Jump to content

FPN Admin Column

  • entries
    27
  • comments
    665
  • views
    333,824

Contributors to this blog

  • Admin 23
  • wimg 4

Fpn Pen: Store Open To Voters!


Admin

10,268 views

Dearest Members of the Board,

 

We would like to announce the opening of the FPN Store, right now, for ordering the FPN LE Pens, and first of course to those who voted in the polls or via mail and PM for the specific models of the FPN Pens they would like to order.

 

Last week, before the crash, we received all information we needed from Stipula to set up the final parts of the store, and just before the crash we managed to write the code in order to make it possible to select all voters to get a head start with the purchasing/ordering process, as promised.

 

On Tuesday we finished the testing of this code, and put it in place. Next we managed to change the currency setting from US $ to €, which is great, because when you all pay in Euros you save us and yourself 3 % in conversion fees! The changeover to Euros and putting all in place required us to temporarily open the FPN Store, and amazingly enough, two orders came in right away. Since the prices hadn't been adapted yet, we notified these enthousiastic members to please try again when the store would open for real, with the additional benefit that prices would be approximately 1/3 lower :D.

 

We will also set up a new poll, for the actual text to be used for the FPN Pen inscription. There are quite a few options quite close in the ratings, and we would like to establish a single similar inscription to be used for all pens, before the order is sent off to Stipula. We will set this vote up so that only those who voted so far will have access to this vote, that seems fairest to us.

 

We also created a new price list, corrected for the latest info. What we didn't realize when we started, is the amount of the transactional fees we would have to pay. We have included those partly in the price, and lowered our expectations for funding at least to some degree, so we all share those fees. It does mean that the pricing will be slightly higher than we first anticipated.

 

The new price list can be found here (or in the store of course):

 

FPN LE Pens 2011 - Final Price List

(Note: Updated to reflect June 5, 2011, $ / € exchange rate)

 

Do note that the $ price is an indication only, it is based currently on the Wednesday, June 5, exchange rate (updated!). The euro pricing is the only correct and up-to-date pricing! The list opens in a new tab or window, BTW.

 

Finally, time required to actually manufacture this pen. Stipula indicated that due to the large number of pens we are dealing with here (500-600+), the expected delivery time from down payment for the order until final shipment is in the order of 60 days. This not only because it is such a large order, but also because in August they will be closed for two weeks. In short, if payments come in fast enough, we may be able to receive our pens before the holiday deadline, if not, it will likely only be end of August / beginning of September.

 

So, where is the store, you may ask? Well, you can find it here: FPN Store, or as usual, in the tabs underneath the header, between the Downloads and Members tabs.

 

A few last remarks of note:

- Voters have a 10 day headstart on ordering and paying for those models they voted for.

- In 10 days time we will open the FPN Store to all, with all pens open to order and pay for by all members.

- Payment is set up to be in Euros by default, because we have to pay for the pens in Euros.

- Payments will be approved manually, so there may be a delay between you paying and receiving confirmation. This is due to the PayPal setup we have, which cannot be altered right now.

- If you insist on paying in US $, please add 3% to the total amount, due to conversion fees we will incur. If you don't, we will not accept the payment.

- If a pen is sold out, and we haven't asked Stipula to manufacture any pens yet, contact us backchannel, and we will see what we can do for you.

- VAT will be calculated automatically, based on your residential location (EU legal requirement for e-selling).

- Shipment costs will be calculated automatically too, with VAT added if applicable, and is € 10.49 for USA, Canada and EU countries, and € 20.99 for all other countries, excluding VAT - this is at cost.

 

Anyway, you can now finally go ahead and order your pens.

 

Warm regards,

The FPN Admin Team

52 Comments


Recommended Comments



Bipedallou

Posted

:clap1: This is GREAT! :bunny01: I've placed my order, everything went smoothly on my end...payment made via PayPal, receipt shows total in Euros.

Thank you all, Wim and Admint Team members for the work you've done to bring this project from the 'hope it can be done' state to being a reality. :thumbup:

Now to settle down and await the arrival of the special pens :P .

Thanks again to all who worked, and are continuing to work on this project.

Lou

Link to comment

Hello

 

Thank You so much for the Shop. Made my order just a minute ago.

 

However, there is a minor issue. The price list indicates that S&H to EU-area would be 10.49 euros. When I made my order the actual S&H was 12.90 euros. Still, I did not let this to stop me.

 

Otherwise, counting days to get my new pen.

 

:puddle:

Unfortunately, if you do live in a VAT zone, we also have to add VAT to the shipping cost. It can't be helped, and is a pain, I know...

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

I ordered my Model T just now, what a painless process for checkout. I'm sure that wasn't easy to implement, and I'd like to take the chance to commend the mods. You guys must have been busy with the planned (and unplanned) happenings around here recently.

 

I have to say that before buying the pen, even in the voting phase, I didn't know much of anything about Stipula or the Model T. I simply thought that the idea of a LE pen seemed neat. After putting down the money, I decided to take a quick poke around the internet for details. The first thing that I found is that this pen is quite the fantastic deal. It seems that all the US sellers have it priced quite a bit higher, and that's for the plain jane gloss black model. I MUCH prefer the deep blue that we settled on. I also took a look at some writing samples and reviews. It seems that those who own the pen are quite happy with it, but for one reason or another the brand doesn't get a ton of publicity.

 

Anyway, I'm excited to get my hands on this pen. I simply hope we can reach the deposit required ASAP. Waiting until fall for this pen might kill me. :ltcapd:

We know it s a good deal, and that is true for all pens, actually :D.

 

Of course we do obtain the pens directly from Stipula, and we do not need to make a living of this. As long as we can earn a little towards the funds for the hosting of this site and the software licenses and support, we are happy :D.

 

Do note that these pens are exclusives for FPN as well. You won't see them anywhere else :D.

 

As to not being well known: Stipula is only a small pen manufacturer. However, they made quite a few pens for other brands, which is something only very few people know. Many of the Pineider pens, f.e., were made by Stipula.

 

Warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

Ooo! I have even better news for US customers. Apparently Paypal does the conversion to US Dollars and charges our banks in dollars even when we pay FPN in Euros. My transaction has finished processing by my bank. My bank lists the transaction as coming from Paypal in US Dollars and I chose to pay in Euros. I was not charged any foreign transaction fees! :eureka:

 

This means that we US customers won't be charged foreign transaction fees for our purchases in Euros here. So, if you pay FPN in Euros, you will save the entire 3% and your bank won't charge you any fees to process the transaction because Paypal does the conversion before charging your bank and may be using a US bank to process the transaction!

 

That means we can buy more pens!!! :bunny01: :bunny01: :bunny01:

That is rreally great news! Thank you simcha, for passing this news on to us! Much appreciated!

 

Warm regards, Wim

Link to comment
A small observation: The order confirmation does not mention the nib type (fine, medium, etc.). For example, I chose 18K, Two-Tone, Medium nib and the confirmation only says "18K Nib." Not terribly important as long as the nib choice details go through properly to the shop administrator.Thank you for all the work.Jigesh
The Invoice itself actually does list your choice - I checked that.HTH, warm regards, Wim

 

I have the same issue, the email condo nor Paypal show that the 1.1 nib I ordered for the Azurite is indeed registered/recorded. Is there anyway I can confirm that the order record indeed shows my order as a 1.1?? Thanks, Rajesh

Link to comment

Hi Rajesh,

 

Unfortunately that is how the interfaces with PayPal and email work. You can be 100% sure this has been registered. In the detailed invoices stored on the system and the shipping orders we will send to Stipula, it is clearly stated which nibs are selected.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

Just placed my order, on my birthday no less! Can't wait for it to arrive. Thank you to the admins for doing such a great job with this process. It has been clear, fair and well organized. I know it takes a lot of extra work on your part. Much appreciated!!

Link to comment

Congratulations, rbanks. I do hope you have a very enjoyable birthday - just a pity you have to wait a while before you can unwrap this present :D. OTOH, it is birthday all over again :D.

 

Warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

Passaporto ordered and confirmation of payment received from both Paypal and FPN. I appreciate the ease of ordering from the FPN store. Thanks for all the hard work.

 

Now, the wait for the actual pen! :gaah:

Link to comment

Hooray! I can't believe I didn't check the side bar status on 6/3!

 

Modello T ordered !

 

want a Passaporto as well but have to see how my funds will be for just a bit longer before I order. Or I may not be able to stand it and order anyway!

 

You have all achieved something to be proud of - and I am grateful for your hard work. FPN just gets mo betta and mo betta!

Link to comment

OMG I did not see that there was an option of a 1.1 nib on the Modello. Is it possible in any way to change my order?

 

I can imagine that you are all going bonkers with these little "accidents" . I am sorry to have to add to the load!

Link to comment

OMG I did not see that there was an option of a 1.1 nib on the Modello. Is it possible in any way to change my order?

 

I can imagine that you are all going bonkers with these little "accidents" . I am sorry to have to add to the load!

?

 

There is no nib option on the Modello T - T-Flex titanium is the only nib choice possible. On the Etrurias, yes, there is that option.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

Ahh ! Okay - I'm pleased with the T-Flex and am glad that I had not missed something! The Eturia's beyond my budget right now -- but maybe in the future !

 

Thank you so much !

Link to comment

It's a pleasure! And yes, who knows :D.

Warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

I voted, but no access. Let me know when it's ready, and I'll send paymant.

 

Fred

Link to comment

When I log onto Paypal to pay my invoice, it won't allow me to use anything but Paypal's exchange rate (won't allow me to use the alternate exchange rate option for billing in euros for a bank-figured exchange rate). Did anyone else experience this? Would I need to add the 3% Wim mentioned in the original post?

Link to comment

When I log onto Paypal to pay my invoice, it won't allow me to use anything but Paypal's exchange rate (won't allow me to use the alternate exchange rate option for billing in euros for a bank-figured exchange rate). Did anyone else experience this? Would I need to add the 3% Wim mentioned in the original post?

Only if you want to pay in dollars.

 

You could also use an e-check to pay, at a maximum cost of $5 to you, but that'll take 4-5 days to clear.

 

BTW, we would like to receive the euros as per PayPal, because that is what we will actually hold in our PayPal euro-account created especially for this pen project, not a figure you calculated for yourself, please. Do note that the dollar amount is an indicative price, and although we strive to update it regularly, there is no guarantee we have the correct USD price listed. The correct price is the euro price.

 

Only if you really want to pay in dollars, nothing else, convert the euro-amount to dollars, and add 3 %, to cover conversion costs.

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

Hi Wim - Thanks for your reply. I don't think I was clear enough in my first post. My Paypal issue is that it won't let me choose the option for "bill me in seller's currency" and will only allow me to use the Paypal Conversion option. I didn't know how that would impact the process, meaning would it still be euros on the FPN side and just charge me in dollars by the current conversion or not. I had read through the thread and didn't see anyone else mention the conversion issue in Paypal, so I didn't know if I was the only one with that problem. Thanks!

Link to comment

Hi Wim - Thanks for your reply. I don't think I was clear enough in my first post. My Paypal issue is that it won't let me choose the option for "bill me in seller's currency" and will only allow me to use the Paypal Conversion option. I didn't know how that would impact the process, meaning would it still be euros on the FPN side and just charge me in dollars by the current conversion or not. I had read through the thread and didn't see anyone else mention the conversion issue in Paypal, so I didn't know if I was the only one with that problem. Thanks!

Ah, yes, that would explain it. Your main currency is likely USD, and it would indeed do that in that case.

 

Because we want to keep the pens as cheap as possible, we have to do this in euros, however, as we can't afford to incur any foreign exchange losses in order to do so.

 

Our only options therefore were to either use euro pricing, or use USD pricing with updates on a daily basis, and adding a significant extra fee, for conversion costs. As euro pricing was cheaper to all thsi way, we did make the chocie for euro pricing. We had to accept euros on the PayPal side for the first transaction, as a result (we tested this beforehand), and that now means we have a euro balance as well as a USD balance.

 

This actually makes it also very easy to separate the pen transactions from other transactions on our account, which is an added bonus :D.

 

Warm regards, Wim

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now





×
×
  • Create New...