How badly are we being ripped off on eyewear? Former industry execs tell all

Post by jnsaff2 » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 8:52 PM UTC

mbell wrote: post #151

perfmode wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

are prescription lenses not priced along the lines of the fashion lines?

I don't know as much about that side of things but as I recall Luxottica didn't make the prescription lens, they were ordered to spec from a third party. They sold and manufactured the frames and did the fitting work (which does some times require significant work on the lens like reshaping or drilling holes). This was ~10 years ago though so that may have changed.

Post by 1996 » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 8:55 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #185

mindslight wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Zenni requires you to do a bit of your own research, like every other new-economy self-service approach. But it's worth it. Switching to Zenni has allowed me to move to cheap CR-39 lenses rather than expensive high index material. CR-39 is soft, and if I'm paying a lot for frames then the lenses getting scratched is a Big Deal. Then pile on further costs for coatings etc. But if the frames and lenses are both inexpen…

What you mention about polycarbonate is interesting. I just got my first pair of glasses (well, the first in about 35 years) and I can't quite put my finger on it but they bother me. Clarity is better, but there's something about the colors of things, especially where things contrast, that is bothersome. I end up taking them off (they are only really for computer use at this point, my vision isn't all that bad yet) j…

Post by jononor » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 9:01 PM UTC

jerf wrote: post #27

It's articles like this that make me wonder how much of our middle class burden comes from hidden rent seeking parasites like this. I honestly don't know. I'm not trying to imply any particular thing. I honestly wonder. These sorts of things can stack up through the layers of companies that make things. And where does this money go? What does it end up doing?

Post by tk75x » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 9:04 PM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #174

noja wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It means not buying from a market with sufficient competition.

But there is sufficient competition - you can buy no-name glasses for a few dollars. You can’t buy these specific luxury fashion brands of glasses cheaply but that just means you don’t think the name is worth it. It’s not a ‘rip off’.

Post by kps » Tue, Mar 05, 2019, 9:14 PM UTC

mrfredward wrote: post #82

glitchc wrote: post #46

I respectfully must disagree with all of the claims here regarding zenni and costco, unpopular as it may be. They are only comparable at the low end but have no matching product at the high end. I bought a pair of glasses at costco for $200 as a backup to my daily rimless wearers. First, costco and zenni don’t have any rimless options. Second, the lenses I did buy ( partial frame) were their lightest but still signif…

>my budget (read: insurance) I wonder to what extent the presence of insurance in the mix has made things worse. Markets never work particularly well when the entity paying and the entity choosing the product aren't the same. Textbooks (vs normal books) come to mind as an obvious example of this.