buying used equipment

[G0JVK]

i just wondered what peoples thoughts are of buying used or second hand stuff from places like astrobuysell rather than from eBay, i mean is astrobuysell the better and safer of the two options. my own opinion for what it's worth is it would be better than buying off eBay but i just wondered what the general consensus [spelling]was/is.

[russ]

I have bought and sold on UK Astro Buy'n'sell and so far only had one serious problem as a buyer and one minor problem as a seller. That said, i've only had one problem with Ebay and astro gear. And that was with my PST because i forgot to ask about the objective. My own fault.

[NGC 1502]

With the usual precautions, most deals from Astrobuysell should be ok,

but with any transaction, tread carefully. I've bought and sold here on

SGL ( you need 50 posts ) and had no problems.

Regards, Ed.

[iamjulian]

Bought from there once, and sold on there once. Both times without any problems. Just have your wits about you. Look up the email address or person's name associated with the item, see whether it shows up anywhere in a negative light. And look through their page listing previous scams.

[ollypenrice]

I have never had a problem and I have bought some costly kit. Our TEC 140 was from ABS but when the vendor decided to take the train down to France to deliver it I knew all would be well! For big items making the trip yourself has to be wise but I have saved thousands and thousands over the years. No bad experiences yet.

On the other hand Ebay is a mystery to me. Too old!

Olly

[pvaz]

Never had a problem on any of the sites. I have used astrobuysell, SGL sales and ebay.

SGL is the one I have more confidence in. On astrobuysell I usually keep it under 100£ as I think people there don't have a reputation to uphold so it's more likely to get scammed.

I shop off ebay all the time, always from people with at least 100 feedback, 98%+. Except for some very low quality cheap chinese items, I never had a problem and was always pleased with my purchases. So stay away from things that seam awfully cheap, like under 50% of the regular price in your country. Ebay is full of garbage, but if you know what to look for, then some decent deals pop up every now and then.

[Earl]

I have purchased plenty second hand on ebay and of members here, and I have not had any real problems.

But I think my next purchases are going to be new... but not yet i will resist the GAS

[Moonshane]

Look up the email address or person's name associated with the item, see whether it shows up anywhere in a negative light. And look through their page listing previous scams.

I agree completely with this. Google can be very powerful.

I have never had a problem (that wasn't resolved in a friendly and reasonable way) with anyone buying or selling equipment.

That said, you should always ask specific questions about gear before buying. I once bought an eyepiece that was cheap for what it was but still over £200 and it was not in very good condition at all - described as like new in box and had one cap missing, scratched optics (badly) and several dings on the body. Thankfully the seller agreed a complete refund (bar the postage).

I have always managed to buy what I need from SGL and AB&S and have sold via both within a day or so of putting up the ad via both outlets.

I generally try and strike up a conversation with the vendor and you can generally detect scam artists.

In essence be aware of the possibility but in reality you won't have to worry too much - most people are good people in Astroworld.

[Moonshane]

I have purchased plenty second hand on ebay and of members here, and I have not had any real problems.

But I think my next purchases are going to be new... but not yet i will resist the GAS

yes, Earl I tend to agree with you. most of the things I'll be buying in the near future will either be hard to source or in some ways not worth buying used. e.g. Baader Gen Orthos and TV Plossls are in some ways not worth buying used as they sell for only a few pounds less than new.

[nightfisher]

i bought my omc140 from sgl and no probs, i sold my evostar on ukabs that was fine, you just tread a bit careful