Ever since I was a young boy, I have had a fascination with sunglasses ... Grandma's cat eye readers bearing down on the latest Readers Digest or the local paper ... Mom going out in her hot pants and Tortoise shell Ray Ban's in the early 70's and then several years later the Giant Jackie O' style with a gradient purple tint. I bought my first pair in the early 80's mail order from the back of GQ magazine -- they were those flip up Dewayne glasses from the Rerun TV series. The collection grew from there.

Now I'm a pirate pushing 40 looking for my cheeseburger in paradise. By night, I am an industrial NH3 refrigeration technician skilled in pneumatics, hydraulics, electronics, welding and fabrication. I have a lovely wife and daughter who help me with the business. I also collect Fossil watches.

Sunglass Facts

• The most expensive pair of sunglasses on eBay were:
  ELVIS PRESLEY'S PERSONAL MADISON SQ. GARDEN SUNGLASSES at $250,000



• Sunglasses Constitute a $34 billion annual market at retail. [Source: Cover magazine,Febuary,2005 vol.16, no.3]



• In the United States every 14 minutes someone loses, breaks or sits on a pair of Sunglasses.



• Mens Sunglasses sell every 90 seconds on eBay. [Source:The Chatter special eBay Live 2005 edition June 23-25th 2005]



• Sunglasses were first used in China in the 12th century or possibly earlier. The "lenses" of these glasses were flat panes of smoky quartz, which offered no corrective powers but did protect the eyes from glare, and, according to some sources, evil spirits. Contemporary documents describe the use of such glasses by judges in Chinese courts to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses. Compare the representation of "blind Justice" in Western art.



• It is said that the Roman emperor Nero liked to watch gladiator fights through polished gems to recreate with the color and image distortion.



• James Ayscough began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid-18th century. These were not "sunglasses" as such; Ayscough believed blue- or green-tinted glass could correct for specific vision impairments. Protection from the sun's rays was not a concern of his.



• In 1929, Sam Foster sold the first pair of sunglasses (Foster Grants) at the Woolworth on Atlantic City Boardwalk. He started the Foster Grant Company in 1919. Sunglasses became popular in the 1930's. [Source: www.inventors.about.com]



• Sunglasses would not become polarized, however, until 1936, when Edwin H. Land began experimenting with making lenses with his patented Polaroid filter.



• In the 1930s, the Army Air Corps commissioned the optical firm of Bausch & Lomb to produce a highly effective spectacle that would protect pilots from the dangers of high-altitude glare. Company physicists and opticians perfected a special dark-green tint that absorbed light in the yellow band of the spectrum.
  
  With World War II brewing in 1936, Ray Ban designed anti-glare aviator style sunglasses, using polarized lens technology newly created by Edwin H. Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation. They also designed a slightly drooping frame perimeter to maximally shield an aviator’s eyes, which repeatedly glanced downward toward a plane's instrument panel. Fliers were issued the glasses at no charge, and the public in 1937 was able to purchase the model that banned the sun's rays as Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses.



• Most Popular Shades: Ray-Ban sunglasses sold 10 million units worldwide in 1998. The best-known model, the Wayfarer, has been available since 1953 and is reported to be the best-selling style in history. It was made famous by many celebrities including the fictional Blues Brothers.



• During the Blues Brothers Movie, Jake wore Ray-Ban 5022C15 Sunglasses (a.k.a. Wayfarer), with brown frames and black lenses. Genuine '5022' Ray-ban sunglasses have the '5022' written on the frames. Elwood wore Ray-Ban Wayfarer II Sunglasses, with black frames and black lenses.



• Approximately 50% of Australians wear sunglasses, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Thanks to Drew for this one!



• Trick: Are those polarized glasses really polarized? Take two pair of polarized glasses and look thru both, now rotate one glass 90 degrees. you should see an obvious blocking of light if the glasses are polarized.



• Sunglass songs:
  "Cheap Sunglasses", ZZ Top, Deguello, 1979, Billboard #89
  "Sunglasses At Night", Corey Hart, First Offense, 1983, Billboard #7
  "Sunglasses", Tracy Ullman, You Caught Me Out, 1984, 18 in the UK
  "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades", Greetings From Timbuk 3, 1986, Billboard #19



• Largest personal collection:
  Singer Elton John, is rumored to have a sunglass collection that is over 1,000 strong!



• Most characters from movie The Matrix Wore sunglasses. Interestingly, all of the protagonists wear rounded lenses, while the antagonists wear rectangular lenses.



• Peril Sensitive Sunglasses Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses have been specially designed to help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger. At the first hint of trouble, they turn totally black and thus prevent you from seeing anything that might alarm you. A double-pair is frequently worn by Zaphod Beeblebrox



• In 2004, Oakley developed Thump, sunglasses with built-in digital audio player.



• In 2005, Oakley developed Razrwire, sunglasses with built-in wireless cellphone headset.



• In 2006, I predict Oakley will develope Sunglasses with built in GPS voice opperated navigation system and radar to be used by the blind.

I would love to hear your thoughts, suggestions or ideas on sunglasses. E-mail

Tips for eBayers

My recommended reading list for serious eBayers:

• eBay Powerseller Secrets by Debra and Brad Schepp
• Fake: Forgery, Lies & eBay by Kenneth Walton (my #2 ebay book)
• eBay Strategies by Scot Wingo (Best advanced theory)
• The Perfect Store by Adam Cohen
• The PayPal Wars by Eric M. Jackson
• Unleashing the Power of eBay by Dennis L. Prince
• The eBay Millionaire by Amy Joyner
• Tricks of The eBay Masters by Michael Miller
• The official eBay bible by Jim "Griff" Griffin
• Making a Living From Your eBay Business by Michael Miller
• The Seven Essential Steps to ebay Marketing by Elms,Dunn and Balsbaugh
• eBay Timesaving Techniques for Dummies by Marsha Collier
• Shooting For Dollars by Sally Weiner Grotta and Daniel Grotta
• Taking Great Pictures for eBay Auctions and Online Selling by Rod March
• Photoshop 7 Bible by Deke McClelland
• eBay Hacks David A. Karp

I am really enjoying eBay. I have been a seller from day one and it has been very fun and exciting. Along the way I discovered how to buy on eBay.

Get the eBay university "The Basics" CD if you can. It is a great start for buyers or sellers. I take pride in my shipping as seen in my feedback profile. I am always just an e-mail away. Please do not hesitate to ask questions or just say hi! I am fast to give feedback and give it to everyone. If you are a new buyer on eBay, give me a shout. I'd be happy to help you or show you how the place works and answer any questions. If you can think of anything that I should add to this page, let me know, E-mail me. What should be on an eBay about me page?

I also recommend   eBay sniping software to help you win more items.

My Seller Milestones

600+ feedback   I am making an addition to my ME page. Several months ago I made powerseller! I use new materials to ship all new items. I believe shipping shoud be revenue neutral and do my best to keep costs down for my buyers. I use bubblefast for my shipping materials and highly recommend them. I use electronic delivery confirmation along with barcoded machine printed labels on all shipments. Barcoded labels ensure your product gets to you as fast as possible. My goal is to sell 100 pair of glasses per day starting Febuary 2005. Introduce a new industrial product to eBay in Jan 2005, Startup a yahoo store and sell at trade shows locally.

660 FB   New line of Choppers sunglasses just in. These promise to be some of the hottest glasses in 2005. Trying to find a domain name for my store. The Harley Davidson sunglasses are doing very well! Everyone is buying them for Christmas gifts. Upgrading to a Zebra label printer for faster more economical shipping. Installed a backup "eBay computer" on my network. Now running on directway satellite internet connection "enterprise class". Wholesale supplier links to us as a retail partner and drives volume of businesss up.

720 FB   NEW url www.harleyglasses.com Square trade, PS logo, www.dsiinsurance.com, Vendio gallery, new Fuji Finepix E500 camera, now shipping worldwide with www.endicia.com

1,268 FB   I had thought about a yahoo store but decided on something different for many reasons www.motoglasses.com Is the address of the store I am setting up using OsCommerce. OsCommerce is an open source free solution. www.ehostpros.com is where I have it hosted for only $2.99 per month. Super deal! OsCommerce was even pre-installed for me there. Sales have doubled each month and really picked up now that I hit 1,000 feedback. I'm here to stay and I'm serious about what I do, as seen in my feedback. yes, I will be selling motorcycle glasses at www.motoglasses.com

1,300 FB   5/24/2005. Business has taken off quite well, The eBay seller outreach program has been a big help. Special thanks to Shira and Emily at eBay! Harleyglasses is soon to be featured as a success story in an online publication. I have shipped to every state in the union and I have shipped to every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Wow! who would have ever guessed growth could come this fast?

I have expanded my product line with about 20 models of glasses since the last update. Prescription glass fit-overs in polarized and non-polarized, polarized padded sunglasses for biker chicks, polarized aviators, small Maui Jim type polarized sunglasses and Choppers hinged and regular goggles are some of the notable models added.

My best selling glass has been the Blues Brother Style Sunglasses; these were originally produced by Ray-Ban and were called the Wayfarer. They are no longer made, go figure! I have recently added a new product, Sunglass hanger pins for women and I hope to expand this line greatly by adding any other variations available such as biker sunglass hanger pins.

I’ve added some new suppliers and I am always on the lookout for new products if you are a manufacturer or distributor and think your product may compliment my line, please contact me at gary@gogglesandglasses.com My future plans include adding major sunglass brands like Oakley, Ray-Ban, Bolle, Wiley-x, Panoptx,

1,600 FB   8-1-2005 Special thanks to the members of the About Me board (especially *ZIP and Merrygocats ). I met one of my eBay goals! I shipped 3 pr. of sunglasses to Beijing China. eBay live 2005 was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Added Global Vision, Birdz, Fit-Overs, 3 types of Polarized Gift Set, Retro Pink Cat Eyes With Rhinestones "Pinks", HD-700 Series and Lighted Neon Sunglasses. Was interviewed at local post office for USPS story, due out in October. Added business cards and insurance inserts to packaging. Just arrived! real 3-D glasses with retro black frame. I just got the Photo Studio in-a-box by American Recorder. I have to give it a thumbs down. The tripod is worthless, either too tall, too short and bouncy and always in the wrong place. I recommend they delete the tripod and give you another light or delete it all together and lower the price. The doublesided background is wrinkle prone and most always needs to be ironed before use. Thats my .02 and your mileage may vary.

2,000 FB Milestone or so they say.   10-30-2005
I was invited to become a Founding group leader of Prosper Person to Person loans, I think this is going to be the next "eBay". The perfect product is money, it can be bought or sold and easy to ship! CircleOne will take the personal loan business away from those who are currently in power, Just as eBay empowered the small guy to compete against the big box stores. Prosper will change the way we borrow and invest our money. If you are interested in investing, eBay or ecommerce I encourage you to visit my Prosper group site to find out more. A big thank you to Shira Levine for inviting me to become a community group leader at Prosper. It launched in early Febuary, This is one to watch for the IPO. Study the concept and see how a 4,000 year old idea can become the future with a twist of ebay styled technology.

Prosper is a consumer loan platform through which people can borrow money by setting their own interest rates, like an eBay for personal loans.
Prosper's founding principle is that people from close communities act more responsibly towards each other. Prosper leverages this powerful concept of group responsibility and applies it to person-to-person lending – resulting in better interest rates for people that borrow and lend.

Need funding? Click here for a link to my Prosper group!

3200 FB 4/1/06 Shooting for 5k before ebay live. I have moved my store to a simple little place called CityMax, It should be called websites for dummies! It's that easy! You can get your own business site In Just 5 Minutes. So easy - no programming or design is required. It includes everything you need to make money online including PayPal, eBay, 32+ business features, ecommerce tips, 1000+ templates, and much, much more.Click and try it free. CityMax

Random Thoughts:

I never had any idea that I would even become a seller on eBay. I'm amazed that this has happened all so quickly, in less than 24 months I've built a real business in my spare time. I was interviewed by the US Post Office for a story to be published in a postal worker magazine. I was also interviewed By Brad and Debra Schepp for their second up and comming eBay book titled "Million Dollar Ideas". Hopefully a few of my tips and ideas will make it into the book. While I'm on that thought, Sharing and participating in the eBay community has greatly contributed to my sucess. eBay is not just a database, it is alive, it is the "Perfect Store". Setting up a dedicated photo Studio, getting a loan to construct a warehouse and purchase inventory. Added another url www.gogglesandglasses.com and Paypals website payment pro with virtual terminal.

My current rest and relax project is a 1969 VW with a shiftomatic transaxle, which is a manual transaxle with some automatic features. My neighbor gave it to me! It actually had a 7 year old pine tree growing between the front bumper and hood. I'll end up buying alot of parts for it on eBay. I've taken quite a few pictures of it, I'll be building a page for it later.

New Additions:

As usual, My Blues Brothers glasses are my best seller!
Bobster Sport and Street, Bobster Photochromatic glasses in Fat Boy and Roadmaster styles. Elvis sunglasses, Orange County Choppers sunglasses (OCC), Harley Davidson Zippo's, Global Vision prescription fitover goggles, Birdz complete line of eyewear, Wicked Padded riding glasses, Snowboarding and Ski goggles, Polarized aluminum frame similar to Gatorz, Mirrored Aviator sunglasses, Neon glow sunglasses, Mossy Oak Breakup camo dew rags, Canada and Rising sun dew rags, AOS FUEL eyewear, Mens Pewter biker rings.

Coming Soon: KD's original, Biker Chix, Red Baron goggles, smaller fitovers.

5,000 FB   9/19/2006 Attended the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance Summit (PeSA) in San Francisco. Fittingly I got my Green feedback star while I was there. My website sales are slowly catching up with eBay sales and we have started selling on Amazon at Seller Central. My Prosper group is growing quite well, While in S.F. I was able to stop and tour the new Prosper offices and meet up with Prosper Shira and Andrew for a nice lunch. My group has loaned $600,000.00 dollars to date and has zero defaults.

It looks as if we may lease a warehouse instead of building. Our prospects for growth in the online marketplace look good for 2007 We have switched from Endicia to Pitney Bowes Shipstream, since Endicia wouldn’t allow us to use a credit card to fund postage, shame on Endicia for not disclosing limits on credit card payments.

I have added too many glasses to even list this time. I will try though! Sea Striker, Oasis Polarized Bifocal, Live To Ride, Mardi Gras, Party Time, Readers, Makeup Glasses, Color Aviators, Color Elvis, Orange County Choppers, Polaroid, Islander Eyes, Men In Black, Original KD’S, Wiley X, Ski Goggles, Bobster, Ducks Unlimited, Yellow Polarized, Fitovers, Wildcat Glasses, Cocktail glasses, Many Novelty and Party Glasses, Poker Glasses, Cable Aviators, Butterfly Glasses, Beer Goggles, Martini Glasses, Glitter Swan Glasses, Hologram Spectacles, Polka Dot Cat eyes, Glitter Cat eyes, Baby Cat eyes, Polarized Blues Brothers Sunglasses.

9,840 FB   9/19/2008 I quit, I can actually sleep at night, freed from worrying about constant changes, rogue buyers, and what hoops I'll have to jump through. I no longer recognize the place. That's a fact. The eBay I used to sell on no longer exists. We continue to build our business elsewhere.

Tools: Pitney Bowes Shipstream shipping system, www.dsiinsurance.com, 30# digital scale, thermal label printer, Selling Manager Pro, eBay picture services, PayPal, 3M tape gun, eBay Stores, Store Reports, eBay Keywords, CityMax, USB thumb drive, Photoshop, Fuji E-500 digital camera and a 36" light tent.

Buyer's Rides and Pictures
Click to enlarge in new window.
Click on their names to see their auctions!

jeniflwr 2000 Night train	Skyrider4ever Wife's 47,and My 42 taken on our last trip to sturgis (where her bike caught the eye of Mike Lechter, and was Photographed for Easyrider! (featured in issue number 200)	Skyrider4ever (Wife's 1947 the Easyrider magazine shoot)
Skyrider4ever	Smooshie 2004 Buell Blast	HDRIDINBARBER 2001 FXDWG2 Screaming Eagle "Switch Blade"
GBEAR445 "2000 HD Sportster 1200 XLC"	Link Blues Brother Sunglasses "e-Babies and their HD glasses" Sent in by Shira Levine of eBay’s PowerSeller Program	preciousproducts Kay sells heat shields for Harleys on eBay" Portsman Mike Porstmann of Germany with cool glasses and bike! Fastgrillman Fastgrillman makes Mopar barbecue grills while wearing our flaming mirror shades!

If you would like your Ride/Mug featured here send us a picture with your eBay username.E-mail

Some of my eBay friends...and links

Please do visit my friend *ZIP who maintains the shipping 101 me page and is a 2005 eBay hall of fame award winner.

A great big thanks to Ariel and Ron at DSI www.dsiinsurance.com for sponsoring our Powerseller breakfast at eBay Live 2005!

Me on Seller Central  "Workin Hard and Harley Working"

I was mentioned in a  "Washington Post article"

I was mentioned in a  "Businessweek article about Prosper"

Coming soon!  www.motoglasses.com

My Favorite eBay Forums:

You can add Harleyglasses to your 'My eBay' favorite sellers list by
clicking here. (You will need to sign in)

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