After carefully considering what it is that i want in a telescope, i decided that i will get an etx-125 and now i must decide where from??
I know that bintel currently sells the PE version for 1400 which is reasonable since they've been 1700 for as long as i can remember. What i want to know is if there is a cheaper option? perhaps a retailer from overseas which will send the scope for less that 1400 (including shipping that is).
Also i'm interested in buying 2nd hand if the right one comes up and is conveniently close to me (i.e. sydney)...
I'd buy locally in case you need to send it back for repairs. My hand controller died after only 6 months and it would have been a pain to have to send it away. I took it into bintel and they replaced it on the spot.
BTW, if your just beginning you'll love the scope.
I would be very much surprised if you are able to get one from OS. As I understand it there are contractual agreements between the shops in the states and Meade (and Celestron) that they won't sell scopes to countries that already have a Meade distributer established.
However having said that you just might pick one up from somewhere in SE Asia but you can probably kiss goodbye to your warranty