"Dr. Boggis" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Thanks for the useful info I got from you folks earlier, but I'm back for
more...

I thought I'd check to see if there were any used scopes on eBay worth
getting,
but before I go any further: would you buy a used telescope? Anything
particular
to look out for?

It seems like you're looking for telescopes in all the wrong places.
Nothing really wrong with buying a used telescope unless you buy it from a
huckster on ebay. While there are many honest sellers on ebay, the few
hucksters make everyone look bad. Why not just stick to astromart until
you're able to tell which of the ebay sellers are not completely honest.

Al



Anyway, in the course of looking I noticed quite a few (new) telescopes
being
sold by "Taximarket" on ebay: http://tinyurl.com/vli1
At current prices the 4.5" ones are going for about $150, and the 6" ones
for
about $200.

The descriptions say: "This 6 inch reflector telescope was made by a major
telescope manufacturer. In fact, this telescope was manufactured in the
very
same factory that makes optical products for Bushnell, Tasco, Konus and
many
other name brands. This telescope is brand new and has never been removed
from
the original factory packaging. "

So basically it's a no-name Chinese thing, I'm assuming. From what I
gather,
saying it's made in the same factory as Bushnell isn't much of a selling
point....so should I steer clear of these too?

The other factor is that they are on tripods with equatorial mounts. I
have the
impression that a Dob mount would be easier to handle, operate and
understand
for a beginner, but that a well set-up EQ is good too, especially with a
drive
to track objects automatically. Is it likely that a tripod and mount
coming with
one of these no-name scopes will be any good?

Any advice gratefully accepted...

Cheers,

Boggis

--
-Take out Ron to reply-
Votre mère était un hamster et votre père a l'odeur des baies de sureau