How to Read a Sunglasses Quotation Like a Pro
A sunglasses quotation is a map of your costs — if you know how to read it. The same pair can be quoted three different ways by three factories, and the cheapest headline number is often the most expensive once hidden costs surface. This guide teaches you to decode any eyewear quote line by line.
Start with the Incoterm
Price means nothing without the Incoterm attached. EXW (Ex Works) excludes everything past the factory door; FOB (Free On Board) includes export clearance and loading at the Chinese port; CIF adds sea freight and insurance; DDP delivers to your door, duties paid. For Wenzhou goods, FOB Ningbo or Shanghai is the common baseline.
| Incoterm | Seller covers | You arrange |
|---|---|---|
| EXW | Goods at factory | Everything else |
| FOB | Export + loading at port | Freight, insurance, import |
| CIF | FOB + sea freight + insurance | Import clearance, delivery |
| DDP | Door delivery, duties paid | Almost nothing |
Break the unit price into components
A transparent quote separates what you're paying for. Ask for this breakdown — it reveals where you can optimize.
- Frame: material (TR90, acetate, metal) drives most of the cost.
- Lens: base material (PC, TAC, nylon) plus coatings (UV, polarized, mirror).
- Hardware: hinges, screws, temple cores.
- Decoration: laser, pad print, metal plate, color injection.
- Packaging: pouch, cloth, case, box.
- Labour & QC: assembly and inspection.
Compare lens cost drivers in lens materials compared.
Find the one-time vs per-pair costs
Tooling, decoration plates and lab dips are one-time charges; the unit price is recurring. A quote that buries tooling into the per-pair price looks competitive at low volume but punishes you at scale. Separate them so you can see your true marginal cost as you grow.
The dangerous quote isn't the expensive one — it's the cheap one with the costs hidden where you won't see them until the invoice.
Spot the hidden costs
- Sample fees — normal, usually credited; confirm the credit terms.
- Color/lab dip charges — for custom Pantone matching.
- Packaging upgrades — a fancy case can double packaging cost.
- Inspection & re-inspection — who pays if a lot fails?
- Minimum lens batch — specialty coatings may carry their own minimum.
Validate the price against tiers
Sanity-check any quote against realistic market tiers. A basic TR90/PC pair at 1,000 units should sit in the $2.60–$6.20 range; an acetate polarized pair will be at the top of its tier. A quote far below the band usually means a corner is being cut — thin acetate, fake polarization, or skipped UV.
| Quantity | Tier | Price / pair |
|---|---|---|
| 50–300 | Entry | $3.80–$9.50 |
| 300–1,000 | Growth | $3.20–$7.80 |
| 1,000–5,000 | Volume | $2.60–$6.20 |
| 5,000+ | Wholesale | $2.10–$5.00 |
Want a quote you can actually read?
LumiShades quotes with a full component breakdown — frame, lens, decoration, packaging and one-time costs all itemized. No surprises.
Request a free quoteFinal checklist
Before you accept any sunglasses quote, confirm: the Incoterm, a component breakdown, separated one-time vs per-pair costs, all hidden charges named, payment terms, lead time and the AQL level. A quote that survives that checklist is one you can build a business on. Next, sample before you scale — see our sampling guide.