[dpastern (Dave Pastern)]

Originally Posted by h45e

What do you guys think of this one?

http://www.telescope.com/control/product/~category_id=dobsonians/~pcategory=telescopes/~product_id=27184

Looks pretty cool actually. Remember though, the Aussie dollar sucks big time, so add at least 50% onto the cost, plus import duty, cartage and GST. So, at $699 US, I reckon it'll cost:

Sol, US to Aussie dollar = $1075

Add cartage - probably $300 due to size and weight

That's $1375

Now, since it's over a grand, import duty and GST apply. So, import duty is 5% of ONLY the goods cost (not including cartage).

$1375 * 1.05 = $1443

Now, for GST (which is on both the cost of the goods, AND cartage combined):

$1443 * 1.10 = $1587

if you'd bought it 6 months ago, it would have been around $800 for the scope, and whilst you still would have paid import duty/gst, it'd been cheaper. Beware of buying overseas imho, cartage to Australia is a killer, our dollar is very weak (like a wet paper bag imho), and there's no warranty. If something goes wrong, it's ship it back to the US, which is *very* expensive.

Dave