Bought a $300 telescope off Craigslist. Turns out the mirror was a bathroom mirror someone glued in.

Pointed it at Jupiter and saw a blurry blob that looked like a dirty shower curtain. Has anyone else gotten burned buying used gear from random sellers?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben20623d ago

A buddy of mine bought a "rare collector's edition" spotting scope at a flea market. Paid $150 for it. Got it home and the focus knob just spun around with zero resistance. He popped the lens off and found a plastic bottle cap jammed inside acting as a spacer. Seller was long gone by then.

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jordan_young23d ago

The $150 lesson I learned was from a "vintage" telescope I grabbed at a garage sale. Focus knob felt gritty so I took it apart and found someone had wedged a crushed soda can in there to stop the wobble. What worked for me was taking a photo of the mess, then going back to the seller's house the next day. I just knocked and told them straight up the scope was busted inside with garbage for parts. To my surprise, the guy gave me a full refund because he "felt bad about the can" and admitted he bought it from a storage unit auction. I guess some sellers are honest if you catch them off guard. But now I always inspect optics in person, point them at a license plate or something far away, and twist every knob before I hand over cash.