Everything You Need to Know about Buying Stock Eyewear in Bulk

When it comes to bulk eyewear purchasement, ordering custom items and buying stock are the 2 different ways to go. Eyewear brands may prefer customizing their models for branding while many choose stock as it's much faster and easier to operate. If you are buying or planning to buy stock goods of optical frames or sunglasses, a lot of things should be evaluated. Since you'll be buying in bulk quantities, a wrong move could mean a waste of your investment. I have come up with this article to help you with stock eyewear orders.

1. Advantages

The benefits of buying stock eyewear are obvious. They are usually cheaper and can be ordered with a small MOQ. Big teams are not required while the goods can be delivered in a much shorter time. Although the operation is relatively simple, it's necessary to understand the reasons behind those advantages so that you can avoid the mistakes.

1.1 Short Lead Time

Short lead time is a big part of the reason why many buyers choose stock eyewear. Unlike ordering custom items, the product development process as well as the production process are not required when you are buying stocks. It could save you months of time, leaving you only the transportation time to concern.

1.2 Simple Operation

Another reason to choose stock over custom eyewear is that buying stocks is much easier. All you need do is select the reliable supplier and pick the right models for your market. You don't need to pay a designer to develop new models and the cost for hiring engineers could also be saved. The whole process could be done by a small team or even an individual.

1.3 Smaller MOQs

Many eyewear buyers are stopped from ordering custom models by big MOQs (Minimum order quantity). So why do manufacturers still set it? Fixed production costs like making the molds are actually the main reason factories are concerned. Because these costs can not be covered with the order quantity below a certain number.

However, that is not the case in stock eyewear orders as the production has already been done. Stock suppliers only consider how to sell them all and it could be done with multiple buyers. But still, most stock eyewear suppliers also have MOQs, only smaller. After all, it's the wholesale business, not retailing. Knowing how the suppliers think, it's not difficult to find out that the more you order, the bigger discount you may get on such purchasement.

1.4 Relatively Lower Prices

Lower prices could be another reason that you're buying stock eyewear. Your supplier should charge reasonable rates so you're able to purchase in sufficient quantities. But to avoid low-price traps, it is necessary for you to understand the potential reasons behind it. I'll list some below for your reference:

• They are produced in a big order so that the unit cost can be lower. This is a safe reason although it won't make the discount very big.
• The supplier just simply wants to sell them soon. And the discount will depend on how soon the supplier wants them to be sold out.
• The supplier think these frames are outdated and not popular anymore. In this case, the supplier also wants to sell them immediately. The chance could be style preferences of the different markets.
• The defective rate of these stocks is high. Be very careful with these goods. Do not try unless you are sure the quality will be accepted.

A reputed wholesaler will offer good deals when buying larger quantities from them. However, a lot of stock suppliers are brokers who don't always sell at cheap prices. It's not strange if you find they are giving higher prices than new custom orders for the same item.

1.5 Less Risks

The development of new eyewear models takes months and it still could fail due to unforeseen problems. This is not the risk you need to bear in stock orders in most cases. You will probably be safe as long as the stocks are not defective products. The challenge here will be checking if this specific model works for your own market. A reputed wholesale supplier will constantly try to ease the sales process to ensure a hassle-free buying process.

2. Disadvantages

Going with stocks may also mean giving up exclusive styles for your brands. And quality controls may be challenging. You can only choose what's available and customer service may not even exist with unqualified suppliers. Knowing the disadvantages helps you understand the limitations. This could improve your business dramatically if you can solve them painlessly.

2.1 Branding is Difficult

The main benefit of branding is you can sell eyewear with added value which was built in exclusive styles with decent quality. However, the biggest downside of ordering stock eyewear is sacrificing the most advanced design trends and high-end qualities. You can not prevent your supplier from selling to others or make sure you are the first one in the market selling them. You have to compete with others for the same models and you may face great difficulties forming unique brand styles.

Experienced eyewear buyers know how to deal with these difficulties with their excellent model picking ability or by working closely with reliable stock suppliers. Also, it doesn't mean you can not do anything about branding the ready goods. Brand names or logos can be printed or even lasered on the products. Packaging is another way to go. But still, it won't be like customized orders of eyewear.

2.2 Qualities are Comprised

It is no secret that most stock suppliers prefer quantity over quality. It's actually decided by the market demands. The customers of the high-end market are just a small part compared to the whole market. On the other hand, stock eyewear is made to be sold a lot. So it has to be economical and the quality could be comprised.

However, it doesn't mean stock eyewear can never be of high quality. The big chance comes with extra quantities produced in high-end custom orders. Or the order has been cancelled somehow after the goods are ready. In these 2 cases, high-end customized eyewear become stocks. Many stock suppliers may use this for advertisement. But sadly, it's very rare to see as those custom orders are usually processed with non-disclosure agreements.

Besides the high-end quality limitation, we may also find it difficult to keep the quality consistency in the long term of stock eyewear business. It's because they are probably from different manufacturers. The best solution could be working with a stable stock supplier with complete categories that can cover all your needs..

2.3 Options are Limited

With stock eyewear orders, you can only choose from what have been offered. And choosing eyewear for your market is not only about the styles, but also the sizes, materials or colors. For example, you may find the style is perfect but the fitting is for Euro while you are selling in Asia. So it helps if your supplier understands your market so that they can recommend right products. And if they don't, make sure they listen to your needs and are willing to cooperate for it.

2.4 Customer Service

To some eyewear brokers, stock orders are just one-time businesses of buying and selling. They don't intend to provide any services or maybe they just don't have the ability or resources to do that. Make sure the company you've chosen is nothing like the ones mentioned above.

Final Thoughts

Eyewear buyers choose custom items or directly purchase ready eyewear based on their own business. The supply chain of the 2 ways could also differ in many aspects as mentioned above. Stock eyewear buyers may aim to develop their brands with unique styles. After all, this is the best solution for value added profit. On the other hand, I see many high-end customers start to do some stock orders under the pandemic due to its flexibility. So it doesn't matter which way you are doing, the key is to know what works for you now and if you are working with the right partner.