Children's shoes donation value: what a pair of kids' shoes is worth
Updated , edition 2026.1
A donated pair of children's shoes is generally worth $2 to $10, depending on type and condition. In good condition: everyday or dress shoes $5 to $7, sneakers, sandals and slippers $3.50 to $4.75, boots $5 to $8. The same figures apply to girls', boys', toddlers' and infants' sizes.
- Typical value, good condition
- $6
- Published range, good condition
- $5 to $7
Children's shoes donation values by type and condition
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday shoes | $7 to $9 | $5 to $7 | $3 to $5 | Source 1 for Everyday shoesSource 2 for Everyday shoes |
| Dress shoes | $7 to $9 | $5 to $7 | $3 to $5 | Source 1 for Dress shoesSource 2 for Dress shoes |
| Sneakers, athletic shoes | $4.75 to $6 | $3.50 to $4.75 | $2 to $3.50 | Source 3 for Sneakers, athletic shoes |
| Sandals | $4.75 to $6 | $3.50 to $4.75 | $2 to $3.50 | Source 3 for Sandals |
| Slippers | $4.75 to $6 | $3.50 to $4.75 | $2 to $3.50 | Source 3 for Slippers |
| Boots (rain, snow, fashion) | $8 to $10 | $5 to $8 | $3 to $5 | Source 1 for Boots (rain, snow, fashion)Source 3 for Boots (rain, snow, fashion)Source 2 for Boots (rain, snow, fashion) |
| Infant booties and crib shoesInfants' Clothing | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price. Back to the full chart of donation values by item, or add this to a list. Got a receipt for this? Check it.
Applies to girls', boys', toddlers' and infants' sizes. The source guides do not split children's shoes by gender or size.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
14 pieces, suggested total
$71.50
Supported range $61 to $83.50
- This is fair market value, not tax saved. What it is worth to you
Photograph them before they leave the house. DeductiBee keeps the count, the condition, the photo and the value together on your iPhone until April. A counted batch is one entry; free for 20 new entries a year.
How this range was derived
The published band is $3 to $9, from The Salvation Army and checked against 1 other published guide. We split that band into three condition tiers: the bottom 35% is Fair, 35% to 70% is Good, and the top 30% is Like new. The suggested figure is the point we prefill inside each tier.
The dataset record
Salvation Army children's Shoes $3-9; Goodwill NNE children's Shoes $3-10. Lower-median consolidation $3-9, split 35/70 per CITATIONS.md 3.3-3.6. The registered guides price children's clothing without a gender split, so the same published children's range backs the girls' and boys' leaves.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this pair of children's shoes in the value tool.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated pair of children's shoes
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Everyday shoes, sneakers, and boots are three separate rows in the children's tables, and they do not share a band. Sneakers sit lowest, boots highest, everyday shoes between them, and that holds across the girls', boys', and toddlers' lines. Since most kids' shoe donations are a mixed pile, sorting the pile into those three groups before counting is the single most useful thing a donor can do here.
Condition on a child's shoe is read from the outsole and the heel counter. Children walk unevenly and wear a tread down in one visible spot, usually the outer heel, and once that spot is smooth the shoe is at the bottom of its range. Press the back of the shoe with a thumb: if the heel counter folds instead of springing back, the shoe has been stepped on as a slip-on and will not sell. Inside, a deep footprint pressed into the insole tells the same story.
Two specifics worth knowing. Light-up shoes with dead batteries generally cannot be repaired and read as broken rather than worn. And infant booties, the softest and most-donated baby shoe, carry no published range in this dataset at all, so they ask for your own figure rather than borrowing the toddler shoe row.
What each guide publishes for children's shoes
The published bands differ by guide, and the boots line differs the most. The Salvation Army prints up to $21 for children's boots, while both Goodwill guides stop at $10 or below. We use a lower-median consolidation across the guides, so a single high outlier does not set the top of the range, and then split the band into three condition tiers.
| Guide | Shoes | Sneakers | Sandals, slippers | Boots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | $3 to $9 | not listed | not listed | $3 to $21 |
| Goodwill Northern New England | $3 to $10 | not listed | not listed | $6 to $10 |
| Goodwill Industries International | $2 to $6 | $2 to $6 | $2 to $6 | $2 to $6 (ankle) |
| DeductiBee 2026.1 | $3 to $9 | $2 to $6 | $2 to $6 | $3 to $10 |
What a pile of kids' shoes is worth
Six pairs of sneakers in good condition ($21 to $28.50), four everyday pairs in good condition ($20 to $28), two pairs of boots like new ($16 to $20) and two pairs of sandals in fair condition ($4 to $7) come to $61 to $83.50. That is the pile the counter on this page starts with, so change the counts to match yours.
Over $500 in noncash gifts for the year means Form 8283. Before the bag leaves the house, photograph the tops, the soles and the size labels: soles carry the condition claim for children's shoes.
Sell, donate, or recycle: which is right for a pile of kids' shoes
Consignment pays cash now. Kids' resale shops buy gently used, name-brand pairs, and a nearly new pair of brand sneakers often fetches more there than its deduction is worth.
Donating only lowers your tax if you itemize. The 2026 deduction for non-itemizers covers cash gifts, not goods (see the non-itemizer guide and should I itemize), and the charity must be a qualified organization.
Worn-through pairs belong at a shoe-recycling drive. That is worth doing, and it is not a deduction.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Photograph each type as a group, tops in one frame and soles in another, and keep the count from the photograph. Sole photographs matter more for children's shoes than for adult ones, because uneven wear is the whole condition story and it is invisible from above. Shoes still in the box, which happens often with gifts and growth spurts, should be photographed in the box.
Items people log as a pair of children's shoes by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Sneakers and trainers
Athletic shoes are the lowest of the three children's footwear rows, and they are also the most common. Counting a mixed pile at the everyday-shoe rate overstates most of it.
Boots
Children's boots are published above the plain shoe line. Rain boots, snow boots, and fashion boots all belong on that row rather than in the general pile.
Baby booties and crib shoes
Soft-soled infant shoes have no published range here, so they are a custom-valued item rather than a small pair of toddler shoes. Enter your own figure and note what it was based on.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the children's clothing section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesChildren's clothing donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much are donated kids' jeans and pants worth?A donated pair of kids' jeans or pants is worth about $6 in good condition, $2 to $10 by condition. Baby to size 16, sourced ranges, and a bag counter.
- ValuesHow much is a donated children's winter coat worth?A donated children's winter coat is generally worth $7 to $11 in good condition, up to $15 like new. Compare Salvation Army and Goodwill ranges, total a bag.
- ValuesBaby clothes donation value: what each piece is worthWhat donated baby clothes are worth for taxes in 2026: sleepers, onesies, pants, dresses and snowsuits by condition, and a bin counter that totals a whole tote.
- ValuesDonated shoes value: what a pair is worth for taxes in 2026A donated pair of shoes is generally worth $11 to $19 in good condition. Sneakers, dress shoes, boots and sandals, men's and women's, every value cited.
- CalculatorGot a whole bag of these?Estimate a mixed bag by size and contents when itemizing every piece is not realistic.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a pair of children's shoes
Are worn-out kids' shoes deductible?
How do I handle a big bag of mixed kids' shoes?
Do outgrown but barely worn shoes count as like new?
What is the donation value of kids' sneakers?
Are kids' rain boots and snow boots valued like regular boots?
Why do Goodwill and the Salvation Army list different values for children's shoes?
Can I deduct kids' shoes if I take the standard deduction in 2026?
How do I value baby shoes or crib shoes?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my Donation Worth?
Goodwill Northern New England
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill Industries International (compiled list, republished by member affiliates)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Publication 526 (2025), Charitable Contributions
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
A pair of children's shoes is rarely the only thing in the car.
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