Can Authentic Ray Ban Sunglasses be Made In China?

I am a long time sunglass retailer and I can assure you that, like with everything else...'Made in China' is the wave of the optical retail future.

I am asked several times a week about several different brands.  Consumers are worried about brands they knew were made primarily in Italy and used this as their significant indication of authenticity, but it no longer is.  Luxottica Group, the manufacturer of such brands as Ray Ban, Prada, Versace, Oakley, Persol and several other significant high quality lines has acquired manufacturing facilities in China and has been slowly moving production of various items to China. 

As of October 2012, I can give you some examples to help you....but keep in mind....this will change as more production moves into China.

As for Ray Ban - a small portion of the sunglass line has moved to China, including the Clubmaster series and several metals. Pretty much all of Ray Ban's RX line is now made in China.

For the designer lines like Prada, Versace, etc. you will usually find the primary high end lines still made in Italy, BUT the secondary designer lines are made in China. That works like this:

Versace "Made in Italy", but Versus "Made in China"

Dolce & Gabbana "Made in Italy, but D & G  "Made in China", etc.

Oakley, which was once all made in The USA - is now, RX line 'Made in China', and recently metal sunglasses 'Made in China' or oddly 'Assembled in USA'.

Almost all of the cases, cloths,boxes and accessories are coming out of China as well, with very few exceptions.

And...you will find with the secondary designer lines that while the quality of the frames is good, there are less accessories, no authenticity cards and the cases are not as good a quality as the more expensive primary lines, especially the Prada Sport case which I get many complaints about.

Also - the manufacturer may change the case an item is sold in at any time. Ray Bans often come with either a brown or a black case, but recently I've received blue, red and even rainbow colored cases with my stock orders....so, don't get stuck in the notion that if the case isn't exactly the same as a you've seen somewhere else it must be fake. Manufactures constantly change the cases colors, selection and design without notifying the retailer or consumer. Prada ships normally in blue/black packaging, but will also use white and even coral. Persol has now begun to add brown packaging to it's exclusively black cases.

Remember....like in all things, if you bought the less expensive version, like a Ray Ban New Wayfarer 2132 versus a Wayfarer Classic 2140 - the quality will be different. They are less expensive for a reason. A Prada Sport will not have the heft and feel of a Prada, and that's fine. Different price points are a good thing for everyone.

I can also say, now, having dealt with the products coming out of China for a while....they are good quality. I have not noticed any significant difference in the quality of the lenses or frames - so, please don't worry that you will be receiving an inferior product. The lines I've mentioned still seem to take pride in their products.

As a retailer - I understand the frustration and confusion of my buyers and hope this helps anyone seeking this information.  And as a member of the eBay community, I kindly ask you to remember that these changes are not the fault of your seller and you should not take out your frustration for these changes on your seller - your seller does feel your pain, but is no more to blame than you for the changes the industry makes.

Hope this helps! Happy eBaying!