Prices going straight UP!

[circumpolar]

I just looked on the Bintel site and notice a huge price change.
Just when I thought I might be able to buy a 31mmNag, the price shoots up past $1000.!
:mad2:
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/welcome.htm

[erick]

Yep! My Paracorr purchase has moved to the back burner!

[gregbradley]

The Aussie dollar has just dropped 43% buying power in the last 2 months or so.

Greg.

[Ric]

I've noticed that as well on a few sites, a casualty of the falling dollar no doubt.

I think that it will stay that way for a while yet.

[Ian Robinson]

Sales volumes for local dealers will be following the AUD , ie down and around the S-bend.

I wouldn't want to be trying to make a living off selling telescopes and eyeopieces and other astro-bits here in Oz right now , I think they can expect a very lean Xmas unless they cut their margins conciderably as no one much will be buying (expecially while the economic outlook is so horrible globally and a lot of us will be wondering how long our jobs will last).

I still think we can expect a global economic depression in 2009 , but I will be very pleased if I am proven wrong.

[Jen]

:mad2:

:bashcomp::bashcomp:

[Ian Robinson]

I've been waiting to see a UFO for over 40 years , I am sure UFOs have astronomer detectors and give us a wide birth .:sadeyes:

[circumpolar]

On the up side, My astro gear has never been worth so much!:rofl:
In fact, my 12"LB is worth more now then it was when I bought it 2 years ago!!! It has jumped up to just under $1600.

Now I really can justify it's purchase as an investment! :P

[GrahamL]

I bought a 16 t5 nagler a short while back..looking at the $550 price tag
today it was unbelievably cheap .

some of those slow movers in buy and sell will sure get another look soon :)

[CoombellKid]

Yup! i'm glad all the things I needed from the US was brought back in May
when the dollar was sitting around .93c to the US $ : ))))))

regards,CS

[TrevorW]

Ask the question when did they buy the stock was the $ high or low as current stock purchased around when the $ was high should not have the price elevated

[Kevnool]

I suppose now that my 10" lightbridge price is way more than i paid for it, if i sold it second hand now i would get a good price .............But i wont as 3 telescopes set up in the lounge room make good ornaments .

[bloodhound31]

You think thats bad....I was on the verge of buying the Planewave 12.5 OTA

Not bloody likely now!!!!!! Up 3 grand!!!!:mad2::mad2::mad2:

I am beyond pissed off.

[xelasnave]

Well the aussie dollar is great value at the moment..so my advice would be buy up as many as you can:P

What a wonderful system we have...the currency tied to a country with a national debt using numbers to express its extent that we are accoustomed to in the astronomy world...er real big ones:D..can present as better value than a currency (ours) that seems on the face to have some real worth and relatively little debt in comparrision... the worm should turn one would think when those in trouble in the US no longer need to bing home all their overseas placed cash... without the call back and the resultant distortion of market value of a dollar I feel we could see our dollar may be viewed as better value... if only we could get what it is worth our dollar should buy a bucket of green backs.

Still everything will get dearer... so is it not comforting that little really changes for us mugs at the bottom of the heap.

alex:):):):):)

[AstralTraveller]

Alex,

What I've heard (on this forum and elsewhere) is that, if the Chinese can't sell products to the Yanks because they're broke then they won't buy our pretty rocks. Add to that our dependence on petrol/diesel and the Murray-Darling being as dry as the bottom of a cocky's cage and it's easy to be gloomy. But I refuse to feel down - I've just ordered a new eyepiece! :thumbsup:

[taminga16]

Eric, you could purchase the Paracorr with what you saved when you picked up the 35mm Panoptic. :).

Regards,
Greg.

[xelasnave]

That sounds too logical to be true so it must be so:P

I think that idea was in the minds of those engineering the giant xmas present for pensioners.... besides the booze (that some will buy no doubt ) places like crazy prices (where they sell nick nacks from China) will see some money flow on to China so they can buy more rocks as you put it.

Still ...my position is ...everything is too dear for me as I have no dollars of high or low value of Australian or US kind.. so my nothing in the bank has not been depleted or reduced..there was nothing there to begin with.;)

But I did run out yesterday to get a lap top before they moved beyond my reach and luckily I got my hands on a 450d a couple of weeks ago ..but the new scope will be put off for another year or two...

AND funny when I offerred cash rather than a card to make my purchase (lap top) it was as if the sales staff had never seen so much real folding money...certainly when I looked in their cash tray there was only a couple of fifties before my stash added to their small wad... I guess most use plastic wheteer credit or debit card such that cash is somewhat rare...


alex:):):)

[Jen]

:clap::clap::clap:
I like your way of thinking Astral :thumbsup:

Ill have what he's having :lol::lol:
;)

[Lismore Bloke]

Wasn't I a dill not to order a high grade EP when the
dollar was near parity. Panoptic 19 from $269 to $399, Panoptic 24 from $339 to $499, Nagler 20 $499 to $739, Paracorr visual $425 to $619.
:mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2::mad2:

[UniPol]

For those with short memories take a look at this ad placed in Sky & Space, FEB/MARCH 2003 issue, the dollar was a lot lower than it is now.

[erick]

There is always the other side of the coin. See this comment by an Australian manufacturer/supplier to an international enquiry:-

"With the Australian Dollar at a multi-year low in the last
two weeks with respect all other major currencies, now is
an opportune time to buy a unit at an absolute bargain price."

[Satchmo]

Thanks for postinbg that. It puts things in perspective. $660 for a Nagler 13mm Type 6 in 2003?. I was upset that it had gone up from $329 to $469 in the last month, but its not that bad in comparison to 2003...

[Stephen65]

A lot of my astro impulse buys when the A$ was at 95c are starting to look like good investments.

[Ian Robinson]

Glad I bought the 40D Enthusiast Pack , the Tele Vue Paracorr Visual , the Autoguider and the Vixen Atlux when I did , if I were looking at buying them now I'd be looking at needing several thousand more AUDs.

Wish I had bought the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM a couple months ago , best price I can find now is 2320AUD !!! And with some economic experts talking of the AUD falling further (to under 0.50USD AGAIN !!!) that might prove the best I can do for the forseeable future. Was 2220AUD this time last week.

At this stage as a buyer - I am on strike and no inclined to spend .

Great for exporters though who sell in USD but pay their workers and taxes and royalties in AUD.

US election next week , what are the chances that this will catalyse an improvement in the exchange rate ?

[White Rabbit]

I bought just about all of my gear when the au was riding high, very gald I did. Now evertime the price jumps I show the girl friend just how much I saved, pppfftt and she was worried at the time lol.

[Starkler]

I hope your girlfriend isnt the shoppaholic type, as such reasoning can backfire on you :lol:

You know how the ads go, "the more you spend, the more you save"
:rofl:

[GrahamL]

I think my 7 mm nagler which I sold for $140 cost its owner $700 new.


Recently I grabbed a 16 mm type 5 for $399 Its price now $549
I had to head scratch a little when I saw the new price as the receipt
was still knocking around on my dressing table .. I almost convinced myself it was $499 I paid as I couldn't fathom the big price jump.