Buying From Amazon Vs Specialists E.g Goulet, Cultpens Etc Any Thoughts?

[The Blue Knight]

This year I've bought all my pens through amazon as the prices were significantly cheaper, these were predominantly afford pens however on more expensive pens I have noticed there is a significant saving.

 

Amazon has a good returns policy however obviously pens won't get checked over etc so there's a chance the pen may have problems.

 

So my question is do other users feels obliged to go through the specialist retailers or is the chance of saving £20, £30 or even $200 (in the case of the M1000) to great a lure?

 

It would be interesting to read others thoughts.

Edited August 3, 2014 by The Blue Knight

[kaissa]

I always buy from specialized stores instead of general stores as there are more chocies, much more knowledge and the personal touch which is worth more than a few dollars saved (I am sure something can be done with 200$ as that is too much difference in MSRP). Most of them are also into this hobby of ours that they decided to take a risk and make it their job so buying from them makes me happy and I do not feel obliged whatsoever to buy from them.

[sargetalon]

Since I don't have easy access to brick and mortar stores (preferred route), I do almost all of my pen shopping online. I do try to give people like the Goulet's my business because I like to support the independent retailer as much as possible. The specialist may not always be the cheapest but they do add intangible value to the industry which I would not like to see lost. That said, if Amazon has an absolutely amazing price on something, I'm not made out of money and will go with the significantly cheaper price. If it's only a few dollars difference, I'll go with the specialist.

[Ecriveur]

I don't buy pens through Amazon as they're often sell-through situations and I don't recognize the merchant who's selling through Amazon. I'd rather deal directly with companies I've ordered from before who have a track record of shipping what I've ordered in a timely manner. I haven't noticed any significant price difference either way.

[terim]

We sell on Amazon and give the pens the same inspection as the ones we sell via eBay or our web site. That being said, the prices will always be lower on our web site because we don't have to pay the fees.

 

Teri

[ISW_Kaputnik]

I don't feel "obliged" to buy from anybody or support the specialists, but I'm aware that going for the low price does have some risk. I saved $35 by buying a Lamy 2000 from an Amazon dealer, (a third party vendor with "fulfillment by Amazon") and it worked out fine, but if there had been any nib adjustment problems, my options would have been just to exchange the pen, get a refund, or fix it myself. Similarly, I saved over $50 on a Pilot Custom 74 and over $85 on a Pilot Custom Heritage 74 by buying from Japanese eBay dealers, but both were writing rather dry out of the box, and I had to tweak the nibs myself. This turned out to be well within my ability, so it was worth it. On the other hand, I got my Vanishing Point from a specialist dealer, Richard Binder because I wanted the clip removed, and it also arrived writing beautifully.

Edited August 3, 2014 by ISW_Kaputnik

[BrandonA]

I live in a free market. It's up to the local shops to offer a competitive price. I'm not made of money so if an item is for sale for two different prices and the effort to get them both is equal then I will buy from the cheapest source.

[migo984]

I rarely buy pens from Amazon but occasionally there are some extremely good deals on there. I recently bought a Lamy Studio Platinum (RRP £250) for £66. If you are judicious, that kind of saving can't be ignored.

Edited August 3, 2014 by migo984

[BrandonA]

I don't buy pens through Amazon as they're often sell-through situations and I don't recognize the merchant who's selling through Amazon. I'd rather deal directly with companies I've ordered from before who have a track record of shipping what I've ordered in a timely manner. I haven't noticed any significant price difference either way.

Agreed on this point. The Amazon market palace is more hassle than what it is worth. I'd rather buy from eBay.

[KBeezie]

The main issue I have with Amazon is that it is a multi seller site, akin to eBay. I prefer try to buy from direct retailers eespecially if they deal primarily in that type of goods and can offer the best support surrounding issues related to pens.

 

Other than Goulet I like Jstationery, as they tend to have some stuff Goulet does not, provide free shipping over 20$ and are also based on the east coast of the US. Thought they don't have the same degree of site/storefront quality as Goulet pens.

 

Also I remember when I worked in a family owned camera shop that people would almost always come in to pick our brains and then go and buy the product or suggestions online or at best buy. So because of that I try to reward a sale to those who have been immensely helpful in influencing me on my purchase decision (the exception is going to be where the price has an extreme difference like 175$ vs 90$)

 

Yes it's a free market, but price is not the end-all factor especially when we're talking about less than 10$ difference.

Edited August 3, 2014 by KBeezie

[Wolverine1]

Well, when buying inexpensive pens, it seems fine buying from Amazom or Ebay. However, when it comes to say, pens like the Pelikan M1000, an expensive pen, I think I would buy from a reputable vendor who is also a nibmeister, like John Mottishaw or Richard Binder, or from other reputable vendors like Gouletpens, AndersonPens, PeytonStreetPens etc. Yes it might save money buying from Amazon, but, the risk of getting a pen that isnt properly set up and tunes, is too much. I think if you read the various brand sub-forums there are always posts by members who bought pens from places that promised them a "deal", but, now they are stuck with a pen that works poorly, or not at all.

[KBeezie]

Well, when buying inexpensive pens, it seems fine buying from Amazom or Ebay. However, when it comes to say, pens like the Pelikan M1000, an expensive pen, I think I would buy from a reputable vendor who is also a nibmeister, like John Mottishaw or Richard Binder, or from other reputable vendors like Gouletpens, AndersonPens, PeytonStreetPens etc. Yes it might save money buying from Amazon, but, the risk of getting a pen that isnt properly set up and tunes, is too much. I think if you read the various brand sub-forums there are always posts by members who bought pens from places that promised them a "deal", but, now they are stuck with a pen that works poorly, or not at all.

You may not know this, but while Goulet does not work on nibs, they will check the nib prior to shipping if you request it. (newer users don't because they tend to freak out when they see some ink still in it from testing).

[tonybelding]

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, but not pens or ink if there's any alternative.

 

You will get a defective pen from time to time, no matter what brand or price. I trust the retailers who are pen specialists to take care of me in such situations. (With ink it's more of a packaging issue. Nobody wraps ink bottles better than Goulet.)

[KBeezie]

Speaking of which is paypal still not a viable option for payment? That was the biggest reason I didn't buy from Amazon last time, they did not take paypal. (which is my primary source of funds to spend online, my PayPal account is my "spending" account, I don't use my card/bank for things outside of local charges and bills ).

Edited August 3, 2014 by KBeezie

[jochums]

I saved money by not buying my m1000 from a nibmeister. It skipped and hard started and wrote awful out of the box. I used Chartpak's nib exchange and got a new nib. It wrote just as poorly.

 

I then sent it to John Mottishaw who brought the nib to life. I writes wet and well....like a dream really; but after all the shipping it cost me another $100.

 

In the end I didn't really save anything. If i were to do it again, I would just buy the pen directly from John and get a good writing pen from the get go, saving myself all kinds of shipping hassles.

[de_pen_dent]

I prefer to buy from specialist sellers, provided the premium isnt too high ("too high" being subjective, of course).

 

Richard Binder, Bryant and Dennis @ La Couronne get the most of my business - if one of them has a pen that I want, I will buy it from them and nowhere else.

For the most part, I find that the prices I get from them (especially the latter 2) are better than what I'd pay elsewhere - and I get really good service and after-sales support if need be. Richard's prices tend to be standard/typical - not discounted but not on the high side either - but since I get him to convert into a stub or CI every pen I buy from him, that price difference becomes moot.

[Keyless Works]

It depends on what you are buying and what you want. If I want a stock point nib from Aurora or Pilot I will always shoot for the lowest price because their nibs a generally perfect out of the box. If wanted to buy a new expensive Pelikan or OMAS I would buy from a nibmeister unless there was a huge delta in price from another AD.

[The Blue Knight]

Speaking of which is paypal still not a viable option for payment? That was the biggest reason I didn't buy from Amazon last time, they did not take paypal. (which is my primary source of funds to spend online, my PayPal account is my "spending" account, I don't use my card/bank for things outside of local charges and bills ).

 

I actually buy gift cards to spend on amazon as there is no online transactions involved.

[jdwhitak]

I've been buying my pens from specialists, but only because they tune the nib as part of the transaction. If that is not happening, then I see no reason to pay more for the sake of paying more. Buy it where you can get it the cheapest. Also, I'd watch out for counterfeit product.

[Mezzie]

I bought my first few pens on Amazon because I didn't know where else to look. Since then, I've gotten one pen at the closest b&m store (not all that close, unfortunately), a couple vintage on ebay, and everything else from Goulet. I don't mind paying a little more to support a small business and get good service. If I ever scrape up enough money to buy a Pelikan, I'll buy it from Binder.

 

When buying things, I try to keep in mind what my money is being spent on. If I get a good deal at a store that pays their employees very little and treats those employees like (bleep), then I'm not really getting a good deal. I wish I could say I'm that thoughtful about all my purchases, but I at least try to make the stores I habitually shop at for necessities (grocery stores, mostly) and the places I shop for luxuries (pens, books, music) fit my ethical criteria as those are where a good chunk of my non-mortgage money goes. I even cut ties with a credit card that gave me excellent rewards when I found out they were investing in and lobbying for things I am opposed to.

 

It may be lazy activism, but I do think voting with my dollar counts, even if only in small amounts. I'm sure the Goulets and their employees have been much more appreciative of my purchases than Amazon, and that's worth more to me than money saved.