Over the past year I’ve assembled five telescope stations worth roughly $8,000 in gear — for $2,850 total. All through patient Facebook Marketplace hunting and knowing exactly what to look for.
The secret isn’t finding bargains. It’s knowing which expensive features you can skip entirely (the 80-20 rule applies to telescopes just as much as everything else) and which cheap upgrades make a disproportionate difference.
This post covers my acquisition strategy, what I’d do differently, and the specific gear that punches above its weight.