There has been a lot of talk about LIDL’s senseless hoarding of running shoes (although it is more correct to simply call them “sneakers”). We had already talked about it here. Leaving aside the crush it created-not attributable to LIDL itself but only to the lack of sense of responsibility of those who decided they couldn’t live without a 13-euro pair of shoes (which they would later resell on Ebay for 50 or 100 euros, we weren’t born yesterday)-we wondered what were the cheapest shoes on sale.
Actually, a post about cheap Decathlon shoes posted on the RunLovers club on Facebook(you’re already a member, right?) got us curious. If Decathlon sells shoes that cost even less than LIDL shoes, how little can running shoes cost?
We will not get into considerations about the price of a shoe, which, at the state of the art, has an industrial cost that reasonably cannot fall below certain thresholds. Ours is more of a curiosity. Also because, let’s not hide it, some of those who start running don’t want to invest much, not having the certainty of continuing to do so. Therefore, he is likely to be willing to spend little. But how little and at what price, meaning: what do you buy for the little you spend?
The ranking
We put the deals found on Amazon, Decathlon, and Zalando in ascending order, in short considering the places where people are most likely to shop online. These are normal prices, that is, they are not part of some promotional campaign. In fact, it may happen to find even great quality shoes at deeply discounted prices, but these are isolated cases and in any case never have prices lower than a certain threshold. These, on the other hand, are ordinary prices in the sense that you can find them all year round.
POLPqeD Sneakers: 0.69 € – 2.46 €
For sale on Amazon, unpronounceable name, unknown manufacturer, fairly vague description (the upper is in generic “mesh”), they are priced at a very shocking price, in the sense that they almost offer you money to buy them.
Aesthetically, they are not bad either, and they have the caption: the words “Sport” on the midsole remind you what you bought them for.
Oyedens: $0.99 – $9.99
Still on Amazon you can find these Oyedens. I confess I have never heard of this brand, but for a few euros you can buy a slightly more updated design “inspired” by its emblazoned sisters (the midsole design is reminiscent of that of the New Balance or 3D printed adidas, obviously without having anything to do with those highly advanced technologies). The lacing is much more refined and, honestly and always evaluating them from a photo, they don’t look bad.
As you may have noticed, the prices of these super-economics are variable-another feature of them that does not shift the economic weights much, since we are still talking about modest figures.
Daoope:
I don’t have much to say about that. They can be categorized as running shoes (more sneakers, to my eye) and have an upper made of a laconic “synthetic.” They are in this position only because their base price is even 2.19 euros.
Decathlon RUN 100: €11.99
They certainly cost little, even less than those at Lidl. Equally certain is that for such a price you cannot expect advanced technologies: the upper is made of polyester but the midsole is made of EVA. Nothing stratospheric or not already used in running shoes for decades. He should be credited with honesty in his description, “for those who want to run once or twice a week, up to 30 minutes.”
Unique color that doesn’t leave much expression to the wearer’s imagination, they cost the bare minimum, really. They weigh very little, though: 180 g!
LK LEKUNI: €21.99
Let’s talk about it: I don’t mind LK LEKUNIs at all. The color is nice, the midsole design less so but it matters little: for 22 euros you really can’t expect anything else. The upper appears to be of decent workmanship and is reminiscent of Nike’s Flyknit. You can find them on Amazon.
On sale at Zalando, they are honest total black shoes. Curious description that about the tip says it is round. Okay.
adidas Performance Duramo: $34.99 (on promotion)
To get to have a branded shoe you have to be willing to spend 35 euros, although in reality at full price we are talking about 50 euros.
This is a classic example of an emblazoned but inexpensive shoe. How come? The upper is made of a mesh that is not particularly complicated to manufacture, and the midsole is not made of Boost, which is the proprietary adidas material from which the midsoles of the top models are made.
Which doesn’t take away from the fact that it can be a good shoe-just know that it’s made with somewhat dated technologies, that’s all.
How much a shoe costs vs. how much it should cost
A running shoe has a very high technological content. By buying state-of-the-art models you are not only paying for an object to run with but also for the research and development that led to that technological achievement, as well as the marketing, clearly.
Certain very low cost shoes then are “discounted” by a large portion of industrial costs that have already been absorbed over time. Granted that there are some models that-at least apparently-don’t even look bad, the technologies with which the very inexpensive shoes are made are dated and, therefore, their cost has already been amortized.
This does not detract from the fact that there are some models whose price is definitely “insane,” as the Americans put it. That some shoes cost a few euros (sometimes ONE) has no economic justification. Or rather, it has it but, I venture, it must not be very uplifting.
Finally, consider that some models, especially recently, have a cost that also considers the environmental impact and the attempt to reduce it. The On Cyclon, for example, offered on a subscription basis and continually renewed, aims to minimize waste production during both production and disposal. Kind of like what Allbirds is trying to do.
If you want to impact the environment as little as possible, in short, you have to spend.
Allbirds Tree Dashers, le scarpe da running (quasi) a impatto zero