Buying items from aboard

[Dave scutt]

Not sure if this is the right section to post this please move if not.

Has anyone ever brought anything from cloudy nights classifieds,  and is it safe

Thanks dave

[jjohnson3803]

I have bought and sold on CN classifieds and not had a major problem.  I haven't shipped anything outside the US though.

I will say that I'm leery of buying used optics or electronics from private sellers without seeing the item in person - my definition of "pristine optics" might not match yours and so on.

Good luck!

 

 

Edited June 27, 2022 by jjohnson3803

[jjohnson3803]

I should add that I think there are seller ratings posted somewhere on CN, but I've never looked for them.

Edited June 27, 2022 by jjohnson3803

[Dave scutt]

Thanks jjohnson3803.

I never brought anything from the US before it's always been from on here.

Thanks dave

[rcwinter]

I have bought and sold on cloudy nights for some years, not had a problem yet, I mostly buy electronics or stuff I know will stand the trip, I have imported optical kit, telescopes and the like, so far now problems, but you do hear horror stories, the only frustrating thing I find is that often CN members and AM often do not like sending out of the US, they just feel unsafe or they are likely to loose out money wise with transfer costs etc, best way to get things done is to make them feel confident about you,  buying kit in of course please be aware of import and handling fees which can and often will add to the cost in most cases, occasionally things come straight through but generally there will be handling fee which can be painful in its self. 

All in all a little faith and all is good, be sure to ask for further information and some extra images of your choosing, a picture from a certain position with often help, remember scammers feed on both sides of the pond, just be sure your happy and have good communication with the seller, tracking for items is good nowadays, the USPS app allows you to track it all the way, be sure to ask for the tracking to be available 

hope that helps a bit 

Richard 

Southampton UK 

[Franklin]

I've bought off Astromart in the US before and the only problem I had was British customs working at a snails pace.

Just be sure to check out the sellers ratings/posts etc. I wouldn't buy from a new member with 0 posts for example.

[Oldfort]

Don't forget you will need to pay import duty and VAT, and you may find sellers want payment in US$ cheques.

[jjohnson3803]

I've found that the vast majority of CN sellers accept PayPal.  But yes, there are some who insist on US$ money orders and such.

[Pixies]

19 hours ago, Oldfort said:

Don't forget you will need to pay import duty and VAT

^This^

And the delivery company will add on a charge to cover admin, too.

You might be lucky if the purchase is small and not too expensive - the package may slip through without incurring these charges.

[SthBohemia]

In the past when I resided within Australia I purchased items regularly from Cloudy Nights, including a 10" Meade SCT optical tube and a C11 Ultima fork mount from different sellers. That was back in the days when USPS offered surface mail and Australia had no customs import duty on telescopes or their accessories. Many other smaller items were purchased and NEVER had any problems.

Maybe those interested in astronomy are intrinsically honest??

[Paz]

On 05/07/2022 at 18:56, SthBohemia said:

Maybe those interested in astronomy are intrinsically honest??

I think this is true, your average astronomer is more honest and consientious than your average person in the street. I find private astronomy sellers are often a match for the professional outlets when it comes to standards, such as speed of despatch, and often go reassuringly overboard when it comes to packaging an item!

I've not bought from CN but I have bought some astro bits from the states via eBay 😮and found people to be fine.

[CCD-Freak]

I have bought and sold stuff on CN for years and I have shipped a couple small items to Europe.  The main reason many sellers will only ship in the US is the hassle and cost of international shipping and import duties, VAT and Customs documentation etc.   When you click on a user you can see their ratings and comments from buyers.  I never take a chance on someone with no ratings unless the item is inexpensive enough that I can deal with the potential loss if they "take the money and run".   I shop the classifieds here on SL and maybe someday I will see some piece of kit I "just gotta have".  (^8