Grease/Wax Pencil also known as china marker

[Auriga]

I got these really great shoes (in the $400-700 new range!) from a thrift store. The only flaw is that they have grease pencil on the bottom. I'd like to resell them, but the mark is stopping me.

How can you get the mark off the bottom of leather shoes?? I know it's not grease, that it's wax, but the things I thought would get it off have failed.

Windex, goo gone both failed.  Will a magic eraser work?

[Auriga]

It's not a finished leather, it's more a suede-like finish.

[Big Daddy Audio]

Good luck.

It's probably gotten down into the fibrous tissue of the suede, making it nigh-on impossible to fully remove.

I hope they are your size.

[Jay2TheRescue]

You're saying its on the sole of the shoe, or on the actual suede itself?

[FleaQueen]

If it's on the sole, try some hairspray on it.  That often works for me. 

If not, try a little nail polish remover. 

www.fullservicebohemian.blogspot.com

[Jay2TheRescue]

WD-40 lightly sprayed on a paper towel also works if its on the sole, but I wouldn't put WD-40 on the suede.

[Big Daddy Audio]

It sounds like the sole IS a very short nap suede.  I don't think this stuff can be removed from suede - not without messing with the finish of the suede.

[Auriga]

Correct, the bottom/sole is a no-pile hardened suede. I didn't try the hairspray or wd-40, will next time. I know wd-40 gets grease off.  I suspect it will leave a residue behind though.

I got a magic eraser and it did the trick. It left a milky finish on the tan sole, but I can live with that. Maybe a dab from a teabag will correct that situation. The eraser also got silver sharpie off another pair of shoes that had a finished sole. It left a slightly unfinished area where I rubbed though.

My only complaint is that those erasers fall apart ridiculously easy.

I also learned that a dry erase marker will get sharpie off something non-porus (glass, tile, etc) if you circle over it a couple times then wipe immediately.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Rubbing alcohol takes sharpie marker off non porous materials very easily.

[subversivegrrl]

I'm glad magic eraser worked - that's what I was going to suggest.  I've found they work surprisingly well (dry) to remove china marker from a lot of paper goods, too, although how well depends not only on the type of paper but also how long it's been on there.