Empress Reviews 

Ordered shoes. My normal size based on recommendations. Way too small. Tried to return. No response at all

These took nearly a month to ship- they come from China and the quality of shoe was poor and felt cheaply made. Returns are not straightforward and expensive. overall the experience has felt a bit like trickery.

It’s a Chinese company, took weeks to arrive. The shoes are way too big but it is impossible to return them. Email is the only contact for anything and they just don’t reply. Very dodgy company. I will never order from them again and would highly discourage anyone else from ever ordering from them.

Purchased from Australia. The shoes are a smaller fit than the regular size EU39 that I buy. I tried to cancel the order the day after purchase, as I had read the Trustpilot reviews and got cold feet. My fault for not checking before ordering. I received no response. There is no phone number to call, and I could not find anything on the website about returning shoes to the U.S. The return shipping cost is prohibitive. I was offered a 75% refund on the shoes if I kept them, as they did not fit. Email responses are not timely, and there is little transparency about the company. I thought the shoes were overpriced and will warn anyone from using this company. I will stick to ordering shoes from Bared Footwear. Their shoes are top quality!

OMG. The best shoe I have had in a long time. The fit is perfect and they feel like walking on a cloud. Good bye tired sore feet and back.

I would give them a zero if that was an option. Good luck everyone getting them. It’s been almost two months since I ordered. The tracking link is broken and customer service advised they’re still tracking and I’ll get them eventually. They’ve been in Tampa for three weeks…I live in Tampa so that makes zero sense. I’ve requested a refund and my next step is to contact my bank to challenge the charge.

The company website promises easy returns, but my experience was the complete opposite. I sent multiple emails requesting a return and refund, yet received no response.

I could not find a customer service phone number anywhere online. If the company ignores your emails, there seems to be no other way to get help.

I’m now stuck with shoes that don’t fit and out $256.95. The whole experience feels deceptive and borders on fraud. Customers should be very cautious before ordering from this company.

I received my shoes and loved them. unfortunately they just weren't the correct fit.
I emailed the company 24 April and received a generic email saying someone would make contact shortly.
I emailed again on April 28 (knowing my shoes needed to be returned within a certain time frame) as I still had not heard from 'Empress Australia"
It is now May 6 - and still nothing!
What is going on?
I just want to return my shoes for a refund.
Do better Empress

Beware! While the shoes are beautiful, every time you take a step, they open wide on either side just below your bunion bone and it’s very unsightly — looks like they are cheaply made and like you’re wearing shoes that are too wide. It’s not a good look.
I have a reliable 6.5 medium width foot, and when I reached out to customer service to ask them about the problem, they told me this is a common complaint and there was nothing they could do about it.
So when you see the ads showing how you can fold the shoe in half to put in your suitcase, be aware that where they crease when you fold them is where they will crease with every step you take.
And then not only do they make you pay to return them, they charge you a restocking fee.
Don’t waste your money.

UPDATE: March 18, 2026
I emailed Empress by way of a return email as they sent me another advertisement for their shoes, again. I replied with my complaints, and they replied that I would need to send the shoes back at my expense for a refund, blah blah blah. Well, I am not going to do that as the expense and wait time is not worth the trouble. Empress of Australia is a CHINESE company. That's why this is so deceptive. The quality and the expense are not what is advertised neither is the company's origin. It's all a LIE.

I waited 3+ long weeks for these shoes to arrive. They finally arrived and were packaged well. It was a good thing since they COME FROM CHINA! I would NEVER have ordered them if I knew the country of origin was China.
The quality is ok. Definitely not worth $150.00!!
They are hot shoes in that they make your feet sweat. I ordered a size 8 as I do wear an 8 but a 9 might have been better since I cannot possibly wear a sock with these.
I purchased the wine-colored patent leather loafer with the flashy buckle on the side. They look pretty but are hard to wear for very long.
If you take the insert out, you are going to get sore feet so that won't work either.
JUST NOT WORTH $150.00 DOLLARS. Will never order Empress shoes from CHINA again.

I’ve followed Empress Athletics for ages and always missed out, but finally ordered during the warehouse moving sale — and now I wish I bought more.

Got the shorts and joggers. It’s still a bit warm for the joggers, but they feel really good quality. The shorts I’ve been wearing nonstop. They’re the perfect length — no chafing but not super long either.

I accidentally ordered the pair without pockets (my fault 😅) but that’s just an excuse to get another pair.

Also grabbed the Be Kind tee and love the fabric and fit.

Definitely won’t be my last order — can’t wait to try more of the fashion stuff as well as the athletic pieces.

the shoes (square toe flats): the leather upper is soft and , provided you get the right size, comfortable and accommodates bunions. But the insole, while soft, is made of some kind of squashy man made materials and, unlike advertising, has no arch support all - so you have to add your own. Note - these shoes run very small. Go a size up.

The company: despite its title, this is not an Australian company and shoes are made and shipped from China. And when things go wrong, all customer contact is by email only and clearly run by AI with no human oversight (for me, in addition to being too small despite using their size guide and it matching my usual size, they shipped 2 right shoes for one of my 2 ordered pairs, and then when I asked for a replacement for those plus size up exchange for both, they sent a replacement for those only to my address on file without confirming with me first - and I'd moved and neither I nor they nor the budget shipping company they use could change it - luckily an old neighbour managed to get the replacement pair from my old driveway where they were left there. It then also took forever to organise exchange of the other pair, which request the AI bot initially ignored altogether ). Dealing with their AI email-bot is very frustrating.

I ordered shoes 3 weeks ago and they still have not arrived. If I had known they were coming from China, I would have never ordered them. Their marketing and shipping information is deceptive and vague.

I’m really disappointed and will not recommend Empress to anyone. And I haven't even gotten the shoes yet.

The shoes I bought were too small, but the refund procedure was easy. Thanks

Ordered my wine patent shoes Nov. Order 87060. Do not order from this company. $135 dollars lost and I'm reporting them and my credit card company is looking into it for scamming reasons. Shoes are still sitting in China for 2 weeks and customer service is crap. They do not ship from Australia. I wonder what's coming. Keep you updated...They will not issue a refund or cancel order. GD scammers!!!!!!!

The shoes are phenomenal. They are so soft and comfortable

Buttery soft leather that molds to my feet! Plenty of room for my toes to spread out and just the right amount of cushion to make them super comfy.

Love the shoes, this is my second pair of the flats. Comfy and pretty

The product is excellent - the style, the comfort, and the purchasing was so easy. Shipping was great, I got my shoes in no time!