The point is, whether its a simple piece of plastic or a simple assembly of metal parts I don't think that there is a frame on the market that costs in access of $25.00 to manufacture.
The added costs on every frame that you purchase are:Advertising - You pay for the booth, booze and broads at Vision Expo and all the pretty ads in the trade publications.
Licensing - You pay royalties to some obscure character whose name you believe will actually add value to your tatty little optical shop.
Liability insurance - Someone has to pay the trial lawyers and that someone is you.
Import duties & VAT's - Every time a frame crosses a border some government is getting a cut of the action.
Transportation and distribution - It does cost a few Yuan, Rupees, Rial, Pesos or whatever to get stuff shipped to the US from wherever. Once here you gotta warehouse it, package it and ship it.
Commission - Ya gotta pay the poor salesman something. Don't forget the third party payer either. It costs a lot of money to administer these eyeglass plans.
Unsold Stock - Remember that in many cases you will have to pay for all the obsolete, unwanted and unsold inventory in the vast warehouse.
Returns - Whether guarantee, warranty or consignment, someone has to pay for the goods and that someone is you.
Profit - After all these and other sundry cost there must be profits to reward the stockholders for their risk. The percentage of profit on any given frame is set by the frame vendor and is usually what the willing buyer will pay.
This might, in part, explain why a $5.00 piece of acetate ends up costing the consumer $500.00.
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