Another maker won't ship outside the US

I say boycott them !!!! go get a good refractor from another manufacturer, god knows there are plenty out there to choose from, or get it on astromart.
Its not like the schmidt cassegrain situation where your stuck with either Meade or Celestron.

Dave,

I think your comment about Astromart is the best solution. To hell with manufacturers and their obscene policies ... get it slightly used and at a good discount and you bypass the local dealer and the absurd local pricing!

When my C14 fell 2.5 years ago and the primary broke, the local dealer wanted more to send it back to the US for replacement optics than what a new unit would have cost me stateside. Yeah right ... good luck! I wish I knew what illegal stuff the guy was smoking! :lol:

Problem is that shopping on Astromart indirectly supports the manufacturer because the seller is usually 'upgrading'.

Why don't more people opt for other products, like the Vixen VC200 or VMC range?

Problem is that shopping on Astromart indirectly supports the manufacturer because the seller is usually 'upgrading'.

John,

Whether the seller is upgrading or downsizing (a desire for smaller and more portable unit?), it is the manufaturer who is losing in the final analysis since a European sale for a brand new item has fallen through. The American buyer who did not buy the used item since the European beat him to it can buy a brand new item from Celestron (for example) at the lower American price as compared to the failed European sale and the obscene price.

I sincerely believe this is a policy which is doomed to fail and nobody wins in such a scenario. Of course, will the manufacturers wake up and realize it?

I doubt it Anthony, I doubt it.

They can charge exorbitant rates to their European customers knowing that there's little we can do about it if we want their product.

There are a few European manufacturers, but they are up against companies that have the lion's share of the market and the advertisement money to back them up, just look at a local astronomy magazine and you'll see.

I think jhoare may have the right idea, it's time to look to Russia and China.

It's a sad situation that will not get better.

Paul

The real question is: Why are there no European manufacturers fit to compete against the States?

Peter.

The real question is: Why are there no European manufacturers fit to compete against the States?

Peter.

Stagnation and protectionism in the manufacturing and distribution sectors. There are a number of retailers who have become quite good at sourcing and 'own-branding' generic products made in China (just as Celestron and Meade have but in much lower volumes), but there isn't a single manufacturer that offers really competitive products.

Unfortunately the employment laws and commercial practices in the manufacturing and distribution sectors in most European countries add overhead like there's no tomorrow. Many companies are very traditional and between WWII and their countries participating in the EU Single Market became too used to protective tariffs, state controls and regionalised distribution, which stifled any competitive spirit they might have originally had. Only those that have been within an inch of going to the wall and managed to pull themselves back are anywhere close to true competitiveness.

There might be an opening for a manufacturer/distributor to set up in a country like Ireland where commercial practices are more in line with best competitive practices but the high cost of labour militates against actually manufacturing in country and what tradition of manufacturing optics we did have had died off before the State was even founded, so I don't think it's very likely to happen here. Perhaps someone in one of the new Member States that are taking our business environment as a model for reshaping their economy might step up?