I’ve had a couple of visitors to my site in the past couple of weeks ask me “What’s the best way to sell my astronomy gear?”  So I thought I’d relay the info I shared with them to you. I hope it’s useful to you.

Times have changed and that’s not necessarily a bad thing!  Gone are the days of placing an ad in the local newspaper, and paying to do so! I guess you can still do that but I don’t know anybody that does these days. We have so many online outlets at our finger tips that can be used to buy and sell not only telescopes and astronomy gear but just about anything else you can imagine.

There are many free online resources and apps where all you need to do is to create an account to post your ads.  Chances are you already have accounts setup on one or more of these outlets and so it’s just a matter of navigating to the place where you create your ad, select a title, add your asking price, input the details of the item or items you are selling, decide on the contact info options and location and add pictures. I’ll dive into more detail about these important selling points in a minute.

I typically use Facebook Marketplace,  Cloudy Nights Classifieds or CraigsList to sell stuff and it has worked out well for me. All are free to place ads as long as you have an account with them. Some other options are OfferUp, 5 Miles, Nextdoor and of course eBay. Selling telescopes, mounts, eyepieces as well as other specific astronomy related items can be better showcased on outlets like Cloudy Nights or AstroMart.

A word of caution, be careful about posting your address on these sites or inviting people to your home. I give the general area about where I’m located (closest major intersection) so they have an idea about how far they’ll need to drive. I only provide my address once I’ve exchanged email or texts, and feel the potential buyer is serious. This method has worked well for me but you might want to be more cautious.

You can meet buyers at neutral, high traffic locations (shopping centers, malls, parks, etc.) if you are not comfortable with allowing potential buyers (strangers) to your house. Some cities and communities have even designated “safe selling locations” typically police stations where you can meet in a safe, public setting where video surveillance cameras are used to monitor transactions. Check out SafeTradeStations.com for potential safe selling locations near you.

The last astronomy related item I sold (a telescope) was active for about two months before I got a buyer. I advertised it both on Craig’s List and Facebook Marketplace. As it turned out the buyer was local and saw my ad on Craig’s List. That brings me to some important selling tips that I’ll share with you that have been highly effective for me. Following these suggestions should increase your odds of successfully selling your item,

1. Be sure to do your homework when deciding on your asking price. Search out your item on the aforementioned sites and see what other sellers are asking. Remember, we are talking about second hand, used or (to use the car dealership word of choice) “pre-owned” items and prices. One big mistake I see people make all the time is asking retail prices for their used stuff.  Good luck with that! Why would a buyer pay you a retail price for a used item when they can go buy it new for the same price?  I guess there are suckers out there but they will be few and far between.
2. Consider the condition of your item, it’s age, is it fully functional (do all the moving parts work?) Taking all these into consideration is important and should narrow down your asking price which will better target those buyers in the market for your specific item.
3. Now that you have a good idea about what your item is selling for second hand it’s time to set your asking price. You’ll want to decide on the bottom dollar you’ll be willing to take. Note that sometimes the selling price of your used item may be lower than what you are willing to part with it for! In that case you might want to reconsider selling it. Set your asking price above that base number and be prepared to come down on your asking price.
4. Buyers will always ask you to come down from your asking price unless the item is really sought after, and second hand inventory is low. I’ve had this happen a couple of times over the years where the buyer is happy to just pay my asking price. This really eats at me because I think I priced the item too low and missed out on more cash. Regardless, you should expect to allow some wiggle room on the price. The trick is setting the asking price and allowing for that wiggle room all the while making the sale at or above the base dollar amount you originally set for yourself. There’s an art to this but it’s not hard to hit your mark once you’ve done it a time or two.
5.  Your ad is important! Don’t expect to post one lousy picture, no details, and a retail price and bag a sale anytime soon. What I like to do is pull up the details on the item being sold from the original manufacturer or a retailer’s web site, and work off that information. Just ensure that you pull up the correct make/model, etc.
6. Take pictures of the item in a setting that is well lit and does not have other non related items in the picture. Take pictures from multiple angles and include some close ups. Approach the ad from the stand point that you are the buyer. What would the buyer want to see in the shots? The way I see it including details about the item and pictures are as important as your asking price. But don’t fall into the trap of telling your life story. Just hit the important marks, mention the items condition (be truthful), tell what’s included and what’s not,  include several good pictures and rest assured you’ve put your best foot forward.
7. Try to answer inquiries as quickly as possible. It’s best to provide the information the potential buyer is seeking as quickly as possible while you have their attention. Waiting until the next day tells the buyer you are not serious about selling the item and will inevitably drive them to another seller. Also, don’t give your potential buyers the full court press or hard sell them. Let your ad do the work. Your focus should be on customer service at this point. Yes, even when it’s a second hand item you’re selling. Promptness, courtesy and truthfulness go a long way with people.
8. Finally, don’t be afraid to advertise your item on multiple outlets to reach more potential buyers. Just don’t forget to mark your item sold on all of them once you do sell it.

If you are unfamiliar with selling online then I hope you find this article helpful and reassuring. Online selling can initially appear to be a daunting prospect but when armed with a little knowledge and paired with a bit of determination it can be a great way to turn astronomy gear into cash.

Clear skies,

Scott