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Comment by j79 | Hacker News Reader

I would love to buy glasses on-line, but have a simple issue of having an absolute massive head. Unless I go in and physically try on a pair, I just have to assume it won't fit (usually the width of face, but temple length is also a pain...)

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I have a really wide head, but a relatively narrow face. I have a lot of problems with fit as well as style as a result. I just went to Costco and tried on every pair of glasses they had, figured out what style looked best, took the measurements off the frames that fit, and used that to order glasses online. Costco's profit comes from their membership fees rather than selling anything, so you don't have to feel bad about not buying anything (since you already have a membership).

The one thing I need to look out for is how the hook on the arm is constructed. One of my ears is slightly farther back than the other (by maybe 2 millimeters). If I buy frames where the arm can't be readjusted the glasses can rest a bit askance on my face.

> Costco's profit comes from their membership fees rather than selling anything

Membership is key both because its essentially zero cost, and because paid membership motivates choosing Costco as the place to make purchases (one reason Costco sells so,much more per unit of floospace than, e.g., WalMart), but Costco, absolutely, does make profits from sales, even if its margins are fairly low.

Well, their stated goal is to only make as much profit as is needed to cover their expenses. I personally don't consider that profit, but the price they sell goods for is indeed greater than the cost they bought them for.

Surely salaries have to be taken into account? If they fill their boots ratger than shareholder profits customers still pay.

I also have a wide face. I used Warby Parker's home try-on and ended up finding a pair I liked that was 145mm in width. A lot of their "wide" frames didn't fit me either, and the one I chose was probably one of four or five in total they offered that fit.

While more expensive than Zenni, Warby Parker will ship you empty frames for size testing, so you can be confident of the fit.

The zenni website shows the frame width (and other dimensions) in millimeters for each pair of glasses. I've ordered over a dozen of pairs over the last 3 years and the measurements are accurate.

Measure the width of your current pair that you like. You're may be 150mm+ in width and zenni has sizes even bigger than that.

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