Why Are Oakleys So Expensive? | Price History & Top 5 Reasons Explained

[Frogskins]

Luxottica

Monopoly

Nuff said

 

[kmbijit]

The only reason they are expensive is Luxottica. They even screwed up the affordable Ray-Bans, now some of their basic offerings are retailing at prices higher than most Oakleys.

 

[Tom.]

But oaks were also expensive before the lux takeover, right?

 

[kmbijit]

But oaks were also expensive before the lux takeover, right?

They have been, but not unreasonably. There were lot of good looking and well fitting affordable models that retailed at around the $70 mark, undiscounted. There were cheaper ones as well, and the expensive ones had their own class and exclusivity, be it premium materials or outstandingdesign. At least, pre-lux era never saw baseline models retailing at $200.

 

[splitrail]

Rudy Project.......... then Adidas, their top models are good

and Nike Hyperforce Elite?? are they any good... i dont know.

Thanks.
After looking at the alternatives, it appears that they are pretty close in price (on the average) to Oakleys.
................which makes Oakleys not really that expensive, especially when personal preference factors in.
I recently bought a custom pair of Radar EVs from Oakleys website, paid less than $150 for them, and got the lens shape, lens type, frame color, icon color, and earsock color that I wanted.
Granted they were on sale, but the same glasses off sale are $210.

 

[splitrail]

One thing that occurred to me when I bought my Custom Radar EVs from oakley.com was the elaborate (and no doubt costly) packaging that they were sent in. A hard molded zippered clamshell case with cutouts custom fit to hold the glasses. This was housed within a hardboard black fitted hinged lid box.
Not really complaining, but I'd have rather paid less for the whole package without the elaborate presentation.
Very nice, but in my case, very unnecessary as well.
They should offer that as an option, for collectors or those giving the glasses as a gift.

 

[Jaydub]

Luxx has created the biggest glasses monopoly ever. That’s why basic eyewear costs are more than double why they were only a few years ago. They control the stores so smaller brands can never get the level needed to compete. Capitalism at its finest / worst

 

[kmbijit]

Thanks.
After looking at the alternatives, it appears that they are pretty close in price (on the average) to Oakleys.
................which makes Oakleys not really that expensive,

It's the market forces at play. When lux took over some of the bestselling brands and priced them exorbitantly, there was no reason for others not to follow.

 

[Ventruck]

I'm pretty sure early on, Oakley was in a league of it's own in terms of optical quality and protection in the consumer sunglasses market. Lens tapering and whatnot is not as exclusive as it used to be. We have at least a couple aftermarket brands capable of quality products which most people can't distinguish from Oakley apart from the signature tints.

The marketing segment of the article and consumer base is really what the brand is thriving off today. A lot of us here have a love-hate relationship with the current state of the brand.
On one hand, Oakley can get lost with the fake "limited editions" that are usually half-assed, and the price creep practice they did (how long until we see another $3 hike?), along with folding to the mass market's taste in more conservative design. Some Oakley products are a joke in terms of reliability as well.

On the other hand, I can't say I'd align with another brand. There's a lot of blatant cookie-cutter, short-term, crude designs out there, and they're embarrassingly trying to charge just as much. Sure enough, there is a bit of a douche/snob factor here, but if you pay attention to the molding and design features of most everything else, you can just see there wasn't as much thought in the product.

So what to do? Just wait for discounts. Once in a blue moon there really is a limited edition that warrants playing it safe and buying ASAP. Oherwise there's hardly any reason why you'd by say, a Radar EV at retail when there's deadstock at discount. The design is over 5 years old, albeit arguably the best half-frame shield design out there. Apart from some new Prizm options, strong odds you'll find the functional lens you want in a discounted pair and not in a color you hate.

 

[NoFair]

But oaks were also expensive before the lux takeover, right?

Base models were cheaper and the customer service was way better in the old days.