Information for our overseas customers
In January 2026 we were forced to update the way we ship parcels outside the UK, and we know this has caused a small amount of confusion - we’re really sorry about that. We want to explain what has changed and what it means for you, so you can feel informed and confident when placing an order.

Why things have changed
The main change is around how and when taxes are paid. Almost all customers—UK and overseas—pay tax on their purchases. Previously, everyone paid the same price at checkout, and we then paid the tax on your behalf, including import duties for overseas orders.
It was simple, but it wasn’t very fair or sustainable. We were covering far more in taxes and fees than we were charging, and as a small business, that’s something we simply couldn’t keep absorbing.

How it works now
Overseas customers now pay their local taxes and any import or admin fees when the parcel arrives in their country.
Prices at checkout:
UK customers still pay UK VAT. Overseas customers now see VAT‑free prices.
So, if a pair of shoes costs £120 in the UK, you’ll pay £100 at checkout.
Customs and import charges:
You will be asked to pay these when your parcel reaches your country - Typical charges may include:
- VAT at your local rate (often 17–25%)
- Import duty (usually 10–18%)
- Additional handling or admin fees
Remember - you haven’t paid any tax upfront.

Third‑party handlers
Some countries use third‑party companies to collect these fees. In the US, this is currently Mark3, but it may vary elsewhere. We understand concerns about phishing and fraud, so please stay vigilant.
If you’re contacted about fees and you haven’t placed an order, it’s definitely suspicious. If you have ordered but still feel unsure, just get in touch and we’ll confirm whether the request is legitimate.

A note about returns
We’re a very small company (smaller than many people think!) and we don’t have international distribution hubs to help reduce these charges. We do keep our shipping prices as low as possible, but returning larger items internationally can be expensive, and we can’t offer free returns for overseas customers.
Fitting shoes remotely is tricky, and we’re always happy to help with sizing, measurements, and fit advice. We can’t guarantee a perfect fit, but we’ll do our best to guide you. It may be worth considering what you’d like to do if something doesn’t fit or isn’t quite what you expected.

Need help estimating charges?
Because every country has different rules, it’s hard for us to give exact costs in advance. But if you’d like help working out a rough estimate, you’re very welcome to contact us.
Email: information@vegetarian-shoes.co.uk

If we’re sending you an exchange (rather than a new purchase), you should not be charged import taxes again.

Recent EU legislation dictates that a delivery to an EU businesses can only be allowed when the business EORI number is provided.
If we do supply an EORI number it must be with the strict permission of the business we are sending to as there will be VAT implications.

All deliveries to home/residential addresses are not affected (thankfully), so we would always encourage this to avoid potential delays and confusion!

Yes we do. Please see our Post and Packaging Tables. Shipping costs will be calculated at the checkout.
If your country is missing from our drop down list, then please email information@vegetarian-shoes.co.uk and we can get your country added to our website.

Full refund given (P&P refunded at our basic rate for UK orders) for goods returned unworn and in re-sellable condition within 28 days.

At Christmas time this 28 days is extended until the 15th of January for items bought from the 15th of the previous November.

We are happy to accept items for refund or exchange if they are in an as new condition, however we do not offer free return postage, and oversea's customers will have to pay additional postage to have exchange items shipped to them, unless the item is faulty.

This policy enables us to keep the prices of our shoes as low as possible

We dispatch orders in the order we receive them. We aim to dispatch all orders within 7 days (UK and international) but please allow 14 days for delivery in the UK and the EC and 28 days for other overseas.

If the item is in stock we usually dispatch (except for very busy times) within a few days.

We do not contact customers if the item is out of stock as it states this at purchase on the website. We only contact if the item can’t be found.

We usually use a two working day courier (UK only) for delivery. Goods need to be signed for.

We do not charge VAT to non-EU customers even though the price for a style remains the same no matter where you order from.

We have very expensive shipping and packaging costs overseas and so rather than making VAT deductions we try and keep the cost of post and packing as low as possible.

This is the simplest method of pricing that we can work with as a busy mail-order company. So essentially, the price you see is the price you pay.

Vegetarian Shoes was established in 1990 at a time when Veganism was not a widely recognised word (it was a battle just to try and get some soya milk for a cup of tea from a small independent health food shop!). As a small, established and known brand, it would be a massive undertaking to change our name at this time. We are a Vegan Friendly Footwear company (as the majority of our vegan staff will testify) and we are proud to make high quality vegan footwear.

Yes they are, everything we sell is Vegan friendly

Ok you got us! What we mean is the shoes are for vegetarians and vegans and folk who would rather not wear leather. Our shoes and boots are made from man-made materials and plant fibres.

Sorry that you might be experiencing issues on our site.

Here are a couple of steps which could resolve this for you:

1. Registering with Verified By Visa. (If you are paying by Visa you must be registered to pay on our site.)

2. Using a different web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer instead of Firefox or vice versa). Occasionally, the problem may be due to anti-fraud measures put in place by your bank, so if you continue to have problems, it can be worth giving them a quick call.

Alternatively you could try paying using a different card or pay via Paypal (for which you'll need a paypal account). You can also call our mail order office to place your order on: +(0)1273 691913, Mon – Fri, 9.30 – 5.00

We use a number of different materials for our shoes. Some we buy in finished some we buy in a more ‘raw’ state and have them finished/coloured here in the UK.

The main components of the upper materials are Polyester and Polyurethane however cotton and hemp are also used. We do not use PVC in the uppers but some soles eg. the Airseal footwear contain PVC. The main thing we do is shoes for Veggies/Vegans. But where possible we want our shoes to be as environmentally friendly and ‘people friendly’ too. Some of the shoes materials are quite environmentally friendly.

We use no chrome for tanning which is used extensively in leather and is very polluting. The hemp material that we use is certified as organic You can check our website for more material information but most of our materials are synthetic. -A few are biodegradable or partly biodegradable: Please see our materials page.

We use different glue for different shoes & different factories. Some shoes like the Airseal have little glue in them, just some bits of rubber cement. Otherwise they are stitched and the soles are Heat-welded onto the shoe. Other styles will use mostly synthetic Contact-Cement type glue for the soles and some rubber ‘tacking’ glue. Most shoes use a plastic hot-melt glue for the toe-lasting process.

Also there are more water based glues being used in European Community factories now to reduce solvent emissions into the atmosphere. (Something factories in the far east do not have to comply with).

Unfortunately we are unable to supply our material off the roll for personal projects as we need to be able to send complete rolls to our manufacturers.

In terms of the environment, the shoe business is not a particulalrly eco-friendly one, because of the manufacturing process that leather has to go through to make it into shoes. This includes the process of tanning, the use of glues and solvents etc. To a certain extent our shoes avoid this as they are not made of leather and we do not use chrome; however, our manufacturing processes do still include some of these things.

Whilst there are overlaps, you need to be aware that the main idea behind the company is to offer animal-free shoes, and if it is the environmental aspect that is more important to you, then there may be other companies that can better cater to what you want.

With regards to our materials, not all of them are biodegradable eg Vegetan suede, micro, active and bucky. That said, some of our products are biodegradable; the cotton, and some of the polyester, that is a component in most of our styles, is biodegradable.

The vegetan uppers are 70-80% biodegradable. The level of solvent emissions from our factories are well within legal levels. We stitch many of our shoes which reduces the need for chemical use, and we also work with hemp. We are always looking for new ways to reduce damage to the environment.

Ethical Consumer has reviewed us in their Shoe Guide and Walking Boot Guides

All of our shoes are made within Europe (UK, Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal). The factories where our shoes are manufactured operate within UK or EU employment laws, and all workers get paid a minimum wage, if not more. Working conditions are excellent and workers are entitled to join unions. It is our company practice that the shoes be as people-friendly, as well as animal-friendly as possible.

There is no chrome in our shoes and boots. Our shoes contain no leather and the glues are synthetic and sometimes water based. But there are many 'Ingredients' in each shoe and we have a number of different suppliers. Each batch varies slightly so we cannot guarantee an ingredient will not be used.

We are not chemists, and we are not doctors so we can-not guarantee there will be no allergic reaction. Our shoes may be ok for some people who have allergic reactions to leather, but many other ingredients in our shoes, which some people are allergic to, are the same as conventional shoes.

The best way to find out is to try some, and try them at home indoors for a short while rather than walk outside for hours.

Firstly we are very sorry to hear you believe there might be a fault with the your shoes. If you could you take a couple pictures of the area you believe to be faulty, along with a picture of the entire shoes and the soles and we can try to see if it appears to be a fault before you send them back.

If it appears to be so, we will ask you to send the shoes back for further assessment. If we then find them to be faulty we will send out a replacement pair and refund you for the postage or if it is a simple fix by a shoe mender then we would advise to take them in for the repair and we would refund this cost back to you.

This way it helps to cut down on costs and wastage. Please send the picures and your original order number to us on information@vegetarian-shoes.co.uk

We are happy to advise on the size to try - unfortunately not all of our shoes are going to fit everyones' feet due to the individual's foot width/instep/other foot shapes etc. We will not be held responsible for postage costs if the size is not right.

Unfortunately we have to implement this as some customers have been claiming that we insisted that a shoe would fit when they have provided the length of their own foot, which is really not very useful at all. If it would help, we can give inside measurements for the shoe, although we never guarantee this will be exact (since they are tricky measurements to take), just more of an approximation.

If you would like us to take measurements for your shoes, please email the lovely folk at our shop – shop@vegetarian-shoes.co.uk – with your size and style, and they will get the tape measure out for you. We will be happy to swap any shoes if they are in perfect, unworn re-sellable condition.

If a particualr style does come up smaller, bigger, wider or narrower than the average then we will always give this information & advice on the website page. We generally will not compare our sizing against another brand of shoes as each style can be slightly different. Simply follow any advice that we give on the website page.