USED Telescope Purchase - Recommendations?

[collangm]

Hi,

As a newcomer to all things astronomical (nearly typed astrological then!) I would dearly love some advice on where best to search for used telescopes/equipment. I have been researching several makes.models of telescope and am interested in the Celestron Nexstar range, particularly the 5SE, 6SE and 8SE models. I would ideally prefer the 8SE (obviously) but i beleive the 6SE would suffice my requirements for deep-field view of the night sky (i.e. I will not be attaching an SLR/DSLR camera but may purchase an additional CCD attachment at a a later date). Can anyone recommend the best source (online) for such used equipment? I was hoping that this forum would have a FOR SALE section - I'm surprised there isn't one?

Many Thanks,

Gary

[cgarry]

See http://stargazerslounge.com/astro-lounge/125045-sale-forum-where.html

And welcome!

Cheers,

Chris

[CGolder]

Hello Gary,

Good choice on the scope you are looking for and a wise move to look at the 2nd hand market, it can be tricky and know what to look for will save you a lot of pain.

I personally like the site astro buy and sell uk. Ebay has some good deals but is mostly full of junk.

This site does have a buy/sell forum but has membership restrictions of 50 posts + 1 months membership.

The most active buy/sell site in the UK is Astro buy and sell so its a good place to start.

best of luck and welcome to the forum

[oldfruit]

Hi and welcome to SGL. As suggested above, Astrobuysell.com is a good place to start looking.

[valleyman]

There is a For Sale here on SGL but you have to have 50 posts to use it .

However good choice of scope........There are couple on sale at ebay at the moment. But normal CAUTIONS SHOULD APPLY BUYING FROM THERE

[GrantEb]

Hi Gary, and welcome from me.

If I were you, I would get at much advice on the forum, before buying a scope.

After one month, and 50+ posts, you will be able to access the For sale section, and by then, you should have a good idea what is best suited to your needs.

HTH

[E621Keith]

Actually caution should be applied buying from anywhere. Ideally, it should be in your local area where you can inspect the goods. Nexstar SE are very popular scopes and they turn up on ebay quite often.

[collangm]

Thanks for the advice. Although I'm still looking for a scope the information provided thus far has been most useful.

Gary