Look, I’m not gonna lie, TOMS can be kinda pricey, right? Like, ₱4,828 for the Espadrille Alpargata Rope 2.0 Men? Sheesh! Even on sale, that’s still a chunk of change. And you see ’em everywhere, especially those women’s slip-ons. Saw some batik tie-dye ones on ZALORA that were ₱3,218 ON SALE! My wallet just cried a little.
So, naturally, people look for options. And that’s where Shopee comes in, man. You can find “toms” (notice the air quotes, wink wink) for *way* less. I mean, you gotta be careful, do your research, read those user reviews, because you might end up with something that falls apart after, like, one walk to the *sari-sari* store. Been there, done that, got the disintegrating fake TOMS. Lesson learned.
But hey, if you’re on a budget and you just *really* dig the whole TOMS vibe – the comfortable, casual thing – then, yeah, the replicas are an option. Just… y’know… don’t expect them to last as long as the real deal. You get what you pay for, diba? And maybe don’t wear them on a long trek. Stick to, like, mall trips.
Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about the whole replica thing. Part of me feels kinda guilty ’cause, like, you’re not supporting the actual brand. But then the other part of me is like, “Hey, everyone deserves comfy shoes!” And frankly, TOMS *are* comfy. Even the fake ones. (When they haven’t fallen apart, obviously).
Plus, finding the real ones on sale… it can be a mission! Zalora’s good, but Shopee’s got *everything*, you know? It’s a rabbit hole of shoes. You’ll probably end up buying something else entirely while you’re there. I know I always do.
