WHY NOT TO BUY FROM THE STATES - IT DOESN'T PAY!

[russ]

Well I learn't a harsh lesson a few minutes ago and stupidely didn't even take my own advice Buying from the states, even when the dollar/pound price ratio is so good, just doesn't pay.

Decided I needed a decent diagonal for my Vixen refractor and having owned the WO Dielectric, was pretty set on owning another. Trouble is I didn't really want to pay £75-80 for one. So I hunted around for one cheaper in the UK but no luck. So turned my attention to the US. Very quickly found myself at the Optcorp website looking at some very tempting prices indeed. WO Dielectric for £40 or Stellarvue Dielectric for £35. Add postage and tax, still only comes to £57. So ordered up Friday afternoon, got a confirmation a few hours later and expected my order to arrive later this week. Certainly didn't expect it to arrive this morning (UK dealers would struggle to match that). Can't fault Optcorp or UPS for their service. But also wasn't expecting to pay £23 to the UPS guy. £8 tax (fair enough) and £15 handling charge (extortion)!

So my Stellarvue Dielectric ended up being the same price as a WO from Ian King I have no idea how good Stellarvue stuff is in relation to WO but hopefully it's on a par. Certainly doesn't look as good looking very much like the cheapy Antares diagonal with a Stellarvue badge. Oh boy! Don't feel so good today, a bit sick in the stomach.

Russ

[daz]

That's a shame Russ

[tom.yates]

Ouch sorry to hear that Russ i have ordered from the states with no probs My stuff comes to this country then via Royal mail

[blinky]

Sorry to hear about that Rus, bl00dy UK taxes eh?

I have read that if the item is shipped via UPS then on arrival in the UK it is 'presented' to UK customs for them to add the import tax and VAT etc. If the item is shipped via USPS then it arrives at a Royal Mail depot and is more 'pot luck' as to whether the item is ispected by UK customs.

I have also ordered from Optcorp but got the items delivered to my companies New York office. Some of the guys are going over at the beginning of April and will stick them in the suitcase, so hopefully wont be charged the extorsionate UK import charges.

[russ]

Optcorp gave me the option of USPS but I didn't take it because I got stung by Royal Mail last time. Luck just isn't on my side atm.

I'm not overly worried. I'm actually £3 better off than a WO from Ian King and providing the Stellarvue is as good as people say, I'll be happy. Hoping all the money went into the important parts - mirror and coating.

Russ

[The Warthog]

I ahve found that when ordering form the US it is best to get things sent by USPS (mail.) The couriers always charge duty and a 'brokerage fee', the first of which is sometimes (usually, actually) not charged by Customs for items of less than $100 value, and the second of which is never charged by Customs or the post. It once cost me $45 to pick up a finder that a friend had sent me for nothing by UPS. If she'd mailed it, it would have cost me nothing.

[Cloudgazer]

Thanks for the warning.. that UPS charge sounds like a complete rip off.

I've thought about buying a few bits from OPT myself and if I do I'll either have them sent by USPS or have them sent to relo's in the US who can bring them over when they come to England.

Hope the Stellarvue diagonal proves to be worth all the trouble.

Scott

[nitram100]

I got shafted a few months ago when i bought a crayford and 50mm finder from the states, ended up being about 30 quid cheaper than UK, but had VAt, handling charge, customs excise duty and whatever else they could think of added to it, worst part was, they didn't even deliver it, i got a letter saying i had to come and pick it up from park royal, so i did, but got a flat tyre on hanger line! that was a crappy day. This country bites, hard.

[iantobach]

last year when the skyscout came out i ordered from ebay as it wasn`t out in the uk , and wanted something to help with my old scope( see my review)- £100 cheaper than expected price in uk, then got stung £50 tax .

[FLO]

The Skyscouts still aren't in the UK

[iantobach]

ooh thats a shame- it`s quite a good toy- but most of the people here probably wouldn't`t need them- but has helped locate a few dso`s when i can`t align my goto when theres cloud cover- so i find it useful as a novice. maybe it was a good buy.

another point about buying from the USA is the warranty problems- been told that celestron won`t honour the warranty here in the UK, if bought from the us- so could make more expensive if breaks.

[FLO]

Ian, have you tried the Skyscout attached to your OTA as a finder-scope?

[russ]

Just to update. I did order an 11mm UWA eyepiece from Burgess Optical a few weeks back. It only cost £27 delivered. Got stung £4 for Tax which i didn't mind. But Royal Mail wanted £9 handling charge. At the end of the day it worked out £2 cheaper than the UK price and I too had to travel to collect the item.

I have no relatives in the US and there's certainly no New York branch for Hampshire County Council. So I don't think i'll bother again.

As for Stellarvue diagonal...don't really know. It didn't seem any better than my Celestron diagonal when I tried it Monday. Will compare it to my WO diagonal which Rob has now. It certainly doesn't have the looks of the WO. If it wasn't for the Stellarve badge you'd swear it was a Skywatcher special.

Russ

[iantobach]

in answer to steves question- no it won`t work if anything magnetic near by- ie the kids climbing frame, standing near the conservatory door, standing near the car!- and it stops working- so not much good as a goto-ian

[FLO]

Pity... I was wondering whether to buy one as a finder-scope for a Dobsonian.

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

You just need to get Phil to make you a wooden Dob. Steve.

Captain Chaos

[Whippy]

Annoyingly, my sister is off to visit a friend in the states soon, and I could get her to bring a few bits back for me, but my bank balance just won't take any more hammering..