How to buy sunglasses online

When I told the people around me that I was going to open an e-store selling sunglasses, I got many suprised looks. The obvious questions that followed were, "Why would anyone buy sunglasses online?" or "Sunglasses are products that you would need to physically try on".

Well, I do understand the skeptism that I was facing. A large segment of consumers would not imagine spending hundreds of dollars on something that they have not touched. But I believe that the world is changing and an increasing number of people are open to the idea of online shopping. When banks first rolled out the idea of online banking, many people critised it and said it would never work as they felt unsafe dealing with their money online - a faceless transaction. However, today it is almost unheard of that someone has never used internet banking. So, by relating to this, I am confident that attitude of consumers will continue to change and online shopping will gain greater acceptance. It can only get better right?

Then there other issues with online shopping such as security, risk and after sales service. Most of these issues have been overcame through technological advances. However, many consumers still lack trust and therefore you see many e-stores offering substantial discounts (up to 70%) in hopes of tilting consumers purchasing decisions in their favour. Take the Oakley Juliet for example, retail stores are charging S$820.00 whilst you can get the same item at S$565.00 from Spekkies. Ah, now most people who were considering buying that sunglasses from retail shops are going to think twice. That's the power of substantial price discounts.

So how can we shop smart online for sunglasses?  Follow these rules;

Know what you want

There are thousands of sunglasses designs out there. So start by knowing what you want. For those who don't, go to your local sunglasses store and try out their designs. Pick at least 2-3 sunglasses designs that you really like. I say pick a few designs because some of the stock held by retail stores may be discontinued by the manufacturers and online stores usually don't offer discontinued products, or at least Spekkies doesn't.

Search online

When you search for particular sunglasses models, I am certain that you will be flooded with online stores trying to get your attention. But you want the best deal right? So, take your time and visit the different sites and see their prices. Make sure you do a little research on the site, as in reviews and ratings. Saving a few dollars but never receiving your sunglasses is not exactly saving money right? Narrow the options down to your top 3 sunglasses sites.

Look at the other factors

Most people tend to simply compare on the stated price alone. However, you need to realise that different companies have different shipping policies. Some charge shipping at cost price to customers, others try to make profit out of it while others absorb a portion of the shipping cost. So you see, there are many variants and the best part is that you are only made aware of the shipping charges close to the end of the ordering process. Look out for free shipping deals as well. When we were looking which shipping model we were going to adopt, we decided that we wanted our customers to feel like they really have gotten the best deal. So, we absorbed a portion of the shipping cost and even offer free shipping once your order exceeds S$300.00. That's crazy!, Who does that??

Communicate

I think this is the most important factor of all. Once you have decided which e-store that you are going to be buying from, send them an email asking them a few questions like how long will shipping take, blah blah blah. You want to assess their reply; IF they reply. Once you have passed this stage, then I think you've found an excellent deal with a reliable e-store.

Buying sunglasses online is easy and who doesn’t love to get a package in the mail, but there are risks and the intelligent, careful shopper will minimize the risk and maximize the fun.

PS : For our next blog, I will explain about the different face shapes and what kind of sunglasses will suit your face.

To Polarize or Not to Polarize? That's the question

Over the last few years, polarized sunglasses have been gaining popularity in the retail market. However, since it cost manufactures more to produce polarized sunglasses, buying a pair of polarized sunglasses can set you back anywhere between $40 - $80. Is it worth paying the additional dollar for polarized sunglasses?

Origin

Polarized sunglasses were originally designed for boaters and fishermen as the lenses blocked glare caused by refracted light off the water surface. It allowed them to work in those glaring conditions for many hours without damage to their eyes. Soon, other sportsman such as joggers and bikers realised the benefits of polarized sunglasses to their respective fields and quickly adopted polarized sunglasses making them hugely popular.

Technicalities

When light is reflected off a smooth flat surface, like water, it becomes horizontally polarized. It is this horizontally polarized light waves, also known as glare, which can be annoying, damaging to your eyes and even dangerous especially in conditions like driving. Polarized lenses are vertically polarized, which is what allows them to block horizontally polarized light.

Regular sunglasses on the other hand, rely soley on their darkened lenses to block intense light rays. But glare that is reflected off flat smooth surfaces can still get past such regular sunglasses.

Benefits

Glare Reduction

One of the main benefits of polarized sunglasses is that it reduces glare. Things that you could not see previously due to glare can now be easily seen. Fisherman can now easily look through the surface of the water for fish while swimmers and other water sportsman can see obstacles such as rocks that would have been otherwise 'hidden'. I am not saying that you will be able to see everything once you put on your polarized sunglasses. But it would definately make a big difference. For those that drive home in the evenings, sometimes the evening sun can suddenly pop out from behind a building and blind you momentarily. This can be a potentially dangerous situation. However, with polarized sunglasses, the effect of the sudden glare can be mitigated.

Stress Reduction

By removing the harmful light rays, your vision is enhanced and therefore your eyes need not work as hard. This results in less stress to your eyes and therefore, less eye strain. I am sure you notice people squinting when trying to look at something in the afternoon sun, even if they are wearing sunglasses. That's probably because they are not wearing polarized sunglasses. Constant eye strains can result in nausea, headaches and most importantly, it can make your eyes more susceptible to problems. So if you have been experiencing any of these, maybe you should consider a pair of polarized sunglasses?

Problems

LCD visibility

LCD screens can sometimes become 'invisible' when looked at through polarized sunglasses. This is not really a big problem for most of us as the obvious solution is to simply remove the sunglasses when using machines with LCD screens. However, the real problem is for pilots as polarized sunglasses makes it difficult for them to see their LCD instrument panel. Many aircrafts have polarized windshields which can offer complete coverage and if the aircraft in question has them I see no point of any further consideration of polarized sunglasses. I think most flying associations has safety regulations against polarized sunglasses anyway.

Test the Difference

You can easily test the difference between a pair of polarized and non-polarized sunglasses. Simply hold both pairs of sunglasses out on a sunny day and notice the glare reduction from the polarized pair. It also provides a clearer vision, allowing one to distinguish shapes and lines better.

I personally feel that the benefits of using polarized sunglasses far outweigh that of a non-polarized sunglasses. So the next time you're ready to buy a new pair of sunglasses, be sure to pick a set of polarized sunglasses - and enjoy the difference!