Quote:
Originally Posted by glend
Planetman I understand your viewpoint completely. However, as a retiree I have a limited amount of money to spend on astronomy and need to maximise the capability I gain for the least amount of $ invested. This forces me to seek low cost solutions, and while it may at times be a false economy, generally I get good results. Sure I'd love to have a 16" Meade LX600 but that can't happen unless I win the lottery; while GSO for example (Taiwan based, and not to be confused with mainland China) makes very good equipment for the cost, so the value proposition is excellent in my opinion. Some of their equipment quality is ahead of the more expensive competition - like in the Azimth and Alt bearings for example. Looking at it from a $ per inch of aperture, it's hard to walk past them simply for the sake of pretentious branding. Sure Televue makes great stuff, but does the cost reflect the incremental increase in quality or is it more related to branding strategy.
Internet shopfronts are a problem I agree, but some like Agena Astro seem to be doing great things for astronomy. Most trusted, and well regarded, Australian suppliers also have bricks and mortar presence and staff to talk to about problems, but this is also reflected in their pricing, which comes back to the problem of maximising return on the $ invested. Some like Andrews Comms, manage to undercut their competitors by buying in large quantity, and never opening the boxes but just onshipping to the end customer -but there is no middleman distributor as far as I can tell. It's when you get an internet shopfront, with a hidden multi-step supply chain, that it gets really complicated when there is a problem. In the case of the Astroshop (a front for Binary Systems Pty Ltd) , it appears that they sell via the web with no bricks and mortar presence, then send the order off to a distributor ( a separate business entity) who picks the order from their warehouse and ships it out. If Support is required they then refer the customer off to a third-party who supplies support under a contract arrangement. Add to that mix a product with a questionable origin and quality issues and it's high risk - hence my problem.
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Hi Glen,
Stuff coming out of Taiwan isn't necessarily made in Taiwan, as a lot of astro gear comes out of China anyway. It all comes down to what quality you want to pay for, as you can get the same item made a bit cheap, but quality suffers as a result. Anyone can make anything cheaper, just comes down to what you want to pay.
I just recently bought an AT65EDQ for $459, which is made in China, I think? For a grab and go, it is a fantastic little scope for the price, with excellent build quality. Optics aren't perfect, but more than good enough for the price and its purpose.
Astrophysics, Televue and Takahashi are all great products, but you pay for it. And, I have no problem with that, if I have the cash.
As for Internet stores, here and overseas, you cannot blame a company for its poor service because it is based on the Internet. I deal with a lot of Internet based companies and, for the most part, have had excellent service. I have also had warranty issues and these were all dealt with exception efficiency and to my complete satisfaction. For instance, I had ordered a viewfinder and bracket from the US that turned out to have a stripped screw on the bracket. They sent me a complete replacement bracket and I didn't even have to send the other other back. Furthermore, they sent the replacement expedited freight and I had it in three days. Great service in my book. This isn't the only instance this has happened either. Whether you pay a higher price or not, things can go wrong. It is how they are fixed is what is important.
We are becoming a global community and distance is no longer a barrier with trade. It doesn't matter if I deal with a company in Sydney or the US. Sometimes it takes longer to get stuff from Sydney than the US.
Drop shipping is nothing new either. I used to work for a wholesaler who did that in the 1980's. But, it is still the sellers obligation to resolve any problems though.
Cheers Pete