Which overseas seller(s)?

[programmer]

Are there any retailers of astronomy supplies overseas that stand out from the rest?

Criteria are: reputation, speedy delivery, cost of postage, cost of item, in that order more or less.

I'm looking at accessories, not scopes.

Thanks!

[iceman]

OPT are great for that sort of thing.

[Stephen65]

I can second that. I have bought quite a few small items like eyepieces and accessories from OPT and have only had good experiences.

One tip - they have an online ordering system which includes an option to accept a calculated shipping estimate, don't accept that estimate, instead when you order tick the box that says "contact me with shipping estimates" - they can give you a wider range of costs and delivery times than the automated shopping system can.

[Ric]

I have also purchased from OPT and agree with the above comments. they are quite speedy with their deliveries usually around 5-7 working days if in stock and they are very quick to answer emails.

Cheers

[programmer]

Thanks for that. They do look good, but the postage is the killer. I wouldn't be saving that much, and with the dollar coming down... :(

[programmer]

I did see that option.. didn't try it though. I'm too impatient to wait 3-4 days let alone (possibly) a few weeks :D

[iceman]

You won't find many O/S sellers with better postage.. obviously it depends on the size of the item you're buying, but they're pretty reasonable.

You should request USPS as the postage option.

[wavelandscott]

And carefully review the rules on GST/Tariff/Duties for purchases overseas...threshold values also need to include shipping.

Lastly, depending on the object, buying overseas may make any future warranty claim invalid...

[citivolus]

The customs threshold of $1000 is exclusive of shipping. However, if it is over $1000, the GST component is calculated on the cost + shipping.

USPS shipping from OPT typically has come in under 40% of the quoted UPS rates for me. I have yet to wait more than about 2 days for them to process an order even when the contact me option is selected.

Eric

[GrahamL]

Well i don't know of others experiances , but I find the more pricey shipping options (global priority,etc ) not always that quick .

my last experiance had my $200 package tracked as leaving jfk one sunny afternoon never to be heard of again unil I found it by my fron't door
a couple of weeks later ,meanwhile I recieved another package sent by
the standard usps air parcel service in half the time .?:shrug:

[[1ponders]]

Well I'm going to throw a spanner in the works here. Just to present a balanced viewpoint.

Initially all my purchases through OPT were handled promptly and it was not unusual to receive deliveries more quickly than some Australian suppliers. However that has changed over the past 12 months. I have experienced significant delays, lack of replies to emails and followups and only received a reply after going over the top of the internetsales dept.

If this was an isolated incident then I would not worry about it, but it has happened too frequently of late. An example (but not an isolated one). My last order was for a $40 reticle illuminator. I placed my order online AND mady a followup email (considering recent experience) I sent another 2 emails until I contacted the boss. I received and apology and an assurance that the item would be dispatched the following morning. That was the 18th of Oct, my CC was deducted initially deducted the amount of the illuminator on the 8th of oct and the postage on the 19th. I have still not received the illuminator after nearly a month.

After this I will be sourcing my gear from elsewhere, no matter how extensive their collection of goodies is. :mad2:

Caveat emptor

[matt]

OPT have been very good to me in recent years. I would place them pretty much at the top of the list of overseas vendors.

However, I have to agree with Paul. There does appear to be something of a 'recent' slip in terms of service and attitude.

That's very disappointing Paul about your card being charged well before you've received your goods. I reckon that's an absolute no-no. They should've only charged you once the goods have shipped.

They stuffed me around pretty bad ahead of the recent Mercury transit. So badly, in fact, that I missed seeing/imaging it.

They have tried pretty hard since to regain my confidence as a customer...but you know how it is, once bitten etc

[mlcolbert]

I know that I am impressed with APM over in Germany.

www.apm-telescopes.de

Marcus is the person I have been dealing with and he is an excellent communicator, reliable and has good stuff!

It's where I purchased my lunar / planetary camera from and where the APQ 130 is being sent from. Markus is also a tech and is honest. EG I had put a deposit on the 130 and he asked if before sending it he could test it in his observatory. Some would have done it regardless but he asked permission to use it for first light. I don 't know about you guys, but I appreciate the honest and direct approach. Also, if he has it in stock, you know it because it's on the website.

I will continue to deal with Marcus as with others in Germany as I get superior equipment and service.

my threepence worth.


michael

[citivolus]

A potential alternative is Adorama (buytelescopes.com). I have never had any problems with them in the past, and ordered plenty of kit from them while living in California. However, I've never had them ship to Australia so I'm not certain how their overseas rates are.

[timelord]

Scopestuff--great service and reasonable postage costs

[Stephen65]

I've just ordered a couple of Supermono eyepieces from Marcus and I found him good to deal with, they are in the post right now.

The only possible issue with APM is that they set their prices in Euros and since the A$ has moved up against the US$ but not against the Euro then Euro priced gear is often not as competitively priced as US gear.

[rumples riot]

OPT are good, never had a problem ever. Spent nearly 9000 with them in the last 3 years and each time the delivery was spot on.

[gbeal]

I'll toss another into the ring. BT Technologies in Florida.
I know the guy personally, and have bought a few LARGE Takahashi items from him. Plus I organized a Paramount from him to a friend in NZ. Good guy.
http://www.bttechnologies.com/