Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Have you tried contacting any optic retailers to see what they would sell/px at? Or keep checking the used sections online of retailers. Or find a current scope for sale used and work out the %age devaluation and apply it to the Leica and skua new price.
Hi Stewart
Dunno if you've been offered one, but I think your offer should be fairly low. Until a few months ago, the general price for an APO Televid WITH eyepiece was £899. (gone up recently, of course). The eyepiece was £200, so I guess the APO body only would be £699 new. The non-APO model was always around £250 less, so I guess the new non-APO price was about £449 max. I've definately seen them at £457. This is staggeringly cheap for such a quality instrument, and I admit that I can't tell the difference between the APO and non-APO models when I look through them.
I know from selling my own top-end bins and scopes by Swarovski and Lieca that the secondhand prices are about HALF the new price, even in mint condition with the box, documents and unused perfect accessories, with cases being just a 'side benefit' rather than worth money. I've often been unable to sell them at all for over a year!
So, if you find one for sale, I'd suggest that you offer the fair market price if it is mint, which would be about £230 (or £250 if it really is perfect and the case is 'as new'). Don't forget that you'll have to buy your own eyepiece, which now costs £230. Then it doesn't seem such a bargain, unless you happen to have a spare one lying about already! Try an offer of £200, and you might get lucky if the guy's been stuck with it for months.
all the best
Paul (currently birding in Vanuatu)