One of the best money saving decisions I’ve made in recent years was finding out if eyeglasses bought online were “real.” I know that seems a little silly, but I just couldn’t quite get over the hurdle that something so precise and vaguely medical could be dealt with over the internet. In hindsight I realize how ridiculous that thinking was, since I was basically doing what some eye doctors do. They send your prescription to a manufacturer, who then sends them back to the doctor’s office and then you go pick them up.
Well with buying glasses online, you just cut out the middleman. A very expensive middleman. There are some one hour glasses shops a some of them are reasonably priced, but really, nobody can compete with internet pricing. I mean for better or worse it’s capitalism at its best; lowest price, highest quality, quickest delivery and frequent sales or coupons win every time. And your computer at home with its internet connection is your great filtering tool. You can check prices and companies against each other.
Ultimately I’ve personally settled on 2 companies after experimenting a few years ago with a third. I jumped in with both feet and orders several pairs, for myself and other family members, at one time. The company mixed up the frames and prescriptions so it was a real hassle. They bent over backwards to make it right but it was my first lesson in ordering online; it’s probably best to start slow with a new company. And again, in hindsight, it makes sense because delivery is usually so fast that it’s not a big deal to what one week later for your second or third pair.
So if you’re considering going this route it’s probably a wise decision. The savings aren’t small like 10 and 20 dollars but big like a hundred and more dollars. The price difference of buying your glasses over the internet is quite dramatic.
I wrote a little bit more and made a video about what it’s like to buy glasses online, so please visit me for more detailed information. David Rosenthal writes for the internet.