Shopping On-Line and Shipping to Panama
I was recently in need of a new pair of Prescription eye glasses and after visiting a few of the regular shops in Panama, I realized that I was facing the same bill I would have in Canada. Expensive! So I decided to go the route I have for more and more of my shopping lately: the internet. I must admit I was a little apprehensive at first but after a little research I decided that once I had found a good ophthalmologist the rest should be easy enough. I checked with the San Fernando Clinic in Coronado and they had a doctor who took appointments once a week (Saturday). I indicated to the doctor what I was doing and he made sure I had everything I needed to order my online glasses (as well as doing a complete eye exam).
Many online sites exist but after a bit of research I settled on www.eyebuydirect.com , their website was well designed, easy to understand, took PayPal as a payment processor and had the features I wanted at a great price.
Regarding Paypal, if you don’t have an account, MailBoxes Etc Coronado does and you can use theirs as well as their shipping services for all your shopping needs.
I used my previous pair of glasses to determine measurements and used these dimensions to select the proper size and style.
The cost for my pair of Glasses was $129 plus $45.00 for the eye exam fees at San Fernando. The product I selected had transition sun tinting, UV, anti scratch, anti reflective, progressive bi=focal – all the options I wanted. In a local store here in Panama, it was around $365 after the exam. So far I was saving $191 by buying on the internet, but I still had to ship to Panama.
As far as delivery, I had them send the package to Miami to be forwarded by MailBoxes Etc to Panama. Total delivery time from Eyebuydirect to Coronado was about 14 days. The cost for this shipment would have been $6.42 but since I have a MailBoxes Etc account, the weight of the package (160 grams) fell within my monthly weight allotment and so cost me nothing.
I am very pleased with the quality of the product, the lens quality is excellent and the fit is equally very good. From now on bye bye high retail shop prices, hello internet shopping.
