Tracking sales of solar eclipse glass from top e-commerce merchants indicates strong demand outstripping supply and late surges in prices per unit.
Sellercloud, an integrated e-commerce management provider, reported aggregated sales data for eclipse glasses sold through its network in anticipation of the solar eclipse, which will be visible throughout the continental United States on August 21.
The data shows that retailers profited handsomely from the surging demand for these glasses, with prices rising sharply as the eclipse approached.
On Monday, August 21, people in North America can see a solar eclipse.
Since looking directly at the sun can cause serious eye damage, viewers must wear special eclipse glasses with protective solar filters.
As the eclipse approaches, the demand for eclipse glasses has caused the price to increase nearly twentyfold in weeks.
A 10-pack of these paper glasses, selling for around $8 at the end of July, has skyrocketed to $159.00.
Eclipse glasses’ frames are made of cardboard, and the lenses are made of a special solar film that must comply with the current safety standard, ISO 12312-2.
Making a pair of eclipse glasses ranges between 30 and 70 cents.
According to data collected by Sellercloud from actual sales by its program users, the average retail price per pair of eclipse glasses sold was $7.15.
Sellercloud’s CEO, Jeremy Greenberg, noted how the surprisingly strong demand took many of his sellers by surprise.
“Originally, our customers had listed these glasses cheaply, knowing that there would be lots of sellers competing for these listings. But the demand grew so quickly that there simply wasn’t enough of these glasses, and the prices skyrocketed in response to the intense demand.”
He noted that most of the sales through his network occurred either on Amazon or the merchant’s website.
The selling price of these glasses varied greatly, depending on whether the user purchased them in single units or multi-packs.
Those buying just one paid on average $20 per pair, but buying them in 10-packs resulted in a much lower price of just $3.50.
Most of the pairs were sold as 10-packs. The data also showed that using the keywords ‘eclipse’ and ‘glasses’ in the product listing helped boost sales and the inclusion of ISO certification in the title.
The August 21 eclipse will be the first total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States since 1979.
Not everyone in the contiguous United States will be able to see the event as a total eclipse, though.
A total solar eclipse will be visible in a band that stretches across North America from Oregon southeast to South Carolina, covering just 16% of the country.
People outside this area can see a partial eclipse, requiring special glasses to view it safely. The next total solar eclipse visible in North America won’t occur until 2024.
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