If you are an eBay seller and you want to put a Questar Telescope up for auction or a buy now option, there’s a lot to consider. You’ll need to know your device and what you have for sale. You’ll need to convey what you know to a potential buyer or collector.
Although many collectors already know what they are looking for and what to expect. Details like measurments and close-up photos can help with the sale.
Finally, an eBay listing has certain requirements you’ll have to meet to use the platform for selling. The requirements are not meant to hinder you, but to help you sell your items faster.




There’s a special advantage you gain when selling your telescope and other collectibles on eBay. When selling the Questar Telescope online through the eBay platform, you’ve already got a captive audience. Collectors know they can get a good deal on a telescope through eBay sellers.
eBay is the place to buy and sell all types of items, including the telescopes.

Pricing Considerations on the Questar Telescope

You can auction the item and set a reserve to protect yourself from a potential loss. Or, you can use buy it now options to sell the device and include make an offer.  Personally I’m not a fan of reserve listings. WHY? Because eBay charges an additional fee to create a reserve. I also feel it “scares” off potential buyers.
Auctions tend to have a bigger draw than Buy It Now Options because it gives buyers a chance to get a better deal overall. Either way, you’ll need to research the telescope and give as much information as possible in a product description. Your research will have to involve a price inclusion.
You can use WorthPoint.com to discover the historical information in relation to the past, online sales of the telescope. Questar has been making telescopes for over 50 years.
The Quester corporate site includes historical information about the manufacturer as well. But, Worthpoint has the added advantage of giving you pricing information of sale trends over the last 15 years.
You can look up the Questar Telescope to find out the latest eBay sales with pricing and what sales have been most successful. However, reviewing completed listings on eBay is limited compared to WorthPoint.
If you choose to put a telescope up for auction, make sure your reserve price is reasonable or your starting price is reasonable. You can always list the item with a starting bid of $0.99. But, there is some risk associated with doing so. You might be successful drawing in early bids.
Or, you can end up with one person making a single early bid and no other bidders. With no reserve set, the bidder wins at the price set.
To ensure our auction gets lots of bidding action, there are some key factors you’ll have to include with your listing. Here, we will examine what you need to include to sell the scope.
In general, you’ll need a great description and awesome pictures. But, there’s a lot of dos and don’t along the way. You can use the tips here to make sure you cover all your bases as you ready your eBay listing.

What to Include in the Questar Telescope’s Written Description

The written description needs to be clear, concise, and informative. You don’t want to include useless information. The description of the Questar Telescope needs to be as accurate as possible too. There’s vital information every buyer will be looking for when they shop.
A flawless it makes you appear as a knowledgeable and trustworthy seller. You’ll give buyers more confidence in the fact they know what they are paying for too. Below are some product description tips you can use to increase the likelihood of a sale.
Tip #1:
Be Careful When Choosing Your Listing Title.
It’s a good idea to include the words “Questar Telescope” in the product’s eBay title listing. The reason for this is threefold:
• It makes it easier to find the item you’re listing through an eBay search.
• eBay buyer can spot what they are looking for as they scroll through listings with greater ease.
• It will have a better chance of showing up under a search engine query for the type of telescope you’re selling.
Note: When appropriate, consider including the word “Vintage” in the title as well. It will draw the attention of telescope collectors.
Here is a copy of my listing. Feel free to use my title for your own listingl

Tip #2:
Evaluate the telescope and be honest about its condition.
When you’re describing the telescope’s condition, be honest about it. If there are significant flaws, share the information with the buyer. When you’re selling a telescope in excellent condition, it’s still a used telescope.
There is bound to be small markings on it. Make sure you include this in the details. It demonstrates you are being realistic with the information you’re sharing.




When you evaluate the scope, try it out yourself. Make a note of your experience when letting buyers know about the telescope’s condition. Examine how crisp your view is and make sure you note the brightness of the celestial body you are viewing.
If you can take a photograph using the telescope, it’s a good idea to share the image with potential buyers. Questar offers a nice write up on how to take successful photographs with a telescope. You can access that write up at:
https://www.questarcorporation.com/questar.htm.

When sharing the scope’s condition, include information on the following:

• The condition of the optical surface.
• Is there scratches present?
• Is the lens clear or yellow with age?
• Does the lens have obvious fog?

• Note all the scope’s accessories and the condition of each item separately.
o If you don’t know how to refer to every accessory, give a complete description of what you do have on hand.
o Don’t be afraid to suggest you don’t what a certain part is or how it works. It will show you are honest about sharing what you do know.
• What is the condition of case’s exterior?
o Is the exterior in good shape or loaded with scratches or scuff marks?
o What about the case’s coloration?
• Include whether you have any of the original paperwork with the telescope.
o Is there a manual that comes with the unit?
o Is theinterior still intact?
o Is it well-padded or cushioned? If so, with what material?
o Will the interior still supply adequate protection for the scope itself?
Tip #3:
Almost 100% of all used Questar Telescope sellers share the item’s serial number. This number is important because it reveals details about the scope.
This is why it is important to include the telescope’s serial number in the content’s description. It is on the bottom of the scope’s base. The serial number also allows the buyer to research the scope and validate it is a real Questar model.
Data in the “serial number” is arranged in a specific order and includes:
• Unit type
• Mirror type
• Serial number
• Coatings
• Options
• Materials
For more information on Questar Telescope serial numbers, visit:
https://www.questarcorporation.com/start.htm.

Photographing Your Questar Telescope

The visual presentation of your telescope is important to your sale. The photos of the item will speak to the buyer where words do not. You don’t want to use stock photos when listing the telescope on eBay. It will make the buyer think you have something to hide because there are no original photos available.




Buyers want to see what they are investing money into when they shop. eBay gives you the opportunity to offer a plethora of photos because it will increase the likelihood of a sale’s success. Better photos improve the odds of a sale by as much as five percent.
Here’s what to consider when taking pictures of the items you plan to sell:
eBay insists sellers have atleast one photograph with every product listing. Bear in mind more than one picture is the best choice.
 

Here’s what you’ll want to include in the photos you upload to your eBay listing:

• • The telescope body after removing it from the case.
• Include the eyepiece attachment.
• Any additional eyepieces remain stored inside the case.
• Display the case on a neutral colored table with a neutral backdrop.
• The keys and tools you find in the bottom-most pocket of the case’s interior.Here you’ll find the “#60 Bristol Spline Wrench: An L-shaped tool used for adjusting knobs on the telescope. Document it’s inclusion if it comes with it. Otherwise, your buyer will need to know you don’t have it and it requires replacement.
• Make sure the scope aligns correctly when you take an image of it. If the scope is not aligned correctly, use gentle movements to align the forks with the eyepiece.
• The clear finder lens and the control panel on the back of the unit.
• Accessories including all lenses and eyepieces. If they are not labeled, use notecards in the display image to explain what parts you have in the picture.
• The removed sleeve, scope, and all angles of the telescope’s body. Quality pictures will reveal defects. Do not Photoshop flaws out of the photos.
• The case, inside and out.
• The inside door of the scope’s case. Leave he the additional eyepiece inside the door if applicable. You’ll also be able to keep the legs of the scope in the pockets on the door’s interior.
• The serial number on the base plate on the bottom of the telescope.
• A close-up of existing defects.
• The documentation you have on the unit.
• One all-inclusive shot with the case, scope, accessories, and documentation.

Staging the Photos of Your Questar Telescope

The shots you upload to eBay will require a specific format. The proper size, image orientation, and display of the photo is crucial to your sale. Here are some staging tips you can use to ensure you have adequate photos for your listing.
• As you prepare your telescope for display, leave the optical lenses in their original condition. Don’t clean or dust them. Note in your description that you’ve left them untouched.
• Use the spline wrench to adjust the levers and knobs on the scope’s back housing. They should be neat and in a vertical position. Otherwise, make a note that you did not adjust the knobs for taking the photo.
• Remove the lens cap on the scope and set it on the display table.




• Move the solar filter from out of the view of the finder lens so you make the scope’s lens visible.
• Position the scope vertical so it points upward. On the fork there is a knob you can use to make this adjustment.
• The main tube of the scope is covered by a cylindrical seal. Take the cover off and put it on the display table.
• The photos you upload to eBay have to be at least 500 pixels on the photo’s longest side. Larger photos are encouraged. The higher the pixel count, the greater the image clarity and the richer the photo detail.
• eBay doesn’t allow the addition of text, borders, or artwork on photographs. The telescope you photograph should rest against a neutral background. You can include the accessories and case, but no props.

Additional Photo Tips to Ensure Photo Excellence

eBay has set standards for the images a seller can use to enhance an item listing. It’s a good idea for you to review the photo rules before uploading. Doing so will ensure your listing remains on the eBay platform. Some general rules include:
1. Make sure image are larger than 500 pixels.
2. Set any camera you are using to the highest resolution possible through the menu and setting options.
3. Do not use any flash when photographing your scope. Rely on natural light instead.
4. Use a tripod or camera mount to ensure the camera remains steady when you take a photo. It will diminish shake and blur effects.
5. Don’t clutter the background with anything that’s not part of the items you are selling.
6. Diffuse lighting is best to get rid of reflections and shadows. Add gauze, a white sheet, white screen, or frosted glass in front of your source of light to help diffuse it.
7. Don’t shine your lighting right on the telescope. Point it in a different direction like the wall or ceiling to let the light bounce back onto your telescope.
8. Invest in an inexpensive lightbox to take terrific photos of the scope with even lighting.
9. You can upload up to 7MB of photos on eBay. Your file sizes should be medium or high. If you choose small sizes, the images get pixilated or blurry.




10. Use your Questar telescope to fill the entire frame of the image. The empty border around your images should be about ten percent of the image all the way around.
11. Try to keep all the accessories and the telescope close together in the image while minimizing open space.
12. Use appropriate file names when naming photos. Each photo needs to have a title reflecting what it contains. For example, a good file name for the case of the Questar telescope is black_questar_telescope_case_front.jpg. Include a product sku number in the file name if applicable.
13. Upload your images to eBay and avoid third party imaging hosting solutions.
14. For an extra special touch, you can make a video of the item as you zoom into its unique features.

Shipping the Questar Telescope and Wrapping Up the Sale

When you land that buyer, you’ll want to round off the sale with a professional packing job. Packing the item correctly ensures the buyer remains satisfied with the unit. It also ensures you keep every penny from your sale.
Use manufacturing recommending shipping methods to ship the telescope to the buyer. You can make a note of the fact that you do so in your product description. Offer the following packing solutions to give your buyer confidence in the proper shipment of the telescope:
Use brand new boxes and double up the boxes too. A medium heavy box measuring 18” x 18” x 16” runs just over $2.00 in price. If you can get away with a smaller box measuring 12” x 2” x 16, you can save a couple of dollars.
Pad the interior with sufficient bubble wrap. You can get an entire roll of bubble wrap for just under $20 bucks.




Seal the boxes tight with packing tape.
Insure the telescope when you ship it for the sale price.
Send the item with receipt requesting a signature from the recipient.
Video the pre-packaging process. Make sure you prep the telescope as follows:
There is a knob on the unit’s left fork. Turn it to the left to lock the declination.
On the sidewalls of the case there are small discs. Turn them so you can put the scope in the box flat and level on its base.
Keep the shorter eyepiece attached to the scope. Make sure it fits tight to the scope. Don’t forget to wrap the case as well.
Wrap the unit and accessories in the enough bubble wrap to protect it, but not so much it is busting out the box.
Put on the exterior of the box “HANDLE WITH CARE – FRAGILE GLASS.”
Put accessories tightly packed in a separate shipping box.

Conclusion

Although it takes some careful research, listing, and packaging, you can make a pretty profit off the Questar Telescope through an eBay sale.
The more attentiveness you use in preparing your listing and staging photos, them more enticing your listing becomes to potential buyers. If you follow the tips above, you’ll have the Questar telescope sold in no time whatsoever.