My short response is: I hate waste. Second hand with animal products to me is better than purchasing brand new synthetic shoes.
Short reasons:
1) Recycling. If you want to live cruelty free you should be also caring for the environment.
2) The newer the product, the higher chance it was made via the typical mass production route so there's a possibly of human rights violations there along with environmental issues, animal welfare.
3) If someone questions me on what I am wearing/using in regards to if it's made of animal materials, I use it as an opportunity to get a discussion going. Yes, it puts you in the hot seat even more but I don't mind that personally.
Heya, so I myself would not continue wearing them, I'd give them away HOWEVER I don't think it's wrong at all if u do choose to keep wearing them. For me it's just that I myself wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them knowing that but it's just What my head is like, and most people wouldn't have a clue what's on your shoes so its just about you really xo
Gotta agree with PurpleFae here. I still have some leather and wool that I wear because waste is worse but would never buy any material like that again. I always make sure what I buy. You also noted you bought them at the Salvo's so no money has gone to someone that will use it to produce more of that material as is what would be the case if you bought them new.
I know that Alicia Silverstone as you probably know is vegan and huge animal rights advocate, I found it interesting to note that she is not at all averse to purchasing leather goods from these kinds of places even when you know it's leather just because it's not doing any real damage. I agree that it's not doing damage but I wouldn't personally buy anything animal.
I personally wouldn't worry about it but like you said be aware and knowledgeable about your mistake from now on and do your best not to make the same mistake again.
Second the keeping them notion. I still have a second hand leather motorcycle jacket, and I intend on using it to its last day before I go out and buy a new kevlar one for riding in, or a vegan leather jacket that seemed sturdy enough to protect me on the bike. If I could afford a new jacket now, I'd take the leather one to a second hand store. I wouldn't throw it out.
A lot of vegans have old leather, wool, silk, etc. items that they haven't thrown out because it's wasteful. It just means that when they are worn out, they'll be replaced with vegan alternatives.
I have several pairs of leather shoes and still wear them. When they wear out I will replace them with vegan ones. I don't give myself a hard time about it.
for a while... and think of them as my non-leather nice shoes...
they were from the salvos or save the children like all my shoes...
they have vinyl tops... but recently I discovered... that the soles are actually leather like with most dancing shoes...
I take care of my shoes... but am curious as to what a Vegan such as yourself would do... finding out their shoes are from an animal?
Would you, freak out and go OH NO i'm not a Vegan if I wear these.
Stop wearing them to avoid stupid people asking stupid questions.
Or just keep wearing them and using the material instead of wasting it?
But also utilizing the knowledge of another shoe not to buy?
I don't find anything wrong with wearing things that you "used," to own pre-vegan. I personally just can't bring myself to wear my leather shoes because i know what they stand for.
xo 
