Amazon is a great place to try barefoot shoes. When you move from traditional footwear to barefoot shoes there are so many new considerations. Your foot has been used to be cramped and your bones pulled out of alignment. Most likely you were in a shoe to small in every direction.
Enter barefoot shoes, where your toes quickly learn to spread out and your size almost always changes.
Each company in the barefoot world has different policies. Some offer completely free exchanges but charge for returns. Some are on the other side of the world and the cost and time of a return is prohibitive. If you can find options on Amazon, you can eliminate a lot of the hassle.
This list was most recently updated on November 1, 2021. I’ll try to come back and update this post with new finds. There are affiliate links below, which means that I get a commission if you decide to purchase something.
Xero (main site) – the shoes are $5 more than ordering from the company, but you get free shipping and free returns. Here are the HFS and there are many other options as well, including the men’s Alpine winter boot.
Vivobarefoot (main site, where my code OWBSHOES saves 10%) – not everything on Amazon is discounted, but they do use the site to move older clearance items. Some good discounts are available right now, like these Women’s FG Brown Trackers for $120.00 and the Gobi III Hemp for $106. Typically the sizing is limited.
Luna Sandals (main site, where my code OWBS_LUNA10 saves 10%) – Luna has numerous options on Amazon, including the Oso Flaco and Mono Winged.
Groundies Urban Barefootwear (main site) – It pays to do some cross-checking here, and the comparisons can change. Amazon can save you a ton of money.
Current Groundies deals on Amazon. PLEASE make absolutely certain you only by models marked as W. If they do not say they are wide, then they are not the barefoot version, but instead will come with a ‘regular’ (narrow) toe box:
- Bella Flat – Black for $55 and Taupe for $55 (other colors too!) Review of this shoe is here.
- Paramount Women’s – $70
- Hamburg Men’s – $40
- Colorado Men’s, Green – $50
- Earth Women’s, Yellow – $50
- Ibiza Women’s, Rose – $60
- Breeze Men’s, Brown – $50
- Colorado Women’s, Green – $50
- Sydney Women’s, Green – $60
- Breeze Women’s, Blue – $50
- Colombo Women’s – $60
- Monaco GS1, Men’s – $50
- And so many more! I picked some of the deepest discounts, but lots of others are discounted to various degrees.
Merrell (main site) – This company has a few different barefoot options for kids and adults. I’ve not personally bought the adult shoes, but we have used the kids BareSteps line and you can sometimes find some good deals on them. Bonus: we tried them out with Wardrobe so were able to zero in on the right fit with less hassle. The Vapor Glove and Trail Glove shoes for adults can both be found on Amazon.
New Balance (main site) – My husband transitioned to barefoot shoes with the New Balance Minimus model with a 4mm drop and not-stellar toe box that we got from Amazon. There are both men’s and women’s options.
Vibram Five Fingers (main site) – These VFFs are on Amazon, but I find the prices higher than getting new from reseller shops via Ebay. Check your numbers before buying. But at the least the free returns might be helpful in learning the models and varying sizing.
Two brands I’ve also not tried but are big with those needing more cushion or just transitioning, are also on Amazon: Altra and Topo Athletic. Please be careful about model choices, especially on the latter. Without experience, I cannot verify which are foot-friendly and which may not (same goes for tons of Merrell and New Balance models).
An important type of shoe missing in the true barefoot market is rain boots. People have been creative, however, and continued to discover potentially good (or at least less bad) rainboot options such as these Asgard rain boots that can fill the need without too big of a heel or too stiff of a sole. For kids, several people have found success in using Chacos (flat and wide, but likely stiff) and Oaki rain boots. Another route you can take are overboots like this or shoe covers like this.
There are also tons of less expensive options on Amazon for running shoes, flats, and casual wear. Their degree of minimalism varies, as well as their durability. Things to consider if/when you try them is: check the sole flexibility in bend, roll, and side squish, look for hidden drop in insoles, and check toe boxes to make sure you have adequate space for your big toe and that you don’t have an unhealthy inward angle. Lots of these are bandied about as barefoot, but the qualities vary.
Joomra – I used this Joomra shoe as I was trying to figure out what minimalist shoes to wear. I found them incredibly wide and flat without the insole, but also quite stiff. Not bad for transition times.
Whiten – This Whiten model was one that my husband considered when he was looking for his first minimalist/transitional shoe. Unsure on durability here.
Fitkicks – I have never tried the original model, but did use the cross-over early. My upturned big toenails did not agree with the tight toe caps. Lots of people love these as like a water shoe, but a little more high-end.
Tsla – I have no direct experience with these, but they seem really popular as an alternative to the Merrells above.
Troadlop – This is another one similar to Joomra and Whiten. I have not personally tried them but they could be a good starter shoe, at the least.
Saguaro – And one more similar type here, also that I have not personally tried.
It’s easy to come up with barefoot flats on Amazon. Foldable Flats is a good term to locate them. However, you may find their toebox looks kind of narrow like these or their durability is highly suspect, like these and these. Order with care.
Have you found a good minimalist shoe on Amazon? Let us know in the comments or come join the fun on Instagram.