costing .re. 2nd hand machines.

[brian nordstrom]

I have been moderating the cost , buy and sell , of used astro gear and used mussle cars for years ..
So if a car , to say was rare , hand made it's valuable .
So if a telescope , was a small run of a 'model' would it be as valuable as it should? still hand made .
On scopes I used the interenet / mag's
On the cars , I own one , so you get a feel .
I have one of each , these machines of interest .
Brian.

[Larryp]

Astro-Physics scopes command very high prices for a good one-often more than the new price. The waiting list for a new one is well over 10 years now. I have had my name down for 6 years!
They seem to be the only scope that can actually go up in value.:)

[johnt]

Is the Astro Physics waiting list still "first come first serve"? I read on the Astro Physics site that because demand far exceeds production, they now have "lotteries". Does that mean that someone who has added their name recently could win the "lottery" before someone that has waited 6 years or more?

[brian nordstrom]

:) yes thats my point Laurie , its , I suppose what people are willing to pay for something that guages its cost ?
But to own one is the pinnical I suppose .

And John , can you imagine the stress knowing that a lottery is going to be drawn after waiting say ? 5 years or more , I'd rather buy a TAK ;) .

Brian.

[Larryp]

Couldn't see anything about lotteries, John. Seems its still on first come first served.
they do say they will not accept orders from countries where there is a dealer, and Advanced Telescope Supplies is the Australian dealer, so I guess I should have ordered through them.

[johnt]

If you go to http://www.astro-physics.com/ and click on "Availability" on the left, then scroll down to "What is a "Notification List"?, and then click on
Notification Update (http://www.astro-physics.com/availability/not_update.htm) , you will see the ***** SPECIAL LOTTERY *****

So, I guess the question is, does the * SPECIAL LOTTERY * give status to those people that have been waiting for a long time, compared to those that were just added to the list? Otherwise, it does not seem like a fair process, as some (unlucky) people may never win the * SPECIAL LOTTERY *.

It seems like a lot to go through for a telescope, but I guess with the high competition, and the higher than new re-sale prices, (and obviously the great performance), creates a snowball effect and increases the demand even more.

[Larryp]

John, the special lottery only refers to their 175mm f8, which was apparently only introduced at NEAF last April. They say they had so much interest, they decided t have a lottery to be fair to all.
I gather their other scopes are on a normal list. Anyway I have emailed them to confirm my place on the list for a 5":)