New numbers It shows that Norway is on the verge of becoming a running country again. This also means increased demand for running shoes, as well as the need to know which shoes to buy The newspaper online.
The options are vast, and it's easy to get lost in a world that not everyone may have good control over.
For many, price is also important when purchasing new sneakers. However, experts Nettavisen spoke to warn against the temptation to buy the cheapest species.
Read also: This trend is taking off in Norway: you have to pay attention
– It would be much worse
You can find it, for example, on the Chinese website Temu, which has become very popular in Norway in a short time.
The online store has a large selection of sports shoes and, among other things, it is possible to find sports shoes for less than a hundred Danish kroner.
You shouldn't buy them, says Kevin Ramsfjell. He is an ultra runner and running coach and posts running shoe reviews on social media.
-It's cheap for a reason, so you get bad materials. It won't last long, and the damping will of course be much worse. If it is also a copy, it will not perform as the shoes were designed to. “You get a bad shoe from the get-go, and then the durability is miserable compared to the right brand,” he tells NetVision.
Ramsfjell recommends a slightly higher price and quality purchase. He explained that he hasn't tested the cheap running shoes available at Temu, but based on the incredibly low prices, he thinks the shoes' durability is “miserable.”
– They will be worn to pieces, and then you will have to buy new ones all the time. When I tested, I found that the lighter and cheaper the shoe, the less durable it was. Then you end up using more shoes,” says the 23-year-old.
It may have consequences
Selina Hocking is a podiatrist at Kristiansand Podiatry Centre, and works every day to solve problems related to the use of very poor shoes.
She is clear that there can be consequences if you use bad shoes.
– By using poor shoes, the consequences can lead to stress injuries in the knees, hips and back, as well as causing general pain and discomfort in the legs. About 80 percent of those who visit us as podiatrists suffer from shoe-related foot problems, Netavicin says.
Like Ramsfjell, she doesn't recommend buying cheap shoes from sites like Temu.
-By buying cheap shoes from unscrupulous players like Timo, you have no guarantee of what you will get. Some people may get lucky and get shoes that work well, while for others you may get shoes that don't fit anything optimally, Lucking says.
Timo responds to this
Michael Falk, of Temu's Nordic PR agency, Agera PR, wrote in an email to Nettavisen that Temu conducts a quality check on products sold on its platform.
– At Temu, we have a process to ensure that manufacturers selling their products on the platform have a good level of quality for their products. For example, sellers have to provide a lot of information about their products, and physical checks are performed on the products. Through these checks, we ensure that Temu's vendors live up to the standards our customers expect, Falk wrote for Nettavisen.
He goes on to say that the producers follow strict standards.
– Many merchants on Temu are well-known manufacturers and have advanced production facilities. They deliver to popular US brands and retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target. These manufacturers follow strict industry standards and have a recognized high quality in their production.
Read Timo's full answer here:
Reply from Timo
Statement issued by Timo's spokesperson, relayed via the North's public relations agency:
At Temu, we have a process to ensure that manufacturers selling their products on the platform have a good level of quality for their products. For example, sellers have to provide a lot of information about their products, and physical checks are performed on the products. Through these checks, we ensure that Temu vendors live up to the standards our customers expect.
In this context, we would like to highlight Temu's marketing slogan “Shop Like a Billionaire”, which aims to demonstrate our central mission: Giving consumers from all parts of society the opportunity to buy high-quality products at affordable prices is democratizing. Access to these products, thus providing equal opportunities for everyone to buy what they need and want.
Our cost-effectiveness relies on direct contact between consumers and producers, which means eliminating a number of intermediaries with associated margins. Many merchants on Temu are recognized manufacturers and have advanced production facilities. They deliver to popular US brands and retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target. These manufacturers follow strict industry standards and have a recognized high quality in their production.
Last week, Timo was prosecuted for violating EU law on online shopping. The low-cost online store is accused, among other things, of providing poor consumer protection and using manipulative means. Timo responded that they were taking the report seriously.
You must scroll up for quality
Ramsfjell's advice is to buy quality running shoes when you first get new shoes. Then you have to pay between 1,500 and 2,100 NOK, unless you come across a good offer.
-For good regular trainers, you have to hit that price, I think. This is where the price of most shoes lies. I've tested quite a few shoes, and the cheapest one I tested was priced at NOK 1,600. Almost everything is around NOK 2,000, Ramsfjell says.
He admits it's very expensive, but the ultra-runner believes good running shoes should be viewed as an investment.
-If you're really going to run, it helps to wear good shoes. New runners often say they ran in old shoes and then went to a sports store and bought new ones, and it was like a new world. There's a very big difference, Rumsville says.
Podiatrist Hocking agrees with Ramsfjell.
-By wearing good shoes, the body becomes happier and therefore easier to make active choices. She says good footwear is an investment in good health.
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