Lems Shoes is a footwear company specializing in minimalist and barefoot shoes designed to provide comfort and promote natural movement. Established in 2011, the company focuses on creating shoes that feature a zero-drop design and a wide toe box, allowing for natural toe splay. Their product lineup includes shoes and boots suitable for various activities, including walking, running, hiking, and everyday work. The target market for Lems Shoes includes individuals seeking comfortable, lightweight footwear that aligns with a more natural way of walking. By prioritizing simplicity and functionality, Lems Shoes aims to redefine the way consumers think about footwear, appealing to those who value both comfort and health in their daily activities. Customers can explore a range of styles on their website, www.lemsshoes.com, where free returns and exchanges are available to U.S. customers.
Lems Shoes receives a mixed response from consumers, with many praising the comfort and fit of their footwear, particularly the Chelsea Boots and Primal Zen shoes. Reviewers express love for the shoes, noting their lightweight design and overall quality when the right size is obtained.
However, a significant number of customers report serious issues with sizing, claiming the shoes are often too narrow and not true to size. Additionally, complaints about poor customer service are prevalent, with many stating that their inquiries go unanswered or that they face difficulties with refunds and shipping. High shipping costs and concerns about product quality further contribute to the dissatisfaction. Overall, while some customers enjoy their Lems shoes, the negative experiences regarding service and sizing overshadow the positives.
Summary generated with AI from recent reviews
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
| Source | Rating | Reviews | Weight | 6-mo | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trustpilot Imported Trustpilot reviews | 2.5 | 37 | 100% | ● Low |
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Apr 2025.
| Month | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| May 24 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Jun 24 | — | 0 |
| Jul 24 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Aug 24 | 1.0 | 1 |
| Sep 24 | 2.0 | 1 |
| Oct 24 | — | 0 |
| Nov 24 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Dec 24 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Jan 25 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Feb 25 | — | 0 |
| Mar 25 | 5.0 | 1 |
| Apr 25 | 5.0 | 1 |
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 37 most recent reviews.
“I had originally given a 1-star review because I had such a negative time with getting an order shipped to the UK and...”
“The customer service representative was incredibly unhelpful”
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Shoes & Accessories.
| Company | Overall | Legit | Service | Quality | Delivery | Trend | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 2.5 out of 5 (poor) | 100 out of 100 | 2.2 out of 5 (poor) | 1.9 out of 5 (poor) | 2.4 out of 5 (poor) | — | 37 |
| 1.3 out of 5 (poor) | 100 out of 100 | 1.2 out of 5 (poor) | 1.2 out of 5 (poor) | 1.2 out of 5 (poor) | — | 1,000 | |
| 2.9 out of 5 (fair) | 100 out of 100 | 2.5 out of 5 (poor) | 1.9 out of 5 (poor) | 1.3 out of 5 (poor) | +4% | 1,000 | |
| 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 5.0 out of 5 (good) | 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 4.9 out of 5 (good) | +2% | 397 | |
| 2.6 out of 5 (poor) | 100 out of 100 | 2.2 out of 5 (poor) | 3.0 out of 5 (fair) | 2.7 out of 5 (poor) | +12% | 368 |
Bottom line: Lems Shoes is #4 of 5 on overall rating in this group. On quality, Red Run scores higher (4.9 vs 1.9).
37 reviews of Lems Shoes. Filter by what matters to you.
I think Trustpilot got it right. It is about a 2 star product experience. If you happen to get the right size, these shoes might be a 3 or 4-star product. 0 star customer service. So objectively, about 2 star overall.
Ordered the Chillum and Boulder boot leather. I don't think the Chillum will last long (made of thin canva on the top) but I love the feel of barefoot shoes so decided to keep them. Definitely not worth £125, more like half the price Boulder boot leather is made of leather that scratches at the touch and gets lighter in colour when stretching the tips of the toes. What a disappointment. They also suggests to add half size more, but definitely not the case. My wife got the boulder boot in nylon a year ago that I'm wearing now (we have the same shoe size) and it's probably one of the comfiest shoe I've ever worn. Shame the newest quality is not up to standards but I've seen/read/heard quite a few people complaining about barefoot/normal shoes declining in quality in recent years.
This shoe looks well made and I like the zero drop of it. I never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity, or in this case disregard by Lems to properly build, advertise and size their shoes. I'm a size 10.5 in pretty much every shoe I've ever worn. I'm also a size 10.5 for Lems.....if it's the 2022.... oh and only if it's blue or orange if it's green I'm a size 11 and if it's the 2021 design disregard all of that because I'm a size 10 or honestly who knows. And I hope you get it right the first time because they do not offer returns, Connor told me to take out the insoles, my crushed toes be damned.
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Polarized pattern: few middle ratings. 30% of recent reviews are 4–5★ and 62% are 1–2★.
My wife ordered 2 pairs and loved them! I ordered 2 pairs and it was a disaster! I ordered one pair of Men's Chillums which fit great and seem like nice shoes. The second pair I bought was a Primal 2 and the shoe fit horribly, also the quality was nowhere near as good as the Chillum. It was way, way, too small and glued together, no stitching. I could over look this and exchange it except, 1) Lem's doesn't do exchanges, you have to pay $8 for a shipping label and return/reorder and 2) it took THREE WEEKS for my original order to ship. This is just unacceptable in today's online marketplace. The returns website was beyond clunky and thrown together. Customer service was ridiculous when I contacted them. They blamed their warehouse for all the delays even though the store had supposedly been begging the warehouse for updates. That might be the case, but as a customer it sounds like passing the buck. I don't care, address my issue, it's all your company no matter what division is facing the problems. They did offer a partial refund to me after I pointed out that I had been waiting over 2 weeks for my order to ship and that they had since started a sale. They gave me a refund of the difference between what I paid and the sale price and my shoes shipped a week later. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed in my experience. I do like the one pair of shoes I received that actually fit. I'll have to see how they hold up. If they wear well and don't fall apart, I'll be a little more happy with my purchase. I'd really like to see some changes made in the company if I were to order again. I think 3 full weeks is too long to wait for an order to ship. I think that if you can nail sizing on one style of shoe, there's no reason you can't hit the mark on another style. I think if you are going to be selling online, returns and exchanges need to be made easy for your customers and if you need another size, offer a free exchange.
They are not good at responding to enquiries and no phone support available. The heel of the shoe is rounded at the bottom so makes for unstable walking with the risk of twisting you foot easiliy.
Their shoes are decent, although they seem to be getting narrower over time which is hugely disappointing because the minimalist shoe market is oversaturated with incredibly narrow shoes and has absolutely no truly wide options, but the real reason I came here to write this is because of the experience I've had with their customer service. Caleigh is one of the meanest people I've had the displeasure of exchanging emails with, and I didn't even come to her with a particularly difficult problem--I just had a question about their products and she went seemingly of her way to be rude to me, avoid answering the question I asked, contradicted herself, refused to clarify the contradiction, and ultimately did not provide an answer to my question. I've heard I'm not the only person to have a bad customer service experience with her specifically. Kind of sad that so many good people are unemployed right now while people like her still have jobs. I wish they didn't have the dwindling market so cornered because I dread the idea of buying from them, having some sort of actual issue, and having to interact with her again. Recommend avoiding this company if possible
Lems Shoes is a footwear company specializing in minimalist and barefoot shoes designed to provide comfort and promote natural movement. Established in 2011, the company focuses on creating shoes that feature a zero-drop design and a wide toe box, allowing for natural toe splay. Their product lineup includes shoes and boots suitable for various activities, including walking, running, hiking, and everyday work. The target market for Lems Shoes includes individuals seeking comfortable, lightweight footwear that aligns with a more natural way of walking. By prioritizing simplicity and functionality, Lems Shoes aims to redefine the way consumers think about footwear, appealing to those who value both comfort and health in their daily activities. Customers can explore a range of styles on their website, www.lemsshoes.com, where free returns and exchanges are available to U.S. customers.
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