How Does Warby Parker Work? Here’s Everything You Need to Know!
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Getting a good pair of glasses can have a huge impact on your health and lifestyle. With the right prescription, the right frames and the right lenses you can see well, look great and protect your eyes from potentially damaging UV rays and blue light. Warby Parker offers so many ways to do all of those things, that we kind of love them.
Whether you wear glasses or not you’ve probably seen Warby Parker around. But just in case you’ve been boycotting television and blocking internet ads - Warby Parker sells glasses online and in-store with more than 70 locations around the country. We’re going to talk about the online buying experience because that’s the one where you’re a bit more on your own, and we want to keep you company.
So, how does Warby Parker work? If you’ve never used them as an online source to try-on and order glasses it’s a completely understandable question.
Let’s get into it.
Browse as Much as You Want
The first part is the easy, fun, do-it-in-bed-at-1am-if-you-want part. There are hundreds of different styles to look at before you even begin to think about an order. There’s a simple quiz you can take about the kinds of things you like and the styles you’re looking for that can help narrow it down, but there are advantages to free-range browsing too.
Maybe you think you want black frames but you might actually love something in a tortoiseshell. Are you 100% sure you want round glasses? Is there a slight chance a rectangle could be good for you? Of course, it helps to think about the best glasses based on your face type, but give yourself the freedom to think outside your usual box. Speaking of boxes, Warby Parker’s home try-on is a little bit of genius.
How Does Warber Parker Home Try-On Work?
This part is kind of great. Pick 5 frames you like and Warby Parker will send them to you for free. You’ll receive your 5 frames with clear glass lenses. You have 5 days with them so you can try them in different types of lighting, or with different outfits and get more of a feel for each pair than you would in a store. Also, since you get 5 pairs, we think it’s always worth throwing in a “wildcard’. A pair of frames that you might not normally go for but something about the shape or color appeals to you in some way. You never, know, you might surprise yourself.
After your 5 days are up you send them back, in the same box, with the included, pre-paid shipping label. They’ll even send you an email to let you know the box of frames made it back safely.
If you fell in love with a pair of frames during your trial, now you return to the website and order the frames with your prescription. If you didn’t, you can go back to the beginning and start again with a new box.
How Does Warby Parker Virtual Try-On Work?
If you’re an iPhone user, the next step is to play around with Warby Parker’s virtual try-on app. Right now the virtual try-on app is only available to download on the iPhone X and above so if you’re a Droid loyalist, you can probably skip ahead.
If you do carry an iPhone then you can download the App on iTunes and start seeing yourself in new frames. Unlike other try-on programs where you upload a photo, this tool uses your self-camera and Apple’s augmented reality tech to let you turn your head and change angles so you can get a more realistic idea of how you’ll look in the frames from all sides. You can change frames with a simple swipe or favorite the ones you want for your at-home try-on. What’s that all about? Glad you asked.
How do you order Your Warby Parker Glasses?
You can take any number of routes to navigate back to your chosen frames, click an email link, go through your "account, or just Google them, whatever you like. When you get there, click “select lenses and purchase” and you’ll go through these steps.
Choose your width*:
Extra-narrow
Narrow
Medium
Wide
*Not all sizes are available for all frames
Choose your prescription type:
Single vision
Progressives (plus $250)
Non-prescription (lenses with no vision correction)
Readers with simple magnification
Choose a lens type:
Classic
Blue-light filtering (plus $50)
Light Responsive (plus $100)
Choose your lens material:
Polycarbonate
1.67 high-index
1.74 high-index (if applicable/recommended for your prescription)
All of the frames are also coated with anti-scratch, anti-reflective, and superhydrophobic coatings. There’s also a one-year, no-scratch guarantee for both eyeglass and sunglass lenses.
If you’re curious, here are a few more fun facts about some of your options:
Progressives are basically updated bi-focal/multi-focal lenses without the lines so they look seamless.
Blue-light filtering can help reduce digital eye strain and help you sleep better, particularly if you find yourself staring at a screen right until bedtime - we see you midnight Insta scrollers.
Polycarbonate is extremely resistant to impact, so it’s ideal for kids, athletes, and anybody who might ever drop their glasses, accidentally knock them off a nightstand or you know, basically have a life. Polycarbonate is also super lightweight and blocks UV rays.
High-Index 1.67 is a thin and lightweight plastic, that may be the better choice if you have a strong prescription that would be a bit thick in polycarbonate. 1.74 high index is also available if your prescription is really strong.
How does Warby Parker work with your prescription?
Ok, moving on, you’re ready to buy, so you’ll have to put in your prescription. You’ll have three ways to do that.
Take a photo of your prescription and upload it. If you have a copy of your prescription from your eye doctor this is probably your quickest option.
Have Warby Parker email you. Place your order and they’ll reach out to you by email to get the deets on your prescription.
Have your optometrist handle it. Warby Parker will reach out to your eye doctor and ask them for the prescription info they need. This one will probably take the longest.
So all of that is pretty easy, right? There’s just one more thing…
They’ll also need your pupillary distance. That’s the exact distance in millimeters between your pupils, and it’s crucial for making sure that your lenses are properly centered in your frames.
With any luck, your eye doctor put it on your prescription and you can spot it on there in a column or on a single line noted with the letters P.D.
If your P.D is not on your prescription you have a couple of options:
Measure your own P.D. with their online tool which shouldn’t take very long. It’s not complicated and Warby Parker opticians can help you with any questions you may have about the process or your measurements. But here’s the thing, this is an important data point in terms of getting your lenses right. A miscalculated P.D. can result in glasses that give you a headache. So, if you’re not pretty confident that you nailed it, maybe look at the other option.
Have Warby Parker get your prescription directly from your eye doctor, which will make the entire order process take longer but if you’re not in a hurry the accuracy may be worth the wait.
How Much Do Warby Parker Glasses Cost?
Warby Parker glasses start at $95. But as you go through the ordering process you’ll start to understand how the base price can go up. The more complicated your prescription is (i.e strong, multi-focals that are light responsive), the more your glasses will cost anywhere. But if you don’t need much, you can absolutely get frames for $95 (plus tax) but they’ll be the basic version. Though it’s worth noting that even “classic” lenses have that scratch-resistant coating and block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
If you can swing it though, there are benefits to getting extras like blue light filtering, especially if you work on a computer, or responsives if you need glasses for driving or you go indoors and outdoors frequently.
How are Warby Parker glasses so cheap?
The short answer? Warby Parker keeps their frame costs lower because they design in-house and have reduced the use of distribution middlemen while also doing most frame production overseas.
While it’s fair to say that $95 is not exactly couch cushion money, it is on the low-end for glasses. A 2019 consumer Reports study found that the out-of-pocket median append for a pair of glasses is $187. So if you just get the basics, you’re paying about half that. But if you upgrade to responsive you’ll be right in that middle zone.
Buying glasses online is generally speaking going to come at a lower price point, The Consumer Reports study noted that respondents reported the out-of-pocket median at $142 with online retailers vs $234 at in-store retailers.
While online glasses stores tend to be a bit more affordable in general, Warby Parker’s cost-saving supply chain adjustments have kept their prices low without cutting corners when it comes to using quality materials. For the long answer, here’s our deep dive into why Warby Parker glasses are so inexpensive.
What are Warby Parker frames made of?
When you browse by material you’ll see there are three choices, metal, acetate, and mixed. Here’s what you should know:
All of their frames are made of hand-polished cellulose acetate, stainless steel, custom cellulose acetate, ion-plated titanium, or some combination of these materials. But any frames using titanium will cost more than the baseline $95.
Titanium is extremely strong and light and has a bit more ‘flex” than stainless steel, but stainless steel is also lightweight, durable, and generally less expensive.
Acetate is made from a combination of nylon and plant plastics and is also durable and long-lasting. Acetate quality is not universal and some acetates may be higher quality than others, but as a material, it has a bit of an advantage over injection-molded plastic (which is sometimes used to make even cheap frames) because it is stronger, produces more vibrant colors and is hypo-allergenic.
Does Warby Parker Take Insurance?
Yes, but…Warby Parker is an in-network vision care provider for a small number of insurance plans, but for most, they would be considered out-of-network. That’s ok too, it just means you’d need to apply for reimbursement. If you’re going that route they offer helpful info on the reimbursement process.
You can also use a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA)if you have one, as long as the account is tied to a major credit card. Just use that card when you check out.
Regardless of how you’re paying you’ll also have the option to use the Affirm Program to separate your payment into 2 or 3 installments.
How Long Will It Take to Get Your Glasses?
It depends. If you’re doing the home try-on it should take about 5 days to get your 5 frames. Accessories, gift cards, and non-prescription sunglasses also take 5 days.
Prescriptions and non-prescription eyeglasses can take 7-10 Days. But with prescriptions, the clock starts only when your prescription and billing information is approved.
On a final feel-good note, Warby Parker has a Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program that has distributed over 7 million pairs of glasses to people in need with the help of worldwide partners.
Can Warby Parker Glasses Be Returned?
They sure can! There’s a 30-day, return or exchange policy for eyewear and accessories (except gift cards.) If you don’t love what you got, you can get a full refund or an exchange within 30 days from when you receive them.
And that’s it! That, in a nutshell, is how Warby Parker works. If you still have questions you can always visit their Help center or get in touch by phone or online.
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