Would anyone consider buying from overseas

[Caz]

Do you think its a risky business shipping a telescope from overseas, has anyone done so? The reason I ask is this, I've been looking at this Skywatcher 150/1200 eq3, but its in Germany. The prices are singing to me, you might want to take a look yourselves...http://www.astroshop.de/shop/en/158/3070/ Most products seem very reasonably priced. The scope in question is 445 euros, works out roughly £300 (?) Shipping is very low also. The spec sounds rather impressive, but then I'm not the expert

Let me know what you think?

Caz :sunny:

[Jamie]

Its not a bad idea if you get the right supplier

but watch out for the customs charges these can sometines bring the price up

quite a lot.

[FLO]

Doesn't sound cheap to me Caz,

Here in the UK, you can buy the 8" on the same mount for £375.  

In principle, I'd probably buy from the states but only if I was confident that it would arrive, that I wouldn't be clobbered for import duty and that I could get it repaired in the UK...

Steve

[Jamie]

F Y I

I bought my Vixen scope in from the US.

[tom.yates]

Iwas thinking of going to your man jamie for the same scope as you for a grab and go set up

Tom.

[Jamie]

If i had wanted a good quality scope from abroad

again i would definately go back to him.

[tom.yates]

Just looked at his site got a AP 6" Refractor HMMMM .

TOM

[Jamie]

Just looked at his site got a AP 6" Refractor HMMMM .

TOM

OI CALM DOON!

[tom.yates]

Other half just smacked me round the head and told me to go to bed and dream on

[Jamie]

:whip2: :whip2: :clouds2:

[tom.yates]

GOODNIGHT JOHNBOY. IM NOT SCARED OF HER STOP HITTING ME STOP.

[The Warthog]

I can find anything I want, at a good price, in Canada. It would take a lot to move me to buy something from even the U.S., unless I were in the U.S., which I visit a few times a year. I once had a friend send me a finderscope, for free, from New York. I cost me $45 to get it from the shipper. That's the most expensive free item I've ever received.

[msp]

Its not a bad idea if you get the right supplier

but watch out for the customs charges these can sometines bring the price up

quite a lot.

Jamie,

There will not be any customs charges on any goods bought in any EU country.

Even paying the duty and VAT on stuff from the states can still be cheaper, the problem is on the heavy stuff you get charged duty and VAT on the delivery costs as well, which would be fairly high.

[John]

I have brought eyepieces from the USA but one problem I ran into is finding a way to make the payment if you don't want to use Paypal or similar. A bank draft costs well over £10 (at my bank at any rate !) and other methods seem to have equal drawbacks unless large sums are involved. I resorted to sending US dollars (cash) disguised in jiffy bags - so far without a problem but the sellers make it clear it's at your risk. Does anyone know of a low / no cost way of making relatively small payments overseas ?.

John,

North Somerset.

[Grant]

I find alot of places in the US accept credit cards using either visa or mastercard, other than that I just tend to use paypal... Other than that I don't know of any other free or low cost alternatives, I think it's a risky business buying stuff from overseas, you either pay extra in charges to account for this risk or you use paypal or suchlike....