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Explore Scientific eyepieces - get them while you can in the UK

simonfletcher7

By simonfletcher7
in Discussions - Eyepieces

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Damo636

Damo636

Posted
Posted

Yep fantastic saving Paul & the 11mm is supposed to be the pick of the entire line. I have a sister heading out to New York for the St Patricks day holiday & I have already started putting away the coppers towards something nice, too good an opportunity to miss :-)

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mert

mert

Posted
Posted

I am waiting on a 11mm 82 should be here anyday,i got it from Agena Astro in the US,i have bought from them on other occasions and have never had to pay import or tax,just delivery and excellent service,the eyepiece will cost £73 in total.

The 20mm 100 degree for $362 with express shipping looks a steal, how long is delivery?

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FLO

FLO

Posted
Posted

Maybe FLO should have a word with them.

Ah, so this explains all the PMs asking if we can source ES products :smiley:

We tried three times to source them but here in the UK ES products are imported by BC&F and sold only through BC&F's retail outlet (Telescope House). They are not available to us. Sorry.

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OneEyedSam

OneEyedSam

Posted
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Ah, so this explains all the PMs asking if we can source ES products :smiley:

We tried three times to source them but here in the UK ES products are imported by BC&F and sold only through BC&F's retail outlet (Telescope House). They are not available to us. Sorry.

If they are giving up on selling ES products, then maybe it'll be fourth time lucky :laugh:

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

Posted
Posted

Ah, so this explains all the PMs asking if we can source ES products :smiley:

We tried three times to source them but here in the UK ES products are imported by BC&F and sold only through BC&F's retail outlet (Telescope House). They are not available to us. Sorry.

It would be fab if you could source them in the near future :grin:

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FLO

FLO

Posted
Posted

If they are giving up on selling ES products, then maybe it'll be fourth time lucky :laugh:

We have contacted ES via their website :smiley:

Please don't be miffed if they are not receptive, the UK is a small market compared to the US and Germany and if they have an existing arrangement with TH then we must respect that.

HTH,

Steve

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ronin

ronin

Posted
Posted

My problem with a UK retailer being the sole source is that very often they stock very little of the product range and then you cannot order from elsewhere as there is a recognised source in the UK.

I think StellarVue scopes fall/fell into this, at least at one time. There is a UK source just they don't actually bother to stock any. So even with a UK source I could not get anything.

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Dunkster

Dunkster

Posted
Posted

I'll campaign Scott Roberts if I have to :D :D

Seriously though, not being in the astro business myself, it's hard to conceive how things work, but I can imagine the retailer and manufacturer/importer/distributor roles are like rocks and hard places. The astronomy market is only so big, let alone considering just the UK. How many could ES sell here? 1? 10? 100??

However, without making a go of it, how would they know whether there is a market for the product? Maybe they could gauge demand from ES Germany or maybe that's all ES want in Europe? But how hard would it be to setup an English language web store? Some of the EPs there are reasonably priced, the 30mm 82 degree for example, but some are still way out there compared to the US, notably the 100 degree range... the 20mm is US$299 or 479euro :eek: (although I appreciate this includes DE sales tax)

Then there's the alternative brands that are already established here... SW, Celestron, Meade, TeleVue, etc. At what point is there room for yet another EP brand? Probably the only way to make a splash would be on price, but then all the overheads FLO mentions above get applied and do we end up at the Meade price point all over again? While TH has to be commended for carrying them, but the cost for the most part is just a bit less than TV rather than around the same as Meade, and one of the popular ranges (68 degree Argon) has never been carried by them at all, and from memory none of the ES promotions have been carried through.

The other thing is, have the experimenters/enthusiasts already imported all they want from overseas??? As much as it'd be nice to have FLO to carry them, so I could fill in the gaps in my (ahem) collection, it's a really tough call.

Btw, I'm not writing this so much as to get answers, it's just my random thoughts on the subject :eek::D

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crazyjedi

crazyjedi

Posted
Posted

It will be a shame if they do go from our shores all together. Why have the 68 degree EP's never made it over here? The 24mm I have is outstanding! I read up on the blurb and from what I can glean Argon is superior to Nitrogen for the purging process. (as it is a bigger molecule). So why have they not been pushing them?

If they could find a way to price them at a good point they'd do very well as the quality is excellent.

I personally would be giving them my custom. I have been very keen on picking up the 8.8mm and maybe the 14mm. Then more of the range I'm sure would find their way into my collection. I hope very much they don't become scarce.

The other well established brands that Dunkster mentioned are all good brands with some fine lenses (and some not so good lines too). However I think they could all stand for some competition. To my mind The ES lenses are superior to many of the above mentioned brands or at least some of their lines and could give the more established lines a real run for their money.

The problem in my eyes at least is Meade. Both brands are owned by the same mother company but Meade are priced very competitively now and offer very similar glass for a very reasonable price. I feel that ES have the edge on quality but Meade have the edge on price. It's hardly a fair fight.

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Bart

Bart

Posted
Posted

I bought all my ES eps from various suppliers in the US as I couldn't justify the TV prices. Never paid import or any other duty:-) . Even plumped for the 100" 20mm. Great EP. Only sad because a couple of weeks later it was going for $100 less. Still, shoudn't complain as all my ES collection cost a fraction of what it should have. Bear in mind I would have had to 'import' the UK anyway

Barry

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StarSteve

StarSteve

Posted
Posted

At this particular time there is at least one good reason to buy ES 82 from ES Germany - they have them in stock (except the 6.7) while all the vendors I checked in the US are on backorder. :smiley: The 100 degree eyepieces seem to be in stock everywhere though.

Steve

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russ.will

russ.will

Posted
Posted
What percentage could you expect duty to be for an eyepiece from the US ?
Add 4% import duty to the purchase price including shipping. Add 20% for VAT and finally, add £8 for the Post Office handling charge. Also, expect to have to pick it up from your closest PO Sorting Office and be expected to pay the fees in cash.

Russell

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