I do think all this makes a good faq though.
Anyone has any experience with shipping scopes from US?
Hi.
Just thought that I would post my experience surface shipping a cheap small scope from the states as a wrap up of this topic.
Cheers
Chris
>From: "Chris Yeo" <>
>To: "ursa minor" <>
>Subject: Re: new telescope
>Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 13:46:46 -0000
>
>Hi Ursa Major,
>
>I just want to share my recent experience. I too am a student and
>cannot afford the 'normal' prices of telescopes in Singapore.
>
>The two 'beginner' telescopes that caught my eye were the Celestron
>114 (long) and the Meade ETX90ra, both of which cost about US$180.
>
>I decided on the etx90 even though the aperture was smaller and
>without a tripod because of its portability and ease of transport.
>
>There are some major problems with buying scopes from the US. First,
>they normally don't accept international credit cards. Second, they
>are not allowed to ship overseas. Third, if anything is wrong you
>have to live with it or send it back. Forth, if you decided to go
>with economy shipping as I did, you have to take the risk of
>something going wrong on the way. All these were very major decisions
>but I decided to take the risk because it was the only chance I could
>get my hands on a scope to play with on my budget.
>
>So, I troubled my aunt in america to purchase and send the package
>for me. If you are not so lucky, there is a SingPost service called
>VPOST that allows you to buy and send things from US through them.
>You can check with them how it works.
>
>Total cost was 180+ $37 insured shipping via USPS, which is S$370. It
>takes 6-8 weeks for the scope to arrive, but you can pay for air
>freight which will only be a few days. There was a lot of anxiety
>waiting for it but when it came everything was in order. The box was
>printed fragile and listed as a gift. I think for small and cheap
>scopes it should pass through tax and customs ok. Thankfully, the
>scope's alignment was perfect and everything worked as it should.
>
>All in all, I'm a very happy owner of a new scope. However, i can
>only share my experience with you; it is for you to weigh the costs,
>benefits, risks and hassle. On a personal note, I do hope the
>community will help new astronomers find ways to get their hands on
>cheap and minimally good first scopes, which is why I hope this
>sharing comes in handy.
>
>All the best in getting your hands on your first scope!
>Merry Christmas and clear skies!
>
>Chris
>
>
>--- In singastro@yahoogroups.com, "ursa minor" <
>wrote:
> >
> > Yep, take for example Brand: Celestron
> > Model: Firstscope 114 EQ Short Newtonian
>Reflector
> >
> > I found that this would make a good telescope for a beginner and is
> > considering whether to purchase this. It costs $149.00 and its
>shipping fees
> > is $103.97 using FedEx International Economy. The site address is
> > http://www.telescopes.com/detail.asp?PID=5936
> >
> > Add the costs together and I get $252.97 which converts to over
>$450 Sing
> > dollars. However, I decided to look around for Singapore stores
>dealing in
> > telescopes. The website address:
> > http://www.astro.com.sg/telescopes/cele ... 114eqs.htm
>also have
> > the same brand and model and to my amazement, it costs $659 Sing
>dollars
> > when I emailed them and enquire about the price. Thats is about
>$209 extra!
> > They both are the same brand and model and too, they deliver right
>to your
> > doorstep. Of cos, $200 shipping fees for a $4000 telescope would
>not mean
> > that much. But for a student who is currently starting out, $200
>can mean
> > alot. And I think beginners need to start from a fairly cheap
>telescope in
> > order to get themselves familiarize. And if they are really
>interested in
> > the skies, they can save up and opt for more powerful telescope.
>That would
> > prevent student who just have a short-fuelled interest in the skies
>buying
> > an expensive telescope and dumping it in a corner afterwards only
>to collect
> > dust. And are those telescope from overseas subjected to tax? if
>so, by how
> > much?
Just thought that I would post my experience surface shipping a cheap small scope from the states as a wrap up of this topic.
Cheers
Chris
>From: "Chris Yeo" <>
>To: "ursa minor" <>
>Subject: Re: new telescope
>Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2003 13:46:46 -0000
>
>Hi Ursa Major,
>
>I just want to share my recent experience. I too am a student and
>cannot afford the 'normal' prices of telescopes in Singapore.
>
>The two 'beginner' telescopes that caught my eye were the Celestron
>114 (long) and the Meade ETX90ra, both of which cost about US$180.
>
>I decided on the etx90 even though the aperture was smaller and
>without a tripod because of its portability and ease of transport.
>
>There are some major problems with buying scopes from the US. First,
>they normally don't accept international credit cards. Second, they
>are not allowed to ship overseas. Third, if anything is wrong you
>have to live with it or send it back. Forth, if you decided to go
>with economy shipping as I did, you have to take the risk of
>something going wrong on the way. All these were very major decisions
>but I decided to take the risk because it was the only chance I could
>get my hands on a scope to play with on my budget.
>
>So, I troubled my aunt in america to purchase and send the package
>for me. If you are not so lucky, there is a SingPost service called
>VPOST that allows you to buy and send things from US through them.
>You can check with them how it works.
>
>Total cost was 180+ $37 insured shipping via USPS, which is S$370. It
>takes 6-8 weeks for the scope to arrive, but you can pay for air
>freight which will only be a few days. There was a lot of anxiety
>waiting for it but when it came everything was in order. The box was
>printed fragile and listed as a gift. I think for small and cheap
>scopes it should pass through tax and customs ok. Thankfully, the
>scope's alignment was perfect and everything worked as it should.
>
>All in all, I'm a very happy owner of a new scope. However, i can
>only share my experience with you; it is for you to weigh the costs,
>benefits, risks and hassle. On a personal note, I do hope the
>community will help new astronomers find ways to get their hands on
>cheap and minimally good first scopes, which is why I hope this
>sharing comes in handy.
>
>All the best in getting your hands on your first scope!
>Merry Christmas and clear skies!
>
>Chris
>
>
>--- In singastro@yahoogroups.com, "ursa minor" <
>wrote:
> >
> > Yep, take for example Brand: Celestron
> > Model: Firstscope 114 EQ Short Newtonian
>Reflector
> >
> > I found that this would make a good telescope for a beginner and is
> > considering whether to purchase this. It costs $149.00 and its
>shipping fees
> > is $103.97 using FedEx International Economy. The site address is
> > http://www.telescopes.com/detail.asp?PID=5936
> >
> > Add the costs together and I get $252.97 which converts to over
>$450 Sing
> > dollars. However, I decided to look around for Singapore stores
>dealing in
> > telescopes. The website address:
> > http://www.astro.com.sg/telescopes/cele ... 114eqs.htm
>also have
> > the same brand and model and to my amazement, it costs $659 Sing
>dollars
> > when I emailed them and enquire about the price. Thats is about
>$209 extra!
> > They both are the same brand and model and too, they deliver right
>to your
> > doorstep. Of cos, $200 shipping fees for a $4000 telescope would
>not mean
> > that much. But for a student who is currently starting out, $200
>can mean
> > alot. And I think beginners need to start from a fairly cheap
>telescope in
> > order to get themselves familiarize. And if they are really
>interested in
> > the skies, they can save up and opt for more powerful telescope.
>That would
> > prevent student who just have a short-fuelled interest in the skies
>buying
> > an expensive telescope and dumping it in a corner afterwards only
>to collect
> > dust. And are those telescope from overseas subjected to tax? if
>so, by how
> > much?
Buying from Adorama
Hi Chris,Airconvent wrote:Hi Chris,chrisyeo wrote:Hi Eu-wen,
I met you the last CSN at Dempsey when your "friends who brought it in" were there. That's how I know.
I hadn't known that they sent it to you via UPS. I was under the impression that they hand carried it.
Thanks for the info anyway.
Now I'm wondering if anyone has tried surface shipping of telescopes before..
Thanks, Sam, for your help. Adorama doesn't seem to be getting back to me on my emails. I'm giving them one more day before I bug them again.
As I have told you earlier, you should have asked Vincent Jr but now its not possible as he is currently undergoing BMT!:-)
He imported the ETX90RA without much fuss and was recommending it on singastro during Mars watch. He has since sold the ETX ...
Adorama will ship to you but they take longer to reply and they expect you to PAY IN FULL before they will ship the product. They reject all credit cards from asians unless you are a regular verified customer. I know as I dealt with them before. They accepted my order, then cancelled it the next day citing the do not accept asian credit cards and insisted I send the full sum first.
Just want to share with you my recent buying experiences with Adorama. I purchased a bunch of product from Adorama, eyepeice, teleconverter for my dslr via credit card purchase. They do accept my purchase via credit card. I think they might not response to you for inquiry but if you log as an order, they will accept. What they want from me additional is either a fax copy or bmp image of my most recent credit card bill with the local address. You put your order into their website and they will reponse to you with info on what they need from you additionally to verify. Shipping from Adorma is generally quite ok if small weight but will charge you an arm and leg for bulky item like complete set of telescope cos' they use FedEx or UPS. Adorama do not charge you until they ship the goods out to you. Even for partial shippment, the subsequence shipping charges is absorbed by them, I know it because my last order with them they do a split shippment and I do not pay the additional shipment charges for 2nd shipment.
happy shopping.
rgds,
YL Low
-
aquacocoa85
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2003 5:40 am
-
harlequin2902
- Posts: 744
- Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 11:04 am
- Location: Singapore, Sengkang
To shop from the United States, I've been using a free package forwarding service from www.Viaddress.com for a few months now, and I'm quite satisfied with them... I used them to shop on Amazon.com and Ebay.com and it works great!
The registration is free on www.viaddress.com. They provide you with a personal US address that you can use to shop from any US merchant and have Viaddress forward your packages to your country.
If the US merchant does not accept international credit cards, Viaddress can buy the products for you, with no commission fees, and then forward the packages to you. Their prices are very competitive; u can log unto their website to see their price comparison chart.
Regards,
AT![[smilie=admire.gif]](./images/smilies/admire.gif "admire")
The registration is free on www.viaddress.com. They provide you with a personal US address that you can use to shop from any US merchant and have Viaddress forward your packages to your country.
If the US merchant does not accept international credit cards, Viaddress can buy the products for you, with no commission fees, and then forward the packages to you. Their prices are very competitive; u can log unto their website to see their price comparison chart.
Regards,
AT
-
orly_andico
- Posts: 1616
- Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:14 pm
- Location: Braddell Heights
- Contact:
Astrobargains also ship for you at reasonable prices. Actually, the telescope manufacturers in the US (Orion, Meade, Celestron) are not the actual manufacturers at all. They are just distributors. The scopes are made and imported in bulk from China at a very low cost, then they change the aesthetics on it and brand it. So the US prices includes the shipping from Asia to the US.
There was a tread quite long ago about importing a 127mm meade 5000s apo from china for just 1000US, whereas the list price in US isaround 1800.
There are ways to buy the scopes directly from China, but it is risky, as the mass produced lot might not be quality inspected. I guess that is just the trade off for less $$.
There was a tread quite long ago about importing a 127mm meade 5000s apo from china for just 1000US, whereas the list price in US isaround 1800.
There are ways to buy the scopes directly from China, but it is risky, as the mass produced lot might not be quality inspected. I guess that is just the trade off for less $$.
-
orly_andico
- Posts: 1616
- Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 11:14 pm
- Location: Braddell Heights
- Contact:
yeah that's the thing...
i found a seller on ebay who was in China, and willing to sell a 106mm triplet APO for $1295. inclusive of international shipping and a field flattener!
he claimed this was the same scope as the AstroTech 106 ED. no way to verify... really cheap, but you have no idea of it's quality.. or even if it's ED! might be a coke bottle lens.
i found a seller on ebay who was in China, and willing to sell a 106mm triplet APO for $1295. inclusive of international shipping and a field flattener!
he claimed this was the same scope as the AstroTech 106 ED. no way to verify... really cheap, but you have no idea of it's quality.. or even if it's ED! might be a coke bottle lens.
well I have carried back a C6 full set from US. it is a ok experience. the scope came back in good shape but the effort that I put in and preparation was quite a lot. unless you are doing it yourself.
a celestron 114 firstscope going at $139usd or a ETX90ra at $169usd these are entry scope right? Just find some second hand in SingAstro. you can get a good deal here from time to time.
the only thing that you may want to get from US is the Goto mount. which is of course easier to carry back if you just check them in with its original box. Scope is defintely a hand carry.
so bro, depends on how bro bro is that US friend to you.
I remember one of us here were thinking of asking his wife to ship back a scope from US. I did ask him to prepare an even more expensive payback to his wife.
a celestron 114 firstscope going at $139usd or a ETX90ra at $169usd these are entry scope right? Just find some second hand in SingAstro. you can get a good deal here from time to time.
the only thing that you may want to get from US is the Goto mount. which is of course easier to carry back if you just check them in with its original box. Scope is defintely a hand carry.
so bro, depends on how bro bro is that US friend to you.
I remember one of us here were thinking of asking his wife to ship back a scope from US. I did ask him to prepare an even more expensive payback to his wife.