Hi,
I am interested in setting up an online store selling sunglasses, in particularly the Luxottica and Safilo ranges.
What are the requirements for acquiring these accounts?
My guess is that they have an MOQ, but what else do they require from an online vendor?
Many Thanks
I would suggest you call them and find out directly from the source.
I can only wish you good luck!
If they know there will be online sales, they won't open the account. If you have a store make sure you have enough inventory on display to justify those online sales
Money carefully refunded
They will and do supply to online retailers. There are several companies that will let you put up products on ebay, amazon and the like. Whenever a person buys, they drop ship, give you a cut and you never have to handle the product. And with the price these items (ie RB2132) sell for, I don't see the profit for the little guy buying direct. These companies require a membership fee. My guess is probably minimums in the 1000's of pieces of of individual styles. Since I can't post prices I'll try it this way:
Cost+Shipping+Paypal/CC+%ofsale+listing fees= one beer.
I was only looking to liquidate after closing up shop last year, and learned these painful lessons. The weren't so painful as I was not trying to repurchase product to sell. It was clear my time is better spent dispensing. My advice is to make your own and differentiate yourself...Good Luck!
This is getting a bit ridiculous now - let me explain...
After listening to some very 'helpful' individuals on this thread, I decided to contact Luxottica, Safilo and even Marchon to try and open an account, or at least get some information on why I can't have one.
Luxottica are completely uncontactable unless you have the very rare and exotic 7 digit account number. I had to worm my way in through the backdoor and contact their HR department who told me the name of some guy who could potentially help me out, only one problem - he is in the USA on business and nobody knows when he is returning. Luxottica do have a phone number and if you don't select one of the 4 options you are supposed to be connected to a receptionist. I have spent 3 days trying to get through to a receptionist with no luck - the phone just rings out. There is zero information on the Luxottica website about new accounts. There is zero information on the internet about Luxottica new accounts. Indeed, when you type in a few keywords to Google such as Luxottica, New, Account etc etc your search result is this very forum post (and one more like it). Anyway, to hell with Luxottica - I'll try Safilo - surely this will work, I said.
Sure enough, to a non registered user the Safilo website is about as useful as the Luxottica website - which is hopelessly not useful. I did some phone calling and after getting passed around from Italian to UK call centers I decided to stop going down this avenue too. I cant remortgage to pay another phone bill. Finally I found someone on Linkedin who is the..... wait for it..... E-commerce Business Development Manager at Safilo! I called and called and called and eventually I got their e-mail address. After stating that I wanted an account etc etc. I was told that Safilo required Business plans, office pictures, logistic flow diagrams, forecasts, my daughter for the weekend, current business commitments, branding guidelines - the list goes on. After banging my head against the wall for the next few days, I sent all of this to them. They never replied.
OK so Luxottica don't exist outside the realms of a lucky few account holders (who are all too scared to talk to me about accounts), Safilo are just as bad so what about third best.... Marchon! Goodness me, you know your scraping the barrel when you are trying to find the Marchon UK office. Actually the dont have a UK office at all. The local Marchon HQ to where I'm based (in the UK) is in Holland.
To add insult to injury - everyone who has accounts with these three companies is too scared to talk about the processes of getting an account or even to talk about their own experiences...
What is the big deal with sunglasses? I have many years of experience in luxury accessories such as designer jewellery, watches, handbags etc but I've never came across anything as cloak and dagger as the sunglasses industry.
Be careful if you reply to this thread - they're watching you.
It's as if they don't want you to compete with them online.
If I am correct, you would like advise from the members on this board as to how to get accounts for LUX & SAF. Then you want to go online and compete against the b&m Ecp"s that have spent years selling these products. In this time and age when RB frames in a b&m retail store have become the "go to place" for a try on fitting BEFORE the client goes online to purchase them, why would you expect help from the board.
You request our help, you sell & compete against us online, we become your showroom for the product, and you profit from that. And you want our help.
SERIOUSLY
+100000000000000000000000000000000Originally Posted by coupe
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity
Honestly, you are not very resourceful. Finding a luxottica/safilo sales manager is easy.
Try posting a picture of your daughter for Optiboarders help.
As stated before- Seriously? You're on the wrong forum.
leeopt's post #7 is also true!
As far as I know there is no clear answer on this from Lux or Safilo. You definitely need to be in the loop to set up an online account. I dont think it is that difficult! Just dont forget that a small internet account can sell 20-50 frames a day and that will be way over $1M in business! Thats a lot of $$$$ to lose if they going under. And they do go under simply because they are working on $15-20 mark up!
Last edited by LENNY; 02-19-2015 at 07:51 PM. Reason: $$$$
Here's the deal. Most of us that have their product is because we sell it in our offices. Where a rep originally came knocking on our door asking if we would like to sell the product. This was in many cases before Lux became our competition with the purchase of LensCrafters. It was only a few years ago that they had reps who became too busy to see smaller accounts and either closed them out, or handed them to the "customer care" specialist at corporate.
For the most part, they want as many offices selling their core product as much as they can. The bigger brands all require a "commitment" to show we are serious about the product and sales. In either case, it is relatively low risk for them. most offices don't carry hundreds to thousands of their product. They are purchasing through buying groups so the big frame corp gets a good portion of their funds anyway if people go under.
An internet enterprise is totally a different animal. You have the ability to move huge quantities. Or nothing. You don't have the luxury of having a doctor giving out refractions to attract a steady stream of customers. You could order some big names, and not only not move them, but tick off some other account who does and then dumps the product because patients are either not buying it, or the product gets devalued because it is found online cheaper.
If I wanted to open an account with either of these big frame companies, I would ask a local peer who the rep for the line was, and start with them.
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
Jubilee,
I understand the courtesy, with which you have responded but this person is trying to become an online competitor and take away part of your income. Would you tell your competion, down the block, the deatils of the company that just sold you super quality frames at 50% off the wholesale price. Would you disclose to your competeion all of the hard work and negotiation you did to secure a special line of frames or obtain a great price on lenses. Would you supply the names of your current accounts so that your competion could call them and make a better deal, and sell at lower prices than you.
You are feeding the beast and encouraging others to start selling online.
This posting should not even be here. Steve should remove it.
SERIOUSLY
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