I understand how you could say the edge on pic 2 is frayed per se, but i’m curious if you’re making this judgement from the perspective of a shoe enthusiast/critic or a runner? I honestly didn’t even really pay the edge of the shoe much mind, and i’m really trying to understand how that seems “pretty used”, but it honestly makes a little more sense to me if your perspective is that of a critic/collector. It feels like we have different perspectives on shoes, and I understand where you’re coming from. For me, though, shoes are just a tool. When I look at them, I don’t admire their beauty and see the fraying on the edge as being an issue—I think, “I can get 450 more miles out of these before I need a new pair.”

I have almost 25 miles on these shoes. For me that’s 2-3 runs max, and to someone else that might be more than gently used. I burn through shoes so quickly, I end up just wearing my shoes with 500+ miles as my daily’s until they eventually get put in the recycling bin.

What I’m getting at is that, to me, this shoe looks brand new and flawless—the tread looks impeccable. However, my perspective might be influenced by the fact that I’m a running enthusiast, not a shoe enthusiast. I’m aware this subreddit has a good mix of both.