Opt Telescopes - Shipping Issues?

[nsavage]

Just wondering if anyone has used Opt Telescopes before and how they found them. I ordered something 9 days ago and received a notification to say that is shipped 8 days ago. However the order status on their website says

"Your order is confirmed. We’ve accepted your order, and we’re getting it ready. Come back to this page for updates on your shipment status."

and when I check the tracking number provided it shows tracking as

"August 13, 2019 at 3:26 pm. Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending"

I sent an enquiry to them asking what was going on and was given a very generic response of "You picked the cheapest shipping option, you wont see tracking information once teh item gets to Australia, if you haven't received it in 30 days we will investigate".

Just wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences when purchasing overseas and/or with Opt Telescopes.

Typically I would prefer to buy local however the item I purchased was not available locally.

[brisen]

I have used them before without issue postage wise. The product I got was DOA and had to be returned to them for replacement and no problems getting it replaced. They covered the cost of postage to get it to me after u returned it.

I did use priority postage but once it got to auspost all tracking vaporised into a black hole just as many of us here expect when auspost get there paws on things. It usually takes about 10 days for priority post to get here so I suspect longer for the cheaper options.

Tracking is usually good with them.

Brian

[nsavage]

The tracking is what concerns me TBH. It appears as though the package never actually went from their warehouse to USPS and they are refusing to investigate at all for 30 days. I for one will never use them again.

[LewisM]

That's just how it is these days with international postage - you likely won't even get an accurate update until it's in your hands, or even never as some of us have discovered. Not only has US postage become prohibitively expensive for international items, it has also become rather erratic and slow.

Oddly, I have always found OPT more expensive for most items than we can get here, even before postage.

[nsavage]

Believe it or not they were the cheapest option that would ship to Australia for this particular item.

[FlashDrive]

Ain't that the Truth .... it stops people in their tracks from purchasing items all because of excessive Post / Freight Costs ...!!

[Wilso]

I’ve used opt for a lot of eyepieces, shipping with usps I normally get reasonable tracking info in the US but then can almost stop when it gets to Australia.
Check the tracking no. with Austpost and StarTrack express for info also.
The last few items , I haven’t been able to get anything once it landed here.
Sometimes parcels take longer than others and you just have to wait.
Hopefully it’ll rock up soon.
You can have it sent directly to a post office parcel collect no. with opt as well

[el_draco]

I've used OPT dozens of times and never had a blink.

Service is excellent. If you choose low level shipping you don't get updates, simple. I used higher level shipping and noted repeatedly that i could see purchases transiting the planet right up to the point where they hit Australia a day or so after shipping.

In Australia the items are then strapped to the backs of brain damaged slugs, high on ice. I have regularly waited 2 weeks for a package to get to Tasmania via four other states!

Patience is a virtue

[nsavage]

Now I am more concerned LOL. I am convinced that it was never sent now. I guess only time will tell.

[Wilso]

Opt and Agena Astro service are very good, I wouldn’t too much.

[nsavage]

If you saw the response to my enquiry regarding whether it had actually shipped or not it may change your mind about that statement....

[LewisM]

I have had ONE dealing with OPT - they made me sign a waiver BEFORE they would ship the item, which I found a little odd (basically negating my manufacturer's warranty as technically they weren't supposed to sell to me ). Nevertheless, it did arrive quickly even though tracking still showed it in the USA for weeks after it arrived.

[nsavage]

This sounds a little bit more promising.

I believe there are items that they should not be shipping overseas due to supplier arrangements yet are still doing so.

[johnnydoughert]

I have thankfully avoided this problem since I made sure to clearly mention it on our main e-commerce site, but one big problem that can arise is when international customers order items is they can be subject to unexpected additional Customs duties. The one I use is an air freight (http://www.brint.com.au/services/freight-forwarding/air-freight) from China to Australia to help me send the items. As a small business owner, it is totally in my interest to find the lowest cost shipping for not just my business costs, but also to offer competitive shipping rates for my customers.

[Spidy]

My item arrived within 5 days! That was about 2 weeks ago.

[Kempa]

I have purchased from OPT couple of times but received in 10 business days. But one from Optec took nearly a month to get delivery. sent them mail couple of times and no one had any clue. Tracking was showing processing at Chicago IL for 3 weeks. It was an horrible experience with Optec for me.