Best Sunglasses Stores Online
Sunglasses are more than a fashion accessory. They save you from having to permanently squint while outside in the sun, and protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. But it's easy to get lost online with the myriad of options at your disposal, especially if you don't have a crystal clear idea of what you're looking for.
We scoured the web for the absolute best online eyeglasses websites to purchase sunglasses from and found several that stood out for good, yet different, reasons. Check their strengths and weaknesses, see which ones provide the services and products that you prefer, and give them a try.
Index#1EyeBuyDirect
Pros
- Exceptionally low prices
- Great selection of frames and lenses
- Fantastic virtual try-on feature
- Free 1-year return policy for defective glasses
Cons
- Short two-week return period
- Only 2 known designer brands on offer
EyeBuyDirect is all about high quality at an affordable price. If sunglasses are what you're after, then you can get a standard good-looking store brand pair for around $12.00, and that even includes free shipping to the US. You can even get a pair for less if you want something cheaper, as they have a fantastic array of sunglasses that cost less than $20.00. EyeBuyDirect even lets you choose the color and level of tint in most of their sunglasses. Need prescription sunglasses? Standard long-distance lenses, for example, will only add around $20.00 to their price. The only downside here is with tinted multi-focal lenses, which cost an extra $109.00 on top of the price of the frame, but, to their credit, that's very much on par with most online glasses outlets out there.
EyeBuyDirect also offers nice alternatives to products that could otherwise be prohibitively expensive for you. For example, photochromic glasses, whose lenses darken only when exposed to sunlight. EyeBuyDirect offers the famous Transitions lenses for $99.00 to -$139.00, but also offers its own in-house alternative—which compares well to Transitions lenses—for only $36.00. And this is all without even mentioning the generous deals they have in store on most days of the year, such as 50% off select frames and buy-1-get-1-free promotions.
Want something an little more luxurious? EyeBuyDirect has that as well, offering premium sunglasses from renowned designer brands such as Ray-Ban and Oakley. And, if you want to try them on before you purchase, EyeBuyDirect offers one of the best virtual try-on tools in the industry, which will show you in real time how your new sunglasses would look on you.
If you have vision insurance, EyeBuyDirect also lets you use it to get an easy reimbursement on your new pair of prescription sunglasses. They even accept a wide range of insurers, including UnitedHealthcare, VSP, FSA, and HSA. EyeBuyDirect also offer free returns, but you only have two weeks from date of receipt to decide whether you want to keep your purchase or not, which isn't a long time. But, EyeBuyDirect still makes up for that with their generous policies and services, like their 1-year return policy for defective glasses and 24/7 live chat customer support.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#239DollarGlasses
Pros
- Affordable set price for standard sunglasses
- Wide selection of special lenses and coatings
- Offers re-lensing for your frames
Cons
- 30% return fee for bifocals and progressive
- Free shipping only for orders above $99
For set, affordable prices, you should try out 39DollarGlasses. As its name suggests, this online glasses shop sells non-prescription glasses and sunglasses for a set price of $39.00. No more would you need to shop around, compare prices, and weigh a pair's cost against how good it would look on you. You can now just pick your preferred choice and go with it, hassle free. Of course, if you need a pair of prescription sunglasses, you'll have to pay a little extra, but considering that tinted Rx lenses only add around $10.00 to the price, it's still very affordable.
As usual, bifocals, progressive, and photochromic lenses will cost you much more than the standard single vision lenses. Bifocals and progressive lenses will add $80.00 to the price, and light-sensitive lenses adding anywhere between $70.00 to $150.00 to it, so 39DollarGlasses may not be the very best place to get them, although it's still quite competitively priced.
39DollarGlasses also offers quite a bit of lens and coating options, from polarized and mirrored lenses to anti-reflective coating. All these options add to the price, but are well worth the expense if you, say, take your sunglasses to skiing resorts and the like, where glare and sunlight reflection are an issue.
Since 39DollarGlasses puts quite a bit of focus on staying low-priced, there is unfortunately no selection of designer brands on offer here. Instead, all of 39DollarGlasses' frames are made in-house. This does manage to keep prices low while keeping quality high, and the frames are pretty stylish and fashionable. But, if you care at all about brand recognition, this is probably not the place for you to shop.
If the total sum of your purchase is over $99.00, you'll get free shipping, so make sure you purchase in bulk if you only get standard sunglasses. You new pair of sunglasses comes with a free 1-month cash return warranty, along with a free 3-month return warranty for full exchange or store credit. Sadly, bifocals and progressives carry a 30% return fee, so keep that in mind in case that's what you're after and you want a better guarantee.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#3ZenniOptical
Pros
- Very low prices
- Large selection of lenses and coatings
- One-month return policy
- Impressive lineup of highly affordable frames
Cons
- Doesn't accept insurance
- No premium designer brands
- No free shipping
If you simply want the lowest price possible, then Zenni Optical may be the best option for you. You can actually get a good pair of sunglasses here for only $6.95, and a pair of prescription sunglasses for as low as $6.95. That's ludicrously low by any standard. While they offer no free shipping, that's a small price to pay for such a low-cost product. Literally — shipping only costs a few bucks.
Zenni Optical also offers a plethora of lenses and coating options. You can alter the tint of your glasses, make them mirrored, coat them with hydrophobic material, give them a gradient tint, and so on. Naturally, each options adds to the price of the pair, but they're pretty fairly priced, so you can easily end up with a pair that perfectly suits your needs for a price that would be more than acceptable for you.
Since Zenni Optical puts all their focus on quality products for minimal price, you won't be finding any premium designer brands here. Zenni Optical does offer frames from lesser known brands, such as David Ortiz and Cynthia Rowley, but even they are quite low cost. Most of the frames on offer here are made in-house to keep prices low. You can, if you so choose, peruse Zenni Optical's New Arrivals, which are glasses designed in accordance with the most recent fashion trends. They're a tad pricier than the average pair of sunglasses on the site, but they're still cheap compared to sunglasses on most other eyewear sites.
Unfortunately, Zenni Optical doesn't accept vision insurance, so if you have it it won't be of any help here. Not that you'll need it much with prices being as low as they are. Zenni Optical also has a friend referral program, seasonal promotions, sales, and a rewards program for loyal members, so you won't be begrudging you unused vision insurance for long.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#4DiscountGlasses
Pros
- Very low prices
- One year return policy
- Good selection of frames and lenses
Cons
- Lack of live chat customer support
As its name might suggest, DiscountGlasses is where you can get your new pair of sunglasses at a cheap, discounted price. This online eyewear store prides itself on being able to keep it prices low while giving you a myriad of stylish options to choose from. Here, you could easily get a pair of good quality sunglasses for under $20.00 if you peruse the clearance section. If you need vision correcting sunglasses, make sure to choose one of the pairs that are marked as Rx eligible. Adding standard single vision to the sunglasses will only cost you an extra $10.00, though higher index lenses will of course cost more.
As you might already assume, DiscountGlasses offers no designer brands, and instead only sells frames from lesser known brands such as Caravaggio, Lunettos, and Stetson. This shouldn't be an issue if brands are not your thing, as the quality of the frames and lenses here is quite impressive for their price. If you're prefer you glasses to only be sunglasses when there's sun out, DiscountGlasses surprisingly does offer the official Transitions lenses and no cheaper alternative. They do, however, offer several fairly-priced coating options for most of their lenses, so you can opt for that if you want you glasses to be more durable, water and smudge resistant, or glare reducing.
DiscountGlasses boasts shipping and returns policies that are as fair as its prices. Both are completely free for any purchase within the US, and you're even given a full year as a return time frame. Their customer care is also quite good, even though they do not offer live chat support, forcing you to contend with email for any of your issues.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#5Eyeconic
Pros
- Lots of top-tier designer brands
- Thorough quality assurance process
- Accepts vision insurance from several insurers
- Free re-lensing within six months of purchase
Cons
- Shipping is slow at times
- Expensive
Eyeconic is one of the few places online where you can easily get premium designer brand prescription sunglasses easily, safely, and at an affordable price. While their prices are a bit expensive for non-prescription sunglasses, with them only going as low as $69.00 a pair, their single-vision prescription sunglasses cost the same, even though both they're frame and lenses are made by high-quality designer brands such as Lacoste, Oakley, Calvin Klein, Gucci, and Ray-Ban. They even offer free shipping and promotions where you can, for example, get a second pair for 20% off, which can help you significantly reduce prices.
But, while, Eyeconic is known for its huge variety of top-notch premium eyewear, the prices here for anything other than single-vision prescription sunglasses are quite steep. Case in point, their non-prescription sunglasses. They even offer some outrageous coating which can cost almost as much as the pair they're put on. You can definitely offset this if you have vision insurance, as Eyeconic works with most of them, including FSA and HSA. Still, this online glasses shop is not for everyone, especially the more frugal among you.
But, while Eyeconic isn't known for their low prices, they are definitely renowned for their variety and quality. Each product is authentic, made by the premium companies themselves, and is handled with the utmost care. To maintain quality assurance, Eyeconic's products undergo a thorough inspection process. And, if you still end up regretting your choice, then Eyeconic has a 2-month no-questions-asked return policy. They'll even re-lens your prescription sunglasses at no charge should your prescription change within half a year from the date of purchasing the pair.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#6GlassesUSA
Pros
- Very wide selection
- Many designer brands on offer
- Affordable prices and generous discounts
- Fair shipping and returns policies
Cons
- Lenses can get expensive
- Short two-week trial period
GlassesUSA established a foothold as one of the most famous glasses websites in the world, mainly thanks to its great variety and competitive prices. With non-prescription sunglasses costing as low as $98.00 and single-vision Rx sunglasses costing around $30.00 more, you can get yourself a high-quality pair of sunglasses that fits your vision at a very affordable cost. GlassesUSA also hands out tons of discounts and promotions year round, making it a great place to revisit on holidays and spacial occasions.
The variety is the biggest plus here, though, with both in-house low-cost frames and premium designer frames from around a dozen heritage designers on offer at fair prices, you won't be left wanting. GlassesUSA also has a myriad of option for lenses and coatings, including special ones such as prism progressive lenses with glare reducing coating, for example.
GlassesUSA doesn't have the best returns policy, though. They only let you have two weeks with your new pair of sunglasses before you have to make up your mind whether you're happy with your purchase. The shipping here is free, though, but, as usual, only to the contiguous US.
If options is what you feel like you're lacking, GlassesUSA definitely has you covered. They even have several kinds of sports sunglasses to outdoor activities and even extreme sports. And, if you're patient, you can get deals here that you'll be hard-pressed to match on any other online glasses store. They even offer several payment options and deals for first time shoppers and for buying in bulk, so you never have to break the bank when purchasing new pairs of sunglasses.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#7LiingoEyewear
Pros
- Great return and shipping policies
- Two-month trial period
- Five-day free in-home try-on program
- Adjustment reimbursement
Cons
- No international shipping
- No designer brands
- Rx sunglasses are expensive
Have you ever felt apprehension regarding purchasing a product online without ever trying it first? Well, you're definitely not alone in that. The people behind Liingo Eyewear definitely understood that too, as this is one of the only online glasses shops that allows you to try on their sunglasses for free. The way it works is simple: you pick five pairs to try for five days, do so, and then return them, all completely for free. You can later decide whether to purchase any of them. This is in addition to the site's wonderful virtual try-on tool, which lets you check out how your new pair of sunglasses fit you.
All this, though, would be in vain if Liingo Eyewear didn't have wares and prices that are worthy of your time. Luckily, they do. While Liingo Eyewear's prices are relatively high compared to some other glasses sites, They do compare quite nicely when it comes to non-prescription sunglasses, which go for as low as $49.00. Single-vision Rx sunglasses, on the other hand, cost a whopping $128.00 at bare minimum, and that's without even including a designer frame. In fact, Liingo Eyewear only sells their own in-house frames. They are very well-made and stylish, but they're no designer brand.
Still, if you're looking for high quality non-prescription sunglasses and would like to try them out first, you can't go wrong with Liingo Eyewear. They also have quite generous shipping and return policies, both of which are free. You can return your sunglasses within two months of purchase for any reason, and Liingo Eyewear will even reimburse you up to $25.00 if your adjust or repair your glasses at a third-party company. They unfortunately don't ship internationally, but if you live in the United States, you won't have any issue.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#8TargetOptical
Pros
- Three-month free return policy
- Great selection of frames
- Good coverage plan and shipping policies
- Accepts a wide variety of insurance plans
Cons
- Expensive Rx sunglasses
- No cheap store brands
Target Optical is probably the most recognized name on this list. It would therefore probably not surprise you to learn that this subsidiary company of the famous Target brand is one of the biggest eyewear stores in the world. That's both online and offline, as it's among the very few online glasses stores nowadays with brick and mortar locations. The wares of Target Optical are absolutely enormous, far surpassing any other entry on this list. There's very little chance that whatever pair of sunglasses you're looking for couldn't be found among its many pages.
That is, if you're looking for designer sunglasses, since TargetOptical only sells designer frames. But, that doesn't mean that this isn't the place to be looking for a bargain. There's usually a good amount of non-prescription sunglasses on sale here that cost around $42.00, and, considering that they're designer sunglasses, that's a pretty good offer. There are, of course, scores of sunglasses that cost upwards of $300.00 here, but there is no lack of in-between either. If you have a gift card or coupon code that works with Target, then you can drive prices even lower, netting yourself a new pair of stylish Ray-Ban sunglasses for cheap.
Of course, it's another story entirely for Rx sunglasses, which, at minimum, add a whopping hundred dollars to the price. This is because TargetOptical also only sells authentic lenses made by the same designer glasses companies, so, if you buy a pair of Arnette Rx sunglasses, they'll come with original Arnette Rx tinted lenses. Their high quality is assured, yes, but their prices could understandably be too steep for many of you. They do, however, come with free shipping and returns, along with a generous three-month return warranty. Together with their optional $35.00 one-year insurance policy, this is definitely one place you can make purchases from without any worry.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#9WarbyParker
Pros
- Wide variety of stylish sunglasses
- Great customer service
- At-home try-on program
Cons
- Try-on tool needs to be downloaded
- Very expensive
Warby Parker is a popular glasses designer brand with more than 150 stores in the US and Canada, as well as a big online presence. They have an online shop with a vast and unique catalogue of fashionable sunglasses, all of which are, of course, their own brand and design. You can get yourself a trendy new pair of sunglasses here for $95.00 to -$195.00, though adding prescription lenses to the pair will add around $100.00 to the price. This online eyewear store isn't cheap — it's for luxury glasses, and they're priced accordingly.
You are, however, offered discounts and promotions, such as a 15% discount for new clients, which can help with the high prices of their wares. What won't help you, however, is Warby Parker's lack of on-site virtual try-on feature, which has become an industry norm. If you want to see how the new pair of sunglasses will look on you, you'll have to download an app, which is a hassle and a half. You can, however, use Warby Parker's wonderful "try 5 for 5" program, which will let you try five pairs of Warby Parker sunglasses for five business days before returning them. That way, you can try them on yourself and see how you like them before committing to purchasing any of them.
Warby Parker offers free standard shipping to Canada and the United States, which takes around 10-12 business days. Warby Parker also offers free returns and a trial period of one month from the moment of purchase, so if you're unhappy with your purchase for whatever reason, you won't have much issue getting a refund.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
EyeBuyDirect | 39DollarGlasses | ZenniOptical | DiscountGlasses | Eyeconic | GlassesUSA | LiingoEyewear | TargetOptical | WarbyParker | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cheapest Frames | $5 | $39 | $6.95 | $12.95 | $140 | $39 | $49 | $54.50 | $95 |
Min Shipping Time | 7 days | 2 days | 7 days | 5 days | 14 days | 7 days | 14 days | 2 days | 7 days |
Max Shipping Time | 14 days | 5 days | 14 days | 7 days | 16 days | 10 days | 16 days | 7 days | 10 days |
Accepted Healthcare insurance | |||||||||
Accepts Insurance | |||||||||
Accepts FSA | |||||||||
Accepts HSA | |||||||||
Countries | International | International | International | International | US | International | US | US | US |
Special frames | |||||||||
Children's Frames | |||||||||
Designer Frames | |||||||||
Sports Frames | |||||||||
Returns Policy | |||||||||
Days to Return | 14 days | 30 days | 30 days | 365 days | 60 days | 14 days | 60 days | 90 days | 30 days |
Restocking Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Shipping Fee | $0 | $0 | $4.95 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Choosing the Best Sunglasses For Your Particular Needs
Before you start perusing, you should have an idea in mind. Are you looking for sunglasses for you day-to-day activities? If so, how does your average day look like? Do you want them from a designer brand? What lenses would you prefer? Would you like them to be mirrored, tinted, or gradient tinted? Do you require a special coating? Do you have a prescription? Whatever you come up with, you'll definitely have a list of requirements. Make sure that the online store you're perusing can meet those requirements, and that they don't charge exorbitant prices for them. One site may charge more for, say, mirrored glasses, while another won't charge you anything, so make sure that any site you're considering is viable for your specific needs and budget.
With so many options available, it's normal to feel daunted. Don't be. All the sites we chose are very streamlined and easy to navigate and use. They don't try to trick you with any fine print, and all of them have fair business practices. So, do try to remember that you may have more than one site out there that would be a correct choice for you. It all depends on you and your preferences. So, take your time and choose only when you know what you want and where you can get it at an affordable price. And, remember that even if you make your purchase and regret it for whatever reason, every site on this list allows you to return your purchase for free (within a limited time frame), so you can rest easy knowing that you'll always be in good hands.