Scopes by mail order.

[eqcradle]

Just doing a bit of a straw poll really ...

I'm considering ordering a scope (8" Dob) by mail order, but I'm fairly uneasy about having something like a telescope handled by couriers. I really don't expect couriers to handle it with anything like the degree of care I would myself.

How do others feel about ordering a full scope by mail order? Are they generally packed well enough to survive couriers?

Thanks,
CL

[ving]

tell us more.
quite a few of us have scopes shipped within australia, often from one of the sydney shops to whichever state they live in. is this wht you are talking about? if so then generally speaking you are safe.

[Geoff45]

There was an article in Sky and Telescope recently by a guy who used to work in a scope shop and packed things for postage. He reckoned that if you couldn't drop it from the second floor onto hard concrete it wasn't packed well enough. I've never tried this with any deliveries I've had, but they have always arrived safely.
Geoff

[rmcpb]

The big mail order companies do this all the time with very few problems, it would not be in their interests. Either they pack them well or have tame couriers :)

[Omaroo]

I've never had any trouble if the company sending the package packs it properly.

Otherwise you could always watch Ace Ventura again to see how some companies might handle your gear..... ;)

[nightsky]

G'Day,
Not sure about state to state,I bought my 18" DOB (Truss) scope from overseas,came from the other side of the world by air and it was very well packed and arrived all in one piece.
Cheers
Arthur

[MortonH]

As long as it's sent by insured courier and you check it carefully when it arrives, there shouldn't be a problem.

Morton

[bluescope]

I bought a Meade DSX90-AT Maksutov Cassegrain from the US. It took three months to get to me by sea and arrived in perfect condition. Pheeeeew !
:thumbsup:
It was insured !!!

[leon]

I had a Meade 12"LX200, plus all the bits and pieces shipped from Perth to Ballarat Vic, not the slightest problem, and arrived in perfect condition, it is really not a problem if it is all packed well.

Leon

[Miaplacidus]

My 8 inch telescope arrived from Sydney to my workplace in Hobart. I wasn't on duty and it sat in the waiting room for a full day. The nurse stuck a label on it: "Dr Nolan's Patented P*nis Expander".

For some strange reason I saw a lot of male patients that week.

Anyways, the scope inside it was completely unscathed. (Not so my reputation.)

[Gargoyle_Steve]

I've received a 10" dob by interstate courier delivery - brand new unit, exceedingly well packaged, no probs at all. I've also received by mail order a Meade ETX-70, a Celestron MiniMak 65mm, 2 sets of 20x80 bino's, a 114mm reflector - in fact now that I think about it I have never bought ANY astro gear in a shop at all!

It's all arived just fine to be honest, so as long as you're buying from someone reputable you should have no probs whatsoever.