For cheap -- all of the suggestions here are good but frankly, I have found that a simple Google search on the name of the make/model of shoe I want (plus a bit of patience to read through many, many results) almost always gets me a better price than I find at any of these places (and I really do buy from almost all of them). Plus, when you find a place with a decent price, then google something like
"<name-of-store> coupon"
and you'll often find an online coupon that saves you more
If you find a great price at a place you aren't sure about, google
"<name-of-store> reviews"
or
"<name-of-store> experiences?"
And if it turns out to be a scammer, you'll know about it as long as you have the patience to read through a bunch of the results. Don't just stop with a few results. Sometimes scammers plant their own. But the good news is that running shoes are generally such a low-margin item that you don't get scammers with them like you do with, say, bikes.
What one poster said about Holabird is true. You can get great shoes at great prices from them but God help you if you need to return anything. Their customer service is legendary (at least on running forums) for not being good. I've rolled the dice about 5 or 6 times with them and been very happy
Just recently I found what feels like my long-distance dream racing flat. I had low expectations initially, having run in the predecessors so I wasn't about to spend much to try them out. But doing all of the above allowed me to find them just over $40 in the color when other places were selling them for $70. So I took a chance and I liked them so much after one run that I immediately bought 3 more pairs.
"<name-of-store> coupon"
and you'll often find an online coupon that saves you more
If you find a great price at a place you aren't sure about, google
"<name-of-store> reviews"
or
"<name-of-store> experiences?"
And if it turns out to be a scammer, you'll know about it as long as you have the patience to read through a bunch of the results. Don't just stop with a few results. Sometimes scammers plant their own. But the good news is that running shoes are generally such a low-margin item that you don't get scammers with them like you do with, say, bikes.
What one poster said about Holabird is true. You can get great shoes at great prices from them but God help you if you need to return anything. Their customer service is legendary (at least on running forums) for not being good. I've rolled the dice about 5 or 6 times with them and been very happy
Just recently I found what feels like my long-distance dream racing flat. I had low expectations initially, having run in the predecessors so I wasn't about to spend much to try them out. But doing all of the above allowed me to find them just over $40 in the color when other places were selling them for $70. So I took a chance and I liked them so much after one run that I immediately bought 3 more pairs.