What a Ripoff Nexstar 8SE for $3499

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

One thing to keep in mind is how small the market is..Meade is the largest and they are only a $100 million (order of magnitude here ) company..that's only less than three times the size of Blacktown workers club. Not exactly Fortune 500. And they have made a quarterly loss just now. Cant imagine dealers are raking it in

I've said this before-every single complex system I have purchased-whether it is labelled Meade (Coronado), Orion, or Celestron -has had a problem..boy was I glad I bought local.

Eyepieces/ filters etc -for sure, buy them overseas? but for more complex stuff,what price your peace of mind?

[sejanus (Gavin)]

I see the exact same arguments in the photography world - in the pro gear area, photography gear is outrageously overpriced locally.

i.e. Canon 70-200/2.8 IS lens you can import from usa for around $2200 landed. Some stores want $3600-$3800 for the same item.

The big primes are even worse, i.e. a 400mm f/2.8 is around $6500 USD overseas, I've seen retailers locally asking 18k.