Considering buying a pair of glasses online? Our review gives you the inside scoop on GlassesUSA.
In the past 10 years, there’s been an explosion of places to buy glasses online. Rather than head to a department store or specialty eyewear shop, you can find pretty much any style of prescription or non-prescription glasses you want online.
GlassesUSA was one of the early players in the direct-to-consumer eyewear game, and they’ve done a good job of making a specific niche for themselves.
I went ahead and ordered a pair of glasses from them to see how their system works, and in this GlassesUSA review, I’ll share my pros and cons to using their service before giving a final verdict on whether they’re worth buying from.
About GlassesUSA
GlassesUSA was founded ten years ago with a specific mission to “help everyone see better by offering quality glasses at affordable prices.”
That started with a small selection of house brands and then quickly transformed into an online catalog featuring many different name brands of prescription glasses and sunglasses.
Today, GlassesUSA acts primarily as an online catalog for name-brand glasses across the entire spectrum. That makes them different from many other online glasses retailers like Warby Parker, each of whom has its own house brands and nothing else.
So if you’re looking for a pair of Ray-Bans, for example, GlassesUSA might be the best place to start.
My Experience
So, first of all, you’re pretty spoiled for options when you’re looking for glasses online these days. That’s a hard place to start when you’re reviewing a new company that offers glasses online because there are many competitors to compare them to.
Even so, I’ll do my best to outline where GlassesUSA has its strengths and where its weaknesses might push you to a different online retailer.
On the plus side, GlassesUSA has a deep catalog of name brands. This is a great place to start if you’re looking for a pair of glasses with some street cred.
They also have a super helpful filter function that lets you sort by exact size, so if you know what type of glasses fit you best, you can easily hone in on a new pair.
Somewhere in the middle, there’s the fact that GlassesUSA’s prices are almost identical to the prices offered by the brands they carry.
That is unless you get in on one of the many sales that GlassesUSA runs — which is honestly the best part of the brand. Get in on one of their deals, and you can scoop up a great pair of glasses at a low cost.
On the downside, this online retailer doesn’t always stand out against its competitors. In a saturated market like online glasses retailing, you really need to do something unique to be memorable. So unless you’re getting a pair on sale, there’s not as much reason to buy from GlassesUSA.
Pros
- Pricing can be very competitive
- Always running some sort of sale
- Good mix of premium and affordable brands
- Filter tool is well-designed, you can filter by actual size
- Free shipping and returns
Cons
- Not always a better deal than the brands themselves
- Not necessarily better than their competitors
- Quality is just okay on lesser-known brands
Just like every online glasses retailer, they have pros and cons. It’s up to you to decide if purchasing from them seems worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
And to finish things off, here are answers to some of the most common questions we’ve heard guys asking about GlassesUSA.
Is GlassesUSA Legitimate?
GlassesUSA is definitely a legit company. They mainly act as a storefront for other name brands and keep a good clean business.
Are Glasses from GlassesUSA Real?
All the glasses sold on GlassesUSA are the real deal, from name brands.
Is GlassesUSA An American Company?
GlassesUSA has offices in both New York City and Tel Aviv, Israel, and also has entirely remote workers.
Final Verdict: Look for Sales
So should everybody buy from GlassesUSA? I’m on the fence about this one.
If you have access to one of their sales, coupons, or frequent good deals, then you can get a name-brand pair of glasses for a real bargain. But if not, then you’re basically buying through a middleman for the same price rather than getting it directly from the brand.
My advice? Use their super helpful filters to find a pair of glasses you really like, then keep an eye out for sales and promotions. That’s what I did, and I got one of my favorite pairs of Ray-Bans that I’ve ever had.
Questions? Comments? Leave them down below!
They may have started out legitimate but my recent experience with them suggests otherwise. I would be very wary of this company. They have my money and I’m in week 5 of shipping notice and nothing. They are completely opaque regarding communication after the fact and ignored email. Phone and chat bot are automated endless loops and would only communicate after leaving a negative review on trustpilot and continue to communicate only through that platform.