Every year there are millions of people who fill contact lens prescriptions through hundreds of online retailers. Some experts believe that the average successful contact lens seller can expect to fill up to 5000 prescriptions in a single day. However, when it comes to pricing things can be pretty difficult since many assume that they are receiving the very same product they want but for a lower price and with no effort at all. That said when in search of cheap contact lenses how do you know which website to buy from since each one of them will claim that they are the cheapest and offer the best service. Below we look at how to finalize your decision.
Start by Shopping around
You might not notice this but there could be a huge difference of price between two or more online stores selling contact lenses. when comparing prices make sure to take shipping and handling into consideration in addition to any discount coupons you may want to use. If you shop for cheap contact lenses online a lot you may want to draft an excel sheet whereby you can enter in the shipping, original pricing and any other discounts into respective fields in order to get a clear view of the price. This sheet can be used whenever you need to buy new lenses since it will tell you which sites are cheaper than others at a glance.
Calculate the Total Cost
Many websites will advertise just their price per box which can be misleading. This is because this pricing does not take into account a number of other factors which can make a huge impact on the amount you end up paying. The factors include:
- Cost of shipping: This includes the cost of shipping the products to you.
- Handling costs: This is the cost of processing your order.
- Coupons / promo discounts: this includes seasonal and clearance sale discounts, in addition to product specific discounts.
- Volume discounts: This is the discount you will get for buying in bulk which is available on some websites.
So, in order to find the lowest possible total price all the above four factors need to be taken into account. In some cases you can get a significant discount if you order a yearly supply.
Not a Branded Website but a reputed one
When shopping for cheap contact lenses online you don’t necessarily want to opt for a well known brand’s site but rather a site which is reputed. Keep in mind the fact that there are some contact lens website which spend millions on advertising so that you remember them when in need of contacts. But these websites are often one of the most expensive. There are many other reputed sites which can be used to buy contact lenses online and they often have a much better price and have comparable levels of customer service, also some even offer free shipping. That said it is important that you are careful since there are many shady websites that offer dirt cheap rates but for shoddy contact lenses. The easiest way to screen out these sites is to call up their customer service number and ask about their privacy and return policies and the product guarantees they offer. For instance, Australia’s leading contact lens sellers Lens World has a number that people can call to find out more, also most of the information that people need about the lenses that they sell is on the website.
Buy a whole year’s Supply
Many people don’t visit their eye doctor more than just once a year which is why it makes the most sense to buy a whole year’s worth of contact lenses. In the vast majority of countries across the world contact lens prescriptions are valid for 24 months so if your eye sight is stable consider buying up to a two year supply to get a discount. Consider the fact that volume discounts can help you save quite a bit of money.
Negotiate
It is important that you negotiate even if the price expressed on the website seems final. The reason being that contact lens sales is highly competitive and sometimes you can get a discount only if you ask for it, so it’s worth a shot.
Citations:
- How to Choose Coloured Contacts
Mark has been in the contact lens business for over fifteen years. He is an optician by profession and was one of the first people to start recommending that Australians start wearing prescription contact lenses. His is also one of the most established online stores selling high quality yet comparatively cheap contact lenses.