Guide

"Is a 10-day warranty okay?" A simple instruction for returning shoes

Author: Taisia Voevodova. Photo: Onliner archive, pixabay.com

You bought sandals with rhinestones, but in the evening, you realized that you made a mistake? Or you spent half your salary on boots, and then the sole came off, and the seller says: "It's too late, you should have done it earlier"? This can be fixed if you know your rights. Onliner, together with the Regional Society for the Protection of Consumer Rights, translates the legislation into a language that everyone can understand. Save this to avoid losing it.

What this text is about

What are the warranty periods for shoes and from what moment do they start?

If a 10-day warranty is indicated on the boots, is this legal? Is there a minimum?

How much does a commodity expert examination cost and where can you go for it?

I disagree with the store's conclusion. What should I do?

I bought shoes, but they didn't appeal to me at home. Can I return them?

There is no warranty for locks and soles. Is this normal?

What kind of shoe damage most often occurs due to manufacturing defects?

Is it necessary to have a receipt and a box when returning the shoes?

This article was previously published on Onliner. We updated and supplemented it in October 2026 to remind you once again what warranty applies to shoes, within what timeframe you can return boots or shoes to the store, and what to do if a defect is found after the warranty period has expired.

What are the warranty periods for shoes and from what moment do they start?

A so-called "statutory warranty" of two years is established for all non-food products. Within this period, in the event of a factory defect, the consumer has the right to appeal to the seller with a claim for poor quality.

At the same time, shoes (excluding, for example, home slippers) are often seasonal products. For them (including clothing and fur products), the warranty periods are calculated not from the moment of purchase, but from the beginning of the season: for winter shoes - from November 15, for spring shoes - from March 1, for summer shoes - from May 1, and for autumn shoes - from September 15. The warranty period is interrupted with the onset of a new season.

That is, during the warranty period specified by the manufacturer, the seller must confirm the absence of factory defects in the product. After the expiration of this period and within two years, the buyer will have to prove that they are not responsible for the occurrence of the defect.

If a 10-day warranty is indicated on the boots, is this legal? Is there a minimum?

The manufacturer must set warranty periods in accordance with the requirements of technical regulations and other documents. If, for some reason, they fail to do so, the seller must determine the period. However, the store has no right to reduce the warranty established by the shoe factory.

For certain types of footwear, specific durations are set in state standards. For example, according to GOST 26167‑2005 “Everyday footwear. General technical conditions” and GOST 19116‑2005 “Model footwear. General technical conditions,” the warranty must be at least 30 days from the date of sale or the start of the season.

For special footwear with leather uppers designed to prevent slipping on greasy surfaces, GOST 12.4.033‑95 provides a 70‑day warranty from the date of put into service. However, there is an important nuance: state standards are mandatory only if the manufacturer or seller declares that the footwear complies with a specific GOST, or if a reference to that standard is included in the Belarusian technical regulation.

Therefore, if you bought boots with a 10‑day warranty, it does not mean that you cannot file a claim on the eleventh day for a factory defect. In fact, if the warranty period has already expired, you will have to prove on your own that the defect did not arise from your fault.

How much does a goods‑management (product) expertise cost and where should you go for it?

It depends on what you need — a quality inspection or a product expertise. A quality inspection can be carried out by a store employee, possibly an in‑house goods‑manager.

— In such situations, the conclusions of the inspection, which the consumer may seek independently, can differ dramatically, — clarifies the legal counsel.

However, only external organizations are authorized to conduct goods‑management expertises.

Regarding cost, the seller usually performs the quality inspection for free, while an expertises is not cheap. But if you disagree with the seller's findings, you can bring the disputed pair of boots first not for an expertises but for a much cheaper inspection. They will not issue a

Any research requiring specialized knowledge is quite expensive. In particular, you can pay as much for shoe expertise as for the pair itself or even more, which scares off consumers. However, we recommend not giving up, as expert institutions and public associations often practice inspections before producing expertise, which cost very little or are even conducted free of charge, advises the consumer protection society.

You can look for those who have the right to conduct expertise here or in public associations.

If your boots fell apart too quickly, the seller must conduct a quality expertise and issue a conclusion. However, this conclusion can be contested in court.

To do this, a claim is filed in court to protect consumer rights, and during the consideration of the case, a new expertise is appointed (at the request of the parties or at the initiative of the court), explains a lawyer. But it is essential to understand: court expertise is quite expensive (usually costing 1.5 to 2 times more). Despite the fact that the seller usually pays for it initially, if the expert does not find any manufacturing defects in the product, these expenses may later be recovered from the buyer. Therefore, we often recommend conducting another pre-trial expertise in a different expert institution. It will be much cheaper than court expertise and will still allow you to convince yourself of your rightness, to boldly go to court. However, two pre-trial expertises have the same legal force, and likely, you will still have to appeal to the court in the end.

Bought shoes - they didn't like them at home. Can I return them?

Quality shoes can be returned or exchanged if they do not fit or are not liked, within 14 days from the date of purchase. It is essential to comply with the conditions stipulated by the legislation, the main ones being not to wear the shoes and not to modify them in any way.

That is, if you bought sandals on sale in December, their warranty period begins not from the day of purchase, but from May 1. But if you didn't wear them and just changed your mind, you can return them only within 14 days from the date of purchase, and not from the beginning of the season.

There is no warranty for locks and soles. Is this normal?

Although the warranty card often indicates which parts are covered by the warranty and which are not, in reality, it is not possible to divide shoes in this way.

The law directly provides that the warranty periods for shoe components and constituent parts of the main product are calculated in the same manner as for the main product itself. So, if you find any defect in any part of the shoe, you should contact the seller, advises the expert.

What kinds of shoe malfunctions most often occur due to manufacturing defects?

In practice, the most problematic area of any shoe is the sole. But even if it has come unglued, it is not necessarily the fault of a careless manufacturer.

Many people contact us with questions about the sole coming unglued. Practice shows that most often this is a result of a violation of the gluing technology. However, it is difficult for a simple consumer to understand the nature of the defect - whether it is operational or manufacturing, even if they understand what factory defects look like, says Alexandra Yumudova.

Is it necessary to have a receipt and a box when returning shoes?

It depends on the reason for returning the shoes. If you wore them and have claims about the quality, then you do not need a receipt or a box. However, you will need some other evidence to confirm that you purchased the goods from a specific seller. Even witness testimony can be used.

If the shoes are of good quality, but you simply want to return the purchase (provided that you did not wear them and it has not been 14 days), you must return the goods in the consumer packaging in which they were sold. In addition, you will need proof of purchase from the store (this can be not only a receipt but also witness testimony, correspondence with the seller, etc.).