When "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes" ACTUALLY Means (Accidentally) Making Money

Of course, I'm not a gambler. However, what you're about to read is a fairly typical shopping experience for me, right down to the mistakes (yes, plural) on a seller's part. Going after errors isn't always fun, but it most often ends in breaking even—or, even, coming out ahead. And in this encounter, which finally culminated today, we're dealing with the juggernaut that is Amazon. So, here's the story:

Late last year, when we were still at the beginning of our winter season, I began hunting down a pair of Merrell Coldpack 3 Thermo Mocs. The first similar pair of Merrells I acquired were discovered some years back on sale at a Merrell outlet store, but I was prepared thereafter to have them shut up and take my money, as these were some of the best shoes I'd ever owned. The sole alone, now by Vibram, is designed to grab the ground on ice or water, and I've slipped enough to now know better. The overall tech on these has been phenomenal—save for my last pair, which experienced a catastrophic seam failure in a gully washer rainstorm. (Yeah, wet socks. Ugh.) Research indicated they'd modified for 2025, so I was ready to jump into a new pair, pulling the purchase trigger in late November.

Cost = $166.71 with 5% back and extra 2% on items using No-Rush delivery (+$11.66)

Let it be known that I have an Amazon credit card, and use it strategically to reap cash back rewards.

Let it also be declared: I do not recommend using a credit card unless you are both disciplined in spending and consistently pay the full amount back each month. Fees and interest cost far too much on their own, but also render any rewards moot.

Upon receipt, I put the full amount of these shoes in credit card rewards I had saved up for such an occasion.

Boom. Free shoes.

Yes, the story should have ended here. All seemed well hoofing round the homestead, but when I got out in the world, something was amiss. The size was right, but the fit was slightly—off. There was just too much room, like they needed to be a half size smaller, and no way had I somehow lost that much weight, right?

Since these shipped in an unmarked box, it took far to long to realize the real problem: Right size, wrong gender. Thankfully, I'd been a gentle wearer, was able to clean them well and still had the original shipping materials as received. I was honest about all this, and Amazon's site was quick to issue return instructions for a replacement, which were dropped at an area Kohl's in late January.

On February 8, new shoes finally arrived! This time, in an official box—which made it immediately apparent that these, too, were very much not what I ordered. Again. Sigh.

I immediately contacted customer service, who issued an apology and determined, since we'd already gone once around this track, a refund was required. As we chatted, I also noticed a new discounted option. Should I try once more? (A desperation move, as I could see end of season stock was running dry.) The response was affirmative, so order I did. The second misfire was shipped back via UPS Store (with Kohl's not an option this round) and refund promptly processed. (Rookie error: I should have chosen the Whole Foods option to save an extra trip, tho my schedule was slightly uncertain during this process.)

New Cost = $125 with 5% back and extra 1% on items using No-Rush delivery (+$7.50)

With the initial cost refunded, and the cashback already applied, I lost the initial $11.66 card bonus, but actually came out ahead with another $41.21 covering other costs. So close to a $50 return. Not too shabby for all the hassle. And these shoes are, once again, truly an engineering marvel.

So, let my crazy story be an encouragement—Don't give up over errors on things you really need. You might even come out ahead in the end.

Got a good return story? Let us know with a comment below.