Buying secondhand

[Leftie]

I'm tempted by a 5" Cass with goto, about 12/18 months old.

Is buying second hand (private sale) rather than new a good idea (obviously good cost saving) and, if so, is there anything in particular that I should look out for?  Due to the distance that I will need to travel, it's not going to be practical to actually look at the night sky through it before purchase - even if  clouds permit.

Thanks for any help.

[nmoushon]

I've bought all my stuff second hand and never had a problem. You have to be careful of scams but thats about it. Oh and shipping. Thats where the damage is most likely to occure. I've had FedEx break the mount casing before. So definately pay for insurance if you're going to have it shipping.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Buying second hand is often a very good idea. Optics can last a long time and major defects often show up easily. A bit of dust on a lens is not a problem, but smudges and scatches can be, and cracks or chips ARE. I am asuming it is either a Maksutov or SCT: both types are pretty good at holding collimation in my experience, and if they are out of collimation, that can usually be corrected easily (certainly in a Celestron C5, I am not sure about the Skymax 127, but I have not heard about any problems with collimating those). Look out forany dents in a tube, they show the scope has not been treated with all care and respect in needs. It need not mean the scope is defective, but it should affect the price. A daylight look through the scope should give a good idea if there is anything seriously wrong. If the image looks sharpin daytime, that suggests that it is not in a bad state.

Hope this helps

[JamesF]

I've bought a lot of my kit second hand and it's been well worth it.  In the main astronomers tend to look after their kit so it's good value if you don't care about having something brand new.

Buying when you can't go and see the item beforehand is more tricky.  When doing that I tend to stick to people I know something about if we're talking about large sums of money (ie other SGL users .  It may be worth phoning them and speaking to them about the kit just to get a feel for things.  And if in doubt, just walk away.

James

[NGC 1502]

All good advice above, but I'd like to add that a daylight demo of the electronics and go-to (as far as that's possible during the day) would be a good idea.  Check the battery compartment for evidence of leaky batteries.

The attitude and helpfulness of the seller is a guide but not a guarantee of course.

You need to be careful not to pay too much, a good discount from the new price, and take into account travel costs.

Definitely not trying to put you off, there are great bargains to be had if you go carefully.

Good luck......Ed.

[valvenus]

I've bought my two scope second hand and both were in very good condition

[Leftie]

Thanks for all the info and advice folk.