Has anyone heard of or dealt with the web site AsiaScopes.com? Seem to have great prices, though they are shipping from Indonesia.
Thanks,
Mike
Asia Scopes
Started by
Blues Dr
, Apr 09 2014 05:18 PM
26 replies to this topic
#2
tim57064
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Surveyor 1
Posted 09 April 2014 - 05:35 PM
Mike,Welcome to Cloudy Nights.I am not sure,yet some of the pricing seems to good to be true.$780.00 for 8"ACF LX200. They alone start at nearly $2600.00 directly from Meade.Think I would shy away from this site myself.As I said,not sure.To me ,very suspicious when they say you can get a 14" LX850 for nearly $4000.00 cheaper from them.
#3
Mr. Mike
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Gemini
Posted 09 April 2014 - 06:38 PM
Mike,Welcome to Cloudy Nights.I am not sure,yet some of the pricing seems to good to be true.$780.00 for 8"ACF LX200. They alone start at nearly $2600.00 directly from Meade.Think I would shy away from this site myself.As I said,not sure.To me ,very suspicious when they say you can get a 14" LX850 for nearly $4000.00 cheaper from them.
Does seem a little dodgy to me. Way too low pricing which is a red flag.
Mike - welcome to CN. Plenty of trustworthy dealers to buy from. Not worth chancing it, IMO.
#4
Fimpster
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Vanguard
Posted 09 April 2014 - 06:51 PM
Welcome to CN Mike. I think it's a gamble, but if you're a gambling man, let us know how it goes.
#5
Blues Dr
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 06:53 PM
The other thing that concerned me was not being able to find anything on the internet about them, either pro or con. I have been thinking about a Nexstar 8SE and found one on Ebay from Highpoint Scientific for $1070. At the bottom of the list was a "sponsored link" to Asia Scopes. That's when I saw the EdgeHD 8 with the VX mount for $1080. Hmmm, lets see, 1070 for an 8SE or 1080 for the EdgeHD 8/VX mount combo. No contest, but definitely need to find out if its' legit.
#6
orion61
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Vendor - Clear Edge Optical
Posted 09 April 2014 - 06:58 PM
Yeah I know where you can get a Rolex for $69.00
Why pay $3000.00!!!
If it is a real telescope it is going to be a knock off.
Why pay $3000.00!!!
If it is a real telescope it is going to be a knock off.
#7
LoveChina61
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 06:59 PM
There was another company selling scopes from Indonesia that turned out to be a fake and several guys lost a good deal of money. Unless they take Paypal and can guarantee that the scope will arrive well before your Paypal payment formally passes over to their hands (30 days?), I would totally avoid them.
#8
penguinx64
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Skylab
Posted 09 April 2014 - 07:09 PM
Never heard of it. If it was a legit company, I probably would have seen it on eBay before. Also, since it's a foreign company, are those prices in US dollars or some other currency?
#9
Blues Dr
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 07:16 PM
I thought I could try to find something cheap on their site, order it and see what shows up...but they don't sell anything cheap!
#10
Blues Dr
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 07:19 PM
Payment by wire/bank transfer or credit card, no Paypal.
#11
joe4702
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 08:07 PM
Indonesia?
I'm sure they are a Premier Select Celestron Dealer.
Wire some money and see what shows up.
I'm sure they are a Premier Select Celestron Dealer.
Wire some money and see what shows up.
#12
Jon Isaacs
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ISS
Posted 09 April 2014 - 08:43 PM
At those prices, they are definitely a scam.. Get out your 10 foot pole.
Jon
Jon
#13
The Ardent
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 08:46 PM
Blues Dr
I would check with Kent before spending any money on telescopes. Send him an email tonight.
Did you see any of the telescopes at Mt Trashmore?
I would check with Kent before spending any money on telescopes. Send him an email tonight.
Did you see any of the telescopes at Mt Trashmore?
#14
Blues Dr
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Posted 09 April 2014 - 08:52 PM
Lots of dobs, and one 6SE on an IOptron mount, but no 8 SCT's
#15
Mechanic74
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Lift Off
Posted 09 April 2014 - 09:21 PM
This is the information on the domain name. I would avoid the site until there is more known.
----------------------------------------
Domain Name: ASIASCOPES.COM
Registry Domain ID:
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.resellercamp.com
Registrar URL:
Updated Date: 08-Nov-2013
Creation Date: 08-Sep-2013
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 08-Sep-2014
Registrar: CV. Jogjacamp
Registrar IANA ID: 1478
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone:
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Registrant ID: PP-SP-001
Registrant Name: Domain Admin
Registrant Organization: Privacy Protection Service INC d/b/a PrivacyProtect.org
Registrant Street: C/O ID#10760, PO Box 16 Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the
domain owner/operator Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the domain owner/operator
Registrant City: Nobby Beach
Registrant State/Province: Queensland
Registrant Postal Code: QLD 4218
Registrant Country: AU
Registrant Phone: +45.36946676
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:
----------------------------------------
Domain Name: ASIASCOPES.COM
Registry Domain ID:
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.resellercamp.com
Registrar URL:
Updated Date: 08-Nov-2013
Creation Date: 08-Sep-2013
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 08-Sep-2014
Registrar: CV. Jogjacamp
Registrar IANA ID: 1478
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone:
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Registrant ID: PP-SP-001
Registrant Name: Domain Admin
Registrant Organization: Privacy Protection Service INC d/b/a PrivacyProtect.org
Registrant Street: C/O ID#10760, PO Box 16 Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the
domain owner/operator Note - Visit PrivacyProtect.org to contact the domain owner/operator
Registrant City: Nobby Beach
Registrant State/Province: Queensland
Registrant Postal Code: QLD 4218
Registrant Country: AU
Registrant Phone: +45.36946676
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:
#16
cloud_cover
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Posted 10 April 2014 - 04:21 AM
I'm a little wary of any online seller from Indonesia selling things at well below retail price.
The physical address is a newer and large shopping mall but of course the store may or may not be actually there.
However one red flag is that they offer riflescopes and Gen 3 night vision - these are ITAR restricted items and illegal to transport across international borders. For that matter, they are illegal for "normal" Indonesians to own, I believe so I would hardly expect these to be openly on sale.
If anyone has Indonesian friends, then the simplest thing would be to ask them to check out the address listed if they are in the area
Of course I could be doing them an injustice and they might actually be legit, but I, personally, would not use my money to find out.
The physical address is a newer and large shopping mall but of course the store may or may not be actually there.
However one red flag is that they offer riflescopes and Gen 3 night vision - these are ITAR restricted items and illegal to transport across international borders. For that matter, they are illegal for "normal" Indonesians to own, I believe so I would hardly expect these to be openly on sale.
If anyone has Indonesian friends, then the simplest thing would be to ask them to check out the address listed if they are in the area
Of course I could be doing them an injustice and they might actually be legit, but I, personally, would not use my money to find out.
#17
Binojunky
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Fly Me to the Moon
Posted 10 April 2014 - 09:25 AM
Why do people (no offence intended to the OP) even bother with rubbish like this?, this site has been discussed several times over the last couple of years, its clearly a scam ,DA.
#18
Blues Dr
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Vostok 1
Posted 10 April 2014 - 11:35 AM
Binojunky, first, thanks for the reply. It appears that you have seen reference to this site before, and that the consensus was that is was a scam, making yours the most accurate answer to this thread thusfar.
Second,I did do a search, but was unable to come up with any post re Asia Scopes, which is why I posed the question. It looked too good to be true to me, but one never knows, and felt it best to ask this community.
Mike
Second,I did do a search, but was unable to come up with any post re Asia Scopes, which is why I posed the question. It looked too good to be true to me, but one never knows, and felt it best to ask this community.
Mike
#19
joe4702
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Mariner 2
Posted 10 April 2014 - 02:18 PM
Sorry for my snarky reply. I've seen this sort of website before with bicycling products. Expensive, name brand stuff at ridiculous prices, shipped from overseas. Pretty much always a scam.
But it was smart to ask before proceeding. Some people don't, which is why these types of sites are still around, trying to steal money from the unsuspecting.
But it was smart to ask before proceeding. Some people don't, which is why these types of sites are still around, trying to steal money from the unsuspecting.
#20
Jon Isaacs
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ISS
Posted 10 April 2014 - 03:02 PM
Binojunky, first, thanks for the reply. It appears that you have seen reference to this site before, and that the consensus was that is was a scam, making yours the most accurate answer to this thread thusfar.
Second,I did do a search, but was unable to come up with any post re Asia Scopes, which is why I posed the question. It looked too good to be true to me, but one never knows, and felt it best to ask this community.
Mike
Mike:
You did the smart thing, you looked before taking a leap.. Asking here was a smart thing...
And too, Welcome to Cloudy Nights...
Jon
#21
orion61
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Vendor - Clear Edge Optical
Posted 10 April 2014 - 03:03 PM
Has anybody thought to call Meade to see if they have info? If anybody would know it would be them.
Your Credit card should be able to provide you some protection. I certainly would NEVER do a wire transfer.
Are you sure the prices aren't in Euros? The exchange would bring it much closer. I know Celestron requires it's dealers to sell within a very tightly controlled window.
Could these be refurbished units?
Just a few things to think about.
Your Credit card should be able to provide you some protection. I certainly would NEVER do a wire transfer.
Are you sure the prices aren't in Euros? The exchange would bring it much closer. I know Celestron requires it's dealers to sell within a very tightly controlled window.
Could these be refurbished units?
Just a few things to think about.
#22
Blues Dr
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Posted 10 April 2014 - 04:22 PM
Just for the latest update, I just spoke with Meade, and they said they are not an "authorized dealer", however, he said he had heard of the before, not sure if they are a scam or not.
#23
Blues Dr
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Posted 10 April 2014 - 04:49 PM
Just for kicks, I also sent an email to the mall that they are suppose to be located in to see if they exist.
#24
Blues Dr
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Posted 11 April 2014 - 06:35 PM
Well, from this group and astronomyforum.net, it seems clear that Asia Scopes should be avoided, unless you have a few thousand lying around that you want to take a chance with.
So, I ordered the Nexstar 8SE from High Point Scientific. I can always pick up a VX mount in the future if the need arises. That way I would have a light weigh setup for grab and go, and a sturdier mount if I get into astrophotography.
Thanks to all for you input!
Mike
So, I ordered the Nexstar 8SE from High Point Scientific. I can always pick up a VX mount in the future if the need arises. That way I would have a light weigh setup for grab and go, and a sturdier mount if I get into astrophotography.
Thanks to all for you input!
Mike
#25
StarMike8SE
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Apollo
Posted 01 May 2014 - 09:45 AM
Yes, good thing you asked Mike. I saw their site and have emailed them multiple times with questions, just trying to see how legit they may be, and they never respond. Too bad they are not legit, I would love to get scopes at those prices!
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