Shoes are resoled, restitched, stretched and recoloured routinely, and a good cobbler costs a fraction of a new pair of quality footwear. The distinction buyers make is between wear and structural damage: worn soles and heel tips are consumables, while a split upper, a collapsed heel counter or a delaminated midsole is much harder to come back from. Say which you have, and photograph the sole and the inside heel.
Before you write it off
Look at the sole, the heel tip and the inside of the heel counter before anything else. Worn heel tips and lugs are consumables that a cobbler replaces cheaply, and they are not damage. What matters is whether the upper has split where it flexes, whether the midsole has begun to delaminate or crumble, and whether the footbed has collapsed — those are the things that end a shoe.
What a defect actually costs you
WishThrift grades run New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts. Fair is roughly 45% of the working price and covers heavy use or a described fault; For Parts is roughly 25% and covers something not working or incomplete, sold as seen. Grades are seller-declared — nobody inspects them for you — so an honest grade plus a clear photograph of the defect is what actually closes the sale. All five grades explained.
Across the 24 guides below, For Parts prices run from about £1 at the low end to £30 at the top, against £4 to £120 for the same items in sound condition. Those are guide figures in sterling; WishThrift lists in your local currency and does not convert for you.
Every shoes & footwear guide
- Damaged Ankle Boots
- Damaged Boots
- Damaged Brogues
- Damaged Chelsea Boots
- Damaged Cycling Shoes
- Damaged Dance Shoes
- Damaged Flats
- Damaged Flip Flops
- Damaged Football Boots
- Damaged Golf Shoes
- Damaged Heels
- Damaged Hiking Boots
- Damaged Knee High Boots
- Damaged Loafers
- Damaged Oxford Shoes
- Damaged Running Shoes
- Damaged Sandals
- Damaged Skate Shoes
- Damaged Slippers
- Damaged Sneakers
- Damaged Stiletto Heels
- Damaged Trainers
- Damaged Wellington Boots
- Damaged Work Boots
Frequently asked questions
Are worn-out soles a fault?
No, they are a consumable. Soles, heel tips and laces are replaced cheaply by any cobbler, and on good footwear a resole is routine. Photograph the sole and the inside of the heel and let the buyer judge.
What damage actually ends a shoe?
A split in the upper where it flexes, a collapsed heel counter, and a crumbling or delaminated midsole — polyurethane midsoles hydrolyse with age and cannot be saved. Say which of those you have, because they are the ones buyers ask about.
Listing is free and there is no commission. Neither side pays a buyer-protection fee either — create a free account to list yours, or browse the full faulty and damaged index.
See also: all selling guides · what things are worth · condition grades · faulty and damaged index.