well guys,
I think that the local guys do charge too much, however I know that they have to make a living. But at what cost. Take for example a Nagler, lets say a nagler 17mm. I have just bought one for $315US (around 420 odd dollars) from astromart, but I did consider purchasing a brand new one from Bintel. They wanted $625 AUS for it. in my books that leaves an extra $200 for the next purchase. Sorry I made the trade deficit worse

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I think Andrews has the right atitude and price for astro gear, things need to get a little more competitive.
I did however get a wonderful deal on two new eyepieces from Queensland Astrofest (Star Optics), and Sirus Optical would bend over backwards to provde service in the middle of the night. So sometimes the personal touch is worth paying for!