Demo shoes

The other day I ordered a pair of Scarpa Techno X shoes from an online retailer. I had been looking pretty hard at them before and this seller had them for $103 (reg. $155) and were running a promo for $20 off a $100 purchase and free shipping. And they had my size, which is unusual for closeouts as I wear a 43-44, a common size. 

I figured that it was a no-brainer purchase since I have seen several pairs of this shoe come up for sale in the classifieds on this site for the same or more money used. Today the shoes arrived and I don't feel quite as far ahead as I expected to.

They're clearly seconds or demos or both. There's some sloppy glue, they're a little dingy and there's slight wear on the toes. They're definitely not straight-from-Italy new. They don't quite feel broken in and the wear is very minor, but I'm annoyed that if they're seconds or demos that they weren't advertised as such. If I had not had the promo and paid over a hundred bucks for them I'd be angry.

I tried looking at your photos in a larger magnification, and they do not look scuffed-like-used to me. I see the glue, sure. But that's not uncommon. I do not see the scuff marks on the toe. I see the regular-looking new shoe rubber.

I've been been working in a rock climbing gear shop for almost 8 years and I frequently see brand new fresh-from-the-vendor shoes looking worse than yours. 

Josh Janes wrote:

And if they are heavily discounted, it's likely that they've been in that retailer's inventory for some time. Anyway, just wondering what the point is of your post: If you're not happy with them, return them. If you're trying to warn us about a scam, tell us the name of the retailer. If you're just concerned about them, as long as you're happy with the price and fit, I wouldn't worry about it: After you've worn them a single time they'll look totally different anyway.

I sort of wondered the same thing (what's the point) on re-reading the post. 

I guess the point was that this is the first pair of climbing shoes I've ordered online and I was surprised at the condition vs the shoes I've bought at my local gym. They're also my first pair of Italian shoes and first ones with leather uppers. The problem with them may be my expectations. Logically i understand that hand made things will have greater variances, but I was stoked to have my first pair of quality shoes and probably over-anticipated.

I don't think it's a scam but do think that they should advertise if the shoes were used at demo events. It may not show in the pics but the shoes are clearly less than new. I'm sure that they climb the same and am not considering returning them (although, again, I might feel differently if I had paid closer to retail). Mostly I just decided to start a discussion on this discussion forum about my experience.

Those look new to me, not demos for sure. There would be no doubt if they were a demo, as would be evidenced by abundant chalk on the shoe, lots of undeniable scuff marks all over the rubber, funk inside the shoe, and a size marked in sharpie on the outside of the shoe. 

Perhaps they've been tried on in-store a time or two, but I'd still count them as new. As for the glue, that is totally standard for the industry. Pull any 10 pair from the shelves and this is what you will see. Better to have too much glue than too little (de-lam= bad). It is purely cosmetic and does not impact performance at all. Have fun in your fancy new Italian shoes!

What does the toe rubber look like? If they're like all of my LSs then they're handmade and no pair is exactly alike.

there have been a lot of discussion regarding this topic and i personally feel about to take the gear which suits you in all aspects, i have been a victim of someone else's suggestion and regretted that the most. I have used shoes from an online store ShoesPie coupon codes which are comfortable and doable at the same time with authentic coupons.