Celestron · Schmidt-Cassegrain · 10 inches and up
The C11 sits between the portable C8 and the observatory-sized C14, and a lot of serious observers think it's the sweet spot. Its 11-inch aperture gathers close to twice the light of a C8, through the same f/10 Schmidt-Cassegrain design, for a 2,800 mm focal length in a tube about two feet long. That tube weighs 27.5 lb on its own, which puts it past what light mounts can carry and makes setup a two-trip job for most people. Celestron still makes it, current tubes are Fastar compatible for a HyperStar camera lens, and plenty of used ones are sold as the tube alone. Buy one with a mount that's rated for it, or plan on budgeting for a bigger mount separately.
The full kit
Check the listing photos against this list, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. Plenty of listings are the tube alone or the mount alone, and a missing hand controller, power supply or counterweight should come off the price.
Damp storage can leave haze or fungus on the inside of the corrector. A heavy tube takes more knocks in shipping, so collimation often needs a touch on arrival. The tube is often listed alone or on a mount too light for it.
New to used telescopes? How to check a used telescope covers optics, mounts, power and shipping, and what a complete kit looks like helps with tube-only and mount-only listings.
Buying guide
We'd buy the open-box C11 tube at $2,850 with free shipping from a US dealer, if you already own a mount that can carry it. Of at least 9 listed, only three are used tubes, asking $2,169 to $2,700 delivered, and the cheapest of those is C11 optics rebuilt in a Tanaka Optical tube, so new dealer stock sets most of the $2,675 to $3,600 band. New, the C11-A XLT tube asks $2,999, Advanced VX 11 kits $3,599, the CGEM II 1100 $4,299 and the CGX 1100 $4,999. The tube alone weighs 27.5 lb, so check any mount's rated payload against it, ask for a flashlight photo through the corrector at an angle, and expect collimation to need a touch after shipping. Skip the "1900s" tube from a 97.1% seller, whose photo shows tape around the tube.
$2,699.89est. delivered
The lowest delivered stock C11, a tube titled Near MINT with a 7x50 finder, at $2,700 delivered once you add $700 shipping from Japan. It's the tube alone, so it needs a mount rated for a 27 lb tube, and ask about import fees and how it will be packed.
【Near MINT】 Celestron C11 SCT Starbright Telescope OTA w/ Astro 7x50 8° Finder
$2,849.95delivered
An open-box C11 tube with a CGE dovetail at $2,850 with free shipping from a US dealer, $150 under a new C11-A XLT tube and near the bottom of the band. Check that the dovetail fits your mount's saddle.
Celestron 11 SCT CGE Optical Tube Assembly Astronomy Telescope RARE
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Snapshot
Checked . Some may have sold.
Delivered prices include shipping as eBay quoted it to a US address on Oct 14, 2026. Many sellers charge by distance, so your total may differ. eBay shows yours before you pay.
Used$2,699.89est. delivered
$1,999.90 + $699.99 shipping
Buy It Now$1,999.90
Good buy
Tube alone with a 7x50 finder, titled Near MINT. The photo also shows a trunk case. Ships from Japan for $700.
Seller: harutovskii
100% positive
Open box$2,849.95delivered
$2,849.95 · free shipping
Buy It Now$2,849.95
Good buy
Open-box tube with a CGE dovetail, from a US dealer.
Seller: focuscamera
99.7% positive
Used$2,169.00est. delivered
$1,869.00 + $300.00 shipping
Buy It Now$1,869.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
C11 optics rebuilt in a Tanaka Optical tube, not a stock C11. Tube alone; ships from Japan.
Seller: tk.shop.1986
99.7% positive
New$2,999.00delivered
$2,999.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$2,999.00
Our take
New C11-A XLT tube for CGE, from a dealer.
Seller: adorama
99.6% positive
New$3,599.00delivered
$3,599.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$3,599.00
This seller takes offers, and many sellers accept less than the asking price.
Fine if you might miss it? Send an offer first. Someone else can still buy it while you wait for a reply.
Want it for sure? Use Buy It Now.
Our take
New Advanced VX 11 kit from a dealer.
Seller: focuscamera
99.7% positive
New$4,299.00delivered
$4,299.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$4,299.00
Our take
New CGEM II 1100 kit from a dealer.
Seller: adorama
99.6% positive
New$4,999.00delivered
$4,999.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$4,999.00
Our take
New CGX 1100 kit from a dealer.
Seller: adorama
99.6% positive
Used$2,620.00delivered
$2,620.00 · free shipping
Buy It Now$2,620.00
Check the seller
Black tube titled 1900s; the photo shows tape around the tube. Seller under 98%.
Seller: samedayships
97.1% positive
Prices change daily. The live eBay search shows everything listed now, including anything new since Oct 14, 2026.
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Celestron
Schmidt-Cassegrain$675–$1,800 typical ask
Celestron
Schmidt-Cassegrain$3,625–$3,650 typical ask
Meade
Schmidt-Cassegrain$2,750–$3,275 typical ask
Sky-Watcher
Mount$3,525–$3,550 typical ask