Where To Buy a Telescope
The chances are you are not going to have a decent telescope shop on your doorstep, or even close – they are few and far between. You may find some to buy in a local toy shop, but I would not recommend it, in my opinion you should also avoid purchasing at superstores or department stores like Wal-Mart and K-Mart. If you don’t want to be disappointed then you will need a good product from a good manufacturer. Avoid any telescope that puts magnification as its main selling point and avoid mass marketed 2.4 – 4inch junk refractors. The telescopes that some shops just get in at Christmas time are generally not that good so try to avoid those as well.
You could buy via direct mail but make sure you research the company and the telescopes on offer before you part with your money. Magazines such as Sky & Telescope will provide you with some decent offers but unfortunately you only tend to get a one line description which is a bit limiting. If you have an astronomy club near to you then paying a visit is a great way to see some telescopes in action and get some recommendations. On-line is a great way to go and I’ve always used and recommended www.telescope.com, with 20 years experience they are a telescope shop that definitely know what they are doing. Amazon.com is also a great place to shop for a telescope nowadays, most of the top telescope stores are on there and the high number of customer reviews help you to make a good choice.
If you stick to a top brand telescope from a reputable specialist provider then you shouldn’t go wrong, and if your new telescope turns out not to be right for you then generally you will be able to send it back. My current brand recommendations are Celestron and Orion.
