Astronomy Ireland seem ok on price

A fair point Dave.
But how much more is "a small bit extra".... such ambiguities only flame the argument.

Its like this, if I were buying a celestron OTA, and I had a price from the US which included tax+insurance+shipping and AI were cheaper, then I'd go for AI, it the price were the same, I'd go for AI, if the price was more then 50e more, the I'd get it shipped in the US, thats just the way I do things.

The aspect of customer service hasn't got a mention yet. In the event of a problem, who do you turn to? Ideally, this is where the lbenefit of the local dealer really comes in and they would help you, provided you bought the scope off them obviously.

However, what happens if you bought your scope from your local dealer, something goes wrong and they leave you high and dry - who do you turn to then?

However, what happens if you bought your scope from your local dealer, something goes wrong and they leave you high and dry - who do you turn to then?

Michael thats why we have consumer protection legislation. Customers have rights.

In any case, I don't beleive any of the major retailers in this country have a major problem with returns or after sales service. Whether you go with Andromeda Optics, A&S or Andy McCrea, I suppose you could always come up against the problem that some items are not stocked and have to be ordered in. That might not be the most convenient for all but it would be a lot worse if you had to ship your new scope back to the states and hope the manufacturer doesn't find out that the gear was shipped outside the country.

I'm not gonna advocate any particular retailer but if the price is right, I do think it is best to source locally, both from an after sales POV and just to support those local retailers.

One story I have heard (anectodally) was a guy who brought an 11" SCT to A&S. He had imported the scope from the US only to find the corrector plate was broken. The US retailer (I honestly dont know which one) would not take it back as a warranty repair. They said it was fine when it left their warehouse. The guy did not insure the shipping.
A&S got a quote for a new one, (again I don't know how much it cost but it was significant, think it was €1000+ (could be wrong). Then there was the famous story aboput the guy who insured his meade LX200 with UPS, who refused to pay out when the corrector arrived broken. Stories like these demonstrate amply why you should buy locally if the price is right.

Personally I would never buy anything significantly breakable from the US. Just too much risk for my liking.

Michael: You asked the question, where do you go if your retailer lets you down, I can tell you its not meade or celestron cause they will not do much for you. The same goes no matter where you buty your scope, at least if you buy it here you know your rights. I'd much rather take my chances with an irish retailer than a foreign one. It's much easier to get 'in their face' if you have a problem. I would have no problem recommending the after sales service of Andromeda Optics or A&S, as these are retailer I have direct experience of. From customer testimony, Andy McCrea seems like a decent bloke too.

Of course the other nice thing about buying in Ireland is you can have a good look at the merchandise before you buy.

Dave L: I hear what your saying about price and I agree. I know from direct experience that A&S and Andromeda Optics will not be beaten on price. Since between them they cover all the major brands, I really do not see any valid reason why someone would now want to import a scope from the US.