Australia Astronomy Buy & Sell
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – updated Jan. 7, 2008

How do I place a free advert?
Click on "Post / Update ads" from the menu (at the top left of any page). Then sign-in using your user name and password, then click on "Place advert" from the menu (at the top left of the page). If it is your first time using AstroBuySell you will first have to register.  Follow the “register” link provided on that same page.
NOTE:
Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, or dealers (whether full-time, part-time, or spare-time) cannot advertise for free.

Is placing adverts really free?
Yes. All private, not-for-profit ads can be placed free of charge.  See below for more information on appropriate free advertising.
NOTE: Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, or dealers (whether full-time, part-time, or spare-time) cannot advertise for free.

What are the guidelines for free ads?
Free advertising is typically for items that meet this criteria:
- Single items (not a quantity of the same item)
- Usually the items are used
- The seller does not profit from the sale of the items
- Must be related to the hobby of astronomy

What do you consider inappropriate free advertising?
- Multiple quantities of the same item
- Any kind of service
- Repeatedly placing ads with the intent of making a profit
- Repeatedly selling “brand new, never used” items
- Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, or dealers (whether full-time, part-time, or spare-time) cannot advertise for free
- Items on consignment with a dealer or retailer

What are some examples of inappropriate free advertising?
- Buying quantities of equipment at a close-out sale and re-selling it on AstroBuySell at a profit
- Buying items on eBay and re-selling them on AstroBuySell at a higher price
- Offering to modify DSLR cameras or web cams for a fee because you are an electronics expert
- Building items in your garage workshop and selling them on AstroBuySell
- Your telescope is for sale on consignment at a dealer and your ad refers people to the dealer.

Why are you so strict about free advertising?
Because there are legitimate businesses tying to make a living by selling astronomy equipment. These businesses have large overheads (rent, salaries, taxes, advertising, etc) to pay and do not deserve to be undercut by spare-time “dealers” who don’t have any of these expenses.  Please support our astronomy retailers and dealers… without them we’d have nowhere to buy our equipment.

Can businesses place adverts?
Only if a business becomes a sponsor and purchases a banner space, in which case a business can place up to 5 classified adverts per 30-day period.  There is no option to purchase classifieds adverts, only.
Contact elsie  <at> astrobuysell <dot> com  for details   (replace <at> with @ and <dot> with . to make the email address work)

How do I look at the adverts?
From the menu (at the top of any page) click on "Browse adverts". On that page, you will have several choices. The most used choice is the "Show All ### adverts (starting with most recent)". Click here for step-by-step instructions. This option will show you all adverts from most recent to oldest. Otherwise you can specify exactly what you want to see by selecting from the menus on that page. For example, say you want to see all refracting telescopes for sale that are still "active" in Melbourne; from the menus select: "Telescope - Refractor", "For Sale, "Active", "Melbourne", then click the "Submit Query" button at the bottom of that page.

How do I see the details for each advert?
When browsing the adverts, you will only be shown the "preview" for each advert. To read the full details of an advert, click on "For Sale" or "Wanted" or "For Trade" in the second column.

Can I delete my ad after I sell/find my item?
No. You can mark your advert "sold" or "found" or “cancelled”, then archive your advert.  When you archive your advert, your contact information is no longer shown! The reason we do not allow adverts to be deleted is because the accumulation of adverts creates an excellent reference database for used astronomical goods. By browsing old adverts, one can see the availability and pricing of used equipment.

How do I delete my registration record?
Log in by clicking on "Post / Update ads" from the menu (at the top left of any page). Then click on "Edit your account info", then click on "Click here to delete your registration record".  Careful - once you click there, your registration is permanently deleted. NOTE:  you should probably archive any current adverts before deleting your registration.  If you don’t archive current adverts, your contact info will still show in the current adverts, even though you have deleted your registration record.