Is It Safe to Buy Used Shoes? Yes, With 3 Exceptions

For most adults, yes: buying used shoes is safe as long as you look inside before you pay, clean them before you wear them, and walk away from pairs that have already been shaped by someone else's feet. The real risks are a fungus that loves damp shoes, and wear that changes how a shoe supports you. There are three clear exceptions, and the first one comes straight from foot doctors: everyday shoes for a growing child.

Used shoes are mostly fine for grown-ups. The insides, the heels and kids' feet are where the trouble is.

Most of what ranks for this question today is either a seller's blog or a forum thread. So we went to the public health pages and the foot doctors' own advice, and turned them into checks you can do in a couple of minutes, in a store or on a phone screen.

Can you catch athlete's foot from used shoes?

You can. The U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus says athlete's foot spreads easily, both by direct contact and through shared items such as shoes, socks and the floors around showers and pools (page reviewed April 2025). Nationwide Children's Hospital lists sharing socks or shoes as one of the ways it gets passed on.

The same pages explain why shoes matter so much. The fungus grows in warm, damp places, and MedlinePlus names closed shoes, especially plastic-lined ones, as a risk. That tells you which used shoes deserve the most caution:

• Closed, sweaty shoes worn without much airflow: gym trainers, rubber or vinyl boots, plastic-lined shoes.
• Any pair that feels damp inside, smells strongly, or has dark staining on the footbed.

It also tells you which are lower risk: open sandals, shoes worn only a few times, and leather or canvas pairs that can dry out fully. MedlinePlus recommends breathable materials such as leather for exactly that reason.

What about plantar warts and nail fungus?

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), the national body for foot doctors, warns in its kids' shoe tip sheet that sharing shoes can spread fungi like athlete's foot and nail fungus. That is one of the two reasons it tells parents not to pass shoes down.

Plantar warts are different. MedlinePlus says warts spread from person to person by contact, and advises wearing socks or shoes to help prevent plantar warts (page reviewed October 2024). It does not single out used shoes as a route, so we won't either. The sensible habit is the same one that guards against fungus: wear clean socks in any shoe that isn't brand new, including when you try a pair on.

If you already have a foot problem, a sore that won't heal, or diabetes, ask your doctor or a podiatrist before wearing anyone else's shoes. This article is general information, not medical advice.

Should kids wear hand-me-down shoes?

This is exception number one. The APMA's advice is blunt: never hand down footwear. It gives two reasons. A size that fits one child comfortably may not fit another the same way, and shared shoes can spread fungus.

The same sheet adds a detail most parents never hear: children can wear through the heels of their shoes faster than they outgrow them, and uneven heel wear can be a sign of a foot problem worth showing a podiatrist. A used pair carries the last child's wear pattern, so it can't tell you anything about your own child's.

Where does that leave a parent watching the budget? Dress shoes, rain boots and snow boots worn a handful of times are a different thing from daily sneakers worn for a school year. Use the heel test below, look inside, and if the footbed already shows a clear print of someone else's toes, pass.

How to check a used pair in two minutes

These checks combine the APMA's three-step shoe test with the public health advice above. They work on adult shoes too.

Steps 1 to 3 come from the APMA tip sheet, which says a shoe should never twist in the middle. Step 6 does too: the sheet says shoes should be comfortable right away, with no break-in period.

Buying online? Ask for four photos before you pay: the inside of each shoe, the soles side by side, and the heels from behind. A seller who won't show the inside has told you something.

How to clean used shoes before you wear them

The public health pages we read don't give one official recipe for disinfecting shoes, and we won't invent one. Here is what their advice supports:

1. Swap the insoles. If the insole lifts out, replace it. It is the part that held the last owner's sweat, and a new one is an easy way to start fresh.
2. Wash what can be washed. Follow the care label. Canvas and many sneakers can be washed; leather and suede usually cannot.
3. Dry them completely. The fungus wants damp, so a fully dry shoe is a less friendly home. MedlinePlus suggests rotating shoes so each pair dries out between wears for the same reason.
4. Consider antifungal powder. Nationwide Children's lists sprinkling antifungal powder inside shoes as a prevention step. Follow the product's directions.
5. Wear clean socks, at least for the first few weeks.

The three exceptions, in one place

1. Kids' everyday shoes. The APMA says not to hand them down, because of fit and fungus.
2. Shoes that are damp, smelly or stained inside and can't be washed. If you can't clean the inside, you can't trust it.
3. Pairs already shaped by another foot: collapsed heel counters, soles worn unevenly, or a deep footprint in the footbed. These have lost the support you're buying a shoe for.

Everything else, from barely worn boots to dress shoes and open sandals, is usually a sound buy after the checks above. With winter coming to DC, Maryland and Virginia, that includes snow and rain boots, which many people wear only a few days a year.

The bottom line

A used pair of shoes is not a health hazard by default. The risk lives inside the shoe and in how it was worn, and both are things you can check in two minutes. Look inside, press the heel, twist the middle, swap the insole, and skip hand-me-downs for a growing child's daily shoes.

If you're shopping secondhand for the whole home, our guide to the bed bug checks the EPA recommends for used couches and mattresses uses the same look-before-you-buy idea, and five dates to check on anything secondhand covers the labels that matter. You can browse what's in stock now under categories or in Buy Now, and our FAQ explains how buying from DealsDMV works.

Know a parent about to pass down a pair of sneakers? Send them this first.