Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q.  "We're a two man outfit and I don't think we need all of the services you offer.  Can I pick just those services that I need from the American Astronomy Center of Excellence?"

A.  Yes you can.  You can choose as many or as few services as you believe are necessary to meet your goals.  A.C.E. will assist you each step of the way.  

Q.  "We would like to start selling our products in Europe, if this is possible, but we don't know how to go about it.  Can you help with this?"

A.  This is exactly the type of activity A.C.E. can assist with.  Keep in mind that the sole focus of A.C.E. is the active promotion of your products to the worldwide astronomy user community.  Our activities are not limited to the U.S. alone.  

Q.  "Our company is well recognized in amateur astronomy and we usually do our own advertising.  Just like any other business owner, I certainly would like to see our revenues improve.  The letter that you sent was very informative but we'd still prefer to ease into a relationship with A.C.E..  Can we just place an ad on the A.C.E. website for starters, just to see how things go?  

A.  Thank you for your letter.  It's important to point out that placing your Company, and your Company's products, on our website is included automatically in your membership.  This is a free service.  A.C.E. actively maintains its website, continuously markets it's members through the internet medium using a variety of advanced techniques, conducts direct sales on your behalf and redirects all prospective leads directly to you.   Certainly, this would be a great way to start!

Q.  "An associate of mine told me that he signed up for your services and it isn't costing him a monthly fee at all.  How is this possible?"

A.  Your associate is correct.  We do offer ways to access our services at no cost, on a continuing basis.  Just send us an email requesting our membership information kit for full details.

Q.  "Our Company buys parts from overseas and assembles them here in the U.S.  Can we label our finished product as "Made in the USA"?"

A.  A.C.E. cannot make legal interpretations.  It would be better to ask this question of the Federal Trade Commission or your legal advisor.  It is our understanding that for a product to be labeled as "Made in the USA", all, or virtually all of the components must be manufactured in the United States or, the dollar value of the foreign components must be insignificant when compared to the value of the product produced.  Again, our answer is not a legal opinion and you should ask your advisor before making a claim about your product. 

Q.  "We are an American company that sells retail astronomy equipment.  Are we allowed to sign up for membership?"

A.  Please remember that the main goal of A.C.E. is the promotion of American-made astronomical products.  Our memberships are open to American manufacturers of astronomical goods and services only.  If you are currently selling astronomy products of U.S. manufacture, be certain to contact your supplier before signing up for our services.  You may find that your supplier is already a registered Members of A.C.E., with their products listed on our website.  If your supplier's American-made products are not already listed with A.C.E., you may register and list these products.  Again, it would be best to contact your supplier first.

Q.  "We've developed a new product that's pretty sophisticated and would like to post a Whitepaper on your web site, describing the technology behind it.  It's important to us that the customers understand exactly why this product is different.  How do we go about posting this paper?"

A.  Simply send us a copy of the Whitepaper you would like to post on our site and we'll take care of the rest.  Our editorial staff will review your paper to make certain that your submission is appropriate for our readers.  If approved, our editing will consist of spelling and grammar checks only.  None of the content will be changed by our staff.  Any modifications made will be subject to your final approval before posting.

*  Whitepapers may include photos.  Please note that the photo file format must be either JPEG or GIF.