FLO

No. We have plenty 🙂

It certainly is 🙂 My forecast for last night. Steve

You were fortunate because that model sold out everywhere soon after we dispatched yours. ETA is now mid-May! 🙁

I have been speaking with Orla at the Celestron U.K. warehouse. (Celestron & Sky-Watcher are both Synta brands). They say “all systems are go”. They are confident they will remain open, unless the government apply a full lock-down.

Never a dull moment! 🙃 Yesterday, Sky-Watcher's UK distributor closed their warehouse due to health concerns. They say they will reopen in three weeks. At FLO we have our own warehouse so can fulfil most orders from our own stock. This includes some large Sky-Watcher products, like NEQ6 Pro, EQ6-R Pro and AZ EQ6-GT Pro mounts. We also currently have stock of most popular Sky-Watcher telescopes, including the Sky-Watcher 72ED Pro, and a number of Sky-Watcher accessories, including the popular SynScan WiFi adapter. Currently these and most other Sky-Watcher products are in stock and available for overnight delivery. However, the Covid-19 situation is making it difficult for us to provide reliable ETAs so if you are concerned please contact us to check availability. HTH, Steve

If you needed to close your business then I can imagine how hard that must have been for you and your staff 😔 Best wishes, Steve

Yes. Click on the text. It is a link.

Have you really joined SGL only to tell us off for being open? 🙃 If you read my earlier response in this discussion you will know how and why we remain open for business. If that isn't enough please see this from the BBC website: People can go to work if they cannot do their work at home, the health secretary has said HTH, Steve

Apologies for not being able to provide more notice. The £ has fallen heavily against both the € and $ so unfortunately - beginning tomorrow - we must begin increasing our retail prices for products that we pay for in those currencies. Products from brands like ZWO, iOptron, Tele Vue, Optolong, Chroma, ADM and others will be affected. Fortunately, because we already have stock of many of those products, we will not need to increase their prices straight away. We can maintain current prices until our existing stock has sold. Then increase them individually only when they are replenished. Prices of new models from ZWO will be affected first. Like the new ASI 533MC-PRO, ASI 2600MC-PRO, ASI 6200MM-PRO and the hugely popular ASiair Pro. Their prices will increase tomorrow. If you already have any of the above (or any other product) on backorder then you will not be affected. You will not be asked to pay more. We will absorb the price difference 😇 When the £ recovers we will look to decrease prices (currency fluctuations work both ways). HTH, Steve

No problem 🙂 Stargazerslounge, Clear Outside and Astronomy Tools will continue to be fully funded.

FLO's premises is a distribution centre. Not a shop and not a showroom. We have been preparing for this. It is why over half our staff are already working remotely. We will continue accepting online orders and delivering items to your home 🙂 The government considers courier companies essential to their plans so they will continue collecting and delivering packages. They (and postmen/women) are providing 'Non-Contact Deliveries'. (When they deliver your order please keep your distance and accept they will sign on your behalf). At FLO we treat courier drivers especially well because without them there would be no internet shopping. They are unsung heroes. HTH, Steve

No. There are others 😁

Very much so. A large delivery of ZWO kit arrived today and three pallets of iOptron will arrive tomorrow. We are up and running 😀 Steve

These are unusual times. Some of you reading this will already be working from home or be in self-isolation. I mentioned in another post we have taken steps to protect our staff from infection. I.e. installing more paper towel and soap dispensers, routinely disinfecting bannisters, handles, light switches, and so on. Those able to work from home are doing so and those at our warehouse are adhering to social distancing guidelines. I won't pretend the pandemic has not caused some supply issues (the wheels are turning again in China, slowly, but for our US manufacturer/suppliers they have practically stopped) but we are in a fortunate position. We have a warehouse full of stock so can continue processing and dispatching the majority of customer orders. Bizarrely, we are currently experiencing record sales! Perhaps our customers have decided a new telescope, eyepiece or camera will make social isolation easier. Perhaps it is because the £ has fallen considerably against the $ and € so prices of astronomy products in the UK, for our non-UK customers, have never been so low! (This situation will change when existing stock has sold and we need to buy more). It is probably a mix of both. So, unless our government imposes a lock-down, we will continue processing and dispatching orders for as long as we are able. Thank-you for your continued support 🙂 Annette, Ann, Grant, Ian, James, Katie, Lisa, Martin, Rob & Steve

Are we there yet? 😁

ZWO are open and doing their best to catch up with demand. There is never a time when they are not either preparing an order for FLO or an order is enroute to us. Often both. The global epidemic is making it difficult for us to provide reliable ETAs but if you email saying which product interests you we will do our best to provide an estimate. HTH, Steve

Yes 🙂 But not many... HTH, Steve

They have an office in the US and manufacturing facilities in China.

Both, though mostly it will enable us to fulfil existing customer orders. Another delivery is being prepared that should increase our stock of iOptron products to where it was before the Coronavirus lock-down. Please email us if you have a specific product in mind. Alternatively check our website availability indicators around middle of next week (this delivery should have arrived and been booked in by then). HTH, Steve

Yes 🙂

Good news for all those with iOptron mounts and accessories on backorder 🙂 Our latest iOptron delivery has left the factory and is enroute. ETA is early next week. Thank-you for your patience.

You’ll need a barcode scanner and a roll of tape 👍 😁

As requested 🙂 Chroma filters for astronomy are available to buy at FLO. Most are already in stock and available for overnight delivery.

Thank-you for noticing 🙂 Steve

This is often true. In the astro world warranties are rarely transferable. Where someone has purchased a scope secondhand from one of our customers, and it is still within warranty, then in most instances we recommend they return it to their seller (our customer) then ask him/her to contact us for service. Es Reid is a very busy man. The work he does for for FLO on astronomy optics is only one of a number of projects he is involved in. I.e. he also does work for at least one university on microscopy optics. Because he is so busy he has respectfully asked us not to share his contact details. Steve Collingwood of SC Telescopes is another wizard when it comes to telescope optics. He has done good work for us on a number of occasions. He is easier to contact but he too is a busy man (he is also a Director for Pulsar Observatories) so might not have time for more work. Consider also, when someone contacts Es or Steve while in dispute with a seller, they are essentially asking them to enter a battle. That isn't fun. HTH, Steve