How To Buy Designer Sunglasses Online

Bausch + Lomb, creator of Ray-Ban sunglasses, dates back to 1853. EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban’s current parent, has annual revenues of over $20 Billion atop the $121 billion global eyewear market. The Wall Street Journal explains why many luxury goods are looking to move online — retailers make more online without all their brick and mortar overhead and without salespeople.  With people choosing to spend their money before it inflates out of style, take heed of these ways to buy luxury sunglasses online.

Ray-Ban

Many manufacturers are getting with the program and online themselves. Ray-Ban advertises up to 50% Off various styles when searching for “Ray Ban” on Google.  Buying manufacturer-direct enables you to browse online and add sunglasses to your bag, including the ability to view professional, high-resolution photos of each pair from your screen.  Ray Ban also offers the option to buy now and pay later with Klarna or Afterpay.  Because Ray Ban is available online manufacturer-direct, all potential guesswork is removed from the situation, and you will receive your authentic sunglasses without question regarding warranty or authenticity.

Pre-Owned

A number of high-end luxury resellers have been birthed of late, including sites such as “The RealReal” and “Poshmark.” Many sunglasses aficionados think older models were of a higher quality, such as Ray Bans manufactured before the company was acquired by its current conglomerate-owner. The RealReal offers the ability to buy and sell used luxury goods online.  You can buy any pair of sunglasses on the site, and if you don’t like it, you can return them within two weeks.  Products are authenticated as real and each item undergoes a vetting process depending how much it costs.  Many products include original packaging and papers which can impact resale value. 

Randolph

Made in the USA for 50 years, these premium glasses offer a 20% online discount for active service veterans and first responders.  Randolph has had a 4-decade partnership with the U.S. Military and now offer matte black as a color option on their signature Military Aviators.  Free shipping and online returns make buying these specialty glasses online simple, making it easier than purchasing at difficult-to-find specialty retailers and optometrists (you will not find these at Macy’s).  Spotted daily on the likes of Johnny Depp and featured by Jon Hamm on Mad Men, these sharp-looking glasses don’t skimp on quality, handcrafted over 6 weeks time at the company’s namesake headquarters in Randolph, Massachusetts.  Their online sale section features glasses as much as one third off original price.

Warby Parker

This online store took the prescription glasses market by storm when it debuted in the early 2010s, and they now sell stylish and affordable sunglasses for both men and women direct-to-consumer.  Cutting costs by sourcing their own materials and contracting directly with manufacturers in places such as Italy, Warby Parker makes a high value pair of glasses very affordable.  They have an augmented reality app which shows potential customers how glasses will look on their face, in addition to the ability to try on 5 pairs at home and send back the ones you don’t want.  They have even expanded to having a 235-location brick-and-mortar presence if you would prefer to shop in person.  Both non-prescription and prescription lenses are offered as options.

Zenni

Do you want cheap sunglasses without that pesky drive to CVS Pharmacy or Walgreens?  Look no further than Zenni.  Customizable configuration on thousands of frames presents limitless possibilities.  Different shades, tints, frame colors, designs, prescription vs. non, transition lenses, polarized lenses, water resistance, anti-reflection coating, oil resistance, anti-fog… the list goes on.  A pair of no-frills sunglasses could cost you less than twenty bucks.  They’ve sold over 50 million pairs of glasses and offer 30-day returns.

In Conclusion

If you’re willing to make some compromises, you can save an enormous amount of money buying a beautiful pair of luxury sunglasses online.  Whether choosing a brand model or buying a quality pair of authorized pre-owned glasses, you can get the feel of a very expensive luxury product for much less money.  Be sure to do your homework and know your reasons for buying, and search around for the best deal you can find.