6 pm.com selling seconds or knock-offs?

I wanted to duplicate my favorite pair of sandals, the Sam Edelman Trina's which I purchased from Zappos last year. They are still in good shape, but the bottom footbed is getting dark and I wanted to get another pair before they weren't available any more. I ordered from 6 pm.com and the sandals I received are horrible.

Pic #1 - The bottom footbed has glue marks on it and part of the footbed is peeling off. Even after a year of wear, my older Trina's are not peeling and the footbed is on perfectly, with no glue marks (pic #2).

Pic #3 - You can clearly see where the size is marked on my older sandals (foreground). The new pair has no size markings on it anywhere (background).

So what's going on here? Is 6 pm selling seconds? I am returning these sandals, and I contacted 6 pm (via e-mail, I'll call tomorrow) because I don't think I should have to pay return shipping.

Has anyone else had a bad experience with 6 pm?

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10 years ago

Echo

Veteran

First, I am doubting that anyone makes fake Sam Edelman shoes. I just don't think there would be enough profit in it given the price point. Second, 6pm has never been known to sell fake products. I've ordered some high-end products from them and they have never been anything other than genuine.

However, that's not to say that their products are always perfect. I ordered a pair of Alexander McQueen shoes that had clearly been a little more than tried on and did not have their dust bag. I informed 6pm of the issue and they apologized profusely and sent me a label to send them back for free. No company has perfect QC.

If you are not happy with what they sent, tell them and see what they will do for you.

Anonymous

Well isn't that interesting. 6pm isn't avail to us Canadians, so I have no idea what is up with them, but I do love a good counterfeiting or seconds scandal. Following with interest...

Daria

Active Member

Interesting Karie, I'll be following.. I never had issues with 6pm, but I also never purchased exact same model somewhere else to compare.
Hopefully you just got a bad pair..

TraceyLiz65

(website)

Never had a bad experience with 6pm and I have ordered several shoes.

Karie

Yes, Echo, it makes sense that these wouldn't be knock-offs since SE is not a super expensive shoe, but they definitely appear to be seconds since they have no size markings on either shoe and both shoes are badly made.

Daria and Lisap, this is my first purchase from them and probably my last. 6 pm is actually owned by Zappos, where I purchased the first pair. I never would have thought that the quality would be so different.

kellygirl

Definitely call them. I had a problem with a pair of Naots and they paid the return shipping. They were very helpful. Good luck!

6pm sells the things that have been marked down enough or that Zappos has few enough sizes left in. So they generally sell the same stock. The primary difference would be that 6pm would have more items that had been sent out and returned.

But keep in mind that size markings can change depending on where the product was manufactured (some companies have facilities in several different countries) or what run it was (early or later in production or a second run). Sometimes sizes are marked on the inner sole, the outer bottom sole, on the inside of the heel or even on the underside/inside of the vamp or tongue. They can sometimes be very difficult to find.

Again, 6pm, like Zappos, wants happy customers and they commonly go out of their way to make that happen. Contact them and I am pretty sure they will take care of you.

always trying

I have ordered from both 6PM and Zappos. The main difference I see is that Zappos has the return shipping costs factored in so they cost more. When I order from 6 PM I am going to be 90% sure I will be keeping it.

But most of the time 6 PM does not have my size or the color I want, so usually look else ware for the same shoes. Get lucky sometimes and find the same ones on Amazon, and most of the time for less than Zappos.

Diana

6pm is basically Zappos' sale site. It's just the older merchandise that was originally sold on Zappos. You might notice that Zappos rarely puts things on big sale; instead they just disappear and show up on 6pm. As such, they probably sell more things that have been tried and returned, but not seconds per se. They should offer to pay your return shipping if you ask! I've never had anything but good experiences /service from them.

Kari

Yep, what Diana said. it could be poor quality control on the shoe itself too.

Olivegreen

I have had good luck with them, so far. In my YLF wardrobe turnaround they have been good for shifting my wardrobe style at reasonable pricing. Dress shoes, sandals, sneakers, and some Joseph Seibel chukkas.
Oh, and house slippers.
My friend has gotten sandals and Cobb Hill boots.
The return process is not fun, but the savings are good if you already know your size in the brand, and your area is at least a year behind in trend anyway
But if you do not choose to be a bit of a bargain shopper, I do think that higher end shoe stores offer more consistent quality and service.
I still go to Nordstroms for some items, like Converse, as I think the quality supplied to them is better than the quality supplied to other stores.

Staysfit

I have never ordered from 6 pm before. This has been interesting to read though. One thing I plan to do while on a break from shopping is browse some of the discount sites and figure out worth my time it is to hunt through them when I want something. The issue of size and color is often tough for me, I take a popular shoe size, and my clothing size is also one that tends to sell out quickly, especially in good colors.

crutcher

Karie, I have had just outstanding luck with 6PM...They are an outlet for Zappos and maybe Amazon since Amazon owns Zappos now...I have never thought their clothes or shoes were seconds...And when I have had to call cs has been helpful...They are located in the Phillippines and language has been an issue...smile...but somehow, we were able to get through the language barrier and I was always pleased...

Aquamarine

I just received a pair of shoes from 6 pm that were a duplicate in a different color of a pair ordered elsewhere. No problems that I can see, just cheaper.

I have never had a problem with the quality of shoes from 6 pm, but their customer service is nowhere near as good as Zappos in my opinion.

Destri

I just ordered a NYDJ moto jacket that I had ordered previously from Zappos and decided to return -- it was rather expensive at full price but I kept thinking about how much I liked it and when it appeared on 6pm I order it again a couple days ago (at a much lower price). I also ordered two pairs off shoes that haven't arrived yet. Anywho, I think the prices at 6pm are generally great and my experience has been that they are, what others have said, the sale items from Zappos. No problem with the quality of the moto jacket. But, like others have mentioned, the returns are a drag -- having to pay the shipping.

Marlene

6pm is the place I go to look for duplicates of shoes I already know the size and fit OR to try a whole new style when I'm not certain about a trend and want to test-drive it since their prices are so low. I just know ahead of time that the returns are challenging. Some of my favorite shoes are from 6pm and the fact that they were a good price is icing! I've never had any problems with quality but what issues I have had, have been dealt with quickly and easily through CS.

It's so interesting to read everyone's responses, and it looks like most of you have had good experiences with 6 pm. This is my first time ordering and it didn't go well! Looks like my pair got through quality control and in a big way - the footbed is peeling in several places on each shoe, and the size isn't hiding - it's not marked anywhere on either shoe. I've never had issues with the quality of merchandise from any other on-line retailer. I've never ordered from them before because of their return policy, but I figured keeping these was a shoe-in (pun intended) since I already knew what size I'd need. Oh well. Live and learn!

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