When selling pre-owned Alden shoes, occasionally we’ll get a question from a customer about sourcing and whether our shoes are factory seconds.
Factory seconds from Alden are actually uncommon, so in most cases you’re not looking at a factory second Alden shoe.
But if you’re shopping for Aldens online and you’re looking at eBay and all the used options you might want to know ….how do I identify factory seconds?
Because if they are seconds, there will be some small defect, and that makes them less desirable than first quality shoes that were purchased from a trusted retailer.
The question behind the question: is this deal I found too good to be true? (i.e. there must be something wrong with these shoes!)
How to Spot a Factory Second Alden Shoe
There are two easy ways to spot a factory second from Alden. One difference between Alden seconds and first quality Aldens is a large R stamp inside on the lining. We can assume this R means “rejected” at the factory.
Now this stamp could potentially wear off over time, but that would mean the shoes are extremely old (and if you’re wearing very old shoes then maybe you should not worry about factory seconds).
Another dead giveaway that shoes are seconds: they come in a plain white box. There’s no green Alden box with the logo. However, the box may have a model number and size printed in the same location.
What’s wrong with a factory second shoe?
It’s important to know that factory seconds are not terribly defective. They are wearable shoes with cosmetic defects, so whether it’s secondhand or factory seconds, lowering your standards is one way to get a good deal on high quality shoes that seem to get more expensive every year.
Let me know if this has been helpful to you. And if you know of any other ways to identify factory second Aldens (do you have some inside scoop from the factory?) shoot me an email so I can update this post. Thanks for reading!
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