I've been looking for lavender shoes for a while and decided to give AnTaiNa a shot because I had heard some good things about their quality and prices. AnTaiNa is nice because they custom make shoes to your measurements. So if brands don't make your size, or you have more narrow or wide feet, they are great place to look into. I usually avoid Taobao because I don't like having to use a shopping service, but with AnTaiNa you can order directly through email. Keep in mind that it usually takes 10 business days to make the shoes. They have a good selection with shoes suitable for a lot of different fashion styles.
Timeline:
- Saturday 30 April - Email sent to place order
- Monday 2 May - I get my first response and ask some questions. We exchange about 9 emails within an hour, and I receive the invoice and pay it. If you catch them during a business day you get very fast replies! All of my questions were answered quickly and friendly.
- Wednesday 18 May - The package is sent out by AnTaiNa
- Friday 20 May - Tracking number is received.
- Wednesday 25 May - I received the package.
I've never actually purchased anything on Taobao before, seeing as how you usually need a shopping service which is something I like to avoid due to the extra fees and issues that they can entail. But with AnTaiNa you place an order directly through the email that they have on their webpage. After exchanging some emails with questions I received the invoice to pay and the order was complete.
communication: 4/5
All the responses are in English and are understandable. My questions were answered quickly. When I didn't receive an email about my order after 15 days (the estimated time to make the shoes is 10 days) I sent an email to check up on my order. It turns out they were already shipped out and they just forgot to email me with the tracking information. They responded very quickly when I sent the email (about 10 minutes later!) and gave me the tracking number.
cost: 5/5
The cost of the shoes is a very good price! AnTaiNa is one of the most affordable brands on the market right now. The shoes I got are $32. In addition to this, the buyer is required to pay the paypal fee, which was only $3.60. It's not bad considering that shoes are affordable to begin with.
shipping: 1/5
Shipping is terribly expensive. The options are either EMS shipping or Airmail shipping, both of which are more than the price of the shoes! Airmail shipping was $32 and EMS shipping was $39. I didn't think the packaging was too great either... The shoes were shipped in the shoe box, which was just wrapped in a plastic bag. My shoes box had a huge dent in the top and some rips, but thankfully the shoes were ok. Each one was wrapped in an individual plastic bag inside the box. It's still a little disappointing because I like to keep my shoes in the boxes and stack them at the top of my wardrobe, but now this one can't stack with the big dent. I'm sure that this is all due to the post office, but with the price of shipping I feel like they could have put the shoe box inside another box to protect it better. Shipping was quick and my shoes got here in exactly 1 week. I choose EMS because I had an Airmail package from Bodyline get lost on me before, and the extra $7 is worth it in my opinion. Shipping a pair of shoes with EMS from Bodyline is usually $18-$22 in my experience, for a comparison in price.
quality and comfort: 5/5
When they finally arrived and I tried them on, they fit perfect! They are just right for my measurements, and even narrow enough for my small feet. I couldn't find any problems with the shoes, they are in flawless condition. The block heels are easy to walk in, and the shoes have padding in them. They don't rub anywhere or hurt at all. The shade of lavender is perfect too! The only thing I noticed is that they are a bit loose in the back by the heel, but that's totally a me problem because I have such narrow feet. It's really not that noticeable. If you have average sized feet that shouldn't be an issue. I have the same problem with American brand shoes too. I would say that the comfort level feels pretty much the same as my Bodyline shoes so far.
total: 4/5
If you can handle the high shipping, and don't need the shoes in a hurry, AnTaiNa is a great option for shoes of any style that are comfy and a good deal for the money. I highly recommend them!
The shoes are made from synthetic leather.
The cute heart buckles on the straps make them adjustable for a range in fit.
The block heels are comfy to walk in.
The bow details appear to be well secured.
The shoes are narrow enough for my personal measurements.
The padding inside makes them easy to wear. The shoes don't rub anywhere either.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or want to see more detail pictures let me know in the comments below!
8/22/17 EDIT:
So after having these shoes for over a year now I wanted to add some more information to this review! Suddenly it popped up on the recently viewed tab on the sidebar of my blog and I realized that my impression of these shoes while initially good, actually changed to be even more positive when I continued to wear them. The shoes took about 2 wears to be broken in and since then I've worn them quite a few times. The synthetic leather scuffs way less easily than Bodyline shoes which is a huge plus. I've also found that they wear out way less quick on the inside too. I'm just so excited that they still look so new over a year later!
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