Those online Rx glasses sites?

Meredith

I think they are competitively priced and offer more options to someone who only has one optical shop. But I've never tried them myself. Curious to read what others have to say!

8 years ago

Diana

Veteran

The prices are MUCH better (especially for the lenses) than most optical shops and optometrists. The only b&m retailer that comes close is Costco but you need a membership and they have a limited selection.

I usually wait for a sale online and can get my specs for under $200 - would be more like 400-500 at most shops here.

A lot of online shops offer home try on now. I know glasses.com and warby Parker both do - I have used both and been satisfied with them. I did have to return one pair to glasses.com bc of a defective coating but they replaced it without hassle (and I've had the same thing happen with glasses from stores too).

Eta: I'm not talking about the super budget sites like Zenni. I think those are a little more suspect.

8 years ago

Sara L.

Veteran

My husband used one of those online places recently (I'm not sure now which one) and his glasses were much cheaper than anywhere in town. He was pretty happy with what he got. I'm planning on doing the same thing because I need new glasses but haven't had time yet.

8 years ago

donnat

Veteran

Much, much cheaper. The quality isnt usually as good on the frames. I have seen some huge errors made, but every time I heard of an error, the manufacturer made good. My glasses and frames would cost around $1000.00 at a store in town. I can get really stylish glasses for $150.00 online.

8 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I'm such a difficult fit for glasses that I've never even bothered considering the online shops. I can appreciate the bargains, but it's hard enough for me to find a couple of viable options in b&m operations. Ah well, I have an easier time fitting shoes, so I can buy those online instead!

8 years ago

Elle

Veteran

My daughter used Warby Parker and the price for frame and lens was $125 - much cheaper. The downside is a limited selection. She uses glasses only occasionally (wears contacts). I can't use them because the frames are too big for my face.

I always feel totally ripped off by traditional optical stores.

8 years ago

Kirstjen

Veteran

Funny, I just posted about this yesterday.

My husband buys glasses from Warby Parker. They cost about $100. He loses, breaks or scratches his glasses frequently, so they are practically disposable to him.

I don't think much of their selection, so I go local. I don't find anything interesting at the ubiquitous Lenscrafters, either.

I buy Mykita, Lindberg, Theo, Anne et Valentin - but they cost a LOT more money. They are way cooler than the stuff I've found online & so they are worth the $$ to me. If I have to wear them every single day, I don't want them to look like what everyone else is wearing. I would say that they are akin to buying a designer handbag rather than one from J Crew or the Gap.

8 years ago

Diana

Veteran

Oh, Elle made a good point. I have a very wide face, so I find that 90% of the selection of women's glasses in stores are too narrow. (And the wide ones, including mens' styles, that are there are often also too tall for my face.) There's a better selection of wide frames online, possibly because of the hipster glasses trend.

8 years ago

carter

Veteran

I buy my primary Rx glasses and sunglasses in b&m stores. A couple years ago, I got both on a Groupon, which was fantastic. This year, I just used the eye plan at my husband's company. I do, however, buy my "spare" glasses through Coastal.com. I keep a pair in the bedroom and a pair in the car just in case. The prices are great, and they have great promos. Although I like my spare glasses and love having them, I much prefer my swanky primary glasses.

8 years ago

Mander

(website)

Veteran

Much cheaper by far! I do use the super discount places but my rx is not horribly strong and I can usually find frames to fit my head. I've ordered at least 10 pairs and I've only had one big mistake (the wrong size was in the listing), but that particular pair was a promo free pair so I was only out £5 for shipping.

I like the cheap places because I can experiment with styles I'd be leery of spending a lot of money on. My current pair are big nerd glasses that cost about £20. I would never have spent £150+ on a style that I'll probably get bored with in a year or so.

8 years ago

shiny

Veteran

Cheaper - and you can shop by size and shape. Size is quite important for me, because my face is small so vast majority of frames are just too big. I did try out Warby Parker - I went to the B&M store - tried on nearly everything and ALL of them were way too big for my face.

Can I put in a plug for this site?
https://www.glassesinaday.com

I met the owner recently. He owns a boutique shop in Harvard Square, which has been around forever, and just launched this online store. When I get a chance, I plan to post pics of my new frames that he helped me pick out. In the meantime, if anyone wants to give him feedback on his site, please do and I'll forward!

8 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

Warby Parker has (or had, anyway) an in home try on program where they send you several pairs to try for fit and flattery, and then you send them back, choosing one to get your scrip put in. I always meant to try it, but I haven't gotten around to getting my prescription updated. I have the opposite problem to Diana and shiny - my face is wide and my head is big, so a lot of women's frames are too narrow and/or small.

Glasses have gotten really expensive, it's true, so I'm glad to see feedback on specific options from you guys. I've heard good things about Zenni Optical on blogs and such. Last time I bought glasses it was from a local optician chain, and even with a groupon it was still a couple hundred dollars out of pocket. Still cheaper than my ophthalmologists - I like the docs and technicians there a lot, but paying nearly four figures for an exam, glasses, and contacts, every year or two, adds up quick.

8 years ago

deb

Veteran

I buy my frames on line because the selection is better and less $$. I have a difficult prescription so get my lens done by my optician. If you have a single prescription, the online retailers are great. My son loves WarbyParker. I have also found frames I like in the B&M stores then go home and find them less online. Here are the sites I have ordered from. I have worn glasses almost all of my life and I honestly see no difference in the quality. Most frames you see in B&M stores are made by lenscrafters, anyway. Also look for readers. I have my lens put in them also.

https://www.warbyparker.com/

http://www.bonlook.com/

http://www.framesdirect.com/

# 1,4 - BonLook blue and black

# 2 - readers I found in a small shop in Georgetown for $65, red

# 3 - RayBan's I found at Sunglasses Hut but purchased from FramesDirect for less then half price. - silver

#5 WarbyParker - crystal

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8 years ago

Mander

(website)

Veteran

My next order is probably going to be some mirrored aviators from Zenni. It's a style I have been interested in for a while but until recently nobody offered a prescription mirror lens, at least not at a price I could afford. I priced some up for fun and they would cost about $50! Next time I get a paycheck I'm going to go for it.

8 years ago

Laurinda

Veteran

Next pair I buy I will try an online retailer.

The reason glasses are so expensive is because we are being ripped off by Luxottica, a vertically-integrated monopoly that owns the major frame makers and the major optical retail outlets: Meet the Four-Eyed, Eight-Tentacled Monopoly That is Making Your Glasses So Expensive

All owned by Luxottica: Prada, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany, Bulgari, Vogue, Persol, Coach, DKNY, Rayban, Oakley, Sunglasses Hut, LensCrafters, Oliver Peoples, Pearle Vision, Target Optical, Sears Optical

8 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Funny, I've had the opposite experience with online retailers. I've found most of them to have limited selection in terms of size and colors/shapes that I like. I need a wider frame and I've found it critical to try them on in person first. That being said, my last two frames were way on the high end of the price scale, but the specs are so detailed and well made that I feel they are worth it when I only buy a pair every 4 years or so, and can continue to wear my last pair as well as the new one. If I could find really well made, wide, colorful specs online more easily I'd be all for giving it a try though.
As an aside: Though Costco's frame selection is generally too limited for me, I've occasionally found a great pair there, and for extra cost their opticians will actually make your lenses even if you buy frames elsewhere. That's a bit unusual.

8 years ago

Kari

Veteran

Granted that this is written by a brick and mortar optician so there is bias, I think this is worth a read about quality control when ordering online. I would be more comfortable getting my lenses made in person even if I got my specs from an online retailer.

http://www.daniellivingston.co.....e.html?m=1

8 years ago

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I have been putting off getting new glasses because I can't find frames that fit my small head/face. Shiny thanks for the info on Warby Parker. I put 5 frames into my cart for home try-on, but knowing that they are still too big will keep me from wasting time/effort. Shiny I do look forward to your posting pictures.

8 years ago

Traci

Veteran

How timely! I just had my eyes checked this morning and bought a great pair of specs from the shop. I just learned I have great vision insurance, so I got pricey frames, exam and all the lens upgrades for just over $200. I had them write up my rx and I came home and ordered two fun pair, with anti glare, from Zenni for $43 total shipped.

I lost my last pair and waited forever to replace, so I'm excited to have my rx on file so that I can order a cheap or colorful pair whenever the mood strikes.

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8 years ago

Peri

Veteran

Thanks for all the information! After some checking...and for ease this time...I went with Costco. I just don't know enough about what I like to deal with online.

I did look in the shop connected to the Dr, and at another chain first just to see what my options might be. I liked one frame at my Dr's place a lot but none really stood out at the other shop. All in all, I liked the Costco ones I found just about as much as the first pair. There were fewer choices, but I didn't really feel like they were worse choices.

End result, 2 pairs at Costco (one reading, one distance) for around $250 total. Seems like that is fairly decent.

8 years ago

deb

Veteran

Here is some info on costal.com.

In 2014, French lens manufacturer Essilor acquired Coastal.com and appointed Roy Hessel as CEO.[9] Hessel, a former venture capitalist, founded discount eyewear retailer EyeBuyDirect in 2005.[10] When Essilor purchased majority stake of EyeBuyDirect in 2013, Essilor retained Hessel as CEO for Essilor's e-commerce arm including EyeBuyDirect, previously acquired FramesDirect.com,[11][12] and now Coastal.com.[13]

8 years ago

darla

Active Member

I enjoyed the warby parker experience and would do it again. I picked out 5 frames to try, one was a clear winner and I received it very quickly (about a 1/3 of the cost of getting them the traditional way). It was fun because I HATE trying on specs at the retailers--it seems none of them look good in the store with their harsh lighting and crowded showrooms.

The only downside to the experience was that mine needed some adjusting so when my husband went to a local optician and bought some glasses, I handed my glasses to the optician, asking if they would mind and they had no problem giving them a quick adjustment.

8 years ago

karymk

Veteran

I have a pair from Warby Parker and they were cheap and cute. I like Bon Look for it's imaging feature, so you can see how they will look on you before you buy. I would definitely buy a simple pair again, for single vision problem. Not for if I wanted progressive lenses or anything souped up.

8 years ago

rizamei

Active Member

So much cheaper, which means I can afford to buy more than one pair. I have great insurance, but it only covers contacts OR glasses, which means I've traditionally paid for my glasses out of pocket. With my prescription, that's usually $600+. I got two pairs of glasses online a year ago (one from glasses.com, one from Zenni Optical), and I think my total for both was less than $200. And there's a lot of peace of mind in knowing that if one of them breaks, I actually have a backup pair and that a replacement is a reasonable expense.

The glasses.com pair is definitely nicer, but it wasn't super cheap like the Zenni pair.

8 years ago

Deborah

Veteran

I bought my new glasses on line a month or so back after much searching for my perfect pair.

Cost was competitive and the customer service and end product excellent. This is how I plan to buy my glasses now

I used Clearly Contacts but I think they Australian only. Brilliant and very broad selection of frames.

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by Deborah

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8 years ago

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