Affordable Astronomy

Hi,

More price comparisons:

This time I choose a Takahashi scope at random. Its a FSQ 106.

Its a fluorite 106mm refractor. OTA only.


True Technology:

£3116 inc GB tax = €4021


Optique Unterlinden

€3899 (I am not sure this includes/does not include the French tax)

Astrotechniek

€4329 inc Dutch tax


Anacortes; OPT:

$4195 = €2672 + 25% taxes = €3340

(No attempt to include shipping),

John

Hi,

Yet more price comparisons:

Meade 10" LX200 ACF UHTC


This is a Meade 10" SCT (reduced coma design), on their better fork mount.


Telescope Planet; The Widescreen Centre:

£2964.99 inc GB tax = €3826


OPT; Anacortes:


$3699 = €2356 + 25% taxes = €2945

(again, shipping not included),

John

Aside from the slightly pointless debate concerning AI's prices...

It is interesting to note that prices of alot of items between retailers in Europe and in the US are not comparable even if you allow for shipping and taxes.
I recently purchased some items from the US and even allowing for shipping and import taxes, I still saved approx 15-20%.
When the dollar stengthens, the prices seem to change very quickly, but if the dollar weakens, it seems to take an age for the currency difference to be reflected in the price.

If I may be allowed to wax lyrical for a bit.....(i.e. sorry in advance..)

Caveat Emptor (buyer beware)... one of the oldest and most appropriate pieces of advice ever issued, it applies to all us purchasers regardless of century or method of purchase. It implicitly states that we have no one to blame (or congratulate) but ourselves for the price that we pay for anything. After we part with our cash, pecuniary evolution (market forces) take over and decide wether this seller or that seller is fit enough to survive their environment. Short term gain (ripping off customers) is offset by long term loss (said customers pissing off somewhere else). It is therefore self defeating for sellers not to satisfy their customers.
Satisfaction, though, is relative. e.g. if customer A is too stupid to know he is being ripped off then he may be very satisfied. Whereas, even though he has got a good price, customer B may be disatisfied because he didn't get a free lollipop.
What Carl has done is to publish a competitive price list which applies to both customers A & B. In this way customer A will benefit from customer B's fastidiousness, meanwhile the seller benefits because his customer satisfaction rating (gene mutation) has increased his chance of survival in an increasingly competitive environment (InterNet sales).

Carl, my advice to you is to concentrate some effort into improving the woeful website, get those prices out in front and easy to find. Make me want to purchase from you online, and set up a secure site to allow this to happen (even if you do nothing else other than use Paypal).

Just an observation:

The basic idea of "caveat emptor" and AI/A&S righting wrongs of the past are all very honorable but do they apply in this very specialised hobby?

Caveat emptor - it probably works well for low-value goods but I'm not so sure it works for high value, scarce goods. For example, if a desirable item is for sale in only one shop in Ireland, they can pretty much sell it for what the customers will pay - they'll probably pay lip-service to the notion of "customer satisfaction" but in reality, they'll get whatever they can for the item.

For example, AI/A&S were offering a reduced price/special offer on the celestron eyepiece/filter kit available in an aluminium case - their price was significantly (mulitples) higher than what other non-irish shops were offering the item for. Now, since this is a specialised hobby, there will be those (especially newbies) who would see the "special" price and without doing the research go ahead and place their order. They are clearily also placing a large amount of trust in the vendor not to rip them off. We have seen the result of this on these boards and more than a little anger has spilled over.

Now before you roll your eyes to heaven and mutter "jeez, not again...", the point is that those people will have a strong notion of once bitten twice shy. I speak from personal experience with AI/A&S having been soundly fleeced a good few years back. Now sure, caveat emptor, I shouldn't have been so naiive and should have done my research - but I felt (mistakenly) that I could trust AI/A&S - so when I realise what I'd paid compared to other vendors, I was very bruised and felt acutely taken advanatge of. I felt that the only thing missing from the sale was the salesperson asking me to wear a saddle whilst they rode me around the shop a few times before taking my Maestro card...

Now, I really *am not* being deliberatly scurrilous. I'm not trying to pick scabs, open old wounds etc. I'm just clumsily trying to analyse the A&S shop "thing" and give the current discussion some balance - genuinely in the hope that A&S will read, digest and learn lessons.

I have seen very significant and positive changes in AI/A&S recently via these boards and I applaud it, and those responsible, wholeheartedly - I also hope that it work out and those wrongs of the past are righted. I really do genuinely wish this for the AI/A&S folks - many of who I count as friends and certainly fellow astronomers who love this hobby with a passion, just like me.

But for those who were wronged (including me) I suspect that there is a significant amount of "wariness" present in dealing with AI/A&S - hopefully the folks there will continue this sterling (no pun) work and regain the trust of those people who dealt with AI/A&S in the past to the point they they become returning customers.

So, keep up the good work AI/A&S and if you do, albeit a steep climb, you will earn that trust and move ahead even further.

FWIW

Dave

ps - hands up those who found themselves laughing out loud at the vsion of me, saddle on, being ridden around Artane? Yeehaaaaaa :lol:

Bring out the gimp :lol: :lol: