Why Are Barefoot Shoes So Expensive?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
- Why are barefoot shoes so expensive? Join me as I talk to the CEO's of barefoot companies across the world to find out.
Special thanks to Stephen Sashen @xeroshoes & Alex Ward from Bahe for taking part in this video.
----------
Save 💰 & support the channel by buying on these links 🦶:
VivoBarefoot [USE CODE GT10] - www.vivobarefo...
Xero - xeroshoes.com/...
FeelGround - www.feelground...
Lems - bit.ly/44ZxuTM
Bahe [USE CODE GT10] - bahe.co/
----------
Want to try Barefoot Shoes, check out our Barefoot Transition Guide 🚀: www.barefootst...
----------
Questions? Use the comment section below and let's chat!
#barefoot #barefoottraining #barefootshoes #vivobarefoot #xeroshoes #baheshoes
00:28 - Barefoot Shoe Price vs. Normal Shoe Price
01:40 - Contacting Manufacturers
02:17 - Why Barefoot Shoes Are Considered More expensive
03:43 - The Cost Of Making A Shoe
05:06 - Cost Difference To Manufacture Barefoot Shoes vs Normal Shoes
06:08 - Dealing With Factories
08:34 - Struggles Of A Small Brand
09:33 - Cost Design in Niche Markets
10:10 - Sustainability
12:08 - Sustainability Incentives
13:32 - Why Are Barefoot Shoes So Expensive
14:21 - Big Manufacturers Entering The Barefoot Space
14:45 - The Future Of The Industry
15:20 - Are Barefoot Shoes Expensive?
15:58 - Economies Of Scale
Good video, and I'm glad Steven from XeroShoes gave you an interview. Cool guy, and knows the industry front to back, including it's history.
Something not typically factored into the cost of running shoes, is longevity. IMO, when the longevity of mattress shoes is actually looked at; and there are plenty of wearers here on YT who talk about how many they go through each year, even showing the failure points, it's actually these types of shoes that are far more expensive. There seem to be 2 factors in the "rapid" failure of this style of shoe: 1) The mattress materials break down, and marketing is telling the users that the shoes need to be replaced at X mileage or the user will get injured (meanwhile, it's not the breakdown of the mattress that is causing all the injuries). 2) The shoes actually start failing in that they start getting holes, and tears/cracks in the areas of the shoe that see all the flexing.
As I've mentioned in your comments before, I switched to FiveFingers in 2012, train in them year round (100% on our local rugged/rocky trails), and run 2-3 times a year in them in the Grand Canyon. Vids on the channel. I wear VivoBarefoot Primus Trail FG's as a mechanic, on oily, gritty, concrete floors. Both shoes are being used in the worst possible conditions, and both hold up/last, extremely well. My current Vivos are at least 3yrs old. They are finally smooth in the toe box area, but because I don't rely on them to be a mattress all day long, they are still 100% useable, and I wear them every day. I don't get that sort of longevity out of FiveFingers, but my trail running conditions are ridiculous, because of the "loose-over-hardpack" grit and rough rock here in SoCal. I'll get a year out of the FF's (Spyridon model), and the V-Trail 2.0's that I run at the Grand Canyon with, have now done 6 Rim2Rim runs, and maybe 3 Rim2Rivers in the last 4yrs(?).
I actually did a little shoe test this training season and tried running in other brands of minimalist shoes, to see how they'd perform in the conditions that my FiveFingers are used in. None of them (3 different pairs) survived even the first 15.8mi/2,700'vert training run. Sections of tread were torn loose, or completely off of them. One pair not only had tread torn away, the uppers in the toe box area tore apart.
I continue to see the value in versions I wear, both money-wise, and body/injury/health-wise.
So it's expensive because it's new and not really set up for mass production yet?
Fair enough, in time IF it catches on the prices SHOULD come down right?😂
There’s a lot of SHOULD and IFs, but I’d hope so 😆
Nope, because there is an expensive cachet to barefoot shoes. They are mostly marketed to a niche.
I think for me, it's the sticker shock of inflation (I know I know, buzzword of the year) vs what we think we remember the price was. Since I had family in the shoe industry, I got shoes for free for the last 6-7 years. Now that I'm going barefoot, I'm having to buy my own shoes now. The last shoe I bought was a cheap tennis shoe in 2017, so the sticker shock was real (especially Vivo).
I’ve experience of several barefoot brands. For me Vivo are the market leaders in terms of fit, style, durability and environmental credentials. My experience with Xero wasn’t good - their sizing is way off and the customer service regarding it was unhelpful. When the shoes arrived the materials felt cheaply made. By contrast, a pair of Saguaros fit true to size and cost less than £30 GBP. Lono are another upcoming cheaper brand. I haven’t tried Bahé yet.
From experience, I’m with you. I haven’t managed to stomach buying a pair of Saguaros yet (paraphrasing what Alex said in the call, if it’s too cheap, someone’s getting screwed) but Lono have proven to be a great budget option so far. Bahe is definitely a bit thicker than the other brands but have a new hiker I’m excited to try for long distance work
The Saguaros look good, but again, mininal tread on the hiking shoes, which is a major no for actual hiking, and questionable breathability and waterproofness. I feel a lot of these shoes are actually fashion shoes, for people who don't actually hike.
They’re definitely way more expensive than anything I could ever buy. 😢
Yet you wrote that comment from a phone or a computer that cost how much...? 😉
@@piotrmazij It’s 6 years old and second hand 😉
@@xochilguevara3429 in theory you can buy second hand used shoes 😉 but I would not recommend it. What I can recommend is to ignore all social media (including YT) and spend a lot of time learning something, maybe completely new, to earn more and not have more financial dilemmas. There is no sarcasm in this, I just know how much social media and media in general take away a person's time, free will and desire to do anything. I sincerely keep my fingers crossed that you think about these words and take steps to make such changes. The sooner the better. I myself have waited too long and wasted too much time instead of investing in myself.
there's 25 quid barefoot shoes on amazon, but they wont be as durable. probably just as durable as a pair of 25 quid nikes or adidas' tho.
sugaru (i think) is one brand off the top of my head that looks casual, but is still barefoot
@@hyper_fn_al1459 Thanx! I actually asked him to do a video on Amazon brands.
Great video mate!
Thank you 🙏🏽
My dad buys shoes for $50-100.
Vivobarefoot typically $150.
Even when I compare my old $300 BOA Gore-tex Vibram sole Under Armour hiking boots vs my new $270 Vivobarefoot Tracker Forest Esc water resistant leather with Michelin sole, the Vivobarefoot tech is notably lesser.
This. I have looked and looked for a decent hiking boot or shoe that's barefoot, and tbh all of them have questionable waterproofness and most have frankly dreadful treads with hardly any lug depth. I'd LOVE something as good as my Saucony's - despite current issues *cough* as a barefoot shoe, but frankly they are nearly all summer good day wear, not for when it's raining or winter.
Vivo's Trackers are better for the latter, but still ??? re the waterproof nature and the whole reproofing/waxing faff....I get what they are trying to do, but leather and older materiials fell out of favour for a reason (heavy, and when leather gets soaked it STAYS wet and rubs, it's horrible), and I get we don''t want to support Big Oil and be sustainable, but winding the clock backwards isn't going to help.
But tbh I think most 'hiking' barefood shoes are for those who don't actually hike, they are fashion shoes. I really wish they'd actually speak to us, the actual hikers?
And before someone says 'aha! Your Saucony Peregrine 13s cost £XXX! I got them half price in a sale. If the Tracker ESCs ever did that, I'd buy them yesterday but when they did do a reduction to £170, still a LOT, they magically didn't have my size....
The problem is the entry points - there isn't much cheap budget barefood shoes, whereas there ARE cheap non-barefoots. NOT the mid-range you looked at..Or the niche cases... Like with hiking, the best hiking barefoot shoes are £200 plus - £210.00 for a pair of Vivobarefoot Tracker ESCs. Are there non-barefoor shoes that price? Yes. But you can get trail runners that are more waterproof GTX for a fraction of that, in sales. Whereas barefoot shoes like Vivo are rarely in sale, and also they rarely have my size - they didn't at all in the Tracker ESC for a long time, they do now, but not in all styles. I'm size 12 so not a gigantic size..ReVivo is even worse for this...
...so that's the problem. I'm not going to risk a boot that I don't know is actually waterproof - the jury is out on that, 'water resistant' right....for that kind of money. So that's why people think 'expensive' cos it's a massive risk.
If there were good £20 barefoot starter shoes here, rather than buying from China, then that perception would be different. But the ranges all start at £100 plus - cos of course pounds for dollars it's more. £80 if you are lucky. That's a lot for a basic shoe,
And when I mean "If there were good £20 barefoot starter shoes here," I mean actually in shops? That's the thing, there are brands like the Hobibears I use you can get cheaply online, but the perception won't change until you can go down the high street and buy something barefoot that doesn't cost £100-200.
He compared barefoot shoes to other overpriced shoes. I never buy overpriced brands so my price range for shoes is:
Cheap $20-30 Midprice $30-50 Expensive(Quality) $60-80
I get about 4-6 years use out of $30-60 shoes.
I don't understand why people are spending over $100 for shoes, particularly when I can't even try them on and make sure they fit.
Normal shoes have too small a toe box but I don't know how to find shoes in my price range with an appropriate sized toe box.
I like the discussion at 14:23 in regards to the "big brands" entering the minimalist shoe space.
Smart guys. Good to hear more about the process of manufacture and cost of sustainability!
Glad you liked it!
p.s. if you liked this video, checkout the 10,000 subscriber giveaway video
Their more expensive than Walmart. Theres other brands that cost the same or more. I used to pay a high price for brooks. I bought 150 dollar north face boot once. Barefoot shoes are awesome.
As a small local manufacturer in nz of wood products. I share their comments. All the other costs that people forget about matter. Xero have a heck of a warranty to. That is good value..
Chris, thoughts on RealFoot? (I just got their Canva's and love the room, feeling way more stable than Altra's and less cramped than Vivo's)
If you'd be willing could you review their shoes - any of them, there's only like 3 video reviews online for any of their barefoot shoes.
also ty for all ur vids ;-;b
Haven't tried them yet but if you rate them I'll make sure to check them out 🙌🏼
Clem
I view a lot of my barefoot shoes the way I viewed buying birkenstocks, its expensive and I'm buying for comfort and personal health choices, but they are a bigger investment that keeps me from "trying out" a lot, especially since for most people its an online order not available irl stores.
Good viewpoint, would definitely be cool to see them in more stores!
Xero shoes are the BEST by far ,, and Steve always gets back with his viewers , I have tried all of them ,, quality is awesome
Yep there is overhead, and yes rent is ridiculous which is too hi, but are the brands comparble in price? I say Nah I can buy asecs and others that are top of the line for about 40 as there are sales constantly. The big companies can make them in China for a few dollars and these are probably made at a lower profit margin I would suggest also. Looking forward to barefoot shoes.
If the quality matches the price then I’m happy. It’s that simple for me. Happy to spend £140 on very high quality shoes.
I’m with you - but they better last!
Wish they were actually high quality
@@Retrosenescentvivos are for sure!
I find barefoot shoes to have a lower total cost of ownership than normal shoes. My Vivo Primus Trails will last me about 2500 km, compared to about 1000 km in a conventional shoe so the cost per km is way lower. In addition, my enjoyment levels walking in barefoot shoes are much higher and my feet are much happier.
Very fair points!
I cant afford them so yeah was wondering this.
Next do dirtbikes vs bicycles/mtb/road.
That’s something I’ll never understand 😂. Give me a 5k dirt bike any day of the year
The question is why are training shoes so expensive in general, given where most are manufactured . . .
I think they are perfectly fine, because as they said: someone down the line is not getting paid. We are too used to products incredibly cheap because of Bangladesh or Chinese factories where they pay 2 dollars for 14 hours working days and the cheapest of materials they can find. And finally when you want to do things the right way is always going to be more expensive, like comparing mcdonalds to an actual restaurant.
Just bought a pair of Hobibear barefoot shoes from AliExpress for £15.21
Interesting Thanks
You bet!
People will look into whatever they can that backs up their own bias. If you're cool with barefoot shoes, that's fine, but no matter what my personal bias says to me that no shoe constructed with significantly less material should cost more than a pair of air force 1's or forum lows.
It’s funny because going into these interviews i had the same idea. Less material = less cost… right?
Alex summarised it really well in that the cushioning is the cheapest part, the real cost is in the upper materials and the sole with any saving lost as soon as you need to make the sole more durable and puncture resistant.
Hopefully overtime as barefoot shoes become more mainstream those costs will start to decrease as the factories become more used to creating them 🤞🏽
solid vid
I think it depends on what you're wearing, because I wore timbs steel/composite toe, waterproof boots and for years paid between ninety and a hundred bucks, but when I looked at the biggest barefoot brand out there's waterproof boots, I believe they were around two hundred and seventy or eighty, which gave me a bad taste.
I've since bought other barefoot brands in a comparable price range, but still over fifty dollars more than my timbs, and no safety toes or ratings, haven't been near as waterproof even after sealing them, and nowhere as bulletproof.
My feet are happier and I believe there's a ton of health benefits, plus there's more and more options popping up every day, so choices should be aplenty when I need to part with precious pennies again.
I think a lot of companies are overly concerned with making the thinnest, lightest, meshest, workout, hiking, or whatever shoe and not looking at the demographic of those who kick the sh!t out of their footwear day in and day out, whether it's waste, agriculture, construction, manufacturing, warehousing, utilities, etc.
The barefoot movement has exploded with social and media platforms and more companies see the available dollar signs these days than they did in the seventies, so there's hope and I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed. 😃
Honestly, it's a scam. About four years ago, these shoes sold significantly cheaper than regular shoes because of the simpler design and less materials. Their excuses for it are nonsense. We just saw a lot of people engaging in price gouging over the past few years because they saw so many others doing it, governments were not enforcing their laws, and consumers by and large just put up with like peasants.
Would be a pretty fucked up country if the government started controlling the prices of luxury items.
These kinds of shoes are called normal goods, not luxury or economy goods. The government has had an obligation under the anti-trust act and other laws to stamp out this price gouging since the pandemic began and refused.
@noosphericaltarzan $100-300 shoes are certainly not "normal goods". These top brand barefoot shoes are definitely considered luxury. Seekway, Hiitave, and the other 50 chinese brands of barefoot shoes selling for $20 and under are the normal goods. Those are plenty affordable. Communism is not the solution to barefoot shoes. Let the market rebalance on its own when people stop buying these at these ridiculous price points.
@noosphericaltarzan that's like saying government should restrict how much Gucci should charge for their belts and other garbage they sell because belts are a normal good. Wild take.
Yes, they are normal goods. Normal goods are not defined by price but by consumer behavior. A bottle of imported mineral water probably only costs only $25, 10% of the cost of the top barefoot shoes, but it's certainly a luxury item.
For me, it comes down to sales and outlets.
I do trail running and would love a pair of Vivo trails for £135 as of writing this comment but I can get a brand new pair of Nike trail for under £100 by seaching for sales and through other outlets and the cheapest I can find is £65. So, less than half the price of Vivos in the UK.
It's harder to find other outlets sell Vivos and even harder on sale.
Vivos specifically are overpriced in the UK. 😭
Have you tried Revivo?
@@anniwilson2534 Yeah, I've looked into it. It's still pricey for refurbished shoes here in the UK.
100%, but you peaked my curiosity when you mentioned the Nike Trails so I did some digging on how long they last (the following is from the Nike website):
Casual Runner (Up to 10 miles/wk)…. Replace shoes: Every 7.5 to 12.5 months
Training for a 5K or 10K (up to 15 miles/wk)… Replace shoes: Every 5 to 8 months
Training for a Half Marathon (up to 20+ miles/wk)… Replace shoes: Every 4 to 6 months
Training for a Marathon (40+ miles/wk)… Replace shoes: Every 2 to 3 months
Then, there are the Primus Trail Knits which I own and run in multiple times a week (at 100kg) and stubbornly refuse to die.
The vivos are more expensive, but they aren’t made with planned obsolescence so the actual cost would be significantly less.
A fun way to test it would be to get a pair of Vivos and run the marathon mileage Nike says would kill off their shoes in 2-3months (60-90days), and if they did breakdown in that time, send them back to Vivo for a free pair or refund (100 day return policy)
www.nike.com/a/when-to-replace-running-shoes
@@TheBarefootStrengthProject I'm no marathon runner 🤣 I run about 5 miles per week, but I also hike, swim, and lift weekly. I'm also not consistent with my running, but I'd guess I've put around 300 miles across both hiking and running over the past year.
I've had a pair of Nike pegasus trail 4 for just over a year now and have no problems with them. I got them on sale last year for about £65. I still have good tread and haven't lost their bounce.
Literally, the only reason I got the nikes was down to price last year. I look out for Vivo sales, but they only come around once in a while and are not that great of a sale at that in the UK, sadly.
I'll just replace them through feeling. Nike has a newer article going over trainer longevity. still at 300-500 miles, but it's just a general guide.
That would be a fun test to see someone do and see how long they last, especially the trail shoes. 👍
I think one aspect is not taken into account, or not mentioned in the video. You checked prices in the English speaking market, probably NA, maybe also Europe. The internet is global. Regular shoes don't cost 150$ in a lot of countries, and normal people are not buying 150$ shoes.
Barefoot shoes do cost that, because they're direct to consumer, or extremely low volume if you can find them in a regular retailer. And retailers need to have markup, so they're gonna cost even more.
A large part of the world doesn't even earn 150$ a month, they wouldn't be buying 100-150$ Nike shoes.
I think the reasons barefoot shoes are expensive are valid, they are planet/human friendly, lower volume, specialized models, and they don't benefit from the economy of scale that disposable shoes from old brands have. But if they want to hit mass market, they would have to make cheaper models, somehow. I'd rather they keep their quality and not compromise, but that's up to them.
Its still a very niche market. So if you're selling a product at relatively low volumes (compared to the rest of the shoe market) you need a high price point to sustain your business. Also, nearly everyone i know who wears barefoot shoes i would comfortably say falls into the same socio-econmic section of society that tends to have more disposable income, so they can risk spending £130 on a pair of trainers, instead of £30 down sports direct. I buy all of my Vivo's in nearly new condition off Vinted and it saves me at least 25%.
I would like to believe in Stephen‘s honesty. I wear Xero shoes because the are a US company. I know they still manufacture in China (or wherever overseas). He is willing to debate the shoes with people, but he should be careful about being combative. I like leather shoes and I like barefoot. Not a common combination. I wear my cheap Amazon barefoot when I know that the treatment will be harsh because I simply cannot afford to replace my @xero and @vivo. Quality Barefoot shoes are still too costly.
Mostly, it is the longevity of the shoe. Barefoot shoes simply do not last nearly as long!’!
I whole heartedly disagree
amazon sells very afordable barefoot shoes, just stay away from the expensive brands.
Vivos look cool. Xero look awful. But I'd pick Xero every day. Next level comfort and function. The straps just work
Im sorry but vivo has new tundra shoes that are €465,- that’s insane to ask for a pair of shoes. I can fill up my car four times of that amount of money 😵💫😵💫😵💫 and I know that companies are making cost to developing shoes etc.
I hear you, but it’s a boot made for temperatures BELOW -20c (where you’d be losing limbs quickly without the right protection) from natural, sustainable materials that still manages to stay true to barefoot principles. It’s definitely a lot of money but it’s SUCH a niche product it probably has to be that expensive for them to not lose money hand over fist!
I agree with that. But it still gave me a scare 😂
Xero shoes have a few lower prices on some.
Perceived as more expensive because you’re essentially paying the same if not more, for lesser tech and materials, thin rubber sole stitched to upper
Xero offers a 5000mile warranty, Vivo a 100 day money back guarantee and both have top notch customer service for whenever something does go wrong. I don't see any of the big shoe manufacturers doing any of those things, who seems more confident in the quality of their product to you?
Some are expensive and some others aren't (compared to UnderArmour, Adidas, Nike). Lems is almost same price than UA. But $200 usd for Bahe is a joke. I spent more than month thinking on which training (gym) shoe to buy. Ended up buying UA tribase 6 for $108 usd discounted from $130. Why? Toebox is wide enough, raise of the heel is not extreme, and it's not barefoot but the padding isn't extreme. If barefoot industry allows time for the other companies to produce shoes with wider toeboxes and less padding and less heel raise, they will low the price but out of necessity to survice. So I would suggest they do it before that happens because UA, Adidas, Nike are doing that already. Not everybody cares about contact with the ground but everybody cares about shape of the feet to a degree that you don't look like a clown, and AU, Adidas, etc., are noticing that.
Yeah, really with a small smaller company that makes less product that’s part of the expense because they don’t get everything super cheap and then you add in all the extra detail that they do as a smaller company say Shama sandals online has a I think it’s like five videos of actually how to run in sandals properly oh, you can just go sign up for your newsletter and they give you a whole transitioning guide to find a transition into middle shoes They really taking the time to make people better runners. I probably close to 100% of my workouts and runs in some type of barefoot shoe sandal whatever race I’m probably gonna use whatever I can perform the best I’m doing 100 mile race this year and I’ve already said I’d like to do 50% of it in a Luna sandal that’s kind of thicker and then I’m gonna switch the shoes when you know Cause I’m I wanna get my best results and I think that’s what people are missing it’s not all or nothing and but also you look at the attention to detail is if if you’re making apple pies and one person is Mrs. Smith who makes 1 billion apple pies in a year and you’re making 20 OK yours are gonna be more expensivemyself I don’t mind paying a little much
As Amazon said, there are two types of companies, one want to make as much money as possible from their customers, one want to make as little money as possible. Barefoot shoes are still a fad, early adopters are fans that are willing to shell out $$s. So they are just taking advantage of that for as long as possible.
There are cheaper barefoot shoes these days tho.. Velho movement shoes are cheap and good-looking
Hmm. When I looked at vivobarefoot shoes they were CAD $280, while underarmor shoes were $80.
That's why barefoot shoes are perceived as more expensive.
Comparing the most expensive shoes of the most expensive brand to a budget option from an average brand. Very clever indeed.
@@CptAngelKGaming Lol, we're talking about why they're *perceived* as more expensive. Not whether they're *really* more expensive.
Besides, I'm not comparing the most expensive vivo shoe to the least expensive ua. The vivos are almost twice the price in Canada than they are in the US.
Absolutely, big brands have a larger product range that includes budget models to entice people in. It’s why in the video the average PRODUCT price was lower for the ‘normal’ manufacturers but average PURCHASE price was significantly higher.
I’d imagine if I ran the same calculations for under armour they’d follow the same trend (though it would probably be fairer to compare them to Xero than Vivo next time)
The Xero guy is full of crap. They sell slippers for 75€ and it's made in China for crying out loud. There's no R&D for cushioning it's just a basic sole and a upper. There is absolutely no reason it should cost more than 20 to 30€ and say 80€ for the rest of the shoes.
They don't even last long time, they're just taking advantage of no competition.
yeah, cant even finish the video because I hate the zero guy so much. Guarantee he is lying at least a little.
È chiaro come questo sia, ad oggi, materiale di nicchia. Sembra un controsenso, ma avere meno materiale ai piedi e pagarlo molto di più delle semplici calzature, non è troppo normale. Invece di invogliare le persone ad acquistare i modelli barefooth, li spaventa con questi prezzi aggressivi. Non è una forma intelligente di pubblicità, assolutamente… se voglio espandere il prodotto, devo invogliare il cliente a comprare… queste calzature risolvono molti problemi fisici (personalmente ho irrobustito le mie caviglie, ho eliminato la fascite plantare annullando anche i fastidi all’anca, che mi facevano bestemmiare ogni mattina quando mi svegliavo e poggiavo i piedi sul pavimento). Sia chiaro, ora uso praticamente solo calzature barefooth, ma è un salasso ogni volta che ne prendo una… un giorno , forse, metterò da parte un bel budget per comprare le Vivobarefoot…
because it is a fucking scam. you can get minimalist shoes 4o 50 bucks.