finance options for bins?

[matt green]

I'm curious to know if any birders here purchase their optics by finance?

as most know there is one famous mail order based optics retailer that has a very tempting interest free finance option.as i have yet to win the lottery,the opportunity to aquire a premium brand binocular can be often be sidetracked by more important financial commitments.

the convenience of paying for a product in monthly instalments seems to be the only solution,however i'm reluctant to arrange this by mail order and would rather see or inspect what i'm buying from a reputable shop.

BUT..apart from 'oh ye great nameless one' i have yet to see any optics retailer advertise the fact that they have a finance option.

for the amount of money top end optics cost these days does it sound unreasonable to seek out a finance option..if there is such a thing?

matt

[Mickymouse]

Surely if you buy it with a credit card you can work out your own finance option, probable a better rate too if you are careful.

Mick

[FrankD]

I do not know if this is applicable outside of the US so take this with a grain of salt. If you read my "I have an itch..." thread you saw that I recently purchased a pair or two of bins from the local Cabelas retail outlet (www.cabelas.com). They have a new financing option called "Bill Me Later". The terms are fairly simple. If you purchase an item over $199 then you can use the Bill Me Later option to pay for it. In essence you have 3 months to pay off the full amount. If you do not pay it off within 3 months then they set up a 12 month payment plan with interest that begins to accrue at the time of purchase. With this plan you can either get the money together in 90 days or pay the extra interest charge over the following 12 month span. It seems like a fairly simple and easy plan to use which is why I thought I would mention it.

Hope this helps.

[scampo]

...

for the amount of money top end optics cost these days does it sound unreasonable to seek out a finance option..if there is such a thing?

mattI bought a pair of Ultravids from Kay Optical - they were very knowledgeable and friendly and offer 6 months interest free if you ask when phoning. I can recommend them. They seem like a more traditional dealership but I have never visited them.

http://www.kayoptical.co.uk/