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Discount astro-hardware


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Having never attended an astronomy show (such as the recent one at Warwick), I was wondering what sort of discounts are available from the traders. I'm particularly interested in eyepieces but am curious as to other potential discounts as well.

Thanks

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With most traders being on the 'net, most prices are very similar. You have to trade off the retailer making a profit and being there to support you in the use of the products. It would be unfair to expect prices to the bone and then complain about service!.

There are great options to be had here from the members ads

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There are bargains to be had, and the traders are often open to a haggle, and then you get a couple of the usual freebies, such as planispheres, books etc. I had a bargain at Warwick, picked up a couple of eyepieces and a stepper motor for 15 pound in a bargain bucket so they are there to be had.

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There isn't much room to haggle for new items, but it's not unusually to see 10% discount at astronomy shows, particular on high volume items such as eyepieces.

Second hand items is a totally different story and sometimes you can get some good bargain. Skylight telescope and Orion Optics's stand at Astrofest have some used items hiding in a corner. Telescope Outlet has a complete stand for themselves at this year's IAS and I think a few other IAS stands has 'astroboot' too. However, if you want a real bargain, buy it from another hobbyist on the second hand market. 'Car boot sales' at star parties can be really fun and you get to talk to some great people. The drawback of buying from other hobbyist (and secondhand in general) is you never know what will appear, when it'll appear or its condition. You can't really plan the purchase and you need some spare cash just sitting there.

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The good thing about astronomy shows like the IAS is that traders often discount their items, I had a good deal from Telescope House on an ES82 18mm, £136 instead of £175. Makes going to shows very worthwhile.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Traders at astronomy shows often have 'loss leaders' and ex-demo equipment at good prices also. It's also worthwhile to regularly check websites as there are often special offers on line - though you may have to search around for them. FLO have their clearance section as well of course. There are great buys to be had sometimes on astrobuysell, but anything which is a real bargain or hard to find gets snapped up very quickly - usually before I've read it!

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