Last Updated — 
July 17, 2018

Zenni Optical vs. EyeBuyDirect

Creative and fashion-forward frames at affordable prices.
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Fashionable eyewear at affordable prices.
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Benefits

Zenni offer stylish eyeglasses and sunglasses for men, women and kids. As well as providing a wide range of frames to suit every budget and style, they even have an innovative personalisation service. Shopping with the company online is extremely straightforward thanks to their numerous helpful guides and resources. Furthermore, international shipping only costs $9.95, no matter where you’re located in the world.

EyeBuyDirect provide eyeglasses and sunglasses for men, women, and kids. They keep costs down by producing their own cool and quirky label RFLKT in-house. As well as being dedicated to customer needs, they make regular donations to charities who provide glasses to those less fortunate.

Drawbacks

Most online eyewear retailers provide free domestic shipping, but it will cost you $4.95 with Zenni and your order might take a rather long time to get to you! Plus, customers are expected to pay the shipping costs if they wish to return an item for any reason. Even though there are a variety of glasses to choose from, none of the styles are named and just given a general description, like “aviator eyeglasses.” This can make them difficult to refer to.

Even though EyeBuyDirect deliver both nationally and internationally, they only offer free domestic shipping if you spend over $99. They also have a unique pricing proposition where the prices listed on the site are for the frames only. If you want advanced or even basic lenses, you will need to keep in mind the added cost as you’re shopping.

Our Verdict

Zenni deliver a simplistic online shopping experience due to their array of informative resources. As well as providing a virtual try-on service, you can easily browse their vast collection of glasses using different filter and sorting options. With frames starting at $6.95, the company is currently one of the most affordable eyewear retailers on the market and offer plenty of choice to suit every budget. Their customisation service is also rather unique. It’s a shame that Zenni charges for domestic shipping, unlike their competitors, but international shipping costs are kept nice and low to compensate. However, the fact that customers have to pay for shipping to return an item seems a little unfair.

EyeBuyDirect have a fashionable and affordable eyewear range. Their passion to make glasses accessible is apparent in everything that they do, from producing their frames in-house to offering their own innovative brand to donating to charities who share their vision. The EyeBuyDirect website is minimalistic and user-friendly which makes it incredibly easy to shop with them. It’s just a shame that their pricing policy isn’t straightforward and you have to spend so much to qualify for free shipping.

Frame Selection

✔ Adult Frames
✔ Kids Frames
✔ Half-Rim Frames
✔ Rimless Frames
✔ Sunglasses
✔ Adult Frames
✔ Kids Frames
✔ Half-Rim Frames
✔ Rimless Frames
✔ Sunglasses

Frame Styles

3+ Brands
✔ Retro/Vintage
✔ Classic
✔ Sporty
✔ Aviator
5+ Brands
✔ Retro/Vintage
✔ Classic
✔ Sporty
✔ Aviator

Lens Options

✔ Reading Glasses
✔ Bifocals
✔ Trifocals
✔ High Index
✔ Lens Tints
✔ Special Coatings
✔ Reading Glasses
✔ Bifocals
✔ Trifocals
✔ High Index
✔ Lens Tints
✔ Special Coatings

Perks

✔ Free Shipping
✔ Virtual Try-On
✔ Home Try-On
✔ Free Shipping
✔ Virtual Try-On
✔ Home Try-On