First Impressions: GlassesShop

Posted by Ira at Wednesday, September 30, 2009

The people at GlassesShop have been emailing me for about a year now to take a look at them. I resisted, as there wasn't much that they provided that the others didn't.

I'm a firm believer that too much choice leads to paralysis.

My attitude changed when I wanted a new pair of sunglasses and couldn't find what I was looking for at any of my usual haunts, and had sizing issues at a few others. I figured it might be time to try something new and potentially fill a spot on the roster. Let's call this a "try-out".

I didn't find exactly what I was looking for at GlassesShop either, but they were the closest -- something I happily live with at these prices.

I ordered the "Addison-F7020", but really dislike the idea of a clip-on sunshade, so I ordered them with an 80%-Green lens. A day after the order I got an email verifying that I wanted them tinted even with the clip-on. I explained what I wanted and they made them. I'll hang onto the sunshade in the very-unlikely event that I ever become the kind of guy who could pull-off something like these with clear lenses.

They arrived 10 days later -- mighty fast. I like the style even better than I thought I would, so I'm very happy*.

Here is the unboxing.

BIG, fancy, highly visible, box. I thought I only ordered ONE pair of glasses!
	Opening the box to reveal an orderly array of... lots of stuff packed in a well-padded foam inlay. This is the most impressive delivery yet. Not sure I need (or want) it to be this over the top.
Well packaged. No breakage or scratches. It's a very nice case which fit perfectly in the foam box insert. Not a lot of room for contents to "shift in transit".
	Box flotsam. Not exactly sure what the "Care starts from eyes" means on the booklet. Also, the bag is strange in that it's rubbery. Not a clue what I'd use it for.
The glasses (and the sunshade). Both are nice. The frame has spring hinges and feels very solid. I really like the dark green lenses too -- another first for my collection.
	The temple says "FUMING". I'm not exactly fuming over this, but it is one of my biggest pet peeves. *I don't like labels on my stuff -- especially silliness like this. It wasn't visible in the photo. Going to test the inside of the temple with acetone to see if I can remove it without affecting the finish.

Overall, I'm very impressed. I'll order again in the next month or so and compare. If you have any existing input or decide to order from GlassesShop, let me know how it went.

I'll be posting a site review in the next few days.

Related Posts and Links:

GlassesShop.com (Use code: Q349-ZD59-4670 for 10%-off)

9 comments:

At October 1, 2009 at 9:47 PM Anonymous said...: I use to use 39dollarglasses.com until they messed up three times in a row. Then I tried GlassesShop.com They are so much better. Then glasses come quickly. The RX is correct, and they don't charge the "resurfacing" charge that 39dollarglasses.com does and the AR coating is much cheaper as well. If i had to choose I would recommend them over everyone and am glad you are giving this site the chance to prove it. I have been a glassy eyes member for a while and am thrilled.
At October 2, 2009 at 12:16 AM Anonymous said...: Will they be offering a linkthrough discount?

Paralysis of choice makes sense for ignoring new sites that don't add something unique... But I don't think anyone replaced Zenni when you de-listed them.
At October 3, 2009 at 2:36 AM RyanLec84 said...: Props Ira! GlassesShop is great, in that they offer a bigger selection for people like me who need a wider frame width (140mm or above). Don't let "Paralysis" stop you from listing more reatilers with larger frames, Ira! Cheers.
At October 3, 2009 at 11:24 AM Oliver said...: I've ordered a few specs from glassesshop in the past, they're definitely one of the better alternatives out there. good selection of chunky Clark Kent-type frames, too
At October 17, 2009 at 9:29 PM Lily said...: I ordered from Glasses Shop and it was terrible -- the prescription was wrong and the frames were super flimsy and cheap! Too bad, because they have many attractive styles, but the final product wasn't up to snuff.
At October 25, 2009 at 2:52 AM Candice said...: I am so grateful for your site. I just found out the hard way that my eye doctor's 'optique' has a no return or exchanges policy, so I'm stuck with $600 worth of glasses I abhor (they look cute but feel like absolute hell). So I ordered a pair of glasses from Glassesshop.com as 'proof of concept,' and they're not too bad. My prescription is correct, they arrived in ten days, and I used the code from your site and only paid $23 including shipping for thinner lenses and anti-reflective coating. The cons: The tracking number never worked and the glasses case reeked so strongly of chemicals I had to throw it out. Regardless, I will definitely buy glasses online again. Thanks for all your hard work, Ira.
At November 14, 2009 at 8:47 PM Holly said...: Anyone know if the pictures GlassesShop uses are legit? Because I was interested in buying these (http://www.glassesshop.com/Glasses/9835.html), and just noticed they say Ray Ban on the sides. So either it's a knock-off, or the picture isn't really of the glasses they're selling.
At November 15, 2009 at 8:14 AM Ira said...: @Holly,

That's a great catch. I have no idea. I'd assume that's a knock-off as Ray-Ban (inexplicably) had a line of glasses just like those this summer, and it's probably too early for them to hit the after-market.

Would like to know the answer too.
At November 30, 2009 at 9:30 PM Unknown said...: I don't know about the 9835s. I have three pairs of them in different colors and I also have authentic Ray-Ban Wayfarers and they seem the same to me except for shape and size. They appear to be authentic, though I'm not an expert by any means.

Also, does anyone know if Glassesshop is related Visionsking is related to Bigeyeoptical is related to at least two other sites (OLG and Magicoptical)? All send payment via paypal to GSShop.
If so, what is the difference?

BTW, none of the phone numbers for any of these companies work. You get music and then a woman speaking in Chinese.