Frequently asked questions

Yes you can, after ordering at home or in our store at the Nieuwe Hoogstraat 3a in Amsterdam. We usually have every model in stock, but not always in every size.
If we do not have an item in stock, we can usually order it for you. If you have a specific model in mind, please contact us in advance so we can make sure if the requested item is available for order.

We sell shoes by several brands, all of which use a different materials for their shoe production.

Some examples being:

Vegetarian Shoes' shoes are mostly made of a patented microfiber material called 'Vegetan' and are experimenting with Piñatex more and more, they also use recycled and other types of rubber.

Ethical Wares often makes shoes with 'Lorica' and rubber soles.

NAE uses carbon neutral produced microfibers often lined with agglomerated cardboard, natural rubber, Cork and Piñatex. 

Bourgeois Boheme excells in bio-poly oil based microfiber, cork, Piñatex, Eco-stone and recycled rubber soles, combined with cork insoles.

Most if not all brands we work with aspire to produce as environment friendly as possible, and design with innovation in mind, trying to do the least harm to nature, man and of course animals.

The information we have about a certain shoe is usually provided on the desired item's page in the online store, if this is somehow insufficient, please feel free to contact us when you have any questions about materials and care. 

Yes. There are no tanning agents used for the production of vegan shoes. There is no chrome used in any of the vegan shoes that we sell.

But please take note! Some people may have an allergic reaction to certain modern glues, even though the glues used in our products are all skin and environment friendly, you could still be allergic to them.
Please contact a doctor if you experience any unusual discomfort wearing our, or for that matter, any type of shoes. 

Vegan:
Yes, all the products in our store are 100% vegan, as we consider it to be the most animal friendly, environment friendly and human friendly way to go.
As it might cause confusion: Vegetarian Shoes is also a fully vegan brand, yet the name, hailing from the 1980's might make you think otherwise. The word vegetarian still quite literally means plant eater. Hence the name.

Organic:
Wether a product is organic or not depends on the materials used, cork, Piñatex and hemp or cotton canvas are processed yet natural and biodegradable materials. Microfiber mostly is not organic or biodegradable. However, the manufacturers we work with are committed to humans, animals and the environment and seek to produce sustainable and durable microfibers with a low carbon footprint or little to none negative environmental impact. 

Fair trade:
The brands we work with are located in Europe and they produce their items in according to European standards and fair minimum wage, yet not all of the brands have a Fair trade certification. This can be due to many reasons, some prefer to be more independent for example. A few of our brands do choose to produce in China due to the technical and innovative materials available there, if so, they do make sure the factory workers are provided with proper working conditions and wages.


A simple way to check if any of our products is suitable for (v) vegetarians, (v+) vegans, organic or certified fair trade is by the following logo's on the product page:

 

That depends on several factors:

Firstly, whether or not we have all the items in your order in stock.
In the event that we need to order any item from a supplier, we apply a maximum delivery time of 30 days. 
If you have not received your package by then, please contact us.

Secondly, your own location. We advise you to contact your local mail or post provider to see how long shipment from the Netherlands usually takes place, and we advice you to check if the package needs to go through your country's customs department before it can be delivered at your house, or, wether you need to pick it up from your local post office or service point. You will get notified by the post service if that is the case. Please be aware of any possible additional taxes and import costs if you live outside of the EU.

 

When the received items do not fit, or do not meet expectations, you are free to return or exchange them within a period of 14 days from the moment you have received the order.

Please note we cannot provide you with the return shipping costs, however, in case you choose to return the whole order, we will refund the initial shipping costs paid while ordering from us.
When you return or exchange only one item of several in one order, we do not refund the initial shipping costs paid.

Please be mindful while trying on your purchased items, be careful not do damage them and only wear them indoors before deciding to keep them, please do not remove any tags. As this will invalidate the possibility to return the item. Please do not open make-up, food items, or other wellness products before returning them, as this will also invalidate your chance to return them. 

Ordering at VEGA-LIFE is safe and simple. You can add the desired items in your shopping cart by clicking the 'add to shopping cart' button on the selected product page. Doing so adds the item to the shopping cart. You can continue shopping and add some other products in your shopping cart if you choose. When you are finished shopping, check your cart to make sure everything is as you wish, you can continue with the "order" button.

This will lead you to the address page, please enter your address. Please always double check the information you have provided.

If you are a returning costumer, you can always choose for your address to be remembered by our website. This is done by means of a cookie (a small text file) on your computer. A big advantage is that this will safe you some time next time when you order.

Before you can finish your order, you must agree to our Terms and Conditions. These are in line with our webshop trustmark, therefore provide enough protection for you as a consumer. If desired, you can read them by clicking on the link provided on the page.

Here you can also select to subscribe to the VEGA-LIFE newsletter.

Then select 'next step'

On the next page you can specify how you want your order to be shipped and how you prefer to pay for your order.

After this you can again click on "next step".

You will now see an overview of the products in your shopping cart, selected shipping and payment method. When you click on the 'pay' button below the provided information you will be directed to the selected payment method.
Please then enter your data and finish payment. When you're finished please click the: 'back to the shop' button so your order can be finalized.

After you finalize the order you will receive an e-mail with all the details of the order, including a returns form. When all items within the order are in stock, your order will be handled by us within two business days, shipment times vary depending on the designated country. Within The Netherlands or the EU, delivery can be expected between 2 or 7 days. When items are not in stock, and must be ordered, then we apply a shipping time of 30 days. Please contact us if you have not received your package by that time. 

In our online store you can choose from the following payment methods:

• iDeal
• Transfer
• Paypal
• Credit card (Mastercard / Visa)
• VEGA LIFE Gift Card

Yes, all prices on our website are including VAT.
Please be aware of any possible additional import costs when you order from outside of the EU.

Yes that is possible. When you enter a company name and an address that is not Dutch, you'll automatically get the possibility to enter your VAT number.
When all data is entered correctly, you will not be required to pay VAT on your purchases.

Once your order is shipped, you will receive an e-mail with a track & trace code by POSTNL or DPD. With this code you can follow the status of your order on the website of the selected post service.

Please note that the package will be handed over to your country's post service or customs once it arrives in the designated country depending on your country's post service and customs.

Please note: Packages that fit through the letterbox/ mailbox, are sent without track & trace code.

Feel free to contact us if anything is out of order, please be aware that import costs may be applied when ordering outside of the EU, and shipping might take longer than usual due to customs depending on your country. 

 

For shipping you can choose either PostNL or DPD depending on your country

PostNL:

Within the Netherlands PostNL a shipping rate of €4,95 applies. When you order 75 Euros or more shipping is free.

For Germany and Belgium PostNL a shipping rate of €7,95 applies. When you order 100 Euros or more shipping is free.

For Denmark, UK, Italy and Austria a shipping rate of €11,95 applies.

For the rest of Europe a shipping rate of €16,95 applies.

Outside of Europe the following shipping rates apply:
€24,99 for orders weighing from 0 up to 999 gr.
€29,99 for orders weighing 1 kg.
€34,99 for orders weighing 2 kg.
€39,99 for orders weighing 3 kg.
€44,99 for orders weighing 4 kg.
€49,99 for orders weighing 5 kg.

DPD
(only for The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany)

The following shipping rates apply to NL, BE and DE.

€5,95 for orders up to 2,9 kg.
€10,95 for orders over 2,9 kg.



 

When you order from an online store, you are legally entitled to evaluate the products for 14 days and decide within that time if you want to keep them or want to return any items or the entire order.

For returns and exchanging the following rules apply.

1. Ordered items must be returned undamaged and without signs of wear, if any items arrived already  
    damaged, please let us know right away.
2. Shoes may not have been worn outside of the house before returning them, doing so invalidates the return.
3. Make sure you package the items well, ensuring they do not get damaged during shipment.
    Please also make sure you provide our return address correctly and clearly readable, you can find it at our  
    Return of an order page.
4. For hygienic reasons unsealed cosmetics can not be returned.
5. Food items cannot be returned when opened.

Please visit our return of an order page for more information on returning and exchanging purchased items.

Yes, we kindly ask you to pay for the shipping costs when returning or exchanging a purchase.
VEGA-LIFE does not have the funds to pay for returns and exchanges, we hope you understand.

We do however, completely refund the order including initial shipping costs paid to VEGA-LIFE when you choose to return all items from the original order.

For customers using Paypal:
Paypal has a Free Return policy for orders paid with their service and shipped to: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Central- and Eastern-Europe, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Check your paypal account for more information.

When products are damaged on delivery, for whatever reason, be it faulty production or mishandeling by the post service, VEGA-LIFE will provide you with a returns form and pay for shipping costs after approving your request.

Please follow these steps when you have received a damaged product:

Notify VEGA-LIFE within 14 days from the moment you've received the order.
Make sure you give us all the necessary information about the order, including your personal information and bank account number.
Give a clear description of what is wrong with the product, please provide us with photo's if possible. 

All the ways to contact VEGA-LIFE can be found here.

When shoes do not perform up to expectation, or break in an unacceptable fast rate, please let us know what exactly happened, providing us with clear photos of the shoes.
After your request has been processed and approved, we will contact the manufacturer and do our best to resolve the problem professionally. 

Please note, we can not help you if:

• The shoes were handled by you in a rough manner.
• The shoes have been used for purposes for which they were not designed (think skateboarding, welding, snow, deep water, etc.)
• The problems stem from a wrong posture or walking manner,  resulting in asymmetrically worn soles and heels.

* It may be that we ask you to send us the shoes for investigation. The shipping will be reimbursed. Please do not trow the shoes away before contacting us!

If you consider your case eligible for reimbursement, please contact us.

In case you followed the washing guidelines on the garment and something still went wrong, please contact us providing us with all the necessary information and clear photos of the garment.
After your request has been processed and approved, we will contact the manufacturer and solve the problem professionally. 

* We might ask you to send us the garment for inspection, please do not throw it away before contacting us. Shipping costs will be reimbursed. 

Please note we can not help if:

• You did not follow the washing guidelines.
• Your washing machine is defected.
• The garments were handled in a rough manner.

If you consider your case to be eligible for reimbursement please contact us.

We are always striving to make shopping at VEGA-LIFE a joyous experience.
Yet it may be that something has happened that disappointed you in some way.
If this is the case, please visit our filing a complaint page.
We will try to respond as soon as possible, and will take your feedback into consideration.

Please use the following guide to find your correct shoe size from English, American or European sizes.

When new shoes are a bit tight at first, please note that they will loosen up a bit, however this only counts for width not length. If toes are pressing at the front of the shoe, this means the shoes are too small. It's best to have about 0,5 cm.  free space between the toes and front of the shoe.

When a shoe runs large, you can always opt for an extra insole. This will help with half sizes, or when a size down is too small.
 

English, American and European shoe size equivalents:

English (UK)	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
American (men)	-	-	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
American (women)	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	-	-	-	-	-	-
European	35.5	36.75	38	39	40.5	42	43	44.25	45.5	47	48	49.5	50.5

Airseal Range by Vegetarian Shoes

Please note, the Airseal range of shoes have a non-standard fitting. If they have a steel toecap, they will almost always be one size larger than a conventional fit. So for example, if you take a size 9 boot usually, we recommend a size 8. This isn't always the case, but it's true for around 95% of customers, and is only likely to be different if you have a very broad foot and a  high instep!

If you are interested in a pair of Airseal shoes without a steel toe, they will be about a half-size large, so a size 8 will fit like a size 8.5. Some people prefer a smaller size in these, but some find that the best fit can be achieved with an insole.

English size (inch)	26	30	34	38	42	46
European size (cm)	66	76	97	87	107	117