Imitation sunglasses, also known as replica sunglasses, fake sunglasses or discount sunglasses, are a consistently seen staple in a variety of marketplaces.  From mall kiosks to state fairs and everywhere in between, these cheap knockoff sunglasses have been consistently good sellers.  But the question some people ask is, are they worth the money?

To determine if imitation sunglasses are “worth the money”, you have to measure the value and the quality of the product received and determine if it meets your standards.  Only then can you decide if they are acceptable for you or not.

Without a doubt, the best value (as in lowest prices) in imitation sunglasses comes from buying in wholesale amounts.  Don’t let the word “wholesale” frighten you; sunglasses sold in wholesale amounts means that you are buying them by the dozen.  A common misconception with wholesale eyewear is that you have to be a retailer or distributor of some soft to purchase in this amount; this is simply not true.  It is very common (and often encouraged) for individuals to purchase sunglasses by the dozen for their personal use.

Benefits of cheap sunglasses

There are several benefits that come along with imitation sunglasses, the most noticeable being the low purchase price.  When you pass by a mall kiosk selling sunglasses and spot a style that you really like, it is hard not to be enamored with the low price (usually less than $20, most often around $10 – $15).  Getting designer like style for a mere pittance is where most of the lure of replica sunglasses comes from.

And the drawback…

Despite their benefits in value, imitation sunglasses have their drawbacks as well.  The trade-off with low prices means the quality will be much lower than brand name eyewear.  Unfortunately, all of us here at this blog find the claims of “high quality” made by some vendors of replica sunglasses to be misleading or even outright dishonest.  Let me take a moment to explore the quality angle a little more and give an example.

Analyzing the costs to determine quality

Taking a wholesale purchase of sunglasses at $15 for a dozen, that equates to about $1 per pair.  From this $1 pie, several wedges are going to be cut out of it.  The wholesale distributor takes a good profit from this, and must also take an additional slice to cover the costs of housing the product, and the costs of doing business (employees, office costs, web hosting charges, etc.).  Roughly half the pie is gone now.

The freight costs incurred from shipping the imitation sunglasses from China to the wholesale distributor take another slice from the pie.  The factory in China takes their piece for profit and production costs as well.  The final sliver of pie that is left is a big factor in determining the quality of your imitation sunglasses.  How high do you think the quality will be when the costs of the production and materials used in your sunglasses are roughly around 25 cents or less (in this example)?

A good rule of thumb with replica sunglasses is this: If you want great looking sunglasses at the lowest possible prices, then imitation sunglasses are a good choice for you.  If you want sunglasses that will last more than maybe a few weeks, then you would be better off buying the quality that is found with brand name sunglasses.

People always want to get the best deals on sunglasses and it is no different in the market of wholesale sunglasses.  The wholesale companies negotiate with the factories in China for better pricing, and if that’s not possible then they often order from different factories where the pricing is better.  And if you play your cards right, you as the end customer can negotiate better pricing for yourselves as well.

It’s no secret that the current economy has brought many businesses to their knees, if not wiped them out entirely.  These effects have been felt by wholesale sunglass distributors as well; many are reporting a distinct drop in sales.  While the current state of the economy is slightly disastrous, you can use this to leverage better pricing on your purchases.

Since sales are down, wholesalers are desperately trying to hold on to their existing customer base.  If you have a history of purchasing items from your supplier you can use your good history to your advantage.  By simply telling your supplier that you would like a discount on your purchases or you’ll shop from someone else who will is often enough the easiest way to get an additional discount on your orders.

What you are doing by asking for a discount is not unethical or threatening; you are simply negotiating for a better price.  You are in business just the same as your supplier is and one of the universal laws of business is the bottom line.  I know this, you know this, and your supplier of wholesale sunglasses knows this.

You could be surprised at the effectiveness of calling your wholesale sunglass supplier and requesting a discount.  Just a short while ago when the economy was riding high, chances were good even then to call in and ask for a price break.  Now with the economy in the tank, the probability of getting a percentage off your purchase is very good!

Just one example of a better deal you can acquire is this: I know of one customer who had a good history with the sunglass wholesaler I worked with and he had a permanent discount on every order he placed irregardless of the amount purchased.  His discount percentage rivaled that of the best bulk discount most wholesalers offer.  Imagine all the money he saved and the extra purchasing power he had with that permanent discount in place.

The secret to the best deals on wholesale sunglasses is a phone call

In short, the secret to getting the best deals on wholesale sunglasses is just a phone call.  In these tough times your supplier is not going to want to lose you so they will often go to great lengths to keep you.  Try this out on your supplier if you want an even better deal!

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when you order wholesale sunglasses?  If so, then you are in luck as I am about to give you the breakdown of the steps that happen from the time you make your order online until your sunglasses arrive on your front porch.

I have been involved with the sunglass industry both as a retailer as well as a wholesaler, and I know full well the steps that are involved in this market.  Everything that I state from this point on is based on my experiences and may not be the same for every wholesale company.  To enhance the understanding of this process I will relate how this happens from my own personal standpoint.

After you enter in your credit card info online and click on “Submit”, your order is then filed with any other orders that may have been placed.  Most online distributors of wholesale sunglasses run websites with some form of e-commerce software so this is a pretty streamlined process.

Your order will stay in queue until it is imported into our business accounting software (Quickbooks) and printed out.  Usually these orders are imported during the first hour of the business day unless business is slow.  If orders are slow then they will be imported as often as the warehouse workers need something to do.

Often times there are orders placed where further clarification is needed.  This is usually the case where the billing information of the credit card is wrong or when special instructions have been added to the order.  These orders are set aside to where someone can contact banks, credit card companies or the customer directly while the rest of the orders are sent out for fulfillment.

The orders that are free and clear are then placed in one of three bins in the warehouse: Air, International or Domestic, depending on the shipping method and priority.  All orders that are to be shipped via Air or International are filled first followed by the orders that are to be shipped domestically.

The warehouse workers will take the orders from the bins and then wander around the warehouse with shopping carts to fill those orders.  The dozen packages of sunglasses are added to their cart until the order is finished.  Then the worker will head to their packaging table and stage the individual dozen boxes on the table along with the printed order form.  Once this is done, a supervisor is called over to inspect the staged order for completeness and accuracy.

Once the order is signed off by someone else, the warehouse worker will select the appropriate sized shipping box and then fill that container with the customer’s order.  After adding any necessary packing material, the box is then taped up, weighed, and then sent to the person responsible for shipping the order out.

When the person who does the shipping receives the completed package, he or she will take the weight and dimensions of the package and input them into the computer and print out a shipping label.  After the shipping label and receipt is attached to the outside of the package, it is then staged in an area awaiting the arrival of the shipping company.

When I worked for a certain wholesale company we were visited by our shipping company twice a day: once for packages meant for air shipping, and another for all other shipments.  Our air shipments would always pick up an hour or two before our ground shipments and these ground shipments always happened at the end of the working day.

Hopefully this sheds a little light on what happens behind the scenes when you order wholesale sunglasses from an internet company.  I know this description is brief, but if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask and I will answer them to my best ability.