Bad News for Melbourne Astronomy

[barx1963]

I rang Bintel's Melbourne store to enquire about a repair issue. They have told me that the Melbourne store is closing later this month.:sadeyes: Gather this is a victim of the Internet age but our hobby I think still benefits from people being able to see and touch at a specialist sellers store.

I gather Anthony (the Melbourne store manager) is setting up a repair business so assist people requiring servicing on scopes and mounts going forward.

Malcolm

[04Stefan07]

That is very bad news.

They have provided excellent service over the years.

[pfitzgerald]

That is not good news - :( - Their service and advice has always been excellent in my dealings with them.

So sadly another retail outlet leaves us.

Paul

[rustigsmed]

very bad news indeed.
I would have thought they would be doing ok being the main (only?) general astronomy store in Melbourne :(

[deanm]

Not only bad news for Melbourne, but all of Oz.

I'm sure many of us around the country have ordered stuff from them - always excellent, speedy sevice.

A great shame....

Dean

[barx1963]

The Sydney store (that does the internet and mail order sales I believe) will keep operating, just the Melbourne shopfront that is being shut.

Malcolm

[issdaol]

Sad to see Bintel close their star in Melbourne but their Sydney store is still there are provides excellent service.

One thing I find very interesting is how many lament the closing of these local retailers but are the first to buy online from internet stores overseas.

[traveller]

That's a bad start to 2016.

[barx1963]

In the few years I have been in the hobby I have seen, AOS, Star optics, York and a couple of others shut up shop. I have always made a point of directing beginners on IIS to Bintel especially if they are in Melbourne. But these days the internet rules.

Malcolm

[carlstronomy]

Unfortunately this is the way many businesses are going and not only in the telescope community. Back in the day manufacturers and OEM's only sold to a retail store not to the public. Then came the change that they would sell direct to the public (Internet sales), but the cost would be greater so that the retailers could get back import duties, taxes and freight.
Now they are almost competing with the retail stores on a lot of items, I am unsure why and how this ever came about. But on most small items you can purchase directly from the manufacturer or OEM, have it quicker and of course cheaper.
As a consumer purchasing small amounts we don't pay import tax, duties and we don't have to wait to get a certain amount of orders to make it worth bringing in special orders into the country.
Retailers can not stock every item, especially in our hobby where there are so many types and brands and the cost to bring in some items is way higher then if the consumer was to purchase directly himself.

I agree and do where possible support our stores, but I like everyone else have to save a dollar where possible. So if I can get a saving going direct I naturally do this.

Just my rant, for retailers to survive direct to the public must end or be at a higher cost to the consumer. As we know with no retailers we lose the ability for repairs and the quick buy when we need it!

Carl

[anthony2302749]

Hi all
I want to thank you all for your business and tell you how much we have enjoyed having you as customers. Please don't hesitate to call if there is anything we can do for you before we close which will be at the end of January.
For all future sales and service please don't hesitate to phoning Don, Michael and all the staff at BINTEL Sydney.
Regards
Anthony McCulloch, James Murphy, Gavin Styles and Adrian Mete.
BINTEL Melbourne.

[anthony2302749]

Hi Again
As Malcom has mention I am going into business for myself, manly focusing on providing a repair service for binoculars, telescopes and optical related items, focusing on Melbourne and the southern states. It is early days, so currently I only have an email address which is btsc@optusnet.com.au (btsc@optusnet.com.au) for enquires. As a business I plan to be formally up and running by the end of January
For those who don’t know I have over 15yrs experience in optical retail and am quite capable in servicing and repairing a wide range of Binoculars, Telescope and Optical equipment (Thanks to the tuition from Roger Davis). I have experience work on Meade, Skywatcher, Celestron and Orion telescope. I will also be able to engineer and machine part for various astronomical and optical applications was I have the lathe/mill setup.
Regards
Anthony McCulloch
Local Repair Service
btsc@optusnet.com.au (btsc@optusnet.com.au)

[skysailor]

Sorry to see them go... I bought my first two telescopes from their store when it was situated above another business in Burgundy St Heidelberg (so long ago) :(
and my dear old dad also bought a scope & mount there... I must go down to the store while it's still open and buy a few goodies... just for old times sake.
Good luck to all the staff...

cheers

[castor]

Sad to see this place go.

I remember buying my first scope at BINTEL's previous incarnation in Heidelberg when I was 20. Many lovely chats with Roger and Anthony over the years. It was they who introduced me to ASV and observing in general.

There's still a few things I'd like to purchase, but I'm not going to be in Melbourne before next month.

[astro_nutt]

Very sad indeed! I'm another who brought from BATSC in Heidelberg, then onto Bintel. Roger and Anthony have been great in helping me to sort out any issues in scopes and stuff, but also being genuinely professional. But, if I need any repairs, I know who to see.
Thanks again guys.

[Eden]

This is very sad news...I've bought most of my kit from Bintel and Anthony has always gone the extra mile for his customers.

There aren't really any other options aside from Bintel in Melbourne, so I am not sure what would happen there...

It's good of Anthony to be setting up a business to take care of repairs :thumbsup:

[The_bluester]

Very sad news. I have not bought a huge amount of gear and not all of it was bought new but just about every bit of new gear I have bought I carried out through the door of Bintel Melbourne.

[MortonH]

Sad to hear this. I hope it doesn't foreshadow the disappearance of Bintel entirely.

[Renato1]

That is most unfortunate. It was only last year that it transpired that the husband of the dental secretary I was chatting to, was very interested in astronomy but didn't know where to start. I told her about Bintel, he then went there, and bought a telescope and was quite happy.

I don't know of any other store to refer people to. The last place would be National Geographic stores who like selling those expensive 60mm refractors which are extremely hard for a beginner to use.
Regards,
Renato

[barx1963]

I have a dislike of the Aust Geo stores having seen too many scopes on display incorrectly setup (dobs with the eyepiece end pointing down) and asked the staff and told that that's how they are supposed to be. Also told by the staff at one store that a Celestron 4SE scope was ideal for astro photography!!

Malcolm

[skysailor]

Well I popped in this morning and bought a couple of things (didn't really need them) but it was my last visit so I thought why not....
Sad to see the shop close down, there was a young lady there buying a "first" telescope for her boyfriend and it was a good example of why we need shopfronts where you can ask all those first timer dumb questions and touch the scopes - she was being very well cared for and looked like buying a 14" dob.... lucky boyfriend...

cheers

[barx1963]

I have been lucky enough to be instore at Bintel when a "newbie" has been there asking for info to get a first scope and I have always been impressed with the degree of care and attention people receive. Advice has always been good and accurate.

Malcolm

[UniPol]

It would be interesting to know why Bintel in Melbourne is closing or shouldn't one ask..

[Hagar]

Sad to see Bintel disappear from Melbourne. It was one of my drop in spots when I travelled down to Melbourne. I had quite an account with the guys there. even after they showed my daughter one Fathers day. Thank god it wasn't the wife.

All the best with your new venture Anthony. It's been nice doing business with you over the years.

[MortonH]

I noticed a while back that Bintel had dropped the prices on many/most of their own brand GSO gear to match or sometimes even undercut Andrews. I don't know what proportion of their sales are attributed to "standard" gear like GSO & Skywatcher. Unlike Andrews they also sell high end stuff like Tele Vue, Swarovski etc.

Yet if competing with Andrews was a factor you have to wonder about the likes of Sirius optics. No website for months due to the change in ownership and now that it's up again, I see so many prices that are so high. I suspect the only shops that will survive will be large volume discount stores (e.g. Andrews) or stores that have exclusive rights to certain brands (e.g. Bintel with Tele Vue, MyAstroShop with Vixen, etc).

I might have to help Bintel out by buying another DeLite from them.

[Julian]

Obvious I would have thought:thumbsup:

[UniPol]

It's not obvious to me, what do you think?

[Wavytone]

It was that kind of cluelessness that led to Mike Smith starting Bintel in the first place.

[AussieTrooper]

Bugger. I'm looking at getting a 12" Dobs at the end of this year.
Can't do it before then due to getting the house renovated and married.
:(

[Nikolas]

Went in this morning to buy a pier extension but alas I found out they were closing in Melbourne. Anthony is a true professional and it will definitely be the end of an era.

[kittenshark]

The US exchange rate has been brutal on many importers, it's putting 20% to 30% increase in costs. A year ago it was near parity.

Still, I didn't expect this coming from Bintel... :sadeyes: as a fellow retailer it's very upsetting to hear about someone so established and respected on the market to have to close down a major storefront. The Orion prices on the old Sirius Optics website had not been updated for years and was actually *below* cost to fulfill website orders so we had to take it down and start from scratch. I don't know if this affected other shops trying to match those crazy prices but I'm not surprised if it's spoiled the market for everyone already. :mad2:

Skywatcher have raised their prices too. Even Chinese suppliers deal with US dollars so those prices have gone up too.

It's not turning out to be a good year to be a telescope retailer, but let's hope we'll all be able hang in there until the exchange rate improves and dealers lower their prices. :help:

Fingers crossed for Bintel... hopefully reducing overheads will help.

[04Stefan07]

I can confirm Anthony is starting up his own telescope/binocular repair business. Had a chat with him and was telling me a bit about it.

He is currently building a website so I would keep an close eye on it :).

www.battes.com.au

[gaa_ian]

It is disappointing to hear of the closure of Bintel in Melbourne, I have certainly benifited from repairs there a number of times from the other end of the country! People certainly do like the touch - see - test experience of an astronomy store. A factor that keeps me busy every day here in Cairns as the only astronomy shopfront in northern Australia (as far as I know)
As for the direct shopping online, as a retailer you have to be a part of that to survive. Still business often comes from folk who have bought online cheap and been disappointed and so return to the bricks and mortar store with people who use and know the gear they sell.

[Astromelb]

Dear IIS team,

Sad news indeed.

This leaves my business - Astronomy Alive - as the only specialist retail supplier of telescopes in Melbourne.

In my decades in astronomy I have seen Roger at BATSC, Astro Optical, York and now Bintel close.

You now only have Astronomy Alive in the Melbourne suburb of Bentleigh - able to support a full range of specialist astronomy products from beginner, intermediate, advanced, professional and major observatory systems.

The only other Melbourne suppliers are OzScopes (a Malaysian business) and their spin off Optics Central - who serve a lower spec product range & are an online focus for sales of astronomy gear.

Whilst Bintel make this sad decision - my business Astronomy Alive has achieved another record year last financial year, and is already placed to achieve another record year this financial year.

Whilst my competitors go this sad route, my business thrives :)

I am happy to support customers in Melbourne, and also nationally and internationally with their needs - from beginner to professional - and with better prices than OzScopes & Optics Central anyway - but I suggest you check these prices yourself.

Plus I also support exceptional world class telescope manufacturers such as Officina Stellare (the worlds best telescope maker), ASA Astrosysteme, CFF Telescopes (fully oil spaced exotica triplets), Central DS CCD systems - plus my hand crafted designs of Sky Rover (triplet and sextuplet refractors which are massively popular), plus also hand crafted reflectors.

Good luck for the future to Bintel in Sydney.

Rgds,
Cris Ellis
Astronomy Alive,
Bentleigh, Melbourne,
www.astronomyalive.com.au (http://www.astronomyalive.com.au)

[UniPol]

Nothing like a free plug :shrug:

[Astromelb]

Thank you UniPol, I agree, there's nothing like the closure of a competitor to enable an increased opportunity for my business. Some of the comments in this thread were saying there's now no one. So my comment is merely to correct this, they didn't mention my business, Astronomy Alive.

My business is a major telescope supplier national and internationally, and also actively supporting Melbourne, and thriving :)

Bintel closing is sad. But this is a major opportunity to my business, as now there's no one else with a capability in astronomy left here.

Rgds,
Cris Ellis,
Astronomy Alive.
www.astronomyalive.com.au (http://www.astronomyalive.com.au)

[Fox]

I have to say that I am really saddened to learn about this news, l must drop by before the doors finally close for good. It's quite depressing that the only Melbourne shopfront for telescopes will be toy shops and Aust Geo, honestly, don't people give a damn about the night sky anymore... Don't get me started....!

[RB]

I wouldn't buy from you if you were the last Astronomy shop in the World !

Just my thoughts....

RB

:)

[UniPol]

Pretty strong words there RB and coming from a moderator too. Mind you, I'm inclined to agree with you.

[AndrewJ]

In that case, a simple one liner ( vs a glowing/gloating advertorial ) would probably have sufficed;)

Andrew

[torana68]

It would be a sad day if someone's opinion were not allowed on a forum, how do people make informed decisions if opinions are censored? if you love a business or otherwise should be able to be stated freely.....

[Nikolas]

Just trolled your website
Little stock, slow to load, price on asking is a no no. either state the price or don't even bother.
Not a fan of the gloating either.
Bintel still have their sydney store and their website is way easier to follow and everything is priced.

[alpal]

That's awful from a moderator & to a person who advertises on this site.

I can tell you from experience that what Cris has on his website in only a fraction of what he actually has in stock.
He has items that you could try to get for years on Astro Mart & not be successful.

[MortonH]

How is anyone supposed to know what's available if it's not advertised? :shrug:

[barx1963]

Hey guys
When I started this thread I never intended it to be a slanging match over who is a good retailer etc. Just sad that a store I have frequented and enjoyed visiting over the years is no more.

Let's just leave it at that hey!

Malcolm

[MortonH]

Well said. :thumbsup:

[Astromelb]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

The moderator that made the comments - I don't know you, have never had any dealings with you, have never spoken to you or corresponded with you, so whilst you are welcome to your opinion, I just don't know where you got it from. On IIS you don't use your name, merely "initials", and call yourself "moderator", may I recommend this is not a very open way to communicate ?

Let's just leave this as a sad goodbye to a decent & capable Melbourne retailer.

Rgds,
Cris.

[RB]

Moderator or not, I don't form my opinion based on who advertises on here.
Maybe you'd be happy to hear from someone that does base their opinion on sponsorship. :shrug:

I too am saddened to see a branch of an astro retailer close.

Our hobby consists of a tightly knit community and it's a very competitive marketplace so it hurts everyone when we see our buying options diminish.

Luckily Bintel hasn't closed up completely and the Sydney Store is going strong.
I have been more than happy with the service I have received from Bintel Sydney and I might add, other astro dealers I've delt with over the (more than) ten years in this hobby.

Just my opinion and I wish the staff at Bintel Melbourne all the best in the future.

RB

[traveller]

Getting back the original intention of the post, I bought a couple of things there today. They will close on Sat and will be missed when the doors finally shut.
Bo

[raymo]

I'm sorry, I just can't keep my mouth shut. Astromelb obviously just doesn't get it at all. We are here expressing our thoughts on the closing
of yet another astro outlet. This is neither THE TIME NOR THE PLACE to
push his business, and he's still doing it in his latest post.
raymo

[VPAstro]

I would have to agree with you Raymo.
I have typed up a few responses, but deleted them all.

[John K]

Back to the original intention of the thread....

I too am saddened by the closure of Bintel which I think is reflective of the tough environment that retailers have to operate in. The emergence of on-line shopping no doubt strongly affected Bintel and other retailers (aka. Dick Smith!) where people go in, get advice face to face, get the info, and then buy the cheapest on-line.

Nothing beats having a well stocked retail store with knowledgable staff to advise particularly beginners.

However, I still fully don't understand why for certain items related to our hobby there can be such a wide variation between buying on-line from O/S vs locally. That's another discussion though related to overheads, wages etc!!! as well as local purchasing power.

RIP Bintel Melbourne.

[N1]

Perhaps this is an area where an astro club or society could play a more active role? I understand that's how AstroNZ (http://www.astronomy.co.nz/shop/custom.aspx/about-astronz/8/) was conceived. Not sure if they have physical premises open to the public though.

Re controversy around the one remaining retailer in Melbourne - interesting ;)

[anthony2302749]

Hi Nikolas, thanks for the complement. Cheers Anthony

[anthony2302749]

Thank Stefan

As for the first week of business things are going well. Setup a temporary work space in the study. Gets a little crowded when the son decides to play Minecraft. Although this is one of the reasons I went in to business for myself, to spend more time with my son.

Completed my first service job on an 8" dobsonian, mirror need cleaning, some moisture removed from the finder, bit of a paint job and new rubber on the focuser knobs.

I am also in the process of purchasing lathe and milling machine which with a bit of luck will be installed in the next week or so. Once I have these two items setup I can do a lot more like complete the repairs on Melvin's Orion 15x70 and make tool required for binocular repairs.

As for the web site it is slowly coming together the Contact page is fully functional so if you have any enquires feel free to contact me.

The web address is www.battes.com.au (http://www.battes.com.au)

Cheers
Anthony McCulloch
Binocular and Telescope Technical Services

[anthony2302749]

Thanks' Doug c

Cheers Anthony

[Nikolas]

So why is your website such a trainwreck with no advertised prices for all items?
Can you address that concern?