Jelly Sandals in the Style I Want? Better Believe it!

Hello, I’m Tina and I like jelly sandals. You know how people who started using those Crocs swore left and right that those rubber clogs were the epitome of foot comfort? That’s what jellies were for me.

Here’s a secret: as much as I love my rubber clogs, I never buy them from those retail stores. To date, I have around ten pairs of sandals, and only two of those came from a boutique.

So where do I buy my jellies, then? Well, in a nutshell, I buy them from the Internet. To be more specific, I buy them from eBay. I discovered early on that this was the best way to get my shoes, and have been doing so ever since I discovered the fact.

Now, I’m not slamming those retail stores—they sell good stuff, and if you’re not too picky, are the best sources for the footwear I happen to like. But buying from the ‘net is such a great way to shop that it merits a post all on its own.

Why I Wear Sandals

First and foremost, let me get this out in the open: I love sandals. I could never understand how women who wore heels could stand walking on them for very long. They’re not very comfortable. And while ballet flats are comfortable all around, nothing beats the comfort of footwear that actually forms around your feet.
The problem with tough shoes is that the friction caused by stiff leather interiors can start giving you blisters—and that’s not comfortable.
No matter how comfortable jellies are, though, if you wear any footwear that’s too big for your feet, you’re gonna end up with blisters—no matter what you do.

Why Wear Jellies?

That doesn’t stop me from wearing jellies, though. I mean, let’s talk about the magic of jelly sandals. The “rubber” used for these flip flops and flats are a material that’s been around ever since—well, it’s been around for a pretty long time.
It isn’t really rubber; it’s more akin to plastic, really. It’s soft, easily formed so long as you have a mould, and really pretty to look at. Some brands form the material to act like a leather replacement. As a matter of fact, it seems that a shortage of leather was why people started designing sandals made with the material.
Another cool thing about the jelly material is that it’s waterproof. While I don’t think you’d want to wade through ankle-high floods wearing these puppies, you can theoretically slog through water with them (I’d never do that, but hey).
For me, though, the best thing about these shoes is the fact that they’re really pretty!

Jelly in the ‘Net

The reason why I don’t buy them shoes on boutiques and retail stores is because they don’t always have the right size for me. I’ve got big feet, so I always look for the large sizes from Melissa, Ann Taylor and the like, but their selections are always short of what I’m looking for.
Thankfully, I’ve plenty of experience buying stuff on the Internet. I’ve bought books and jewellery. I’ve never really used eBay to buy shoes before, but I went and looked for “jelly shoes” on a whim.
Lo and behold, there was a long list of jellied footwear when my page started loading. And the funny thing was, it took me what? Thirty minutes to find a size that fit me perfectly (it usually takes me an hour to go through an entire store’s stock before I either find something remotely close to what I like, or give up completely).
I mean, really.

Happy with my Jellies

The first time I bought myself a pair of jellies was way back in 2005. Like I mentioned earlier, I now have ten (if I remember correctly) pairs of the little babies. Eight of those came from the Internet.
I can honestly say that as far as shopping goes, eBay has been serving me rather well. If you’re looking for jelly shoes, you won’t have to look any further. Because, as the old and now-overused saying goes, everything’s pretty much just a click away.