blizz
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Reged: 03/16/12
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Resale value
#5284147 - 06/22/12 04:45 PM
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Hello. I'm in the market for a Dob. I was looking at the Orion,Zhumell,and the Apertura 10". I like them all. But with this hobby I'm sure I will want to trade up. So I will want to sell this one someday. Just like all the people selling them here on Cn. Which ones hold their value best. Thanks. blizz. 
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dyslexic nam
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/28/08
Loc: PEI, Canada
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5284169 - 06/22/12 04:59 PM
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Check out the CN classifieds to get a sense of used scope prices.
Not familiar with Apertura, but Orion has good name recognition and I have read that Zhumell scopes come with better starter accessories. Not sure it makes much difference re resale value though - I doubt brand overly impacts the price of a used 10" dob with no bells and whistles.
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BDS316
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/16/09
Loc: Sol 3
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5284177 - 06/22/12 05:08 PM
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Good question. Here are some suggestions to preserve resale value:
1. Don't let the particleboard base get damp and warped
2. Get a case for the ota or use a sleeping bag to minimize cosmetic battle scars and dents/dings
3. Orion does not support used scopes and by now everyone knows this. Keep the original shipping invoice and paperwork so the 2nd owner can refer to the ID numbers if they need replacement parts down the road.
4. I wonder if the GSO dealers zhumell, astrotech or Apetura have policies similar to Orion?
5. In the 10 inch size keep in mind that the orion is 1200mm f/4.7 and the GSO's are more desirable f/5.
6. The Orion uses the 5 inch diameter altitude trunions with springs, whereas the GSO's do not. If Orion upgrades to a new alt bearing design in the near future, the resale value of scopes with the current design alt trunions will decrease significantly. Same as with cars pruchased new the year before a significant re-design.
I am going to be keeping an eye on this thread for sure, this has been a hot and volatile topic lately.
Disclaimer: My heavily modified XT8 was purchased NEW in late 2006.
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stratocaster
sage
Reged: 10/27/11
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Re: Resale value
[Re: BDS316]
#5284212 - 06/22/12 05:34 PM
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I own a Zhumell 10" dob. I'd suggest a slightly different approach. Unless you get a local buyer the cost to package and ship the dob will not make it worth your while to sell it, given the entry level price is fairly low. Instead, consider selling the finderscope, focuser, eyepeices, and collimator individually. My particular collimator was a piece of junk, so I couldn't sell mine. But I sold the finder, eyepieces, and focuser pretty easily. The Zhumell/GSO focuser is pretty darn good. And the eyepieces have a market for the right price. Everything sold fairly quickly. You'll end up with an OTA and a mirror. You can try to sell the mirror as well. I suspect you'd be able to recoup a large portion of purchase price this way without the hassle of trying to package it up and paying a fortune for shipping.
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vct123
sage
Reged: 11/17/09
Loc: Staten Island, N.Y.
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Re: Resale value
[Re: stratocaster]
#5284270 - 06/22/12 06:23 PM
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Be ready to take a big hit on any dob you try to re-sell.
The size makes them expensive and difficult to ship so local pick-ups become the main way to sell, limiting the amount of buyers limits the re-sell price. I would say 50% to 70% of new is average. Plus most dobs owners do some mods which you can never seem to get back in value.
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blizz
member
Reged: 03/16/12
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Re: Resale value
[Re: vct123]
#5284340 - 06/22/12 07:10 PM
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Thanks for all the help. I started off with a 20x80 binoculars. I built a parallelogram tripod. It works great. Ilove the wide field of veiw. But you can't make out stars in things like M13. I would like some power. What does GSO stand for. Thanks.blizz
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Gary Riley
super member
Reged: 12/01/11
Loc: White Bluff, TN
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5284393 - 06/22/12 08:03 PM
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GSO is a company in Tiawan, if I'm correct. I own a Zhumell Z12 dob and have had it for 3 years now. It is a good quality built scope for the price in my opinion. Zhumell, Apertura, and Astro-Tech dobs are all built by the same company so all have same build quality.
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audioaficionado
sage
Reged: 05/24/12
Loc: Medford, Orygun, USA
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5284396 - 06/22/12 08:05 PM
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Guan Sheng Optical
They also have a 16" truss dob I'd be interested in seeing some reviews and prices on. The prices on their smaller solid tube dobs are incredibly reasonable for the aperture sizes.
http://www.gs-telescope.com/content.asp?id=113
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Pinbout
Post Laureate
Reged: 02/22/10
Loc: Montclair
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Re: Resale value
[Re: audioaficionado]
#5284449 - 06/22/12 09:03 PM
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those are some tiny alt bearings for such a large scope. it will move quite easily, not always a good thing. 
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Bill Weir
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 06/01/04
Loc: Metchosin (Victoria), Canada
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Re: Resale value
[Re: Pinbout]
#5284709 - 06/23/12 01:11 AM
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Really, if right from the get go you are thinking of selling then I think buy used. Resale value of a entry level dob is poor. Cut your losses and buy used then sell in the future for essentially the same price you bought.
There are plenty of used 10" dobs from the various suppliers out there to choose from.
Even with the high end dobs resale comes nowhere near recoupng initial price.
Bill
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BigC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/29/10
Loc: SE Indiana
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5284780 - 06/23/12 02:53 AM
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You'll lose less money reselling a scope you bought used;the first owner takes the biggest hit because warranty protection is lost with sale to second owner.Pretty much the same with all goods.
Shipping is EXPENSIVE for the individual ;I suspect manufacturers get a shipping discount;if not ,then it is factored into the original sales price.
A Z10 new is $500 to your door now,if you must ship it later the cost can easily be $100. If you wanted $300 for the scope PLUS shipping, then I and most buyers would just buy a new one.It is the SIZE of the box needed for the tube that makes it cost so much not the weight.Many scopes offered by shopgoodwill.com are no longer reasonable even if the scope itself sells for only a few dollars because shipping costs are now by dimensional weight.
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blizz
member
Reged: 03/16/12
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Re: Resale value
[Re: BigC]
#5284826 - 06/23/12 05:38 AM
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Once again many thanks for everyones help. I have been keeping my eye out for a used Dob. On this site they are all far away. And they seem to go pretty fast. I don't trust ebay. The ones on craigs list were,though closer, too far to travel. Bill Weir you said there are plenty of used 10' dobs from various suppliers. Would you be so kind as telling me who? Thankyou very much. blizz.
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Loc: San Diego and Boulevard, CA
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5284835 - 06/23/12 06:19 AM
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Quote:
Once again many thanks for everyones help. I have been keeping my eye out for a used Dob. On this site they are all far away. And they seem to go pretty fast. I don't trust ebay. The ones on craigs list were,though closer, too far to travel. Bill Weir you said there are plenty of used 10' dobs from various suppliers. Would you be so kind as telling me who? Thankyou very much. blizz.
Blizz:
First: Hello and Welcome to Cloudy Nights...
Second: The place many of buy and sell our used equipment is Astromart. It costs $12 to sign up and it is well worth the cost.
The big thing about Astromart is the security, Herb York who operates Astromart runs a tight ship, scams are virtually non-existent. The $12 signup fee goes to doing a mini-background check. There are no aliases on Astromart, everyone uses their real name. In many ways Astromart and Cloudy Nights are complimentary websites, Astromart to buy and sell, Cloudy Nights for the forums.
Over the years, I have purchased many thousands of dollars worth of astronomy equipment from Astromart, it's a great resource for the community.
Jon
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blizz
member
Reged: 03/16/12
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Re: Resale value
[Re: Jon Isaacs]
#5284904 - 06/23/12 08:40 AM
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Thanks Jon. I will check it out. blizz
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Kfrank
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/20/08
Loc: Northern Colorado
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5285298 - 06/23/12 01:17 PM
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Without commenting on all the good points made in the responses thus far, I'll say that I don't understand worrying about resale value as a consideration in deciding which (insert your favorite thing here) to purchase.
At least for me, the important purchase considerations are (in order of importance):
Functionality - will it do what I want it to do?
Quality and reliability - will it perform well and continue to do so? Will the manufacturer stand behind it if there's a problem?
Cost/Value - Is the price reasonable/affordable and does the product give good value for the money spent.
Resale, as a consideration is dead last if I consider it at all.
I agree that buying used is a good way to go and that this essentially renders the resale value issue moot. I also agree that local selling is the way to go. You get cash in hand, the buyer gets to see the product, you incur no shipping costs. Craigslist works well for selling beginners telescopes.
Still in all, though, I just don't see buying a telescope with the idea that I'm, going to sell it at some point. I buy telescopes to use, not to sell. If I find I don't use one, I might sell it if I can get a reasonable amount for it (based on the price I paid) or I might keep it for future considerations. At least for me, it makes little sense to buy something with the notion of selling it down the road. Having this as a consideration just seems to get in the way of the important considerations in selecting a telescope.
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SeattleScott
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 10/14/11
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Re: Resale value
[Re: Kfrank]
#5285353 - 06/23/12 01:59 PM
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When I bought my first "serious" telescope (i.e. not a department store refractor) I bought it with the expectation that someday I would sell it, but that someday may be 5-10 years down the road. I eventually upgraded after 8 years. I did lose a few hundred when I sold it used, but I had the use of a newer telescope with good coatings and working electronics for 8 years. Eventually many succumb to aperture fever but a 10" will keep one busy for years, and it is a "sweet spot" in terms of portability versus performance. So you may decide not to sell your 10" because there will be nights that you don't want the hassle that goes with your new 15". In that case you could be keeping the scope a long time, so it would be nice to have a new one with new coatings that will last. Bottom line is the scope you are looking at is only $500 new so there is only so much you can lose in terms of resale value.
That being said, if you get a model that is only a few years old, it should have enhanced coatings that will last for quite a few years. And you might only lose $50-$100 in resale value if you keep it a few years. Considering I was 28 when I got into astronomy, I figured I needed to wait several years in-between each aperture upgrade but you might feel differently. I just wouldn't get a dob older than a few years because the coating technology has changed considerably. The newer coatings are more reflective and last longer.
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GeneT
Ely Kid
Reged: 11/07/08
Loc: South Texas
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Re: Resale value
[Re: blizz]
#5285471 - 06/23/12 03:27 PM
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In addition to determining a price, you will have to determine a selling strategy. I normally offer the used item at about 80 the price of new. If it does not sell, I lower it by 10 percent until I hit the price point in which I won't go lower. I have sold items at 50 percent of new, because I had no further use for the item.
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blizz
member
Reged: 03/16/12
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Re: Resale value
[Re: GeneT]
#5285643 - 06/23/12 05:16 PM
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I do agree with you Ken. The most important thing is will it do what I want, and will the company stand behind it. And resale is one of the last things on my list. Just I'm so new at this.I didn't want to buy a knock-off that I couldn't sell in 6 months down the road If I was somehow disappointed. Lets say Orion is the industry standard, and I buy a Apertura. But from what I have read, the Apertura seems nice. Also maybe I'm just being cheap. After all if I save 100 bucks, I wont get a warranty Thanks to all. blizz
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GeneT
Ely Kid
Reged: 11/07/08
Loc: South Texas
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Re: Resale value
[Re: vct123]
#5286975 - 06/24/12 03:36 PM
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Be ready to take a big hit on any dob you try to re-sell.
The size makes them expensive and difficult to ship so local pick-ups become the main way to sell, limiting the amount of buyers limits the re-sell price. I would say 50% to 70% of new is average. Plus most dobs owners do some mods which you can never seem to get back in value.
This is in the ball park. When you sell, you will take a fairly big hit. You have to decide on the lowest price you will/can accept. When starting out, I normally ask for 80 percent of new. If I am torn about selling the item, I hold at 70 percent or so--and just keep it. If I have no further use of the item, I will drop the price to about 50 percent of new, and it sells every time. Of course, the items I sell are in excellent condition.
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blizz
member
Reged: 03/16/12
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Re: Resale value
[Re: GeneT]
#5286996 - 06/24/12 03:48 PM
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." The newer coatings are more reflective just wouldn't get a dob older than a few years because the coating technology has changed and last longer"
I didn't know that. That is something to consider. Thanks.
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