Astro Marketplace?

John wrote in message

"matt" wrote in message
. ..
Otherwise , I wouldn't buy really anything on Astromart , the same way I
wouldn't buy a scope on Ebay .


Hi, Matt.

It's a global market out there and if you want a chance at all the gear you
have to decide to protect yourself rather than relying on others. I've
purchased some excellent telescopes on eBay (a 20" Sky Designs truss Dob
and
a complete C14 outfit among others). You just have to be a sophisticated
and
prudent buyer.

John



how exactly did you eliminate risk by being "sophisticated and prudent" ?
What do you mean by "sophisticated" ?
These are just b.s. words , they don't help reduce risk . Please enlighten
us .

thanks,
matt

What is "OPT" ?
....




Jon Isaacs wrote:


I should have personally tested out the scope. That would have solved any
hidden known/unknown issues. Well, for now, I've decided to stick with new
so I can return if it fails the tests. You have some good points here
though.

-Ryan Walters


When it comes to buying scopes and astromart, I try to buy locally, that way I
can see the scope before I buy. When it comes to selling scopes, I also like
to sell locally, it avoids the shipping hassle and it allows the buyer to see
the scope first hand prior to purchase.

But I have shipped a few, I try to be honest in how I represent the stuff I
sell, I never claim "excellent" anything, just try to point out the defects I
have noticed and leave it at that. MY goal is to have a happy buyer so any
misrepresentation is counter productive. The last three scopes I have "gotten
rid of" have been gifts to family and friends, at least they are not unhappy
with the price.... G

In southern California, one option for used stuff is OPT, they usually have a
fair selection and the stand behind their stuff. I have bought a few scopes
from them and been quite happy both with the equipment and the price, generally
lower than Astromart.

Jon
Jon

What is "OPT" ?


Oceanside Photo & Telescope (www.optcorp.com)


--
Martin
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell

(Jon Isaacs) wrote in message ...
To solve a lot of these problems, I think a requirement should be that a
star test pattern is posted at the same time the scope is being sold.

The beauty of the market place is that each of us gets to set our own
requirements. If you want a star test prior to purchase, that is your choice.

All I'm saying is that I think if someone sells a telescope using that or any
other webservice, there should be some minimal requirements to be met before
sellingis allowed.

Buying and selling second hand is "buyer beware" whether it is a telescope,
bicycle or car. The only real guaranty is dealling with folks that are
trustworthy.

From my point of view, the issue with your scope should have been resolved
between you and the seller, he made a claim that that optics were excellent and
apparently they were not, so something should have been arranged to take care
of this. Of course as we know from previous threads here, SA in an SCT is a
function of the position of mirror so it may even be that the optics are quite
good when the mirror is in the correct position.

A SCT has far more tolerance for primary to secondary distance
variations than, say, classical cassegrains or RCs. Nevertheless I've
never heard anyone complaining about poor optics in those latter cases
and blaming the focus position for it. All this blaming focus position
for SA is just ridiculous. All the more because SCTs are designed for
a given backfocus i.e. the one normally found when using any EP and a
star diagonal (about 100mm from the visual back). I don't see why one
shouldn't test them in their intended configuration or accept that
they (SCT) can and do have SA.

Andrea T.

"Martin R. Howell" wrote in message
...
What is "OPT" ?


Oceanside Photo & Telescope (www.optcorp.com)

These are good people (IMHO)

Oceanside Photo & Telescope (www.optcorp.com)

These are good people (IMHO)




Agreed. I bought my 12.5 inch dobsonian (plus a few other things) from them
years ago and they treated me quite well.




Regards,


Martin

But they have no classifieds that I could find. So I dont understand
what
OPT has to do with this thread, re- classifieds. ?
....


"Martin R. Howell" wrote:

What is "OPT" ?

Oceanside Photo & Telescope (www.optcorp.com)

--
Martin
"Photographs From the Universe of Amateur Astronomy"
http://home.earthlink.net/~martinhowell