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GlassesShop
Strengths:
Introduction: GlassesShop appears to be based in the US (New York), although the lenses/frames appear to be manufactured/shipped from China. Pricing in USD. They sell single-vision, bi-focal, and progressive lenses. Methods of contact include an email address, mailing address, toll-free number, live chat, and a web form. Payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover, Paypal, and WorldPay. They are not listed with the BBB.
Impressions: GlassesShop seems to have been around for a few years, but it's difficult to find information on them. They're certainly not one of the more popular retailers. It's rather surprising that there isn't more information out there about them (whether good or bad). Most aspects of the website have been improved upon recently, and I'll go into more details in the Website and Ordering section. The pricing appears to have been reduced in recent times as well. Frames still begin at the $8 mark, but basic lenses are now free. Shipping has also dropped to reasonable levels. There are 17 frames avilable at the $8 price point with about half of those being gender-specific. Stepping up to the $10-30 range adds well over a hundred frames to the selection, with the bulk of their frames (over 250) being in the $30-50 range. Frames are offered in a few varieties including rimmed, rimless, flexible, titanium, and more. Single-vision lenses come free for the basic 1.499 index and are offered in a variety up to 1.74. Progressives are offered in the same indexes and add $21.95 to the lens. Bifocals are offered in 2 indexes and add $16.95 to the cost. All lenses come with anti-scratch and UV coatings. Polycarbonate lenses are available, as are photochromic lenses, including Transitions lenses. Tint is available as well in 3 different colors (4 intensities each).
Website and Ordering: The website originally had a lot of inaccuracies and issues which were mentioned in this review, but most of those have been rectified. The website itself now also has a cleaner looking-theme, and many of the features appear to be very professionally done. In any case, functionally it works quite well, and it's easy enough to narrow down the frames based on price or frame type and find what you're looking for. The "Virtual Try-On" feature is very well done. You can either see how the glasses look on a model, upload your own photo, or upload from your webcam. I wasn't able to test the webcam feature, but I uploaded a photo, and the tools worked very well - I could zoom what seemed to be an infinite amount, so as long as your photo is within the file-size restraints, you shouldn't have to worry about resizing it before you upload - a real plus. The ordering process has been overhauled as well, and everything is now on one page, making it very easy to select and change options. I have to give GlassesShop credit here - just about everything I picked on hard in the earlier review has either been improved or rectified. The text of the old review is here for comparison purposes: A few things stand out as a little poor on the site. First of all, when browsing frames, beside the price it says "Including lenses". However, this is not the case - lenses cost extra. There are other inconsistencies and things that aren't clear - the times shown beside the toll-free number indicate they're open from 8pm-midnight for example which seems rather odd but again it's not perfectly clear. While tint is an option, it's easy to "break" the order page making it unselectable. The website itself has what most would consider to be a very tacky theme, although many of the features appear to be very professionally done. In any case, functionally it works quite well, and it's easy enough to narrow down the frames based on price or frame type and find what you're looking for. The "Virtual Try-On" feature is very well done. You can either see how the glasses look on a model, upload your own photo, or upload from your webcam. I wasn't able to test the webcam feature, but I uploaded a photo, and the tools worked very well - I could zoom what seemed to be an infinite amount, so as long as your photo is within the file-size restraints, you shouldn't have to worry about resizing it before you upload - a real plus. The ordering process could use a bit of improvement. As soon as you select an option, it immediately goes to the next section - if you misclicked, you may not know. You can go back and take a look, but it makes the ordering process seem rushed. On the positive side, there's a good degree of information along the way.
Pricing and Value: Frames start at $8.00 and include lenses. . Bi-focal wearers can add $16.95 to that amount, and Progressive wearers can add $21.95 to the price. That's really not bad all in all, and the price increase from single-vision to bi/progressives is actually less than most other retailers. As far as value goes, your money does get you anti-scratch and UV coatings. An AR coating is $4.95 which is certainly reasonable. Shipping to Canada/US/Japan is $4.95 which is certainly reasonable. Other locations do get a little higher though ($13.95 for most other regions). All in all, GlassesShop is very competitive price-wise with other discount retailers, and it's very possible to get a basic pair of single-vision glasses for under $20 shipped.
A basic pair of single-vision lenses comes to $24.90 shipped to USA/Canada/Japan, $33.90 shipped to the listed countries, or $44.90 shipped to unlisted countries. You can subtract $11.95 from the above prices if you go with the cheapest frames.
Click here to go to the GlassesShop purchase review
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