ebay telescope

[mellotron]

Are ebay scopes really that bad? There is an ETX 125 on there that I am interested in. It is quite recent and seems ok, but I have heard bad things on this forum about buying from ebay in general..

Should I go ahead and bid, or would you advise me to stay away?

[mick pinner]

the problem is you are buying sight unseen. some of the stuff is probably fine so it's a chance you take, personally l would buy from a forum member or new before e-bay.
with new you get a warranty and the forum members are an honest bunch who would be more than happy to honour any problems you may have with an item.

[davewaldo]

I'd have to agree with Mick Pinner. However, I've happily bought eye pieces and basic accessories off ebay as there is little to go wrong. Fancy electronics like in the ETX would cause me to double think purchasing off ebay.

[allan gould]

I agree wholeheartedly with Mick. I've never had a single problem dealing with forum members who will tell you exactly what their scope/merchandise is like and usually ask a far fairer price than you'll ever see on Ebay.
Wait and ask questions here before buying and don't let the though of losing that great deal slip by make you have an emotional purchase. Some really great scopes are traded here for great prices. Hang in there.

[Ian Robinson]

Originally Posted by mick pinner

the problem is you are buying sight unseen. some of the stuff is probably fine so it's a chance you take, personally l would buy from a forum member or new before e-bay.
with new you get a warranty and the forum members are an honest bunch who would be more than happy to honour any problems you may have with an item.

You do have PayPal protection if the purchase fails to show up or is not properly represented by the seller.

Your credit card provider can also reverse the transaction if it turns bad.

I did this with a GEM I bought from a crooked yank last year. (Had to wait 3 months but I got my money back).

My advice is do not go beyond the PayPal protection limit for the seller in bidding.

[GeoffW1 (Geoff)]

Hi,

I've bought a great many items under $500 on eBay and have not had any big problems. Some things you can do:

- test out the seller's willingness to communicate by asking a few relevant questions first. The other advantage of this is that the seller goes on record with a description of important points you ask about. No reply means don't buy.

- use Paypal connected to a credit card. This gives you a layered protection starting with eBay and Paypal dispute procedures, and finishing with credit card reversal or even the banking ombudsman (Paypal is subject to their rulings here).

- read the eBay description very carefully and make no assumptions at all. If it isn't specifically mentioned the seller does not have to send it to you.

- the feedback score of the seller does not mean a lot in my view as a seller can build their own without too much effort.

Let us all know how you go

Cheers

[MikeyB (Michael)]

Mellotron -

I'm assuming you're watching eBay item 190231324987, but you say "it is quite recent", although the seller does not state its age in the auction notice. The 125EC model was manufactured from 1999-2004/5 and was followed by the AT, which was followed by various PE models, so this particular scope is at least 3-4 years old and maybe more. Incidentally, the earliest 125ECs were notoriously unreliable and prompted a major internal engineering redesign in 2002 (see "NEW" vs "OLD" - HOW TO TELL).

You also say that it "seems OK", but if all you have is the seller's comments and photos to go by, then the condition of the electronics, optics and internal mechanicals (including plastic drive gears), remains unknown.

ETXs can be great little scopes, but they are complex and quite susceptible to damage by clumsy or inexperienced users. I think you'd be wise to exercise caution unless you can inspect and test before bidding.

Good luck!

[mellotron]

Thanks for your advice.. I am still deciding on the main application, so I may end up getting something completely different. I am in no hurry, although very keen, so I will keep doing my research and see what comes up on the forums here..

If I am going to do imaging then this is not going to be much use - I would look for something larger on an EQ mount I guess..

[acropolite (Phil)]

Unless you have specific reasons for buying a go-to type scope you may be better off buying an 8 or 10 inch Dob. There's no substiture for aperture and you'll see much fainter objects with an 8 or 10 inch scope.

[duncan]

Hi All,
Mellotron my 2cents worth is to buy a Dob to get the aperture you want. You can still take photo's of the moon and major planets (webcam or DSLR) and later upgrade to an EQ mount. Definately the easiest way out and you'll gain experience as to what lies where in the night sky along the way. I've got a 12" Dob and just bought a laptop and cheap webcam. I've modded the cam and all is ready but the cloud has rolled in. There are also some shots posted earlier of the Moon that i took just holding a point and shoot camera up to the lens that came out quite well.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Duncan