The Best Online Stores to Buy Men and Women’s Sunglasses
If you have never bought sunglasses online, you may be surprised by how easy it is and how much selection is available. You can find very budget-friendly options, as well as high-end designer styles.
Most sites also have virtual try-on technology, so you can see whether a product is right for you without having to leave the comfort of home.
Whether you are looking for a prescription or just some super fashionable nonprescription shades, we have found the best places to get good quality styles at plenty of price points for both men and women.
Warby Parker
Most people know that Warby Parker is a great option to get inexpensive glasses quickly and easily online, but you may not know that they also have an outstanding selection of fashionable shades as well. You can get most frames with prescription or nonprescription lenses. The styles start around $95, and you will find features like the polarized lenses in wide or narrow fits.
To ease any worry about buying online, Warby Parker offers a free home try-on program, so you can order what you like and try them at home, then send back (free shipping both ways) what doesn’t work. The other features you can expect on WB designs are scratch-resistant lens and coating that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
If you have never tried them before, you should give them a shot, because the products are affordable, good quality and the shopping experience is pretty top-notch. The other great thing about Warby Parker is that for every pair of glasses that are sold they give a pair to someone in need, I’m not sure if this applies to sunglasses, but it is nice to support a company that offers this kind of program.
Available from Warby Parker.com
Sunglass Hut
Sunglass Hut has been a staple in malls for years and the go-to shopping spot for getting a great pair of shades for many people. Their online site makes it just as easy to find what you are looking for with their massive selection of designer styles.
They offer almost all of the premium brands in the latest trends from fashion to performance designs. You will find brands like Ray-Ban, Gucci, Michael Kors, Versace, Prada, Oakley, and Off White.
Available from Sunglasshut.com
Knockaround
A site that offers budget, fashion/performance sunglasses for a fraction of the cost of designer brands is Knockaround. Currently, they have six basic, classic frame designs, with various tints on the lens. The different color combos of frames and lenses work out to about 120 options available. They are very affordable (in the $10-$20) range and the lens has UV400 protection.
If you want to get polarized glasses, you can pay another $15 and get styles with that added. All of the designs are durable, unisex, and made from good-quality materials. They also offer the ability to design your own custom frames.
Available from Knockaround
GlassesShop
Glassesshop is an easy way to find a big selection of fashionable, good-quality glasses with UVA and UVB protection from the comfort of your own home. If you need a prescription, they make it easy to select your frames and then choose between different lens options. A lot of their shades can be created with or without prescriptions.
What is cool about this site is if you don’t find what you are looking for in their sunglasses selection, you can turn any of their frames into regular or prescription shades by selecting color tint, gradient tint, polarized, or mirrored lens as your lens type.
Available from Glassesshop.com
Oakley
Oakley has been for years and still is, one of the top sport performance sunglasses brands going. They aren’t cheap, but fans love the innovative lens features and classic, relaxed styling. Their polarized lens is a popular choice for sports including biking and water sports like rowing. They help to reduce glare and clarify what you see around you.
You can’t go wrong with a set of Oakleys, just don’t lose them since they will be expensive to replace.
Available from Oakley.com
Discount Glasses
DiscountGlasses is another online specs store that is a great place to get sunglasses for men, women, and children (their kid’s and toddler section is especially good). The shades they stock are affordable, trendy, and excellent quality.
You can get styles from $20 to over $150, so there are lots to choose from depending on what you are looking for. As you would expect from this type of site, they have a virtual try-on tool that works pretty well and gives you a good idea of what the glasses are going to look like. They also offer a whopping full year to return glasses if you find you don’t like them.
Available from DiscountGlasses.com
SOLSTICE Sunglasses
A great place to get just about any luxury, designer style of sunglasses for men, women, and children is Solstice Sunglasses. You will find brands like Chanel, Celine, Kate Spade, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and Christian Dior as well as tonnes of other top designer brands.
They also have a great selection of polarized options from brands like Ray-Ban, Maui Jim, or Oakley. A polarized lens reduces glare from reflective surfaces like roads, cars, snow, and water.
Available from Solsticesunglasses.com
Eyeconic
Eyeconic designer glasses have a vast assortment of frames from brands like Chloé, Nike, and Salvatore Ferragamo. They have a Virtual Try-On tool, free shipping, and they also price match.
All of the Eyeconic prescription sunglasses have glare-reducing polarized lenses. They also have a light-reactive lens, which are the ones that are clear when inside then get darker when you go into the sun.
Along with the great options for prescription styles, they also sell non-prescription frames. You just select the frame you want and then do your lens selection. Eyeconic accepts vision benefits from several insurers, so you may be able to save on prescription designs.
Available from Eyeconic.com
EyeBuyDirect
EyeBuyDirect is another of the many glasses stores that offer lots of great options for prescription or non-prescription sunglasses. EyeBuyDirect have plenty of shapes, styles, and colors to choose from with different color, mirrored, gradient, or polarized tints on the lens available.
It is another site where you can turn any of the frames available on the site into sunglasses, so it is easy to get what you want.
Available from EyeBuyDirect.com
Glasses.com
Not to sound like a broken record but Glasses is somewhere else that primarily sells eyeglasses, but is also a great place to get shades as well. They offer 100% satisfaction, 30 days free returns, Virtual Try-On technology, and they even have stylists to guide you in finding the right style.
They take all major insurance plans if you are going for a prescription option, and they stock most of the major top designer brands.
Available from Glasses.com
Diff Eyewear
If you are having trouble deciding between the different online sunglass options, you may want to check out DIFF. They have affordable, good quality, fashionable options, but they also put a significant focus on being a socially conscious brand.
DIFF’s most prominent initiative is donating a pair of eyeglasses or funding an eye exam for someone in need, which is an excellent idea that is easy to get behind. As far as their designs, they are super stylish and high quality. The company also has an excellent reputation for customer service.
Available from DiffEyewear.com
Zenni Optical
Zenni Optical is a popular option if you are looking for premium prescription sunglasses at affordable price points. They have a wide selection of designs for men, women, and children with something for everyone. They stock many of the classic styles that look great on everyone, as well as the more fashion-forward designs if you are a little bit more adventurous.
You can also get non-prescription sunglasses if you just want some cool styles at reasonable prices. Zenni has a solid reputation for excellent customer service and making it easy to order glasses online.
Available from Zennipotical.com
Persol
Persol is one of the oldest sunglasses brands around, they go way back to Italy in 1917, so they are considered pretty cool. Persol’s classic models can’t be beat, as they are fashionable and remain the epitome of contemporary style.
Since they are a luxury Italian heritage brand, you can probably guess that they aren’t cheap, but they have a unique style to a lot of the classic frames that are pretty timeless. If you are interested in Persol, check out the 649 series, 714 series, and the Cellor series, as they are their most iconic styles.
Available from Persol.com
Maui Jim
Maui Jim products are a top option if you want some of the best-polarized options going. They use something called PolarizedPlus2® lens technology that will cut 100% of UVA and UVB rays, and eliminate glare while enhancing natural color.
Maui Jim offers 125 different styles and is widely available through various retailers. They are one of the few major sunglasses brands that aren’t owned by Luxottica (anymore).
Available from MauiJim.com
GlassesUSA
GlassesUSA is the largest online eyewear retailer that offers a variety of both high-quality designer and house brands in all kinds of styles and lens types. They have free shipping and returns, a 365-day warranty, as well as Virtual Try on technology.
GlassesUSA stocks most of the major luxury brands including Prada, Michael Kors, Versace, Coach, and Gucci.
Available from GlassesUSA.com
zeroUV
A great place to find the latest trends in sunglasses for an affordable price is zeroUV. These aren’t high-end styles with polarized lenses, but rather fast-fashion type glasses that may not last, but you don’t have to worry about losing them. The company seems to ship products quickly and is responsive if you have any issues with the styles that you receive.
Available from ZeroUV.com
Costa del Mar
Costa Del Mar (more commonly referred to as Costa) are generally considered one of the best, if not the best option for polarized lens out of all of the top brands. They are especially useful for outdoor sports like fishing or boating.
Costa lenses use something called 580 lens technology, which absorbs high-energy blue light (HEV), and makes what you see much more clearly than it would be without the glasses. They also have 100% protection from UV light. Their designs come in a vast array of on-trend styles, lenses, and colors for both men and women.
Available from CostaDelMar.com
Midwest Shades
Midwest Shades is a sunglasses company based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Their specialty is sunglasses that float in water, as well as styles that they make out of different types of wood (bamboo and other wood-like Ebony, Maple, and Walnut). They look great, are innovative, and are a small company worth supporting.
Available from Midwestshades.com
Tips for Sunglasses Shopping
If you are buying online, you may want to pay a bit of extra attention to the following types of features for any styles that you are interested in getting, just to ensure you get the best shades for your needs and style.
Sun Protection– This is one of the most important features to look for, as it is very easy to damage your eyes when out in the sun for long periods. Unless you are looking for budget options, most styles will include 100 percent protection against both UVA and UVB light.
Face Shape– If you are buying online, take advantage of any virtual try-on technology that the site you are ordering from offers. Unless you tend to stick with the same style of glasses and already know how they will look on your face, you may also want to research what shapes of glasses look good on your head/face shape.
Price– You can spend from $10 to well over $400 on a pair of shades. If you are going budget, just be aware of what, if any, sun protection you get on what you are wearing. You can easily damage your eyes in strong sunlight and it isn’t worth taking the risk.
Polarized lens– Most sunglasses either have polarized or non-polarized lenses. Polarized lenses help to minimize the reflective glare that comes off surfaces like water. They can help you to see the natural colors through the lens. They are especially popular for water and snow activities. They are more expensive than non-polarized lenses but are generally considered the better option for eye health, performance, and safety.
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