In the First Half of 2002 Imported 230 Million Pairs of Sunglasses

According to the international trade data released by the Department of Commerce, U.S. sunglass imports have been declining since the start of the year. The first half of 2002 showed the U.S. imported a total of 230 million pairs of sunglasses, down 6.0 percent against last year.

The sunglass import value likewise fell 8.2 percent to $336 million. China, which accounts for 82.3 percent of all sunglasses imported to the U.S., saw a drop of 11 million pairs or 5.6 percent decline versus last year.

On the other hand, U.S. sunglass exports continue to expand. The first semester of 2002 showed the U.S. has exported a total of 19 million pairs of sunglasses, a significant growth of 46.2 percent against last year. Based on dollar value, however, sunglass exports were down 5.9 percent to $85 million.

The current average price of U.S. exported sunglasses is $4.41 per pair, 35.6 percent lower than year ago. Canada, the biggest market for U.S. sunglass exports, posted a staggering 219.3 percent increase over last year. Export value to this country, however, was down 8.3 percent.

(Source: APBiscom)