Custom Eyeglass & Sunglasses Cases: Materials, Printing & Wholesale Pricing

Key Takeaways

• ✦ Material choice moves the price more than anything else: a microfiber pouch costs $0.25–0.50 while an injection-molded hard shell runs $1.20–2.50 — switching materials often saves more than doubling the order size
• ✦ EVA is the best protector but needs a mold ($800–2,000 one-time) and a 1,000–3,000 piece MOQ to make sense — PU and microfiber need no mold and start at 500 pieces
• ✦ A case is the cheapest premium upgrade you can give a frame: a $0.60 stitched PU case with a foil-stamped logo reads as a $150 product in a photo and as a gift, not a handout, in the customer’s hands
• ✦ Microfiber pulls double duty as a cleaning cloth — the cheapest, lightest, flat-shipping option, and the one customers actually keep using after the box is opened
• ✦ One-color logo printing is usually included; each extra color adds $0.03–0.08 per piece — and foil hot-stamping on PU is the premium look that costs pennies but photographs like a luxury brand
• ✦ The pre-production sealed sample is the single most important line in a case order — it settles every material, color, and printing dispute before a container ships

Case Materials: EVA vs PU vs Hard Shell vs Microfiber

Every case on the market falls into one of four material families, and each one is a different answer to the same question: how much protection, how much perceived value, and how much it costs to make and ship.

EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate). The workhorse of real protection. EVA cases are molded from foam with a cavity cut to the exact shape of your frame, so the sunglasses sit in a cushioned recess instead of rattling against the sides. They survive being sat on, dropped, and thrown in a bag. The catch is tooling: a custom EVA mold costs $800\u20132,000 one-time, and you need 1,000\u20133,000 pieces to spread that cost thin enough to matter.

PU leather (polyurethane). The fashion choice. A stitched PU case \u2014 usually a fold-over flap with a magnetic or snap closure \u2014 photographs beautifully, feels expensive in the hand, and needs no mold at all. It is cut, stitched, and printed, which is why the MOQ drops to 500 pieces. If your brand sells online and the unboxing is part of the product, PU is where most people land.

Hard shell injection. The maximum-protection option, and the most expensive. Injection-molded shells (like the clamshell cases that come with premium optical eyewear) require tooling, have longer cycle times, and are bulky to ship. They are overkill for most fashion sunglasses and the right call for eyewear that carries a high retail price or has delicate optical frames.

Microfiber. The underrated one. A microfiber pouch costs $0.25\u20130.50, ships flat, weighs almost nothing, and doubles as a cleaning cloth \u2014 which is exactly why customers keep it. It is the cheapest case you can give away, and it quietly keeps your logo in a pocket or a handbag for months after the box is opened.

Real Wholesale Pricing by Material

These are real factory prices for a standard men\u2019s or unisex case at 1,000+ units, one-color logo included:

• Microfiber drawstring pouch: $0.25\u20130.50 per piece
• Stitched PU leather case: $0.60\u20131.20 per piece
• EVA semi-hard case with zipper: $0.90\u20131.80 per piece (plus mold)
• Injection-molded hard shell: $1.20\u20132.50 per piece (plus tooling)

Two things move these numbers more than anything else. The first is quantity: prices drop 10\u201320% crossing 5,000 units and again at 10,000. The second is material choice \u2014 switching from an EVA case to a stitched PU pouch usually saves more money than doubling your order. If you are price-sensitive, spend your effort on the material decision, not on squeezing a supplier for pennies at the same volume.

One warning: the absolute bottom of the market \u2014 sub-$0.20 cases \u2014 exists, but it is made of thin, brittle plastic with stitching that unravels. A case that falls apart the second time it is opened is worse than no case, because it attaches your brand to the failure. Spend the extra $0.10 and get one that survives a year in a bag.

Printing & Branding Options

Branding a case is where a $0.60 product turns into a $6 perceived value. The method matters as much as the logo itself:

Silk-screen. The volume standard. One-color silk-screen on EVA, PU, or fabric is usually included in the per-unit price. It is crisp for text and simple shapes, and the cheapest option at scale. The limitation is gradients and photographic detail, which silk-screen cannot reproduce cleanly.

Heat transfer. For EVA and hard shells, heat-transfer printing holds fine detail, gradients, and full-color logos far better than silk-screen. It costs slightly more per piece and is the right choice when your logo is intricate or multi-colored.

Foil hot-stamping. A metallic foil (gold, silver, rose gold) is pressed into the material under heat. On PU leather this is the premium look \u2014 a gold-foil logo on a matte black case photographs like a luxury brand and costs pennies more than a print. It is the single highest-impact upgrade for a fashion or boutique brand.

Debossing / embossing. A blind, inkless impression pressed into the material. It is subtle, durable, and never scratches off \u2014 the choice for minimal brands that want the case to whisper rather than shout.

Woven labels and hang tags. A sewn-in woven label on a microfiber or fabric case, or a dual-sided hang tag, adds a finishing touch that makes the whole package feel intentional. For a complete brand experience, the combination that performs best per dollar is a foil-stamped PU case plus a dual-sided hang tag.

The Spec That Gets You a Good Case

Most case problems are not manufacturing problems \u2014 they are spec problems. Someone ordered "a black case" and got one that did not fit the frame, or one with the logo printed in the wrong color. Five lines fix almost all of it:

1. Exact material. Not "EVA" \u2014 EVA with a hardness and a color code. Not "PU" \u2014 PU with the base color, finish (matte or gloss), and the thickness of the sheet. The more precisely you name the material, the fewer surprises at the sample stage.

2. Interior dimensions. Measure your actual frame at its widest point, including the hinges and the temple tips. A case spec should always be written around the product it protects, never as a generic "standard size."

3. Closure type. Zipper, magnetic flap, snap, or drawstring \u2014 stated in the order. A zipper on EVA, a magnetic flap on PU, a drawstring on microfiber. If you do not specify, you get whatever the factory defaults to, which is not always what your customers want.

4. Printing method and colors. The method (silk-screen, heat transfer, foil, deboss) and the exact logo colors, with a Pantone number or a sealed print sample for each. Colors on a screen are not colors on fabric \u2014 the only reliable reference is a physical sample.

5. An approved pre-production sample. Have the factory make one physical sample, approve it in writing, and keep a sealed copy on both sides. This is the line that settles every "this is not what I ordered" argument before it costs anyone a container. It is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy in this business.

Put those five lines in your order and the case you receive will be the case you pictured. Skip them and you are gambling \u2014 and the odds are not in the buyer's favor.

Frequently Asked Questions