Why are eyglass frames so expensive?!

Mainly operating costs, including equipment which is incredibly expensive.

The wholesalers have gone nuts the last few years , partly because of licensing fees for name brand frames . Then they see people spend the big bucks anyway , so even the non name brands rise in price.

It starts at the original manufacturer who is always raising prices, then they sell higher to our distributors , partly because of high shipping costs also. Then those distributors need sales people on the road , and more and more people inside to control inventory and take the orders from the retailers.

We get them , and have to figure a reasonable profit to cover employees, who are expensive to have because the government makes us match the deductions from their paychecks.

Specialized equipment we need to operate is in the thousands upon thousands of dollars.

In a small optical shop that has an edger for cutting the lenses...that is close to $50 or $60.000.00 right there, and that machine makes no profit...it just breaks and costs a bundle to maintain every year or so....but to give fast service...you have to have it.

The labs we get the lenses from have invested a few million for a full service lab...the anti-reflection machine alone can run a half million....so they raise prices all the time to keep up.

Not to mention high rents in commercial areas.

The trained people who do all this work don't want to work for minimum wage either...so it all adds up.

But...sometimes it just depends where you go. In some places, pure greed rules the prices.

Optician

I'd add to what Footprint has said that if you look at what glasses used to cost when I was young then comparitively the price hasn't risen that much. The quality however is incomparably better as is comfort and choice. This results from work the manufacturers have done and continue to do. Personally I'm happy to pay a reasonable price for my glasses and lenses to fund research and provide my opticain with a reasonable living as this enhances my quality of life immeasurably. Opticians in my opinion are the most underrated members of society - if you have bad vision they contribute more to your life than a doctor will.

Because eyeglasses are usually a necessity and they figure you are going to buy them whether they are cheap or not so why not make as much as they can - or as much as people will pay!.

Really how much can it cost to make frames if you can get cheap glasses at the dollar shop? Probably just a few dollars *at the most). They must make a lot of profit on them!

You really need to look around, many optical shops offer frames for under $100, some offer them for $30. The problem is they are usually discontinued frames and getting an arm replaced can be a problem. I've even had problems with getting the right screw to reattach the arm.

personal experience

Before you think that they're expensive... let's compare them with other items that you prob wouldn't 'blink' to spend the money.

1. Your Cell Phone plan: Prob ~$50/month x 12 months = 600 yearly.
2. Shoes
3. Handbag
4. Make-up
5. Your pair of jeans
6. Monthly hair appointment

If you work out the cost of these say per year... they would cost more than your spectacles

You're paying for the name. If your complaining about the price than go to Walmart they sell really cheap frames.

I only wear designer frames. I have an Optomologist as a sister.