Assumptions behind used telescope ads

[AussieBill]

Hello,

When reading the ads for 2nd hand telescopes what assumptions can I make / not make regarding eyepieces ?

ie If a 2nd hand telescope is advertised for sale can one assume that it will come with an eyepiece and it will actually be possible to use the telescope without having to purchase a heap of extras ?

Is there any sort of etiquette or "standard" involved when selling/buying telescopes ? Should I make sure that a telescope is also accompanied by an X a Y and Z and a W to ensure I can use it ? Where XYZW are eyepieces, filters, spotting scope, camera mount, etc etc etc ?

It is well known when buying and selling metal lathes that it can easily cost as much as the lathe to purchase the relevant tools and accessories to make the lathe confortably useable.

Is it a similar situation with 2nd hand telescopes ?

Bill

[gaseous]

Hi Bill, I've not bought or sold anything on the IIS classifieds, but I think it would be safe to assume that if it's not explicitly stated as being included (i.e., eyepieces, filters, etc) then it's not part of the deal. From what I've seen, most sellers are quite specific as to what's included and what's excluded.

[Atmos]

It is a good question, I would say that it generally comes down to the telescope. If you are buying a "beginners" second hand telescope, one that is on the cheaper side brand new, the kind that come with one or two cheap eye pieces to begin with, it might.

The vast majority of more expensive telescopes don't come with eye pieces as standard so unless the seller explicitly has them up for sale, they won't be included.

Typically a telescope will come with OTA rings and some kind of bar so that it can be mounted. This is usually the case unless mentioned that it isn't.

[dannat]

no don't assume eyepieces are incl. , they should be listed if avail

& yes you can easily buy eyepieces exceeding the cost of the telescope, you will get a better image from an expensive mirror/objective with average eyepieces tha you will with an average mirror & expensive eyepieces.

a finderscope is pretty important, filters & eyepieces [cheap ones] les so

[Wavytone]

Hi Bill,

Fundamentally there is no real standard - it's all up to the seller as to what they're offering, and its fair to assume only what's listed is offered. If there's something you'd like but it's not clearly listed you had better ask - the seller might make a deal.

You should also try to find out what condition it is in, and frankly I wouldn't buy a used scope unless I've had the chance to look at a star at high power through it first, or perhaps someone I trust has. Likewise I'd want to try a mount and make sure the drives and handset are working properly.

There are a few reasons:

- first-surface telescope mirrors degrade with time and may need cleaning or stripping and re-coating which adds to the cost.

- some antireflection coatings on lenses (SCT, Maks, refractors and eyepieces) are permanently damaged by some spray-on insect repellants.

- some types of glass and especially fluorite objectives are easily damaged by well-intentioned but ignorant noobs trying to clean them. A fluorite objective can be completely wrecked by someone "cleaning" it who has no idea what they're doing.

- equipment that has been dropped or dismantled by a well-intentioned noob, but the result is a damaged item. For example eyepieces that have been dropped or have gunk inside them. Note all eyepieces under 12mm should NEVER be dismantled, but some have been by curious types.

Likewise refractor objectives that have been disassembled and reassembled carelessly, mounts with stuffed worm drives, stripped or crossed threads, worm wheels with the teeth worn or sheared off or a damaged worm, or clutches damaged as a result of excessive force applied.

[AussieBill]

Thanks for all the help in the responses above.

Learned a few things.

Bill