Flea Market Glasses: A Bargain?
The weather is warmer for most of the country and for some that means it’s time to hit the local festivals and flea markets! Many feature fresh produce, crafts, and…glasses?
Yes, just today I saw booth after booth at my local flea market selling what looked like designer frames at really cheap prices.
Are these really the bargain they seem to be? Hardly!
Lenses in any non-optical store frames are bad news. The quality of the sunglasses lenses isn’t good enough to really protect my eyes from harmful UVA and UVB rays.
And, when it comes to prescription lenses, it’s a really bad idea to pick up a pair without my optometrist involved. (Randomly choosing a pair that seems to help me see better could actually damage my eyes…even if just for reading!)
Then I thought, why isn’t it a good idea to just buy an eyeglass frame at a flea market? Can’t I just pick up a frame that I can see better out of or choose one and have my optical store create a new pair of lenses for it?
I asked my optometrist. The answer is: it’s not that easy.
Likely Fake Designer Glasses
Most of the eyeglass frames sold at fairs and such are, likely, not original frames made by the designer whose label they bear. Just like it’s easy to pick-up a knock-off designer purse or watch in some cases the brand name glasses you find at a flea market are anything but authentic.
Sometimes you can tell by looking to see if the frame actually has removable screws in it. If they aren’t there, it would be impossible for an optician to replace the lenses because once the frame comes apart it cannot be put back together.
If Real, Likely Discontinued
Of, if you are lucky enough to find an original frame, it may be a discontinued line. This could make it very difficult for your optometrist to find the pattern for the lens. Not to mention that any frame you purchase from a vendor won’t have a warranty on it. So, trying to take apart and replace lenses in a frame without any warranty would be a risky proposition for even the most careful optician.
The bottom line is that the eyeglass frame deals you may see on the street may look like a bargain, but they aren’t!
Get the Real Deal
If you are searching for a great, discount price on designer and name brand eyeglass frames stick with a reputable optical company like America’s Best where you get two pairs of glasses for one low price and the assurance of quality and authenticity!
