Most Insulting Price Difference of the Day

[Astro_Bot]

When browsing today, I came across a CGE Pro 1100 (product code 11087) - i.e. it's a regular C11 on a CGE Pro mount.


At OPT it retails for US$6,999 and is currently discounted to US$5,999.
At Sirius Optics, it's $17,159 !!!



The CGE Pro 1400 (product code 11088) is not quite as badly afflicted:

At OPT it retails for US$16,897, currently discounted to US$8,999.
At Sirius Optics, it's $22,749 !!!



:( :confused2: :mad2:

[Larryp]

There's no justification.

[TrevorW]

Not with the Aust dollar worth more than the greenback and when all is said and done they all come out of the same Chinese factory

I've said it before and I'll say it again a lot of retailers rip off the consumer in this country and they scream blue murder because we buy goods on the internet

Keep buying on the net and things may change

That is one of the reasons I no longer buy Bonds

[LewisM]

I have had cause for pause more than once in price differentials. Some scarily WIDE gaps. A lot of the time though, it comes down to warranty and trust.

I trust Ron and Peter at Sirius IMPLICITLY. IMPLICITLY. I can only say the same about 1 other dealer, and that's Steve Massey at myastroshop.

[keni]

For what's it worth I have spoken to the only 2 stores here in Brisbane.
I complained bitterly about Celestron prices in particular and blamed the Australian importers/distributors.
I was politely told it is Celestron themselves that is the cause of the outrageous prices.
I have no affiliation with either shop, just wanted to mention this example.

Ken.

[Astro_Bot]

Sometimes it's the retailer but sometimes it's the importer/distributor. In this case, based on conversations with several retailers, I suspect it's mostly the latter.

[jenchris]

If the warranty costs more than the price of the original item, it would be cheaper to buy a new one if the first one broke.
So warrantee has little to do with it - it's the supplier who has a strangle hold on the market.
I'm presently inthe uk and find that prices here for almost everything are a lot less. Even with VAT (GST) at 22%
Oz is rip off land at the moment.

[Steffen]

Lee Andrews sells them for $10,799 and $14,499, respectively.

What's interesting is that he lists the RRPs as $15,999 and $19,999. How can Sirius expect people to pay more than RRP??

Cheers
Steffen.

[Astro_Bot]

I've dealt with most of the major retailers in Aus and have yet to have a problem. I trust each of them to honour a warranty ... which they are required to do by law, BTW.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Didn't you know that Australia is a rich country and that we can afford to pay more! :P

And if you think things are bad here in Australia, check out some of the prices in the UK, they appear to be even worse than ours.

About a year ago, I wanted to buy a Celestron Astrometric eyepiece, only to be told that it isn't stocked in Australia. The Australian distributor couldn't even give a delivery time, according to Bintel, at the time. Frankly, after this episode I will never buy Celestron in Australia again, because of their Australian pricing practices, particularly given the US prices.

And I am a Celestron owner, so let me be clear here and say that I am not saying that there is anything wrong with their telescopes or accessories, as there isn't. I like my Celestron gear, they make great stuff.

Anyway, it was in stock in the US at a third of the price, however, US dealers are not allowed to ship outside the US. I took this matter up with Celestron and they said that the price difference is due to freight and GST, however, this doesn't equate for the price difference, as it is far in excess of freight and GST, particularly given the value of the Aussie dollar.

On the matter of their unfair practices, I questioned their policy of restricting dealer sales outside of the country of origin. I raised the matter that this restricted competition and basically, they said that was their policy. In their defence, it comes down to sales volumes, they just don't sell that much in countries like Australia and the UK, as compared to the US, therefore prices are higher in order to make a profit, and companies have to make a profit or go out of business.

I wonder if this actually contravenes Free Trade Agreements, particularly in relation to US dealers not be able to sell outside their country? I am not going to bother to ask that question anyway. I am going to the US, for 6-8 weeks next May (in time for the RTMC), so will pick up any Celestron I want then.

Basically, the story is this, Australian distributor, can set whatever wholesale price they like and there is nothing we can do about it, as there is no competition at the wholesale level. It isn't the retailers fault, as they are governed by the wholesale price set by the Australian distributor.

Bottom line, we live in the antipodes, so if you want access to this type of equipment, then you have to pay for that access. Or, it may be cheaper to fly to the US and buy it there and then ship it back (you could make a holiday of it). OK, you won't get a local warranty, and as previously mentioned in another post here, I too wonder how much that is actually worth. It is well made gear and I haven't had anything go wrong, except with a hand control, which was outside of warranty anyway, so I had to pay for a new one. Although power compatibility may be an issue in some circumstances.

In the end, I bought the Baader equivalent from Extravision in Qld, who had it in stock, and frankly, it turned out to be a much better eyepiece anyway. For the record, I mostly support Aussie companies anyway, except where there are wide pricing differences, and find some to be quite good to deal with, such as Bintel.

[Larryp]

There has been a major discussion on another astronomy forum about Celestron prices in Australia-the blame seems to lie with the importer/wholesaler

[Irish stargazer]

Celestron have their local markets sown up. When I bought my CGE11 mount and C11 package about 5 years ago I had to buy it from the Irish dealer so I had to pay the dealer mark up. No seller in the UK would ship Celestron to Ireland. They were not allowed to. When my mount was faulty out of the box it took months to get it repaired. A real rip off which is why I won't buy Celestron again. Most dealers won't ship Celestron out of the US either.

[PeterM]

Hi guys,

Just a quick reply on behalf of Sirius Optics.

A few weeks ago Ron (the owner) decided to no longer stock Celestron products.
The Celestron product listing was to be removed from our website and will be done asap.

Among the many other products we stock and sell we are now a Meade dealer, being able to buy directly from Meade we are able to pass on the best possible prices we can to our customers.

Sincerely, thanks for the support we receive from our customers.

Peter Marples
Sirius Optics

[JZG]

This sort of thing isn't specific to astronomy either. My other passion is music. I can pay $3000 for a guitar here that retails for about half that in the US.

It seems local wholesalers or importers sign exclusive deals with overseas-based manufacturers that preclude other companies from sourcing the same product from other sources (so some resort to grey importing) and they thus protect their prices from competition. The exclusive importer justifies the relatively high prices on the basis of much lower volumes in the Australian market, but I struggle with the idea I can fly half way around the world, walk into a shop, buy something, mail it home, fly back...and I save money compared to buying locally. I can accept paying a bit of a premium for Australia's geographic distance from manufacturers or for the small number of customers here (particularly in the astronomy market), but it does seem out of proportion.

[Hans Tucker]

Smart move. I hope they let Celestron know the reasons along with letting Celestron know that they are moving over to their competition. For the high prices you pay for Celestron you might as well pay a little bit more and move to the superior Takahashi brand.

[allan gould]

Good one, Peter. Live long and prosper!
Allan

[JB80]

It's the same here in Europe and even worse locally than buying from our neighbours.
In considering my next scope I have to seriously consider the US even with the risks invoved and the hassle to go to, do I want something second hand with no warranty or something brand new with no warranty?
May as well go second hand from the states and save a bundle more.

The two major dealers are digging themselves in a hole with their policies and I hope it back fires eventually.

[Astro_Bot]

Sounds fair - cut out the (what seems to be) unnecessary middle man and pass on the savings - that at least puts prices in the same ballpark.

BTW, the thread is titled the way it is for a reason - it's not aimed at a specific retailer or manufacturer. The example I chose was simply the most glaring one I saw today.

[marki]

Doubt they have sold more then a handful of scopes outside of their junk lines in a last couple of years in Australia. The prices remain stupidly high so I guess they don't care either. If you really want one simply import from the states using one of the many organisations that will supply a US postal address and send it on. At those prices local warranty is meaningless as if it breaks you could just buy another one from the US and still have change in your pocket. Bottom line is their scopes aren't that good so why bother, there are far better options out there anyway.

Mark

[pmrid]

It is probably not the retailer that fixes the price. In many instances, you'll find that the price they charge is highly controlled by the principal importer or by the terms of their licence from the manufacturer. I doubt that Sirius are any more pleased about this than we are.

Just noticed Peter's posting. Good move Ron and Peter.

Peter

[JB80]

Are there any other manufacturers around of large aperture SCT's(10"+) other than Meade and Celestron that have better policy for internationals or others around full stop?

[ZeroID]

If you think Aust is being ripped off try NZ !! We see Aus as cheap compared to local suppliers. Small population, smaller market, less suppliers ..... :shrug:

[barx1963]

I note that the specialist astro retailers are just about all leaving Celestron alone (Sirius, Bintel, My Astro etc). Andrews sells it but my guess is that Celestron or its rep here in Oz is more interested in selling through non specialist outlets (Aust Geographic, camera shops etc) rather than to the astronomical community.
Selling to non astronomers makes sense as a business model as markups are potentially higher and warranty claims lower.

Malcolm

[Astro_Bot]

Elsewhere in the thread, including my posts, you'll see that this is already discussed. I particularly mentioned that it seems mostly to be due to the importer/distributor.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Not everyone is getting out of Celestron. I noticed last Thursday that BTOW in Perth has plenty of Celestron telescopes in stock and his prices look fairly reasonable too. Not sure though whether he has all models in stock. Since I am not in the market for a new SCT I didn't ask.

Cheers Peter

[asimov]

Tell me about it. I want to pull the trigger on a C14 & the difference between the price USD-AUD is exactly 3K. (OPT/Andrews).

[Astro_Bot]

He's out of stock of C11's. Doing that price again is unlikely - I had a long chat with him a week ago, but I don't know how much of that is fit to print.

[Steffen]

The difference actually shrinks to under $1900 once you factor in shipping and GST. Still a big difference, that's for sure.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Terry B]

I bought a C11 from OPT earlier this year. Delivered to Aust with duty etc cost about $2100. This is very much cheaper than any Aust choices. The guarantee is US but I am taking that risk. No electronics to go wrong so I think the risk is minimal.
Freight forwarders solve the exclusivity problem.

[asimov]

Thanks Steffen, of course you are correct. I'm just wondering if it's worth it for the $1900. There are such things as 'lemons' when it comes to Celestron SCT's & if I just happened to ship in a dud all the way from the US, thus voiding the warranty......

[Stardrifter_WA]

When deciding to use a particularly freight forwarder due diligence is highly recommended.

I was going to use a "mail box" service in the US to get around the exclusivity problem, however, thoroughly checking them out highlighted a number of issues that were somewhat concerning. There were more than a few complaints about people not receiving goods and not being able to get any answers from the company involved.

Adding a further layer of complexity can make it considerably more difficult in trying to track parcels. However, that is the risk you take trying to save some dollars. Once an item leaves the retailer and arrives at the freight forwarder, their responsibility ends; you are then relying solely on the freight forwarder.

Some credit cards and services like Paypal may not offer any protection when you consider that once an item is delivered to your freight forwarder it is considered to have been delivered, as this is your US address, hence no insurance protection.

Warranty is another issue. If you return a telescope to the US retailer directly from Australia, will they honour the warranty, or will you have to return it via your US "address" (your freight forwarder)? It all sounds too complicated to save $1900. Besides, how much time would be involved dealing with warranty issues with a US company and an Australia company. My preferred Australian suppliers have all responded quickly to any issues.

Sometimes trying to save some money can end up costing you everything.

Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware) applies.

[Terry B]

This is of course true. You are relying on the freight forwarder being honest. In my case this was the case as I had no problems.
The cost in Oz for a grey imported version of the scope from Andrews is $3600. You are then relying on the warranty provided by the supplier not the manufacturer. This is OK as long as they stay in business.
The same scope from the official distributor is much more expensive. You could fly over and bring it back as luggage cheaper.
Different risks for different people.

[Stardrifter_WA]

That can be true too, however, unless you can actually bring it back in your luggage, without additional weigh costs, freight costs would still apply.

I was looking at getting a Takahashi 106ED, and if I flew to Hong Kong I could get it at about half the price, according to some. With airfares, the price would be about the same as the Australian price, however, I could have a holiday too. And, it would easily fit in my luggage. Alas, I still can't afford that, so I have settled on a much less expensive alternative.

Cheers Peter

[OICURMT]

This topic has been covered many many times...

With respect to price gouging on Celestron products, the people to blame are....

http://www.sheldonandhammond.com.au/

[Nikolas]

So why are the retailers not kicking up a real stink? Why do the retailers let the wholesalers and distributors get away with gouging?
Why are the retailer so gutless?

Same applies for Orion products as well.
Seriously is there no retailers association going after these distributors and importers?

[Nikolas]

There are american re-shippers that will ship to australia via an american address.
http://reship.com/
http://www.myus.com

etc.
Not sure about freight for heavy items but still be cheaper than buying from here even after customs takes its cut

[Stardrifter_WA]

Simply put, retailers in Australia ARE standing up to Celestron, as are some consumers, like me. I didn't just moan about this situation, I have written to Celestron about this on a number of occasions, particularly about not being able to buy from another country because the Australian distributor won't stock some accessories. Celestron appears not to care, but then I am only one voice. Maybe if everyone wrote to them they might listen?

The fact remains, that the serious end of the Celestron's Australian market remains quite small whereas the smaller (cheaper) end of the market sells considerably more.

Despite that, many retailers in Australia are moving away from Celestron, as did the past distributor. The only retailer that I am aware that actually has stock of Celestron now appears to BTOW, although he doesn't appear to stock all models. His prices are not as high as some I have seen. But then, that doesn't affect me, as I already have my Celestron and I paid much more than they are now. I bought mine when the Aussie dollar was "way" lower than it is now. I think at the time the Aussie dollar was only buying about 65 cents US.

When the Aussie dollar drops below parity, and it will, the situation will become much worse. So, get in now while you can. I am, as I have already ordered a new scope and accessories whilst the Australian dollar is high.

Cheers Peter

[Stardrifter_WA]

Here are some links to reviews about reshippers. To be fair, these may only be isolated cases and many have had good experiences. In moving any freight around there are always risks, and adding a layer of complexity may mean greater risks. These risks must be considered if you are to make an informed decision. Having said that, I have had many shipments and have had only one go missing, but that was ok as it was covered by insurance.

http://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/www.reship.com

myus http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/myus.aspx

Cheers Peter

[Terry B]

Not sure about the message but the second of the links above puts a
moving banner add across my little phone screen making it impossible to see the info under it.

[Nikolas]

Doesn't hurt to bombard their facebook (https://www.facebook.com/celestron?fref=ts&filter=2) page either

[Stardrifter_WA]

Good idea Nikolas, but alas, I don't do Facebook.

Despite our dollar being high, prices will always be lower in the US due to volume. Higher volume means lower margins, which is the same for nearly anything that is mass manufactured. If Australia had the same volume of sales as the US then the pricing would be much closer, but we don't.

Smaller volume means higher margins in order to maintain the same percentage profits. And, don't forget one simple principle, if a company cannot make a profit, then they will go out of business. And if companies go out of business then we wouldn't have access to any equipment and would have to go back to making our own.

Cheers Peter

[TrevorW]

you think Celestron are bad compare this US store price with the same product from an Aust seller

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Barska+Blackhawk+20-60x60&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search=

http://www.telescopesdirect.com.au/Barska-Blackhawk-20-60x60-Angled-Spotting-Scope-with-Tripod-Carry-Case-Hard-Case


Ad they reckon you are saving 33%

[Astro_Bot]

That's only a factor of 3.5x, taking exchange rate into account. But sure, it's just GST and a little shipping that makes the difference, right? :screwy:

[Stardrifter_WA]

Yes Trevor, most things in the US are cheaper than here.

I think we need some perspective though.

It isn't 'necessarily' the distributor ripping people off, although I do agree that some distributors do appear to have extremely high pricing in some instances.

The fact is that Australia is an expensive place to do business. Rents and Government (federal, state and local) compliance issues are a high cost outgoing. Particularly rents (plus rates), as they are horrendous here in comparison to those of the US, particularly taking into account population and business turnover. Australia has a small population that has an even smaller astronomy market. Not to forget that wages here are higher than the US. For instance, the minimum hourly rate in Australia is $15.96 as compared to the US which is $7.25, and the average weekly income is 34% higher in Australia. There are many more lower paid workers in the US than here.

Warranty issues are another factor, as the cost of providing warranty is often borne by the distributor. For instance, the freight for items that have to be returned to manufacturer and the subsequent clearance costs on its return to Australia have to borne by the distributor, not necessarily by the manufacturer. Also, on the subject of warranty, in a small market like Australia, the cost of providing warranty is much higher.

When you consider factors such as Equal Order Quantities and Break Even Analysis, we are simply not a large enough market to be able to compete with the US market or prices. The fact is, there are 315 million people in the US compared to 23 million in Australia. We are a small population and rank 52 in the world populations. We are not that important.

The fact is, if you want to continue to be able to walk into a store and look at this all this gear, the price for that is obvious.

Furthermore, as most things in the US are much cheaper there, what do you think would happen to businesses in Australia if we bought EVERYTHING from the US.

As more money flows off shore, the weaker we become. This is why I accept that I will have to pay more here, if I still want to be able to get things like warranty and service.

Although I do buy some things from overseas, and that is mostly because it isn't available here, I mostly support the Australian businesses. I certainly do not want to see them disappear, otherwise, I will have to jump on an aeroplane if I want to see anything before I buy it. Besides, small business is the major employer in Australia and without them, most of us wouldn't have a job, directly or indirectly.

And no, I am not in business, nor would I want to be, as it is tough in small business in Australia. We simply cannot, nor will we ever, be able to compete.

[Astro_Bot]

Local businesses that survive (many would not) would re-organise to the new environment to offer a better value proposition to local consumers. These have been the consequences of trade for centuries. I don't expect that to change. Clinging to the past is the worst thing to do.


Money may flow off shore in some sectors, but what are the net terms of trade? It's those net terms that determine our collective future, not one narrow sector. We ran "Buy Australian" campaigns for many years and some people made that conscious decision, but mostly people bought at a price point, as they have always done. Many predicitons of doom have come and gone, but we're still here, doing better than many. But, you know what? We're not even talking about Australian Made: astro products are made mostly in China and Taiwan, by Chinese- and Taiwanese-owned companies. "High end" stuff comes from (total pluck!) Japan, UK, Russia, and yes, some from the USA. There's none from Australia of which I'm aware. So what are we protecting, and is it worth the exorbitant price hikes? A tiny first-level repair capability, perhaps? IMO, that is governed by the shipping barrier back to the manufacturer or to a regional hub (e.g. Singapore, or Thailand, or even China where labour is cheapest). If it's subsidised by higher retail prices, then it's inefficient and does not offer the best value to the consumer.

If less money is spent on astro gear, then more money is available to fuel either domestic davings or other consumption - the net benefit may actually be positive ... though small, since that astro market is small.


Nobody wants to see Australian businesses disappear, but they do, especially if they stick their heads in the sand and cling to an outdated business model. I fully expect the vast majority of retail businesses to move online over the next 20 years, with "shops" simply becoming show rooms and "staff" merely facilitating online transactions, or close to it. As long as the majority shop that way, the rest will be dragged along whether they like it or not.

And how useful is seeing a telescope "in the flesh"? Do you star test before you buy? Do you even view a third-party test report before you buy? Most don't: they buy on reputation and review or advice from other users. Much of what is available in a store can be replicated online (e.g. high def 3D rotating view, zoomable, etc.). It's nice to see it in person, but not essential, IMHO. Personally, I'd trade off an in-person inspection for a detailed third-party (independent) report, and an opportunity to view through at a star party, any day. Maybe travelling shows (in this case, that visit star parties with a selection of gear) could become popular again? There were vendors at Astrofest and travelling shows been a popular method in the distant past for all kinds of goods.


I think that's overtstating things, if true at all. The high dollar is the greatest impediment to international competition, driven largely by the resources boom, our AAA-credit rating and high confidence in Australian financial instruments (according the the analyses I've been reading). But Australian businesses have competed, and do compete, if they're smart enough. Domestic competition in the US is no easier than here - I would say significantly harder - and that has created some lean business approaches that are highly successful. They scale more easily there due to volume (you've pointed out the domestic volume issue) but there is a large question about what threshold volume in a niche market such as astronomy (especially when products are shipped from factories in China, say), is necessary to sustain a viable business. I don't think it's as large as you seem to believe. The bottom line is that without detailed info from retailers, distributors and manufacturers, we won't know what that threshold is.

I don't think it's as straight forward as bandying about a few terms such as minimum wage and volume and saying we will always pay much more due to those factors. We may, but I'd like to see all the figures in detail to understand all of the contributing factors quantitavely.

But, even a cursory analysis should show that the examples given in this thread are not justifiable.

[marki]

Has anyone considered that we may actually be getting a better quality product than that dished out in the states and that may be contributing to the cost? If you read a large number of posts on CN you may very well believe it too as it seems anything made and sold by Meade or Celestron in the US simply disintegrates once removed from the box and exposed to sunlight for the first time. All my Meade scopes have worked perfectly for years now without a problem so perhaps there is something to it? You may very well get what you pay for.

Mark

[Larryp]

I remember back in 1985 when I first got into astronomy, we were led to believe that importing a scope was a difficult thing to do.
I wanted a Meade 2120LX3, and I priced it locally at $7500.00 with no hand controller, dec motor or eyepieces.
I contacted a dealer in California and including freight, duties and taxes, and the above-mentioned accessories, landed it here for $5300.00
Other members of the society I belong to started buying from the same US dealer.
Didn't take too long for the local dealers to start reducing their over-inflated prices once they realised they were losing business

[Astro_Bot]

I very strongly doubt that. More likely, IMHO, is that US consumers are more vocal about problems and, given a larger population, there are more complaints to see.

Celestron SCTs (with the possible excpetion of 14" and perhaps more of the EdgeHD scopes) are shipped complete from China, while Meade are shipped complete from Mexico. I've read many reviews and complaints that lead me to believe that those shipped boxes remain unopened until they reach the purchaser.

[marki]

And here I was thinking my Meade's were special as they have never faltered in 5 years of use :P:):thumbsup:

Mark

[Astro_Bot]

As I'm in the process of acquiring a Meade, I may be about to add my own sorry tale to the pile. ;)

From reading reports and comments, I gather that Meade has concentrated on quality control in the last few years ... well, at least in the LX200 and ETX lines. However, I don't have enough info to tell whether the overall product quality is measurably better.

If yours are good, then hang on to them! :thumbsup:

[Stardrifter_WA]

Very fair comments Astro Bot and certainly food for thought.

The following link shows some figures of price comparisons. I too would like to see more quantitative research on this, but have yet to find any significant studies. Certainly, price differential is contentious issue and I was merely suggesting that there may be other reasons than mere price gouging. I too agree that business models have to change to reflect changing times.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?countr y1=Australia&country2=United+States

The fact remains that Australia is an expensive place to live and do business.

In regard to our terms of trade, they may not be as rosy as we would like to think. I would suggest, as has others, that we are only in the position we are because of the resource sector.

http://www.marketeconomics.com.au/2093-australias-terms-of-trade-are-free-falling-but-how-far-will-they-go

In addition to the above is an article that appeared on the ABC News site today, which shows wage growth is a contributing factor. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-19/survey-shows-small-business-struggling/4379590

Cheers Peter :)

[PRejto]

Slightly off topic, but earlier there was discussion about re-shippers in the USA. I purchased my PMX mount directly from Software Bisque before they had an Australian distributor. In any case they had no issue about shipping the mount to Australia, but I did when I saw the UPS price! In the end I had them ship it to Florida where I had MyUSA ship it on to me. I saved just shy of $1,000 in shipping alone by doing this. I think MyUSA is pretty good. You just need to be careful to cancel the account after you use it to keep it from automatically renewing after a year!

[LewisM]

Importing yourself is simple - here is no ned to have acustoms receiving serivce here unless you arebone azy or live a LONG way from the import airport/port. I have been importing my own stuff from the USA for 10 years - Australian Customs guys know me VERY well indeed :) (all top guys and glas BTW).

I have a US friend who receives for me and sends on. I trust him implicitly. I get allmy Orion stuff through him and it saves me on average about $100 or so (the Skywatcher ED100 focal reducer is around $240 here. I got the Orion branded exact same one from Orion for $149 US with shipping).

I also have a large exporter in Tacoma, WA in the states who will handle ANYTHING, and for a VERY good rate.

[TrevorW]

Remember my examples are retail pricing, both are still making a profit.

Similar scopes through Ebay 1/2 these prices.

Manufacturing costs and retail pricing would be significantly less in China where they are made.

Let's not fool ourselves.

Unless it's something I need straight away I no longer buy from retail outlets (excluding perishables)

[Geoff45]

But sometimes you get a bargain. I was going to the US last year and was in the market for an ethos eyepiece and I thought I would save a motza by buying in the US. No way. Bintel was about $850. Intent search of US sources didn't yield anything under $800. By the time you factor in US sales tax and lugging the thing around while traveling I went with Bintel.
Geoff
Note added: just checked current prices. OPT US$805, Bintel A$799. Add postage and the local supplier works out a lot cheaper. Go figure.

[Stardrifter_WA]

If you look at Bintel prices now, they are cheaper than those like OPT, even without the current discounts.

Hmmm, maybe I should get a Delos?

Cheers Peter

[Larryp]

Bintel have had excellent pricing on Televue eyepieces for a long time now

[OICURMT]

FYI, using today's FOREX at close (1.039).

A$799.00 = U$830.16
U$805.00 = A$774.78


OIC!

[Stardrifter_WA]

I know. I watch the exchange rate closely, as I am planning to go to the US in May (to the RTMC), work permitting. I am hoping that the exchange rate may get better, however, that will mostly depend on what happens in Europe and China. I suspect that the exchange rate may drop below parity, in the short term, if the rumours that the RBA is printing money are correct.

I just wish I had a crystal ball, so that I can buy US dollars at the best exchange rate.

Also bare in mind, you cannot actual buy dollars at that rate. Currency Exchanges sell a little below that, as they like to take a slice, and the bank charges you a fee to buy US dollars. Even with a Credit Card you are charged an International transaction fee, although that is fairly low anyway. When I go to the states I am getting a CC charged with US dollars, so that I don't pay the International transaction fee on every purchase I make whilst there.

[OICURMT]

True points...

Exchange houses take about 3% (Travelex is currently at 1.0064). I tend to use my US brokerages to shuttle money back and forth. This way I can get the interbank rates, currently at 1.035/43 and get charged a small fee (1%).

If you don't have this option, you might want to consider opening an account with a money broker. I've heard of World First, but have not used them.

As for credit cards, you'll need a US address to apply for a CC in the USA. Should be easy enough, as US CC companies trip over themselves to get you to sign up... ;). I've been with Citibank for over 20 years and their customer service calls me every year to see how I'm doing and if there's anything they can do to help me spend my money :lol:. Citibank is one of the card companies that charge the lowest fees for international transactions (after they lost a class action suit I was in for gouging from 2000-2004. I got over $2700 back).

The dreaded CC is part of the reason the USA is in such bad shape. The GFC has forced a lot of lending companies to write off bad debt, so I don't know if there are new checks and balances in place for people who live overseas.

BTW: Crystal ball's are the last thing you need for FOREX trading... Steel are much more appropriate... :rofl:

[Stardrifter_WA]

Thanks for the tip, I will check that out.

Cheers Peter

[wavelandscott]

I have been keeping an eye on that too...I still have an $AUD bank account and I think since it is going overseas that I can avoid GST too. Maybe I can start up a US grey market selling new Australian gear here...

[Stardrifter_WA]

Yeah Scott, at these prices I ordered a 6mm Delos today. Was going to order two, but not having used one of the eyepieces I thought I'd try one first. May order another one next week. :D I need some decent planetary eyepieces now!

Got a new triplet, have to have some new eyepieces, hey? :P

Cheers Peter

[TechnoViking]

I couldnt agree more!! We seem to cop horrible prices in Australia, just about every product we are paying far too much for, everything from Food right through to Cars... its almost criminal!

From what i have seen while working for a computer retail shop, I saw the costs of products that they ordered in from wholesalers and saw the HUGE profit this shop was making, i watched the boss double, tripple and quadripple the retail markup.
e.g DDR2 RAM 2GB - cost $24.00 and they retailed it for $72.00!!:eyepop:

needless to say i left that job very quickly.

But in reality we are a small population compaired to the big countries like the U.S and G.B, and for the most part big companies such as celestron just dont care, i contacted celestron last year to make a complaint about the software that came with my scope which was smashed to pieces.. Basically i was told "call the place you bought it from" pretty discusting in my opinion! Then when i contacted the place i bought it from they told me that they would contact celestron and ship me another one, which was almost a year ago! :mad2: i have contated them on more than one occation! So i contacted celestron again, and they told me to down load it from their support area on their webpage.
I know i could have done that in the first place, its not the point! when i buy something new, I expect new, especially when its marked up $1700 from U.S prices
Its not only celestrons pricing but Orion as well - almost $700 for the awesome Autoguider (with adaptors for my scope) and U.S $489 for the same thing with adaptors!

I do apologise about my rant! :tasdevil:

[Stardrifter_WA]

Who did you buy it from?

[TechnoViking]

Andrews :(

[Stardrifter_WA]

Ah! Good, not one of of preferred suppliers then. :)

[ourkind]

I just bought a Celestron f/6.3 SCT Telescope Reducer Corrector Lens from ebay imported from USA

ebay price total AU$173.94

Other aussie retailers $359 and they claim it's been reduced from $559 :screwy:

[TechnoViking]

Well I asked the question, on the Celestron Facebook page.
I will be very intrested to see the reply, im sure they will just delete it. lol

see attached :D

[rolls05]

Jeez,you guys think you've got it bad,try buying a setup here in newzealand. I'm after a eq goto ed80 setup and ,well at least you fellas can buy stuff in Oz. The closest thing I can buy to that is a skywatcher 80 pro ota for 1500bucks and god knows where I'd get a mount for it, or I can get a Saxon ed80 on a AZ3 mount , standard hand controls for 1500 bucks.:screwy: And that about covers the 2 main shops. Forget about decent filters and suchlike. In fact the third and last scope online store I found dont even have refractors.So my only option is to buy from Oz (if theres one that ships overseas) and still get it landed here for way cheaper.

[Stardrifter_WA]

Good luck with that James. If may more people complained directly to Celestron, maybe they would then listen. But Australia simply isn't a large market for them.

I am a prolific write and have written many letters to Celestron and in the end, they neither gave a satisfactory explanation, or the explanation assumed I am gullible and would accept such an unsubstantiated and indifferent answer, or simply they didn't answer my emails. Perhaps they thought that ignoring me I might go away. Well, I did!

I simply do not buy any more Celestron gear. I love my current Celestron, which I have had for 8 years (and paid much more than todays prices), and was thinking of upgrading to a larger size, but decided, because of their pricing practices, to go in a different direction.

I doubt you will see prices within a couple of grand of the US, as there are factors other than price gouging that affect "all" prices in Australia and the primary reason is the high wages paid in Australia (which was shown recently in an ABC News article as being the major factor affecting business...see earlier thread), which employers have to recover somehow.

I know I am well paid, for a part-time job, and I certainly wouldn't want my pay to drop to the level of those in the US for the exact same job . We are an expensive place to do business.

I wouldn't want to be in retail these days, its tough.