How to Import Sunglasses from China: What I Tell Every New Client

Last month a guy from Texas emailed me. He had found a “supplier” on Alibaba quoting $0.90 per pair for aviators, including shipping. He sent me the listing. The photos were stolen from Ray-Ban's website — literally watermarked with their logo. He almost sent them $3,000.

I get emails like this every week. First-time importers chasing the lowest price, not realizing that the lowest price usually comes with the highest risk. Counterfeit frames. Lenses that do not actually block UV. Hinges that snap on the third open. And then the factory disappears and your money is gone.

I have been on the other side of this equation for 20 years. My factory has shipped to over 50 countries. I have seen what works and what goes wrong. Here is what I tell every person who contacts me about importing for the first time.

First: Know What You Are Actually Buying

This sounds obvious but you would be surprised how many people skip it. “How much are sunglasses?” is not a question I can answer. That is like asking how much a car costs — somewhere between $500 and $500,000 depending on what you want.

Before you contact any factory, figure out four things:

What style? A metal aviator costs $8-14 per pair. A basic plastic wayfarer starts at $3-5. The material and production method are completely different, so the price is completely different.

How many? This is the single biggest factor. A 100-piece order costs 30-50% more per unit than a 1,000-piece order. The factory has fixed costs — mold setup, machine time, QC labor — that get spread across the total. More pairs = lower unit cost. If your budget is tight, go deeper on 2-3 styles rather than shallow on 10.

What level of customization? Putting your logo on an existing design (what we call ODM) is fast — 2-3 weeks from order to shipping. Creating a brand new frame from scratch (OEM) takes 6-10 weeks and costs more upfront because of mold fees. About 80% of first-time clients start with ODM. It is lower risk and lets you test the market before committing to custom tooling.

Which market are you selling into? The FDA requirements for the US are different from CE requirements for Europe. Different countries need different lens certifications, packaging labels, and testing documentation. Tell your factory upfront where you are selling. If they do not ask, find another factory.

The Real Cost Breakdown

Here is an actual order one of my clients placed last month — 500 pairs of acetate wayfarers with custom logo and polarized lenses:

At $10.35 landed per pair, selling at $35 retail gives a solid 70% margin. And here is the thing — at 2,000 pieces, the manufacturing cost drops to about $4.80/pair. The economics get much better as you scale.

How to Not Get Burned

I am a factory owner, and I am telling you: be skeptical. Here is my checklist for evaluating any Chinese manufacturer:

Certifications are table stakes. A legitimate export factory has FDA registration, CE certification, and ISO 9001. If they cannot produce current copies of these, do not send them money. Period.

Check their export history. Ask how many countries they ship to and request references from clients in your region. A factory that has only shipped domestically will struggle with international logistics — different packaging requirements, different labeling, different customs paperwork.

Always get samples first. This is non-negotiable. Order 2-3 samples of each style with your logo applied before placing a production order. It costs $50-150 including shipping. If the samples look cheap or the logo placement is off, you are out $150 instead of $5,000. More importantly — you now know this factory cannot execute, and you can find another one before committing real money.

Video call the factory. This is standard practice now. Ask them to walk around and show you the production floor. If they make excuses, walk away. I do video tours for potential clients every week — it takes 15 minutes and builds trust instantly.

Start small. Your first order should be 100-300 pieces, not 5,000. Even if you think you will sell thousands, start small. Test the factory. Test the market. The factory that performs well on your 200-piece order will perform even better on your 2,000-piece reorder. And if they do not? You learned that lesson for a few thousand dollars instead of tens of thousands.

Shipping: What Actually Works

For first-time importers, I almost always recommend DHL Express. Is it the cheapest? No. But it is door-to-door, fully tracked, and the customs clearance is handled by DHL — you do not need your own customs broker. For orders under about 3,000 pairs (roughly 200kg), DHL is the best balance of speed and simplicity.

If you are ordering 5,000+ pairs, sea freight makes financial sense — it costs about $0.10-0.30 per pair versus $0.50-1.50 for express. But it takes 20-35 days and you need a customs broker at your port. Most established brands do sea freight for ongoing orders and express for samples and rush reorders.

One thing nobody tells you: customs can hold your shipment for 1-5 days for random inspection. It happens maybe 5% of the time. Build that buffer into your launch timeline. If you are targeting a specific launch date, get your order shipped at least 2 weeks before you need it in hand.

Quick Word on Paperwork

The factory provides the commercial invoice and packing list. But here is what matters: you are the importer of record. If the HS codes are wrong or the product description does not match what customs finds in the box, you are legally responsible — not the factory. Take 30 seconds to verify the paperwork before the shipment goes out. It seems obvious, but I have seen boxes get held for weeks because someone typed the wrong digit in an HS code.