Amazon

l Prime Wardrobe lets you try before you commit to buy

l Amazon has excellent shipping and returns

l Good selection of shoes and brands

We all know Amazon, like it or hate it, there is no denying that this is a good place to buy things. Amazon's shoe selection is very good, and various third-party retailers related to Amazon also provide good private label shoes, new shoes and second-hand shoes. The site is actually harder to navigate than many competitors, but this is because Amazon has a wide variety of products-you need to drill into the site to find shoes.

What sets Amazon apart, however, is the Prime Wardrobe services, which is included as part of a regular Amazon Prime membership. Here you can choose up to eight items of clothing - shoes included - at a time, and order them to be delivered to your home. There is a three-item minimum and a $1000 maximum value. Once they arrive you have seven days to try them on, and mark all unwanted items for return. After that you pay for the stuff you want to keep, and use pre-paid packaging for all the returns. It's so, so simple and is a great way of shopping for clothes and shoes.

The downside? Well, it's tough to see one, although the fact you need to be a Prime member is something of a barrier. You are slightly limited in terms of choice - not everything on Amazon is part of Prime Wardrobe, so you may not be able to use it for your chosen pair of shoes or boots. Overall, though, it does feel a lot like the future of shoe shopping...

Amazon User Reviews and Ratings

l Has an A rating and is accredited at the Better Business Bureau

l Scores 3 out of 5 via Consumer Affairs

It's near impossible to get a sense of the Amazon user reviews for its shoe service, so we took a cross-section of about 50 reviews across a number of products we found in the shoe section on the site. Overall, they reflected the quality of each individual brand and, while there were complaints about shipping and lost orders, they were very positive.

Amazon's A rating on the BBB comes as little surprise, given the volume of complaints received for a wide range of problems encountered by users. Amazon's responses aren't always convincing, and many consumers fail to accept the resolution offered. Again, though, it's difficult to find a large number that specifically relate to shoes or the Prime Wardrobe aspect of the site.

We did check some style blogs for reviews of Prime Wardrobe. Many talked about the limitations of the service, such as the narrower selection, the fact you have to use a credit card, and the three-item minimum. However, the overall impression was positive.