Purchasing William Optics scopes in Australia?

[Harpage]

Hi,

In a few months, I plan on doing some astrophotography (I will be going on holidays soon, so I can’t purchase a setup now). I’ll be using a Saxon HEQ5 and a Canon EOS70D. The next thing I need to look for is an OTA, and I really like the Williams Optics Zenithstar 61.

It looks really nice and it’s received many good reviews online. This looks like the OTA for me, so I’ve basically added it to the list. But now I’m struggling to find somewhere to buy one of these.

I checked the Andrews Communications store, and their prices seem about right. Does anyone have experience with this store? And how can I pay them? It doesn’t look like they accept PayPal, which is something I’d want with an expensive purchase like this so I can be rest assured. I would assume to order, I just give them a call/email and tell them what I want to buy and my address - am I correct?

For anyone who has purchased this scope from Andrews, what was the lead time (I heard these items are special order), and what were the costs of the accessories (notably the field flattener and the dovetail bar). Furthermore, is shipping free or something you have to pay for? Driving to Sydney or having someone collect it for me isn’t an option unfortunately.

I found another seller. Does anyone have experience with the 'phiber3317' store on eBay? They sell this scope for $950 + shipping, but they don’t sell the other accessories I need. Plus, there’s a delivery time of over a month, which doesn’t seem very attractive.

I’ve also noticed that purchasing this scope is rather cheap from an overseas shop like First Light Optics. The Z61 + field flattener + AU shipping totals to about $1k AU, which is the exact cost for buying a scope here. It also only takes 2-3 weeks to arrive. But I don’t know about all of the import taxes, customs, duties, etc... Has anyone here done this, and what was your experience like?

I apologize for rambling a lot, but this is a rather expensive purchase and I’d like all of my questions answered before I spend $1k+ on a scope. By the way, I’m not interested in purchasing anything used. I don’t mind spending extra on something which I’ll be able to have warranty on, and I prefer buying new things in general.

Thanks in advance! :)

[Nikolas]

There is also this seller who also knocks $50 of RRP
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/William-Optics-ZenithStar-61mm-f-5-9-Imaging-APO-Refractor-FPL-53-ED-APO-Doublet/202780475974?var=502928259685


So more or less you get it for less than $900

[Harpage]

That was the eBay seller I was mentioning. Only problem is the seemingly long delivery time and also they don’t mention the prices of the additional accessories. By the way I’m new here. Is there a way to fix it so threads aren’t read from bottom to top? (the newest comment is always on top of the page)

[Nikolas]

Tht's the way this forum and most others work

[CeratodusDuck]

Go to your User CP and you can change settings to show the thread in order of oldest to newest (how I view it).

[Harpage]

Thanks. I prefer reading it from oldest to newest, especially when reading a new thread and I have no clue on what’s going on.

[Wilso]

It’s under edit options thread display

[Rainmaker]

Are you sure the eBay seller is going to provide warranty :question:
If he is not an authorised dealer then WO won't back your purchase either...

Andrew's Comms is fine to purchase from....

[CeratodusDuck]

Phiber does have a great price on RedCats. I'll stick with Peter Ward though - he IS an authorised WO dealer ($200 difference though...)

[Harpage]

Oh yeah that’s a good point. Though Andrews don’t accept PayPal and I sort of want that buyers protection incase something does go wrong.

[CeratodusDuck]

I think Andrews WILL now. I bought a mount from them last week and I think Luke mentioned PP.

I paid by direct deposit into their account. Just as easy.

And yes, Andrews are GREAT to deal with. Their website is a shocker (very 1990's :) ) but the prices usually good. Just don't expect fantastic service from Toll-IPEC they use to ship - cheap, and for a reason. Arrived at local depot, and they were going to deliver it 4 days later. I requested personal depot pickup, so did :)

[AstroApprentice]

Hi Dan,
Andrews Comms are a reputable Aus dealer, but do need to modernise their website/sales. Alternatively, you can buy WO from Robin at Cyclops Optics in Hong Kong. Despite being in HK, CO are the official Aus dealer for some Astro products e.g. Pegasus and offer free delivery over a certain price. I’ve had very positive dealings with Robin over the last few years.

[CeratodusDuck]

As I mentioned above their website is..well...crap. I am sure someone in our community could fix it for them for mutual benefit.

[Harpage]

Thanks for the shop recommendation, Cyclops will send the Z61 + flattener + m48 T-Ring for $1200 shipped, but i don’t about the taxes and stuff (since it’s over $1k, it has to be declared, right? or is that per item?). But if Andrews accepts PayPal, I might buy it there, especially if delivery will be quicker. I’ll send em an email tomorrow and see.

[CeratodusDuck]

I was incorrect. This is what Luke said : If you would like to place an order, we accept payment by credit card, cheque, or direct deposit into our bank account.

[Harpage]

I emailed Andrews and they will sell me the Zenithstar 61 with flattener, case, T-Ring, and dovetail for $1725 including shipping. But if I just purchased the scope, flattener, and T-ring, it will total to $1537. If I imported this scope from Cyclops Optics or FLO, should I expect to pay about $300-400 in customs and duties?

Alternatively, I noticed My Astroshop sells the GT-71 which is a triplet and includes a field flattener as well, for only $1535. I’ve emailed them asking how much shipping is but they haven’t answered yet. I expect it to probably be about $50, so the total setup would be about $3000 with other accessories. But how noticeable is the difference between a triplet like the GT-71, and a doublet of the same size like the Skywatcher Evostar ED 72which is a lot cheaper. The difference is about $600 so I’m not sure if it’s worth it or not.

[AstroApprentice]

Just to confuse you some more, WO will soon be releasing their new RedCat 71 Petzval APO refractor. It will have a focal ratio of f/4.9 and a 45 mm image circle...

[Harpage]

Ohhh, the Recat 71 looks really nice but hopefully it’s not as expensive as the Star 71. Actually looking at them, they’re basically the same. So what would the difference between the Star 71 and Redcat 71 be?

[Peter Ward]

I have a rubbish website too.:lol:

But ATS are actually WO's oldest Australian dealer (I met Bill in Taipei in the 1990's).

Good luck with warranties from foreign E-bay sellers, as likely you will be paying $$ to return defective items... WO QC is not bad, but we have had to send the occasional 'scope back that was not up to par. Australian consumer laws must be observed by local dealers, but mainly it's the GST which is the reason for small premium in local pricing.

Out of the current crop of WO optics, I have to say their RedCat/SpaceCat 51's are very impressive. You'd pay 3x as much for comparable Canon or Nikon glass. I bought one for myself! But it is still to see first light due the cloud + smoke around Sydney of late.....:sadeyes:

[DeWynter]

WO ships to Australia straight from their warehouse in Asia. If you want WO ZS61 or RedCat then buying from WO directly is the best thing.
AndrewsCom and other will simply order items from WO and then re-deliver to you. That explains long delivery times.

[Peter Ward]

Actually no, it doesn't explain delivery times.

Currently, WO's site shows NIL stock on RedCat51's

.....but some Oz dealers actually have them in stock for immediate delivery...fancy that :)

[Outcast]

My Astroshop has very recently transferred ownership to an IIS member on here called Alex (mental4astro).. you might want to send him a pm.. I don't know what he does or doesn't have in stock first hand but, as he is a friend of mine, I am aware that the website may not be 100% accurate as yet as he is juggling this business, his main occupation & family but, he is working like crazy to get on top of it.

Send him a PM, you may get a quicker answer as to whether or not he has one in stock...

Cheers

[DeWynter]

And that's fine as well. Some items could be in stock here locally (at last they are official dealers :D ). But majority of WO items on AndrewsCom are not in stock here and will be ordered for you from WO. At least that's what they told me when I wanted to purchase mine WO ZS61 a year ago. And purchasing directly from WO was significantly cheaper for me with less delivery time. I ended up buying used one from an IIS member, but I did a very good shoparound before purchasing.

[Harpage]

Ordering the ZS61 with flattener and dovetail directly from WO costs $1147 shipped, which is over the $1000 threshold before duties have to be paid. Does anyone have a rough estimate as to how much I would expect to pay in GST (which is 10%), and the other customs/duties? I was also eyeing a TS-Optics Photoline 60mm, which appears to be identical to the Zenithstar but without the built in bahtinov mask, and costs only $975 shipped. I will have to pay GST though.

[DeWynter]

Danh, it's all depends what shipping company you would use. If that's standard post then it's just 10% GST. If that's DHL/UPS/etc then they might take some small percentage for brokerage.

Have a think about splitting into two packages - scope and accessories. In this case you pay more for shipping but you can get below $1000 and therefore avoid GST etc. which at the end could be cheaper.

Also have a look at Astro-Tech AT60ED which is similar to WO ZS61:
https://www.astronomics.com/astro-tech-at60ed-60mm-f-6-fpl-53-ed-doublet.html

[SuperG]

I've used Andrews a couple of time before. You should have no trouble with them. But just check they are an authorised WO seller as this may have implications to the warranty.

PS. I too have been looking at a WO scope from them.

[Brent274]

So just checking, who had success buying a WO ZS or RedCat in Australia without a crazy shipping price?

[Peter Ward]

What crazy shipping price?

In round numbers, if you order a RedCat directly from WO, you'll be waiting a month or so, it will cost you $US800 with shipping, pay with PayPal that will be $A1230. Add $123 for GST and $45 for the electronic entry fee. $1398.00

Local price $1299 plus post ($25) plus you'll have it by next week.

[casstony]

Second hand is another option. With all of the smoke and cloud limiting opportunities you might flush your scope of choice with a wanted ad.