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How reliable is UK astro buy and sell?

jabberwocky

By jabberwocky
in The Astro Lounge

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jabberwocky

jabberwocky

Posted
Posted

I'm about to make my first purchase on UK astro buy and sell and I'm just wondering how reliable it is? Obviously I realise its just a collection of individuals selling stuff but I wondered what people's experiances of buying on there are like

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Naemeth

Naemeth

Posted
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I'm about to make my first purchase on UK astro buy and sell and I'm just wondering how reliable it is? Obviously I realise its just a collection of individuals selling stuff but I wondered what people's experiances of buying on there are like

Reliable, I think 6 of my astro purchases are from there. It depends on the seller though :).

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swag72

swag72

Posted
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I've sold stuff on there with no problem. Also bought my scope off there. As long as you are sensible then it's fine. When I was purchasing my scope I got pictures with a specified date on a bit of paper so I knew that he had the scope. Get all details, name, address and speak on the phone if possible. You'll get a better feel for the person.

With precautions it's a great place.

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StuartJPP

StuartJPP

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I tried contacting a seller on there a while ago but I couldn't get past their "anti-spam" filter at the time...can be quite tricky for newbies :rolleyes:

I browse quite often and wouldn't hesitate to purchase from there if everything seemed legit. I would always contact the seller just to get a feel for them, and ask for additional photos, if they are genuine, they will oblige.

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Chris

Chris

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I've bought and sold quite a bit on there over the years and never had any problems thankfully:) As said just make sensible pecautions such as checking the persons previous sales, ask for extra pics, ask if they are a member of an online community such as here as I don't think the scammers would go to these lengths I hope?

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cantab

cantab

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From what I've heard what scammers there are tend to target want ads rather than put up selling ads. Presumably because they can click on any want ad and claim to have the item rather than having to try and guess what people will want to buy.

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John

John

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It's a great resource. I've made completed many successful transactions there (buying and selling) and had some great bargains too. I think 80% of my equipment came though that site :smiley:

You do have to move fast to get the quality buys though. I sold some Nagler eyepieces on there and sold them all within an hour of posting the advert.

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Teslar

Teslar

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I've had good and bad experiences. I got scammed for £50 once despite having a phone number address and bank account. The "seller" failed to post and would not answer any contact. But I've bought and sold since without a problem. I usually get forum details if available and contact the seller there as a verification

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earth titan

earth titan

Posted
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I'm always wary of those who ask for all the cash up front. When I've used ABS I've paid a small holding deposit then paid the balance on collection.

If you send a cheque to a known address, I think that will be more secure. At the least, you have an address to hassle.

I've got a friend who purchases similar value non astro stuff from web sites and he asks the seller to describe their house, then looks it up on google street view.

Typed by me on my fone, using fumms... Excuse eny speling errurs.

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Peter Drew

Peter Drew

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I've purchased quite a lot of items with no problems. If it's something you really want and it's a good price you have to take a bit of a chance and offer to buy straight away, if you start asking too many questions or ask for photos you usually lose out to someone else. :eek:

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badgerchap

badgerchap

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I've purchased quite a lot of items with no problems. If it's something you really want and it's a good price you have to take a bit of a chance and offer to buy straight away, if you start asking too many questions or ask for photos you usually lose out to someone else. :eek:

I have never lost out by asking for photo's - I think it'd be a bit hasty to buy without having first seen what you're paying for. But asking too many questions can definitely scare a seller away :icon_jokercolor:

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John

John

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I have never lost out by asking for photo's - I think it'd be a bit hasty to buy without having first seen what you're paying for. But asking too many questions can definitely scare a seller away :icon_jokercolor:

I always post photos of anything I'm selling there and I tend to shy away from items sold without a photo posted with the advert unless it's something really mundane.

The top brands sell themselves though. Folks who own good stuff tend to look after it I've found. If you post a decent photo and price attractively you can sell within minutes of posting.

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badgerchap

badgerchap

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I always post photos of anything I'm selling there and I tend to shy away from items sold without a photo posted with the advert unless it's something really mundane.

Couldn't agree more. If there was £10 difference in a £100ish item, but one listing with a pic and one without, I'd pay more for the listing with the pic, for insurance's sake. I also shy away from pics that are obviously taken from the manufacturer or dealer's website, as that's a simple trick for a scammer to utilise (unless it's accompanied by a pic by the seller of course).

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