Product Review: Questionable Authenticity of Saucony Shoes on Amazon
I’m still not entirely sure if these are official Saucony shoes or not. Here’s the deal: the first six pairs of Sauconys I purchased were all from Amazon, and while I haven’t had any major issues with them, something feels off.
-Don A.
Back in 2018, after injuring myself at the gym (I was going twice a day and was a bit addicted), I became concerned that I would gain all of my weight back.
So, I started looking for alternative exercises since my bicep and elbow injury ruled out any major upper body routines. That’s when I started running around the neighborhood and eventually joined a Sunday run group. Just new to running and not knowing any better, I was running in old Adidas shoes. Much like many new runners, I thought, “I can’t do this; it hurts my knees and ankles.”
This is when I started to get educated by other runners about the importance of quality running shoes. Someone suggested I go to a running shop, get my feet measured, and invest in better shoes. Being somewhat poor at the time, I knew I couldn’t afford $200 running shoes, so I did what we all do—I went on Amazon. “Hey, look! I can get last year’s shoes and save money!”
Back in 2018, I purchased a pair of Saucony Unisex-Adult Excursion TR11 Running Shoes to complete my first Savage Race. They were fantastic. I had no issues with them whatsoever, and they held up incredibly well through some pretty extreme conditions.
In fact, I continued to wear those same shoes for the next four years, during which I completed four more Savage Races and two Rugged Maniacs. The comfort, durability, and performance of that pair at the time seemed fine and I never had a single complaint. They provided excellent support and traction, which is why I stuck with Saucony for so long.
In 2022, I made a career change and started a new job that gave me the financial freedom to stop relying on Amazon so I transitioned from bargain hunting on Amazon to shopping at the “sales table” at my local running shop.
I started buying $175 shoes for $85, but these were straight from a trusted retailer. My first pair from the local shop was a game-changer. For the first time, I didn’t experience the foot and ankle pain during the first mile of my run—a discomfort I had just assumed was normal. Yet, it still hadn’t occurred to me that there must be something wrong with my Amazon shoes
On April 23rd, 2024, I signed up for my first 7-mile trail race. Knowing my old trail shoes from my OCR days were long overdue for retirement, I turned to Amazon to buy a new pair since I couldn’t find any on the sales table at my local running store. I ordered the Saucony TR15s, and when they arrived, everything changed.
As I examined them in my office, something immediately caught my attention: the insoles. Inside the shoes were bright yellow, flat insoles. This stood out because, with my recent store-bought Saucony shoes, I had noticed a significant difference—the insoles were always ergonomic.
They were contoured to support the arch of the foot and often featured branding like Saucony or tech terms like iFoam. These yellow insoles, by contrast, were completely flat and cut-to-fit, lacking any branding or structure.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. So, I started thinking back to all the Saucony shoes I had purchased from Amazon over the years. The pattern was undeniable. Curious and wanting confirmation, I posted photos of the TR15s and their insoles in my local SAF Run Group Facebook page, asking if anyone with store-bought Saucony shoes had flat, blank insoles like these.
The response was overwhelming—103 comments later, it was clear I wasn’t imagining things. People started sharing photos of their store-bought Saucony insoles, and with a few exception, they were all labeled, ergonomic, and supportive. This was in stark contrast to every pair of Saucony shoes I’d bought from Amazon.
I then had a flashback to a few years ago when I bought my daughter a pair of Saucony trail running shoes that were on sale at a major shoe superchain store. Curious about my recent discovery, I asked her to grab her shoes so I could take a closer look. She gave me a look like I was nuts but humored me and brought them over.
Sure enough, her trail running shoes had printed, semi-ergonomic insoles—exactly what I had come to expect from store-bought Saucony shoes. They were nothing like the blank, generic insoles I had received in my Amazon purchases.
This was yet another confirmation that there’s a significant difference between Saucony shoes purchased from reputable stores and those bought on Amazon. It reinforced my suspicion that some of the shoes being sold online might not be the real deal or could be manufactured to lower standards.
I’ve also noticed an unusual pattern: I tend to get blisters in strange areas with the Amazon-purchased shoes, something that doesn’t happen with the store-bought ones
“I just so happened to have an ‘old pair’ of my Amazon shoes at the office—the ones I wore to walk two miles each day at lunch. I checked the insole, and once again, they were blank and cheap.”
I contacted Saucony’s corporate office directly. I asked if they sell factory seconds on Amazon, and they said no. I also inquired about the flat, single-color insoles, and they confirmed that, to their knowledge, they don’t sell shoes with blank, flat insoles. I asked if I could speak to someone for more details, provided my number, yet no one ever called me back. They didn’t seem too surprised or interested. In fact, the nice lady who answered the phone was more intrigued by the fact that we shared the same last name and grew up in the same part of the country.
Conclusion
Am I saying the Saucony shoes sold on Amazon are fake? I can’t say for certain unless I took every pair I still own to the factory and had them inspected. Is it unheard of for bootleg shoes to be sold on Amazon? Absolutely not—you hear about it all the time.
That said, with the exception of one pair that I threw in the trash (check out my YouTube video for more on that) and the current trail running shoes that give me blisters on my ankle, I haven’t had any outright failures or major quality issues with the shoes I’ve purchased from Amazon. I usually just buy $20 insoles to replace the ones they come with, and they seem fine.
If you’re “ballin’ on a budget” and don’t have access to a local running shop with a nice sales table, then by all means, go ahead and grab a pair of Saucony shoes from Amazon. Just keep in mind—you get what you pay for, and they might not quite match up to the “real deal.”
Now, let’s talk about the “real deal” for a moment. It’s been discussed on recent podcasts that many knockoff shoes are manufactured in the same factories using the same machines as the official products. Here’s how it supposedly works: After the contracted hours paid for by the name-brand company, the factory powers up the production line again. They use the same equipment but might source cheaper materials—like lower-quality rubber or leather—and produce shoes for a third party. These after-hours shoes often skip certain quality control steps, and components like insoles might come from a different, less reputable supplier.
Even if these shoes are made in the same facility, the differences in materials and attention to detail can impact comfort and performance.
For running shoes, this could mean less arch support or a sole that doesn’t absorb impact as effectively. Simply put, your feet might feel the difference.
So, while Amazon shoes might work if you’re in a pinch, if you’re serious about running or want the best for your feet, it’s worth investing in a verified pair from a trusted retailer.