
When I'd picked a pair, the saleswoman began the hard sell: If I cared about my appearance, she warned, I'd pay for thin, high-index lenses made out of the latest NASA-approved polymers. And did I ever drive at night? If so, I really ought to consider getting an anti-reflective coating. By the time she'd run through all the options, I was looking at spending close to $600. This is how it goes when you buy glasses. I'd made the mistake of visiting a swank designer place, but even at the ubiquitous one-hour chain shops, shopping for eyewear is like buying a used car. The prices are kept deliberately obscure; the options are various and extravagant; and by the time you're done with the whole process, you feel drained and fleeced.

Why are eyeglasses so cheap online? It's the classic Internet story of low overhead. Nearly every pair of glasses sold in this country is manufactured in China at a very low price—a few dollars for the lenses, a few dollars for the frames. When you buy eyeglasses at an optometrist's office, you're paying mainly for rent, labor, marketing, designer licensing fees, and a huge markup. Online retailers cut out all these costs by contracting directly with frame and lens manufacturers overseas. When you place an order, lenses that fit your prescription are cut and molded into your frame, then shipped directly to you. The price competition between online retailers keeps markups low, too.
Optometry is one of those quintessentially physical, service-oriented industries that once seemed naturally immune to Web commerce. Sure, you'd buy books, airline tickets, and computers online, but buying something that you've got to hold, feel, and try out first—cars, clothes, furniture—has always seemed strange. But the rise of online eyeglass shops points to a larger trend. As we get increasingly comfortable with the Internet, we're turning to the Web for riskier purchases. The online shoe business, for instance, has lately been booming. The Web's advantages here are clear. Online shoe shops offer much greater selection than your local retailer, and they let you search through their merchandise more precisely.
The same is true for glasses. Online shops offer huge selection, a better way to browse (by style or size, which is better than relying on some salesperson's recommendations), and unbeatable prices.
Be warned, though, that buying eyeglasses on the Web takes patience. The whole process is a bit of a time-suck: First, you've got to ask your doctor for your prescription. (Be firm.) Then, you need to figure out what size frames look and feel good on your face. (Measure an old pair you're comfortable with.) Next, you need to find your "pupillary distance"—the length, in millimeters, between the center of your pupils. (Ask your doctor to measure it, or do it yourself.) Finally, you've got to navigate online shops that tend to be poorly designed and full of copy errors and poor English.

That's what happened to Ira Mitchell, a software engineer in the Twin Cities who was so surprised and thrilled at the deals he found for glasses online that he started a blog to popularize the industry. Glassy Eyes has grown into a community-review and how-to site for the online glasses business—if you're thinking about buying specs on the Web, start there. Mitchell told me that during the past couple of years, he's purchased 16 pairs of glasses online. He doesn't need that many, he says, but when they're so cheap, why not? He now buys frames to fit his mood or the current fashion. "For the first time, I can afford prescription sunglasses," Mitchell says.

评论
发表评论