• Select the Perfect Shoe Style for You

• Get a Great Fit for Your Shoes

• Choose the Right Athletic Shoe

• Find Shoes on eBay

• Buy Shoes With Confidence

Select the Perfect Shoe Style for You

Select the Perfect Shoe Style for You

There's never been a greater selection of shoe styles than you'll find today. From comfortable and casual shoes to dressy or exotic shoes, find the right shoe style for you on eBay. Popular shoe styles include:

• Athletic shoes: Designed for sport activities, athletic shoes have become popular for everyday use as people live more casual lifestyles. You may not wear Adidas, Nike, or Reebok sneakers to the office, but you might step out in them everywhere else.

• Athletic-inspired shoes: Athletic-inspired shoes, like Diesel sneakers and Puma sneakers, borrow the style of athletic shoes but more for fashion than function. Colorful sporty-looking shoes are very popular, spurred by the vogue for vintage-look sneakers and the demand for comfort.    

• Boots: When designed for protection, boots such as cowboy boots, work boots, hiking boots, motorcycle boots, and snow boots may be made of a closely stitched material to prevent leakage. In fashion boots for women, you'll find all the styles you find in other women's shoes, including platform-soled boots, pointed-toe boots, and knee-high boots. For men, boots have moved from purely practical to highly stylish, with designers such as Lucchese creating ruggedly handsome cowboy boots and more.    

• Clogs: Clogs have a rigid, sometimes wooden, shoe sole. Once worn by factory workers for protection, today’s clogs are a modern interpretation, typically trading the wooden shoe soles for cork soles, rubber soles, or plastic soles. Longtime favorites in Scandinavian countries, leather-upper clogs are widely popular now, and come in an open-back shoe style (also known as mules), sling-back style, or closed-back version.

• Mules: Mules, such as those from Born and Taryn Rose, are closed-toe shoes that have an open back, and are available with heels of varying heights. Mules come in a variety of styles, ranging from casual and sporty to embellished and elegant. Mules typically look best when worn with pants or when worn for evening with long skirts.    

• Flats: Women’s flats either have no heel to speak of, or have low, broad heels. Flats are primarily designed for street wear, although recently more and more embellished flats are showing up with evening wear. Flats such as Espadrilles and open-toed slip-ons go beautifully with loose, soft pants like palazzo and harem pants, as well as with shorts and mini-skirts. 

• Heels, pumps: Heels feature closed or open toe and back, range from sexy stilettos to trendy peep toe. Pumps are a classic women's low-cut shoe without ties or straps, with heels of varying heights and a closed back.   

• Loafers, oxfords: Women’s loafers, or oxfords, are a classic shoe shape. Men’s casual loafers are of a similar shape. First made by Native Americans, they’re a moccasin-type of slip-on shoe made of soft leather that can have rubber soles, or can be made of a single piece of leather enclosing the foot with no outer sole. Oxfords, on the other hand, feature a lace-up front. Wear loafers or oxfords in casual and business settings and be perfectly stylish, especially in pants and long skirts.    

• Platform shoes, wedges: Originally popularized in the 1940s and again in the ‘70s, the height-enhancing platform heel is trendy again. The platform shoe falls into two categories: the wedge shoe, or wedgie, where the entire bottom is one chunky piece; and the true platform shoe, where the sole and heel are separate. You’ll find a dazzling array of fabrics, color choices, and heel heights to wear to the mall, the office, or onto the dance floor.   

• Sandals: Popular with both men and women, sandals are famous for their open-air style and give an exotic flair to dress and casual outfits. Sandals can be made of rope, rubber, leather, or wood. They typically feature a strap or straps that attach to the sole and wrap around or between the toes and/or heel. You can wear sandals with any lightweight clothing and for activities ranging from sports to evenings out. Many women select strappy sandals for formal occasions.    

• Men’s dress shoes: Suitable for formal occasions or business attire, men’s dress shoes are a staple in any man’s wardrobe. Styles range from loafers to monk straps, oxfords to slip-ons. Many men have begun to understand what it takes to build a shoe wardrobe and aren’t shy about investing in a well-made pair from top-flight designers such as Prada and Ferragamo.

Get a Great Fit for Your Shoes

Get a Great Fit for Your Shoes

Be sure to measure your feet before you go shoe shopping to ensure a good fit. It’s best to measure them in the afternoon or early evening, after you've been walking on them for a few hours, because they expand throughout the day. Also, be sure to stand while you're taking your shoe measurements to get accurate results.

• Trace your foot: Place a piece of paper on a hard floor. While wearing socks of normal thickness, place one foot on the paper. Stand and bend your leg slightly forward so that your shin is in front of your ankle. Using a pencil, trace the outline of your foot.    

• Mark the length and width: Use your pencil to draw straight lines touching the outermost points at the top and bottom of the outline, then both sides of the outline. You should have a box-like diagram.    

• Measure the length and width: Measure the distances between the horizontal points that show your foot’s length using a tape measure or ruler. Write down this number. Repeat this step for the vertical points that show your foot’s width. Again, write down this number. Repeat these steps for your other foot, and use the larger measurement of the two.   

• Find your shoe size: Subtract two-tenths of an inch from each of your numbers to account for the space between your foot and the pencil line. These final numbers are your foot measurements.    

• U.S. vs. European shoe sizes: Once you determine your U.S. shoe size, you can determine your approximate European shoe size.

Choose the Right Athletic Shoe

Choose the Right Athletic Shoe

If you participate in a sport three or more times a week, you need a sports-specific shoe to protect your feet where they get the most stress. eBay has separate categories for Women’s Athletic Shoes and Men’s Athletic Shoes. They can both be grouped into the following categories:

• Running, training, and walking shoes: If you hike, jog, run, or walk for exercise, you need shoes that will provide extra shock absorption and will allow you to maintain your natural gait. The upper part of the shoe, whether natural or synthetic, should feel comfortable against your foot, and the tread should be smooth. Runners and joggers should look for shoes with extra cushioning, heel stability, and traction control. The shoe should also be light and flexible. Shoes from the Nike Shox series, for example, have all these qualities.    

• Tennis shoes: Tennis requires a lot of side-to-side motion, so tennis shoes provide more stability in the sides. Make sure to get a pair with cushioning that allows for quick lateral movements without ankle sprain.

• Basketball shoes: Basketball players also need top stability, so get a pair of basketball shoes with mid-foot, heel, and ankle support, as well as a good-quality lacing system. You’ll also need breathability, because you’re going to heat up during a game. Choose basketball shoes with uppers made of leather, nylon, mesh, or other breathable material to keep cool. And, of course, you’ll want a great style to make your teammates jealous.

Find Shoes on eBay

Find Shoes on eBay

Once you know what type of Shoes you want, go to the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories portal, click Women's Shoes or Men's Shoes and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Women's Shoes, Men's Shoes, Infants & Toddlers, Girls, Boys, and more.     

• Finder: Use the drop-down menus on the Women’s Shoes Product Finder to quickly narrow down item listings by Style, U.S. Size, Main Color, Heel Height, and Condition. Use the Men’s Shoes Product Finder to quickly narrow down item listings by U.S. Size, Type, and Condition.    

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find women’s shoes for wider feet, type “women’s shoes wide" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. You could also use your favorite brand as a keyword. For example, Nike, Manolo Blahnik, Timberland, Birkenstock, Dansko, or Cole Haan. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Shoes With Confidence

Buy Shoes With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.