EyeBuyDirect is one of the most prominent online vendors when it comes to buying glasses online. However, if you’ve not purchased from them in the past, it’s only natural to question the quality of their prescription and sunglasses, especially since their prices are so much lower than what you’d find at a typical brick-and-mortar glasses store.
For this reason, and after placing a sizeable order on EyeBuyDirect.com, I’ll be reviewing them on this page via the following categories:
Use the links above to jump to a specific section or continue scrolling to read it all!
Before Purchasing Glasses From EyeBuyDirect
Taking a quick glance at EyeBuyDirect’s online inventory of prescription and sunglasses, I find that they have more than 1200 frames available before considering different tint or lens coating permutations. Understandably, this can quickly become overwhelming long before any frames make it to your head.
For this reason, here are a couple of points you should consider before you start browsing.
First and foremost, if you’re looking for a new pair of prescription glasses, you’ll need an up-to-date prescription.
Next, consider your budget, even if this is just a rough idea. With EBD’s affordable prices, it’s easy to add a lot of frames to your cart and ultimately spend more than you originally planned, so I highly recommend setting a dollar amount and sticking to it.
Along with your budget, also establish the occasion for which you need the frames; indeed, there are different types of frames for different settings. For instance, the sunglasses you purchase for a one-off vacation are much different from the frames you opt for if you need daily readers or blue-light blockers while you’re working late into the night.
You’ll also want to consider the frame style and color you want. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve put together guides that will help you find the best frame styles based on your face shape as well as the best frame colors based on skin and hair tone.
Most of my EyeBuyDirect glasses collection
Lastly, I suggest you take your time while undertaking this endeavor. Once more, the sheer amount of frame options can cause a sort of “analysis paralysis” and lead to you rushing and perhaps purchasing something you’re not happy with.
You can see by the pictures in this review that I placed a rather large order in one go. This is because I’m quite familiar with my preferred glasses styles and was certain of the direction in which I wanted to expand my collection. I certainly don’t advise you to do the same.
EyeBuyDirect Glasses Review: Prices & Selection
Along with this review of EyeBuyDirect, I purchased glasses from many other online glasses retailers. I’ll be completing individual reviews and comparisons of them over time – as they are published, you’ll be able to find them here.
Throughout this process, I found that EyeBuyDirect probably has the largest inventory of glasses and sunglasses. Considering this, they did tend to be slightly more expensive than other sellers within this same budget category*.
*I’m referring to EBD as a budget brand based exclusively on the price point. I delve into their quality further down in this review.
Within this latest order from EyeBuyDirect.com, I purchased 8 different pairs of glasses. All of these were outfitted with basic prescription lenses or simple sunglasses. Fortunately for me, my eyesight prescription remains relatively mild, so I don’t have to opt for any of the more expensive corrective lenses, such as the high-index or anything of the sort. This may be different for you, but it has allowed me to purchase numerous different frames from EBD and keep the cost to around $45 per pair.
EyeBuyDirect’s Orders Process
Once you’ve settled on the specific type of frames you want to purchase from EyeBuyDirect, you’ll get a number of options when it comes to the lenses. Naturally, there are options for distance, multifocal, and simple reading lenses.
Staging for the video review
Within each of these categories, there are also options to upgrade the lenses with scratch-resistance coatings, blue-light-blocking coatings, and sunglass finishes that include mirror and gradient tints.
Once more, since I have so many glasses in my collection, I generally opt out of any of these upcharges. Ultimately, this helps me build out a larger collection of many different frames that I can constantly rotate in and out of use.
How Long Is EyeBuyDirect Shipping?
I’ll be one of the first to admit that if you’re working with a tight time frame, then buying glasses online is likely not the best option. There’s no doubt you’ll save money by buying online, but you’ll have to trade the savings for the time spent waiting for your new frames to get delivered.
Nevertheless, EyeBuyDirect’s shipping time is about the same as everywhere else. On their website, they estimate 7-14 days from when you order to when the package is delivered. With this latest order, the 8 new frames landed on my doorstep 12 days after I placed the order.
Quality Of EyeBuyDirect’s Glasses
If you’ve landed on this review of EyeBuyDirect’s glasses, then it’s likely that the biggest doubt you have regarding this manufacturer is the quality of their glasses. It’s normal to doubt the sturdiness of EBD’s products considering they’re so much cheaper than a similar pair purchased at a brick-and-mortar store.
Even before this last order from EyeBuyDirect, I’d been a customer of theirs for many years. In my experience, their frames and lenses have always exceeded my expectations when it comes to quality. I’ve had no issues with the frames breaking or bending, nor have the lenses scratched easily or become blemished with use. Moreover, I’ve never had issues with prescription glasses giving me headaches or anything of the sort.
Overall, I’ve been completely satisfied with the nearly half a dozen orders I’ve placed with EyeBuyDirect. Keep in mind that, as I mentioned earlier, I tend to keep a number of different frames on rotation, so no single pair gets a ton of consecutive wear. This being said, I continue to reach for frames within my collection that are years old, and they still wear as they did on the first day.
What’s In The Box?
When you finally receive your pair of glasses from EyeBuyDirect, you’ll find that they’re shipped inside a rectangular drawer-style box. Inside the box are the glasses, themselves inside of a fabric pouch that also serves to clean the lenses.
Unfortunately, EBD does not provide a free travel case other than the cardboard box, which is a bit clunky. However, when you’re checking out, you can add-on one of the leather (or pleather) glasses cases which are much more useful than the cardboard variety.
Rewards & Referrals Program
EyeBuyDirect has one of the strongest rewards & referral programs among all of the top online glasses sellers. This aligns with EBD’s glasses commanding a price premium compared to the other sellers I came across (mainly Zenni Optical and Firmoo).
When it comes to referrals, you as the referrer and the person you invite can receive $10 in credit on EBD.com. If you refer 5 or more purchasers, EyeBuyDirect awards you an extra $50 in credit on top of the standard $10 per referral.
On the rewards side (“loyalty program”), EyeBuyDirect offers three different tiers corresponding to how much you spend within a single year. The lowest tier starts at $75, while the threshold for the highest is $250, and each offers different perks as you can see below:
Final Thoughts On EyeBuyDirect
Following this latest order and coupled with my previous experience as a client of EyeBuyDirect, here is my final standing on the brand.
Among all of the online glasses shops, I think EyeBuyDirect is one of the top options largely due to its seemingly endless selection. The prices are not the cheapest, yet they are still very competitive. With this in mind, the quality of EBD’s prescription and sunglasses leaves nothing to be desired.
If you’ve found a pair of frames on EyeBuyDirect that have caught your eye, then I’d highly recommend purchasing them, as I’m sure you’ll be satisfied as I have been with the dozen+ glasses I’ve bought from them in the past.
Further Reading
If you enjoyed my review of EyeBuyDirect, make sure to check out some of our other glasses content below:
"While not always the cheapest option, EyeBuyDirect still offers phenomenal value with great quality glasses and very enticing rewards & referral programs."
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