Posts Made By: John Piper

I've purchased a number of used scopes from Astromart, all in great shape and most at a substantial discount compared to new. Most astro-hobbiests take good care of their equipment. Many of them 'overbuy' in the sense that they get excited about a new scope but after a burst of initial interest the scope sits unused. If the seller has a number of good ratings on Astromart and is willing to provide pictures and sensible answers to your questions I would not hesitate to purchase from Astromart. You need to use common sense of course, get good contact info with phone number and street address, use Postal Money orders or PayPal, ship smaller stuff USPS ad stress your desire for extra padding and robust packaging if the item is fragile. Most of these sellers got the scope because they love astronomy, they want their used items to go to someone who shares their interest and will appreciate the item, simple as that.