfits would have said "screw it, he paid for ground we aren't messing around with this junk).

Hopefully the VFF craze will slow down a little so I can buy future pairs local (I would love to try them on before buying, but only one local REI had them and they were always out of stock in my size), but if I ever buy more VFFs online, TravelCountry will have my business without second thought!

[MarineSniper]

TRAVELCOUNTRY is the ****! I ordered 3 pairs, was not real confident I had a good fit so ordered two more. Total of five pairs, I was up front the whole time that all but one pair would be returned, and they always told me that was completely fine. Orders were fulfilled promptly, my returns were processed faster than I even knew USPS could move (let alone have the returns processed!), and the 60-day return policy is golden. What also really impressed me was...

1- Orders over $100 have free shipping, I realized once I returned the remaining shoes (if I kept KSOs and not Treks of course) my orders would both be under $100, I was worried they were going to ding me for that shipping since my orders were no longer over $100, and they did not.

2- Customer service was great. I never had an issue but I mentioned when purchasing the shoes that if 3-day shipping meant I would have them by Friday (and in time for the weekend) I wanted to do it... they rushed the order through and upgraded to 3-day shipping (I was charged for it, which I cleared- but most outfits would have said "screw it, he paid for ground we aren't messing around with this junk).

Hopefully the VFF craze will slow down a little so I can buy future pairs local (I would love to try them on before buying, but only one local REI had them and they were always out of stock in my size), but if I ever buy more VFFs online, TravelCountry will have my business without second thought!

I second this post, they're a great site.

[Mojo]

Just got 2 pairs of Classics in today from Travel Country and I'm very happy with the service, shipping time and, of course, my new VFF's.  They shipped them out fast, had really good communication and everything arrived nicely packaged (including 2 free pairs of Injinji micro socks since they're having a promo where you get 1 pair of socks free with every pair of VFF Classics). 

I've got a pair of Bikila's coming from them tomorrow, too.  Definitely a place I'd buy from again in the future.

[mwhities]

I bought my first pair of KSOs from Hangis (http://www.hanigs.com/). The big toe on the right foot came unraveled at the seam. I called just 5 minutes ago and I was told to ship them back and as soon as they receive the shoes, they'll send out a replacement pair.

So that's a +1 from me. I'll post and update when I get my new pair back.

Michael

[Anderson]

I just want to cast another "amen" for Travel Country being awesome.  The fact that they are local for me is largely to blame for the fact that I've bought more VFF's than planned and am living paycheck-to-paycheck as a result.  They somehow seem to have good supplies of various sizes and models compared to the other stores--I've never walked in without getting the shoe I wanted and I have a common size.  Every employee I've dealt with is very enthusiastic about VFF's and very helpful, quick, friendly, etc. 

I visited a couple of other shops that carry VFF's while on vacation this last week.  They had very little in stock, had little interest and said things like "the whole country is sold out of VFF's until September".  I popped into Travel Country on the way home and grabbed some castle rock/verde Classics just to prove them wrong.   

I don't live near a CitySports, but I did order a pair of Bikilas from them.  They shipped good shoes in a timely manner.  No complaints. 

[LowNSlow]

Two thumbs up for Travelcountry.com and Citysports.com. They shipped super quick and I received tracking info for my packages.

[funE_man]

I bought my first pair of KSOs from Hangis (http://www.hanigs.com/). The big toe on the right foot came unraveled at the seam. I called just 5 minutes ago and I was told to ship them back and as soon as they receive the shoes, they'll send out a replacement pair.

So that's a +1 from me. I'll post and update when I get my new pair back.

Michael

I also bought a pair of KSO's from Hanigs, they have multiple locations in Chicago with tons of stock.  Another great place to deal with in the area is Morgan's Shoes morganshoes.com in Madison, WI.  They had super fast shipping and when I needed to return a pair b/c they didn't fit properly they gave me a 20% off code for my next pair from them.

[Mojo]

Another great place to deal with in the area is Morgan's Shoes morganshoes.com in Madison, WI.  They had super fast shipping and when I needed to return a pair b/c they didn't fit properly they gave me a 20% off code for my next pair from them.

I was just coming in to say the exact same thing! 

Awesome place.  I also asked if they'd be stocking the Trek Sport and they confirmed that they were and set aside a pair for me once they come in.  So I'll be able to use my coupon on them and be guaranteed a pair in my size once they come in. 

[funE_man]

Gotta give a shout out to KayakCentre in RI too!  They hooked me up with KSO Treks for 20% off and free shipping

[CPO-Hambone]

Has anyone bought from PrimalLifestyle.com before?  I'm in MD, and they're in the UK.  I bought a pair of Black/Grey Camo KSOs on the June 17th, and they're still not here!!!  Wondering if they're legit! HELP!

[BigR]

Has anyone bought from PrimalLifestyle.com before?  I'm in MD, and they're in the UK.  I bought a pair of Black/Grey Camo KSOs on the June 17th, and they're still not here!!!  Wondering if they're legit! HELP!

I think they may be fake since i can't find any contact information for them. Although they do seem legit that one fact makes me question them.