Custom Acetate Sunglasses Pricing for Founders & Procurement Teams

Pricing is where a custom acetate sunglasses project stops being a moodboard and becomes real life. A quote isn’t just a unit cost—it quietly reveals how much complexity you’ve designed in, how many things you need to stay consistent, and how much risk you’re carrying into your first launch.

This is Part 3 of the series. If you want the big-picture logic, start with: Custom Acetate Sunglasses: JaneyCheers 5‑Filter Framework (Part 1). If you’re still deciding on lenses, read: Polarized vs. Non‑Polarized Lens Decisions (Part 2).

Choose your price posture (custom acetate sunglasses pricing)

Founders often say they want “premium.” I understand—because you’re not trying to sell “a pair of sunglasses.” You’re trying to sell trust.

But “premium” isn’t a word. It’s a list of constraints you’re choosing to live with:

• tighter tolerance

• more steps in finishing

• higher standards in lens clarity and coating

• more inspection and more rejects (and that’s normal)

So before you negotiate, pick the posture you’re building around:

• Affordable: keep it simple, keep it clean, and win with disciplined SKUs

• Value: spend where customers feel it most—fit stability, finishing consistency, lens comfort

• Premium: define what must be consistent, then protect it with specification + QC gates

A helpful founder question is: What is the one thing my customer must never be disappointed by when they open the box? Make that your protected zone.

What actually moves the quote (the levers you can control)

Pricing becomes less stressful when you see the quote as a machine with predictable dials. Here are the dials that matter most.

Lens stack (where cost and perceived quality meet)

Lens decisions don’t just add material cost—they add process steps, tighter defect tolerance, and more opportunities for rejection.

• Polarization: higher material cost, plus stricter control for distortion and alignment

• Coatings: hard coat, AR, mirror, oleophobic—each layer is a new process and a new failure mode

• Tint complexity: solid tint vs gradient vs fashion tint; colour consistency is real work

• Compliance targets: if you need specific transmission ranges, you’re paying for tighter control and verification

If you’re early-stage and want predictable pricing, keep the lens stack stable for the first run. Consistency builds reputation faster than “more features.”

Material route (it’s not just about acetate vs TR)

The material route changes the “feel language” of your brand—what people see in the first 10 seconds and what they feel after 10 hours.

• Full acetate: rich depth, strong perceived value; labour in finishing often matters more than material cost

• Hybrid: can balance comfort and style, but adds interfaces that must be controlled

• TR routes: lightweight and efficient; different finishing vibe than acetate

Your pricing should follow your brand promise. If your brand sells “quiet luxury everyday,” finishing consistency matters more than gimmicks.

Customization level (custom is a ladder, not a switch)

Customization is where founders get excited—and where timelines and budgets can quietly stretch.

• Tooling: new molds or meaningful size edits add upfront cost and lead time

• Colour development: acetate colour matching takes rounds, not one email

• Fit edits: bridge, temple length, and angles can cascade into tooling and assembly adjustments

• Logo method: print vs laser vs metal inlay; durability and reject risk differ

• Packaging: often underestimated, but it affects unboxing and operational complexity

You don’t need to do all of this in your first run to look premium. You need to choose the right upgrades.

SKU spread (the silent profit killer for new brands)

It’s tempting to launch 6 colours because Instagram looks better that way. But every extra variant increases setups, sorting, packing complexity, and the chances of inconsistencies.

If you’re launching small:

• keep one frame

• keep one lens spec

• launch with a tight colour story

• expand once you have real sales data

SKU discipline is not limiting—it’s how you protect your cash and your learning.

QC standard (your real cost is what you can ship)

A cheaper unit can become expensive after returns, replacements, and negative reviews—especially if you’re DTC.

Define QC in observable terms:

• what’s inspected (hinge torque, alignment, lens defects, cosmetic tolerance)

• sampling rate / AQL expectation

• what triggers rework vs rejection

• packaging protection level for shipping reality

If your factory understands your QC expectations clearly, pricing becomes calmer and output becomes more stable.

MOQ is negotiable; your spec shouldn’t be

Most founders ask MOQ first—and you should. But MOQ is a range negotiation. Unclear specs create an iteration tax: you pay for delays, resampling, misunderstandings, and “almost right” products that don’t feel like your brand.

If you want quotes you can compare, freeze these variables first:

• who the customer is and how they’ll wear it (Part 1)

• lens spec (Part 2)

• variant plan (how many colours, lens options, sizes in the first run)

• timeline and shipping terms

Once the variables are stable, negotiation becomes real—not emotional.

Small bulk orders: the smartest way to launch

If you’re building a sunglasses brand with a small first run, the goal is not to “do everything.” The goal is to learn fast without losing money.

Here’s the clean launch structure we recommend:

• Keep the frame constant

• Freeze the lens spec

• Change only one commercial lever (colourway or branding detail)

That way, when something works (or doesn’t), you know why.

A real case (anonymous): small batch, big perceived upgrade

One of our clients (we’re not sharing their country or brand name) is a startup building a neutral, high‑end everyday sunglasses line. They cared deeply about quality—but they were also realistic: a large first production run without market proof is a heavy risk for a new brand.

So they chose a smarter first step.

Instead of investing in full custom development immediately, they asked us to source an in‑stock acetate frame that already had a clean shape and stable manufacturing history. Then, on top of that base, they made a few high‑impact upgrades:

• They replaced the lenses with their chosen specification to improve comfort and clarity;

• They upgraded to rubberized screws for better assembly stability and long-wear reliability;

• They added their branding in a clean, retail-ready way.

What happened next is the part I want founders to notice: even with “stock frame + branding,” the product’s perceived quality jumped dramatically—close to what many people expect only from full custom tooling—because they spent money exactly where customers feel it.

They launched with a small batch, got real feedback, validated their positioning, and earned the confidence to plan the next stage (custom colours, deeper fit tuning, and a wider SKU strategy) with actual data.

This is not taking shortcuts. This is protecting your first launch while still respecting your brand standard.

Pricing is a tool for confidence

When you treat pricing as a tool—not a battle—you start building a brand that can scale without losing its identity. You make deliberate tradeoffs, keep your first run readable, and protect the few things that must stay consistent.

At JaneyCheers eyewear, we don’t just quote—we translate requirements into a stable production reality. We share what we’ve learned, we help you make tradeoffs with clarity, and we build the kind of supplier partnership that strengthens with every iteration.

JaneyCheers eyewear: we share, we empower, and we grow together.