Is there an easy way to tell the difference? Serial number on the frames maybe?
There are quite a few ebay retailers that even offer the original warranty cards with them (although I know that Oakley will not honour this unless they were purchased through an authorised dealer); would that add to the credibility? Or maybe it could offer another way to tell whether they’re authentic or not?
John
If they are too cheap - then they are fake.
the ones I’ve seen have a logo that is slightly squashed, shall we say.
Did you buy them in Tijuana?
I bought some a few years ago. I think they say orkley instead of oakley. They look like real oakleys, but they break very easy. They are good out on the lake or somewhere you don’t want to have nice glasses, but the ones I had broke after a month or two. I think they were about 7 or 8 bucks. Real oakleys are much more durable. If they are less than $70 or $80, I would bet on them being orkleys. Not that there is anything wrong with cheap sunglasses, they serve a purpose.
If you want to know who the authorized dealers are go to oakley.com
Also if you know someone in the armed forces, they can buy oakleys at about 40% off what you will find in the stores. My brother hooked me up with that deal.
He had to fill out an order form and fax to some oakley rep who is the miltary account manager. The selection is limited. No wild colors, but they do have half jackets and m-frames.
Not to hijack the thread but…be careful about getting anyone to “hook you up” with their special purchase deals like the government/law enforcement/military sales with Oakley. Nobody on this thread said they were making a profit but since this program was mentioned I thought I would share this. Pasted below are parts of the sales agreement that Oakley has for this program. It is obviously an awesome deal but if abused I am sure it will go away.
Michael
Oakley created a program that meets the diverse needs of a military and government customer. We handle military and government customers worldwide. Special Forces, such as SEAL teams, EOD, Army Rangers and other land, sea and air units participate in Oakley’s military program. We also offer the program to government officials such as FBI, DEA, Secret Service, Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies. This program is designed specifically for military and government customers and the glasses offered are ones that are best suited for use while in uniform and on duty. Oakley products are designed to withstand the difficult and dangerous situations that your eyes will encounter during training or on a mission.
The SI line (Standard Issue) is a line of glasses that Oakley has developed exclusively for military and government customers. The frames on all SI glasses are black and have a subdued logo. The SI line includes the SI M-Frame, SI Eyewear and SI Eyewear Polarized and SI Goggles. The SI Eyewear is made with a black frame, black logo and has a grey, non-reflective lens.
**Laser Lenses **protect your eyes against lasers and are available in the M-Frame and Assault Goggle
SI Eyewear is a line of Oakley glasses that have been made with a grey lens (non-mirrored, non-reflective) that may be worn in uniform or on duty. They are a great “everyday” glass designed to be worn in uniform.
Government Sales Agreement
Oakley takes great pride in offering the highest quality products at a direct rate for military and law enforcement personnel. We have developed a strong program over the past 18 years and we want to ensure that the integrity of the program is held high.
…participating in this program is a privilege and there are guidelines that must be followed. Please note that this is an agreement between Oakley and you, the Buyer. The Buyer shall not sell Oakley product to any individual, department, team or unit for a profit. At no time should Oakley products be sold or diverted for resale in any environment whatsoever-including but not limited to Internet, swap meets or flea markets etc.
I’m essentially referring to the ebay retailers, i.e. buying something without being able to examine them beforehand. They’re not cheap, you’re saving about 30%, but the question is how can you trust you’re getting the real deal? All the retailers have excellent ratings and I’m sure the glasses say “Oakley” and not “Orkley” or something, but still, is there a way you can definitively tell whether they’re authentic or not once you get them?
The funny thing is that one of the local sports stores has a 30% discount on all Oakleys, but they have a very limited selection and they will not special order something for you.
John
I got mine as a Christmas gift. That was the “hookup”, which I don’t think violates the integrity of the program. Getting someone to buy them for you at that price and then selling them on e-bay for profit would definately violate the agreement. Good point. I agree.
I agree with you that it wouldn’t be counter to Oakley’s intent in that case.
I am also happy that it wasn’t taken the wrong way…anyone that has followed some of the ST drama knows what I mean when I say things can be misunderstood in this type of media.
Are you threatening me? 
(just kidding)
Michael
That’s too funny. Me and my friends who always buy handfuls of the fake ones in Phuket call them “Fauxkleys,” too!
The ones I have don’t have as nice a nose piece, and they say “Italy Design” on the inside of the ear pieces. The lenses are pretty nice but scratch easily.
Real Oakleys are certainly nicer, but no way are they worth over 100 bucks a pair to me.
if your local store has 30% off don’t question just buy. A store can’t mark Oakley’s down even for a sale. This evens the playing field adn although from a customer standpoint it kind of sucks it is nice for specialty retailers as they don’t ever get undercut by other stores. I wish running shoes were like this, than I wouldn’t run into the customer who comes in and tries on just 3 pairs of shoes based on my suggestion, tells me how great it is to get advice on shoes and they’ve been having all these problems, just came from Sports Authority where they couldn’t get any help on shoes, etc, etc, then when they realize the price is 10% higher or so they tell me thanks but unless I can match the lower price, now that they know what they need they’ll get it elsewhere. Hmm, that was kind of a rant but basically if the Oakley’s are 30% off take advantage of it. Once the store is visited by a rep they’ll probably be cut off if they don’t readjust thier prices to MSRP.
I love Oakleys - their performance is the best you can get. I’m not sure I go with their price fixing policies though - I thought these kind of deals were outlawed - certainly in the UK, but they seem to get away with it. Ho hum.
As to buying fake oakleys - I’ve tried a couple of pairs and have learnt from it.
The fakes break very easily. Frames last a couple of months if you’re lucky, compare that to my Pro M frames that must be 5 years old or more and still perfect.
If you wear them on the bike you need to be sure they are shatterproof, or the stone that gets flicked up off a passing vehicle could take your eyesight out. Everyone has seen the sample Oakley lens that has been blasted by a shotgun, and nothing got through.
Can you trust a fake product to have the proper UV protection ? Just because it’s tinted doesn’t mean it’s stopping the harmful UV rays. It can make it lots worse. Because it’s darker behind the Fauxleys the pupil will dilate to let more light in. This will also let more UV in if it’s not blocked out. Your eyes would be healthier if you wore no glasses in this case.
I prefer to pay for the best and look after them. That way they work out cheaper than inferior glasses.
John, there is no easy way to tell the difference between the real oakley glasses and the (good) fakes unless: you have the real and fakes side-by-side to compare, you know exactly what to look for, you know how to carefully examine a pair of glasses’ optics, and completely know oakley’s product line and know exactly what glasses are made in what color and lense style in what year.
Obviously, you can’t afford to buy ebay glasses and discover, maybe a month later, that the pair is a fake and that the frame plastic is low-quality and breaks on you. If it is not sold by an authorized dealer, I would basically assume they are not real. That is the only thing you can safely assume. The temptation for a ‘gray-market’ dealer to try to sell ultra-high profit fakes for high prices via ebay is way too great. There is not doubt that this is happening. Proabably even with individuals selling personal “used” glasses.
In China (shanghai) I have seen a whole range of “oakley” glasses for sale, complete with actual molded-in-plastic ‘oakley’ and ‘made in USA’ logos, and even with ‘oakley’ sunglass pockets. They sell for a couple of bucks, depending on the quantity you buy and how well you negotiate. In the US (here near chicago), I have seen a local independent cell phone and pager shop selling exactly the same fake oakleys for $5 to $15 (price goes up for transport costs?). Spending anything more than that on those cheap replicas is crazy. Don’t get taken.
You mean the ones I got at the Sunoco are not real? No wonder my freind calls the SunOakley’s.
Oh yeah and when you buy one “faux-kley” you get one pair completely FREE! lol
John, there is no easy way to tell the difference between the real oakley glasses and the (good) fakes
I was afraid someone was going to say that. I’d love to support the local dealers, but the few I have visited do not have what I’m looking for and cannot special-order something. At the same time I can easily find what I want on ebay, so I am really tempted… but it seems that the consensus is “don’t do it”.
Oh well, time to go and try the Rudys at REI – but the M series fit me so nicely!
John
if you call oakley directly, they can put together most combinations of glasses custom if they are still being manufactured. try it. the price is about standard and no sales tax.
Fire a shotgun that them, if the shot doesn’t penetrate the lense they are genuine. Buggered, but genuine!
I’ve tried the Oakley website, but their Built-To-Order program doesn’t have the frames I’m lookin for (the M or Pro M in silver – maybe they’re not making this one anymore). Funny thing is that Amazon lists them as a model, but the link sends you to Oakleys website… where you cannot find them.
John
When i called them, they offered me sunglass combos not on their website. talk to them perhaps?