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Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

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Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#141

Post by londons_explore »

tikhonj wrote: post #101
smt88 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think that I'd ever pay more than $100 for a frame again. $100 sounds like it's ~10x what the price should actually be for simple plastic shapes, and it's probably more than 100x the actual cost to manufacture them.

I assume that's $100 including the lenses—seems like a reasonable price for something that requires custom high-precision manufacturing, although it would be great for the price to come down even further over time. I have a moderately strong prescription (with slight differences for each eye) and I got the best glasses I've ever had from Zenni for $72.90 + tax. Could have been $60 without a presumably overpriced anti…

Lenses are no longer custom high precision manufacturing... In fact a 50 cent laser pointer has far more far more precise lenses than a pair of glasses.

Lenses today tend to be polycarbonate plastic anyway - which means they can be produced rapidly like any other plastic moulding.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#142

Post by gnarula »

There's plenty of margin in the industry - as an anecdote, I've paid around £40 for a pair in the UK through an online retailer (Glasses Direct), around ~₹1500-2000 in India through an online retailer (Lenskart) and ~₹800 by visiting a local store in a Tier 2 city in India

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#143

Post by regular »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #3

"Warby Parker recognized this as a business opportunity. I’m surprised others haven’t jumped in as well with reasonably priced eyewear." This author is uninformed. Others have jumped in. And Warby Parker wasn't even the first. 15 years ago I would buy my single-vision prescription glasses from optical4less.com. The cost was $58 for 2 pairs, including worldwide shipping. Today I buy my glasses from Zenni. Last month,…

Warby Parker is a rip-off too.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#145

Post by rich_sasha »

ohgodplsno wrote: post #140
petilon wrote: post #19

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything. You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that…

Leica (makers of lenses for cameras and phones) is moving in the market. They have the knowledge and the tools to make it, but they are still very small compared to Luxottica.

While it's good news and fun for photography nerds, I don't associate Leica with price-based competition.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#146

Post by BiteCode_dev »

int_19h wrote: post #76
bagels wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's interesting. People get outraged about tech monopolies... but something we spend hundreds of dollars each year on, that's just fine.

People get outraged about things that they know about. (Most) tech monopolies don't attempt to hide behind many different brands.

And yet, most people don't know google own Waze, Youtube, Gmail, Android, Chrome, Chromecast and so on.

They also don't realize most sites use Google Analytics, meaning your activity on a site completely unrelated to google is still recorded.

They don't realize that Meta own not just Facebook, but also Instagram, WhatsApp or Oculus.

They also don't realize all sites that use "share with facebook" send date to facebook, meaning your activity on a site completely unrelated to FB is still recorded.

We know that on HN, but ask somebody in the street, they barely know what a URL is, how would they understand a monopoly?

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#147

Post by ohgodplsno »

rich_sasha wrote: post #145
ohgodplsno wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Leica (makers of lenses for cameras and phones) is moving in the market. They have the knowledge and the tools to make it, but they are still very small compared to Luxottica.

While it's good news and fun for photography nerds, I don't associate Leica with price-based competition.

It's actually quite reasonably priced (for the market, which is still absurdly marked up). Mine ran me 95€ a piece, where the Luxottica equivalent would be over 200.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#148

Post by ranguna »

petilon wrote: post #19

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything. You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that…

Take a trip to an EU country and buy some glasses. Do your research beforehand though, not all stores are cheap either. Most of the cost is on the frame usually, so if you go with a cheap frame, there's a high chance the glasses will be cheap, unless your lenses have some crazy requirements that is.

I got sunglasses and "normal" glasses for 100€ both, not each, both. And they do not use premade lenses.

I still use the sunglasses to this day but I broke the normal glasses due to my own stupidity after 3 years or so. Then I decided to try a different store and payed 300€ just for normal glasses. I will never go there again, they are not any better then the ones I broke before but are waaay more expensive.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#149

Post by williamvds »

goguy wrote: post #126

Just like anything you can shop around and get a good deal. In the UK I use glasses direct, you can pick up a pair with a prescription for £50. They regularly have discount codes so most of the time that would be £35/40. Sure they aren't designer but they look ok for the price if you don't want to spend a lot, if you use them just got driving you can probably get an even cheaper pair that don't look as good.

I've worn glasses since I was a kid, when you're entitled to a free frame from the cheaper range at Boots (a local retailer) (also, thanks, NHS). I remember struggling to find a design that I liked decent around that price range. As soon as you went out into the price ranges that weren't covered, you got a lot more nicer looking ones. At the time I was buying new frames and lenses every few years so I went with the cheap ones.

My current pair were about £30 from Aliexpress, a gorgeous rimless set with anti-glare lenses included. Needless to say I won't be buying from local retailers anymore.

I'm sure here in the UK we're also affected by the Luxottica monopoly in the US, especially when it comes to designer brands.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#150

Post by andirk »

petilon wrote: post #19

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything. You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that…

Is there some way to make this comment a billboard?

The lenses are manufactured per individual according to their need. Granted it's within a spectrum of choices such as it's -1.5 or -2, not -1.66421 (right?). Then one can add features to the lenses like anti-glare, anti-scratch, spectrum, blue light filter. Insurance covers 100%, and it's not a lot. But the frames?? They're very, very small amounts of metal and mass produced. What a sham. But yeah I do buy them at Lens Crafters after my optometrist appointment for the convenience.

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