New Glasses
January 13th, 2007
About a month ago I was reading this blog about ordering glasses online. The author explained that there is a huge (about 1000%) markup on eyeglass frames when purchased at most retail locations (ie Lenscrafters). Apparently, the frames are made rather inexpensively in places like China, and the retailers buy them in bulk at low prices (probably about $5-$20 per frame). They proceed to sell them for between $100 and $400! There must be a better way right?
Yes! There a online stores where you can purchase a good pair of glasses for under $50! In some cases even as low as $20. I have had my pair of glasses since my freshman year at UC Davis, so I figured why not try this out. I ordered a pair of black plastic frames, from goggles4u.com. All I had to do was enter my perscription, which I had from my last eye exam, and was provided with option for lens type (glass or CR39 Plastic), coating (clear or transitional), as well as other options for bifocals. I chose to try the gray trasitions coating (brown coating was also available), and went with glass lenses, as they were $28 cheaper (not sure why). The whole package with UV and anti-glare coating, frames and lenses, cost me only $33, including shipping.
It took about 2 weeks for them to arrive, I ordered on December 9th, and received them on December 23rd. They were a little stronger than my previous pair, Im not sure if that was due to the glass lenses instead of plastic. This worked out well for me though, as my previous pair was getting a little weak for me. The frames are great, I actually like wearing them unlike my previous pair, which I would avoid wearing at all costs.
I would definitely recommend trying ordering your glasses online. You can save a lot of money, and even if you don’t like them for some reason, you haven’t wasted much money.
Leave a Reply