Glasses

[Nimbus]

We don’t do that anymore; if you see the prices for frames in Europe, it’s ridiculous. Only for brands that are not available here it might make sense. So we got original Kate Spade and Balenciaga here, half cheaper for frame only. Optik Seis has interesting online offers btw, esp. on the remaining stock.

I wear Oakley because I prefer their straight arms. The frames cost around $100, and originals cost north of Rp 1 million in Jakarta, which is actually cheaper. US price is always inflated for insurance purposes, so that makes sense. However, Shopee lists frames purported to be Oakleys for as low as Rp 140K, or less than $10. I’m not enough of an expert to tell the difference between a $100 and a $10 Oakleys, so somebody in Jakarta can easily charge me Rp 1.5 million while giving me the Rp 150K frame.

I actually don’t mind getting a fake Oakley frame, just to give a middle finger to the Luxottica monopoly. However, I’m not gonna pay $100 for a $10 frame.

Meet the Four-Eyed, Eight-Tentacled Monopoly That is Making Your Glasses So Expensive

As my fellow four-eyes will know, buying new glasses can be an expensive undertaking. The fanciest frames at LensCrafters often sell for $400-500. Holding those little assemblages of glass, metal, and plastic that cost $25-50 to make in your hand, you might wonder how exactly you were roped into...

www.forbes.com

 

[jstar]

Yeah my son likes the Oakleys too for cycling. You see them a lot in the cheap malls and ITC’s which is an indication those are replica’s. He bought them at a Seis I think.

 

[flavus]

Ah yeah, I think it's a combination of local production and also there being an oligopoly / de facto monopoly on frames and lenses.

Similar to how patented medicine costs an arm and a leg in the US compared to anywhere else. Because it's single source and they can get away with charging more in the absence of strong regulations or a large healthcare system that can bargain