ConnsCameras Celestron sale! i got a bargain!Well worth a visit

Hi, im gonna post this in two separate locations just to get the word around. On Christmas eve i purchased a new scope (Nexstar 6SE)from North Down Telescopes. I had previously seen and used the scope in Conns Cameras earlier this year. It had been made clear to me that for reasons involving a price hike and the Price difference between Conns and Astronomy Ireland, Conns were no longer selling Celestron! I went in to Conns today just to say thanks for the demo earlier in the year, and discovered that they do have a limited supply of Celestron Gear which they are selling at rock bottom prices.

The prices i paid are as follows:
2 Celestron X-Cel Eyepieces €30 Each!!!
2 Celestron Polorizing Filter Sets €20 each
Celestron Neximage Solar system imager €70
Celestron Schmidt Skylight filter €20

They have stacks of X-cel eyepieces, filter sets, and tones of other accessories at prices that put eBay to shame. im considering going back tomorrow and having a closer look. Ask staff to show you the gear as they don't keep it on display.

hal9500 wrote:

It had been made clear to me that for reasons involving a price hike and the Price difference between Conns and Astronomy Ireland, Conns were no longer selling Celestron! .

Good prices. Practically 50% of the list price. Pity Conns are pulling out. I wonder if they will start selling Skywatcher, GSO, Meade etc..

Well the funny thing is i asked the exact same question earlier this year, when i began looking at the nexstar 6SE. I even mentioned Meade as a possibility. They did have a number of skywatchers 102mm Reflectors in that day. Since then they have practically gotten rid of every astronomical piece of equipment they had.

To be honest i feel that having been run out of the celestron market for refusing to up there prices, they wont bother with astronomy in future. Thats what i heard. Free Market is a wonderful thing isnt it?!?! They used to have Celestron X-cels, Ultimas, filters, and scopes from Celestron, and Skywatcher, on there website. Now that section of their site is gone. If im being truthful it angers me to think a good reseller like Conns have been run out of the market by certain parties. They had several staff who really knew their stuff when it came to gioving advice. I for one will miss shopping there. Not to mention there prices. Conns Price for the nexstar 6SE - 899euro. Astronomy irelands price 1149euro. do the math folks!

Exactly why I will not buy Celestron, ever again. They are operating a regionalized pricing and distribution system in Europe, which is supposed to be a free market. It ought to be illegal but there are no laws or regulations that can stop them because the legal code they force retailers to sign binding contracts under is one of American State laws that permit brand owners (Celestron does not manufacture most of its products) to use anti-competitive practices.

We neeed a European law that states that manufacturers and brand owners cannot bind a European retailer to any contract that is not subject to EU law, forces the replacement of existing anti-competitive contracts with ones appropriate to the European internal market and bars the products of any manufacturer or brand owner that fails to comply. Until then the US brands will continue their attempts to milk us like cows.

I would happily shop in the Astronomy Shop if there was anything I wanted that was carried at a competitive price, but since it is a one brand shop what's the point in checking? I won't buy Celestron or any other US brand that restricts where I can buy the product I'm looking for unless I find something of theirs that I want on sale at a discount store such as Lidl or Aldi.

FYI Some Celestron retailers in the US are currently selling most of their Celestron range at as little as half of list price. More evidence of regionalized price fixing and selected customers being milked.

I agree with what your saying but in all honesty i think the local retail stores such as astronomy shop have pushed the price up. As i said i bought the Nexstar in the north for 835 incl Shipping. The vat difference doesnt account for the enormous deifference between astronomy shop and other retailers. The nexstar 6se was cheaper at one stage even in astronomy shop. Then a massive price hike, but only in astronomy shop... the prices didnt go up in the UK. Conns were buying from UK as they are listed on David hinds, as are AI, but AI are no listed as a distributer. I dont think you need a PHD in Astrophysics to work out what happened. In any case, its still a shame as Conns is a wonderfull shop, with great prices on everything. I bought a Nikon D40 a while in conns and i have nothing but respect for their help and knowledge. And as i said they know there stuff with regard to scopes too. Hence the reason they were selling a proper brand like celestron as opposed to ... dare i say it ... Tasco or other unkown lo quality optic scopes!

Regardless, the main reason i started this thread was to inform everyone that if they are in the market for any eyepieces you certainly cant beat conns price list at the moment. A great selection. Ive already decided to bail in again and have a look... if theres anything left!! These prices put ebay to shame!

We need to get our retailers to switch away from importing through the UK (which has a foreign currency) and deal with Eurozone distributors only. That's the only way we'll see the same prices here that are available in Germany, France and some other European countries. It makes no sense to use distributors who add an extra currency conversion to the chain of supply because that has to be hedged against fluctuations and hedging costs money. Not to mention the fact that British distributors tend to take a bigger cut than their continental counterparts.

Irish customers will always be ripped off so long as our retailers accept the status quo and take the easy option of importing from distributors in the UK. There are some that price things fairly, but not many.