Used sunglasses in Chicago typically sell for $13 to $160. Designer frames hold value reasonably, but the market is full of counterfeits, so anything that proves authenticity is worth including.
Selling sunglasses in Chicago
Chicago has real winters and generous pre-war apartments, which is an unusual combination and it shapes what sells. Serious cold-weather clothing has a genuine local market, and the older buildings mean full-size furniture actually fits, unlike in the coastal cities.
The L covers the city well and is how most small items move. For furniture, the alley behind the building is usually the practical loading point, and winter is a genuine obstacle — nobody wants to carry a couch through snow, so prices soften.
Anything stored in a garage or basement here has been through freeze-thaw cycles. Check for rust on metal and splitting on anything glued, and ask whether it was ever kept somewhere heated.
Chicago, in Illinois, has around 2.7 million people, which means a deep enough buyer pool that most things sell without having to travel far to hand them over. Joliet, New York and Los Angeles are close enough that a buyer there may well make the trip for the right thing.
Handing it over in Chicago
Distances are the real constraint. State plainly whether you will ship or collection only, because a buyer three states away will otherwise ask.
What sunglasses are worth
What lifts the price
- Recognised designer and optical brands
- Model and serial markings legible on the arm
What pulls it down
- Loose hinges and stretched arms
- Counterfeits, which buyers check markings for
Working out what yours is worth
- Find the model and serial markings on the inside of the arm
- Hold the lenses to the light at an angle to reveal scratches
Getting it ready
- Clean the lenses properly and inspect them at an angle for scratches, which are almost invisible head on.
- Find the model number, colour code and lens width printed on the inside of the arm, and photograph it.
Photograph
- The inside of the arm showing the model number and sizing
- The lenses at an angle in strong light, revealing any scratches
Put in the description
- Lens width, bridge and arm length, printed on the inside of the arm
- Lens condition, including any scratches or coating wear
Small and easy to post, but fragile without a case. If you do not have the original, use a hard box rather than a padded envelope.
Listing is free and there is no selling fee, so the whole amount the buyer pays stays with you. You and the buyer agree the handover between yourselves.
Same region (Illinois)
Common questions
Where can I sell sunglasses in Chicago?
Put it on WishThrift free and deal with the buyer direct. The L covers the city well and is how most small items move. For furniture, the alley behind the building is usually the practical loading point, and winter is a genuine obstacle — nobody wants to carry a couch through snow, so prices soften.
Do you have the case?
Say either way. Original cases are surprisingly valuable on designer frames and make postage much safer.
How much are sunglasses worth in Chicago?
Most used sunglasses change hands for $13 to $160. Condition and completeness move that figure more than anything else.
More: selling sunglasses across the United States, what sunglasses are worth, everything second hand in Chicago, or Clothing in Chicago.
Guide range converted from sterling at the 2 August 2026 rate, not a quote — sellers set their own price.