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The context of the question 'Would you buy used shoes?' should be considered before answering this question for yourself. Used shoes? For what purpose exactly? If you were buying used shoes for a purpose that has you constantly on your feet, I would say no. Considering your feet are your primary contact with the ground and have a direct effect on your body as a whole, buying shoes of unknown use might be very fatiguing and at worst, detrimental to your body as a whole. The cushioning or lack thereof would directly translate to your joints, from the knees on up to the lower back, giving the cartilage between bones the job of cushioning the repetitive pounding that walking or running can incur. That is the worst case scenario.

However, there are 2 sides to the argument. Buying used shoes truly depends on the context. I would advocate buying used shoes if the conditions were right. While I believe reuse and recycling are major incentives to buying used shoes as well, there is a method in which to make money or at least not lose money and get use out of them. Shoes, without a doubt have been a fashion item for quite a while now. The primary example most often cited is the Jordan brand shoe and other Nike shoes. These shoes have had quite a market for reselling. Though the fad has somewhat faded, males of the 21 to 35 year old demographic avidly buy used shoes or trade particularly desired makes or brands amongst themselves through ebay.com, amazon.com, or in shoe dedicated forums such as niketalk.com. Hence, used shoes in this context allow you to reuse them and then sell them back with a tiny profit or at the least, the ability to recoup some cost.

Yes, there are underlying issues with buying used shoes for this purpose. With these particular shoes, they can perpetuate the exploitation of children in third world countries (often the factory workers for these shoes), they can promote a culture that hasn't always had the best reputation, and can raise the cost of these shoes to people who may be deciding between the electric bill and a $100 pair of sneakers that have been marked up to $300 because of their exclusivity. I've never done such a thing myself, but know that often this is typical for desired shoes. You can see for yourself on the sites I've listed.

With that said, in instances where the buying used shoes can be mutually beneficial, I can advocate buying used shoes for the purpose of reusing them and selling them again if they are desirable. Since the question asks 'would you buy used shoes?' I would invariably say yes for myself. I would buy used shoes given the right conditions (of the shoe and otherwise) and the right purpose.

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