Birkenstock Online Shopping

Buying Arizona

The Birkenstock Arizona, a staple of many wardrobes since its introduction in 1973, is not difficult to find in stores if you want to pay its full retail price of $110. Savvy shoppers nowadays don't stand to pay full price and instead go online in search of all sorts of purchases. Why not apply this to shoes? Once you know what style and size you need there is nothing limiting you from buying online, especially if it will save a bit of change. I put this theory to the test by doing a search for the Birkenstock Suede Taupe Arizona, a popular color of a popular style.

In order to perform this search, I used the lesser-known product search section of google. This allows for sorting not only by best word match but also by price, a very useful feature for this project. I chose not to include ebay due to its user-created variability of pricing and lack of guaranteed service. After sifting through the children's shoes and ebay listings (which included some obviously pre-worn sandals, yuck) I picked out the two lowest priced listings. Since most other companies were charging around $100, I chose the two websites with highest user ratings that were charging that price. I figure that if someone is going to pay full price then it might as well be through a well-established company.

http://www.rockinleather.com
Price: $89.95 $97.90

The lowest price that google found for the Birkenstock Suede Taupe Arizona was at the Rockin Leather website, for an unheard of $89.95. Rockin Leather offers sizes from 35-50 (equivalent to women's size 5 to men's size 17 US sizes) meaning that nearly everyone is accommodated. This deal is deceptive however, as the standard shipping cost of $7.95 brings to total price to a far less thrifty $97.90. In addition, customers must pay their own shipping costs for returns and exchanges, which must be done within 14 and 30 days respectively. This inconvenience may not be worth saving less than thirteen dollars off the retail cost. The website itself offers a refreshingly quick search, large crisp photos, and clear company policies. However, the lack of individual product descriptions and requirement to register on their website using their own merchant services (no paypal or google checkout options) pushed me to pursue a purchase from other companies.

http://www.originalcomfortsandals.com
Price: $94.95

Other than price, the main benefit of the Original Comfort Sandals website is that it is dedicated solely (no pun intended) to selling Birkenstocks. Individual product descriptions display sizing and width information and side links navigate to anything else you want to know about the brand, from orthopedic applications to shoe care. Standard shipping is free and returns or exchanges may be done up to 45 days after receipt, though on your own dime. If you need your Birkenstocks in a hurry overnight shipping is only $20 for up to two pairs. Navigation was unconventional as the website has no search function, which seems a little strange, so I had to find my Arizona through a dropdown menu at the top of the main page. Though the display photo does not offer a close-up, comparison shoppers will find useful thumbnail links of many alternate colors at the bottom of the description. Purchasing more than one pair also entitles you to a free bag of official Birkenstock shoe care supplies, a much-appreciated free gift for anyone who regularly wears Birkenstocks or other leather shoes. I felt my personal information was safe as no site registration was required upon checkout, and if necessary I could avoid their secure merchant system entirely by using google checkout. Returns must be made within 45 days of the original purchase and return shipping will be credited for defective or damaged merchandise. Of the two lowest-priced companies I would definitely choose Originalcomfortsandals.com.

http://www.shoebuy.com
Price: $99.95 (as low as $94.45?)

With a heading reading, “Free shipping, free return shipping, no sales tax, 110% price guarantee,” Shoebuy.com initially appears to offer the most purchasing security. The price guarantee only applies to the difference in cost, not to the total price, so a comparison to Originalcomfortsandals.com could drop the price down to $94.95. Qualifying for this guarantee requires that the colour, style, and size match exactly, and you must e-mail customer service with the way you found a lower price after you have already made the purchase from their website. Matching the price depends on their approval so your mileage may vary. The website itself is extremely easy to navigate with advanced search features and intuitive categorization. Something that I love about the product description is that they include user-written customer reviews of each shoe. If you are undecided about whether or not a style is suited for you, these reviews deliver opinions from real people who own them. Their checkout system offers (but does not require) a site registration option that may be useful to repeat buyers. They accept many methods of payment from Diners' Club to paypal and google checkout, including some others I have never heard of before. Expedited shipping is not an option online, though you may request it by phoning customer service for $20 overnight, $10 2nd day, and $5 for 3-day delivery. Returns must be made within 60 days and shipping is free using a prepaid label they include with your order. Overall I was very impressed with Shoebuy.com and would buy from them if they could ensure the lower price match.

http://www.shoes.com
Price: $99.99 (as low as $94.19?)

Free shipping and another price guarantee appears on this website, and it is slightly higher at 115%, which drops the total price to $94.19 if approved by a call to the Shoes.com customer service number. A simple search for ‘Arizona' delivered me right to the product description and a picture of the shoe in two views, although there were no color options available except for Taupe. User-created customer reviews appeared as an option to write, but there were none available for reading. Going through checkout is somewhat tedious because they require registration while purchasing, and although future purchases through this website would be made easier with this stored credit card information, a security breach could compromise your saved identity. This registration is required even if you plan on using paypal as a method of payment. Expedited shipping is slightly higher than the other websites, at $20.50 for overnight and $11.50 for 2nd day delivery. The return policy is the most attractive part of this website – returns and exchanges up to 365 days after purchase, free return shipping, and no need to talk to customer service. A simple online form takes your order information and allows you to print a return shipping label for either UPS or USPS right from your home printer. If there are any problems with this service both e-mail and telephone contacts are available on the return section of the website. This high level of service and extended return time gives Shoes.com a slight advantage over the competition.

Birkenstockexpress.com/Birkenstockcentral.com
Price: $109.95

Curiously, a normal search in google yields these retailers as the third a nd fourth results right after the two official Birkenstock websites. I chose not to include them in the review because the prices they offer can be found in any brick and mortar store. If they are the same price as regular stores, why are they top-rated in the searches? The answer lies in the variety of shoes they offer in addition to official Birkenstock branded footwear. The orthopedically correct contoured footbed, the cornerstone of the entire Birkenstock empire, has been licensed out to other companies such as Papillio and Tatami which can create new and trendy uppers to invigorate the look. Many styles that are unavailable in stores can be purchased from these companies, and their free shipping and return policies allow you to try otherwise unavailable styles virtually risk-free. In addition, Birkenstockexpress.com includes carbon offsets in its shipping charges, further decreasing the environmental impact of purchasing a pair of Birkenstocks. If the Birkenstock footbed seems appealing to you but the variety of shoes utilizing it in retail stores seems lacking, these websites may have a style more suited to your individual sense of fashion.

Overall:

From a strictly practical perspective, Shoes.com offers exactly what I want when I shop online – $10 savings off the store retail price, a free and simple return policy, and no charge for shipping. If the company does match down to the lower price my obvious choice would be to buy from them. However, shopping is not a practical exercise for many people. We want comfort, color choice, and let's face it, freebies. The vast array of alternate colors and the free shoe kit available on Originalcomfortsandals.com places the website squarely at the top for people who want to order more than one pair of Birkenstocks. Until visiting their website I had no idea that a fun lime-green ‘Cactus' color was available for the Arizona style, and I would never have thought to go searching for it on my own. The only catch would be the possibility of having to pay shipping for a return or exchange, so I would make certain of the correct size and color before ordering. For a first time buyer looking to try out the brand, I would suggest buying from Shoes.com due to this discrepancy in return policies, but any Birkenstock devotee will love the color choices and care kit from Originalcomfortsandals.com. Now all we have to do is wait for warmer weather.