New to Online Eyeglasses? Click Here!
Ongoing: Click here for 15%-off EVERY ORDER at EyeBuyDirect This is the best ongoing deal on the internet for EyeBuyDirect!
Goggles4U drops prices, drops additional discount codes. People are concerned, but this is still one of the best places to buy online. Link!

Specs On The Net, a site I really appreciated not more than a month ago is having a number of rather serious difficulties, including:

  • Bouncing email (thanks "Binky"!).
  • Server errors on Log In.
  • An expired SSL Certificate (I notified them of this on 12/30/2006).
  • Extreme slowness.
I assume they are experiencing growing pains of some sort, but for the time being, you'll be risking it to give them your credit card -- not secure.

I hope to provide an update on this soon.

Only 2 more weeks to enter!

C'mon!

UPDATE: "anonymous" let me have it for promoting this wrong -- I was actually pleased anyone read the entire post.

He/she was right though and I've removed the disclaimer:

One last caveat; I reserve the right to lengthen the contest if things are going gangbusters.

IT ENDS GROUNDHOG DAY!






(seriously)

We Americans aren't exactly known for our prowess with saving money, heck our entire economy is built upon us spending everything we have and more.

I'm curious what people have bought with money they'd earmarked for overly expensive eyeglasses.

Me? To give some perspective, I've purchased five pairs of eyeglasses for a grand total of $206 -- easily less than half of what I'd have spent on one pair had I not searched for a better way. That's more than a guy needs, but I'm still researching this thing.

I was able to stay closer to budget over the holidays.

Anyone bought anything neat? Given to charity? Added or started a savings account?

Tell us your story.

Specs On The Net, the people in Wales with the dandy "Virtual Modelling System" passed along a 10% off promo for you:

FF2088

It'll get you 10% off.

Pick the one that works best for you (NOTE: for the mathematically-challenged, the second one is a better deal until you get to $100).

From now until the end of February (2/28/2007):
10% Off Any Purchase at 39DollarGlasses!
(discount applied at checkout)

From now until the Ides of March (3/15/2007):
$10 Off Any Purchase at 39DollarGlasses!
(Use the code "Winter10" at checkout)

Sorry about that. The links to the Retailers should hopefully be active again shortly.

I guess this is what you get when you use "free" services.

You, like many Americans, may have some money lingering in your flex spending account for 2006. In years past, you'd be out of luck now (as it's January, already). Things have changed and you may now have an additional two and a half months to spend your hard-earned pre-tax dollars.

(NOTE: You'll need to check with your benefits people as they have yet to be required to grant this extension. Most decent companies have, so here's hoping you work for one. If not lean on your HR staff for next year.)

Need glasses? How about a few pairs?

39 Dollar Glasses will do most of the work for you. All purchases made with them can be made with your company FSA credit card. In most cases they'll be automatically approved with no more paperwork.

Look for this graphic on all of their products.

In the past (before having kids who eat up huge chunks of FSA cash), I used to buy my eyeglasses at the end of the year to use up the rest of my money.

The deadline may be later this year, but the result is the same -- use it or lose it.

This is why you read those emails from GoDaddy or Internic:


Optical4Less is down today. Someone dropped the ball over there in the Chung Fu Shopping Center in Hong Kong. I'd expect them back up soon.

Quiet, isn't it? That's the (lack of) sound of people not spending money with them.

Too bad, I LOVE the two pair I got from them last week. Review to follow their triumphant return.

UPDATE: Albert at Optical4Less says things should be back within 24 hours.

NEWER UPDATE: And they're still down. I mean, I could pay the $8 if they're short. It still hasn't been updated. If you've got an outstanding order, or need to make an order use the alternate URL: optical4less.net until they get this mess figured out.

I posted a few days ago about trying eyeglasses online. Perhaps you read it? Seriously... go read it.

Anyway, after posting it, I realized my mug was plastered on the site about 30 times. I'm not much of a looker, and the glassyeyes group on Flickr hasn't taken off as I'd like it too, so I figured it might need a jump start.

Seems like it might be time for a contest. It's simple, free and best of all FUN!

It's the 2007 GLASSYEYES GROUNDHOG DAY PHOTO CONTEST!

Here are the rules:

  1. Find one of the applications for trying on eyeglasses online listed in this post (if you still haven't read it, I'm starting to question your resolve).
  2. Upload your photo.
  3. Try on some eyeglasses.
  4. Take a screen capture of the picture, crop it so we don't have to wade through all of the extra stuff.
  5. Upload the images to your Flickr account (Create a Flickr account for yourself, if you don't have one already -- it's quick and painless).
  6. Tag your uploads with "glassyeyes-contest1" (if you're not sure what this means, you will after you create an account).
  7. Describe it.
  8. Upload it to the "glassyeyes" group on Flickr.
  9. Relax and wait for the results.
There are no bonuses for purchasing anything, although a good "before the order/after they arrive" shot certainly won't hurt. Have fun with it. Do something wacky -- that may in fact help your cause unless you are unusually beautiful.

Contest deadline is Groundhog Day, 2007.

Prizes:
First - $25USD paid via PayPal (and your Picture posted for all of the Glassyeyes Universe to see for at least 30 days)
Second (this will be awarded if at least 25 people enter) - $15USD paid via PayPal (and your Picture posted for all of the Glassyeyes Universe to see for at least 30 days)
Third (this will be awarded if at least 50 people enter) - $10USD paid via PayPal (and your Picture posted... blah blah blah)

There will likely be miscellaneous sponsorship prizes if things come together the way I hope they will.

I'm not going to hand-hold anyone through screenshots and uploads and Flickr. I've done that with my mom, and my mother-in-law -- so I've done my time. Ask your nephew, I'm sure he knows how to do all of that "compooter stuff".

Like I said, there is no purchase necessary -- and the clock is ticking.

One last caveat; I reserve the right to lengthen the contest if things are going gangbusters.

There has been an awful lot said about stealing the light, time and I assume even the air from the mall optical stores. I think the markup might just cover the lost opportunity from the .5% of America who would even consider buying online eyeglasses. I hope to help enlighten enough people to make that a much more respectable percentage.

The fact of the matter is that there is no way brick and mortar opticians will even feel it -- at least for the time being. People call foul for using these as a fitting room and then making the purchase on the internet. You can look at this any number of ways -- and here is mine:

No one needs to feel like they should buy something from every store they enter. Do your research. Ask questions. Be polite. You may find that the store you are in is in fact the right place for you to buy your glasses. If you don't, take what you've learned and move on.

Let's face it, it's up to them to "sell" you eyeglasses. If they have a good story and can give you better reasons why you should purchase from them, then you'd be wise to do so. I look at this as giving them a last chance to make a sale they weren't going to have a chance at to begin with. That's certainly worth something to a retailer.

I've always been a bargain shopper. I think it started when I was in high school and money was tight. It's a skill that one must hone through diligence and through discipline to be able to see the point at which you cross into that area of spending too much time hunting for deals to save only a few bucks. Time is, in fact, money (sometimes).

Anyway, I shop at all sorts of stores. If I can get an item at a small local store for a competitive price, I do. If it's significantly more expensive, sorry, I've got to feed my family also.

If I felt I needed to buy something from every store I went into, I'd never go out. This is simply not the way it is.