What is the 'Drop Ball Test' and why do you need it?

What is the 'Drop Ball Test'?

 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires proper documentation stating that sunglasses and lenses shipped to the U.S. meet requirements for impact resistance. FDA regulation requires testing a “statistically significant sampling of lenses from each production batch” (21 CFR 801.410(c)(3)) of all non-prescription lenses and plastic prescription lenses using a method known as a “Drop Ball Test”. Each shipment of glasses and/or lenses is required to include a “Drop Ball Test” certificate.

 FDA offers suggested wording for the certificate, also known as a “certification statement of impact resistance”, on their website:

 (Name of manufacturer or seller) hereby guarantees that the articles listed herein are impact-resistant within the meaning of 21 CFR 801.410 and have been tested pursuant to that section. Impact-resistant lenses are not unbreakable or shatterproof. Records of testing will be maintained for a period of three (3) years from the date of shipment, and copies will be forwarded to FDA upon request.

 Along with the “Drop Ball Test” certificate, companies must be able to submit records of the impact testing results upon FDA request.  FDA may also request to examine shipments for further inspection or sampling.

What is the shortcoming to purchasers?

A drop ball test normally covers only one SKU (or one style) of sunglasses or glasses, at the cost of about $200 (two hundred US dollars, different laboratories will charge more or less). That means if you want to deal with more than two models, you will be asked to pay much more cost for the test. For example, if you plan to source 5 kinds of sunglasses from China to US, you have to pay $1,000 (one thousand dollars) for the drop ball test. 

However, you don't know how well those 5 kinds of sunglasses will sell at your market, so that you want to place a trial order of dozons per type, then the total $1,000 will have to be distributed into every piece of sunglasses, then your price will have super weak competitive power compared to your opponents.

In order to lessen the whole cost, another option is that you can buy more amount for every kind, such as hunders or even thousands for one SKU. For sure the certificate cost that is shared on every piece will be much lower, but another problem will arise -- you don't know how popular those styles will be at your country, then you're taking a big risk that some of them will be sold at a low pace, or few people will them. You can't liquidate your goods quickly, then you're losing your money too.

How to avoid this issue?

The good news is that you can purchase our glasses in an appropriate quantity while you don't have to apply for the drop ball test.

We will ship your goods in a specific weight that is no more than 2 kilograms (that means we will split your order into two or more parcels if necessary), by a small airmail parcel at a reasonbale shipping rate and with the relatively fast delivery time.

When the parcel arrives at your country, the customs will not check the drop ball test for this kind of airmail (if they do, we'll be completely responsible for it).