Advice for a first visit to a pen show?

[blueblazes]

I'm going to the L.A. Pen Show this weekend and wanted to know if anyone would like to share some advice on attending my first pen show. Should I bring a couple of pens I would like to have tuned? Should I bring money or credit cards? How big is it (ie, wear comfy shoes)? Are cameras ok to bring? etc............

[islandlife]

Richard Binder's website Richardspens.com has an excellent article on attending a pen show.

[tknechtel]

Second on Richard's article: very good! Especially the advice about not bringing your credit cards and not buying the first pens you see!

[AltecGreen]

Well, I'm here at the LA show as we speak.

 

Bring cash. Lots of cash.

 

Cameras are fine but you should ask before snapping a specific dealer or their stuff as a matter of courtesy. The lighting is ok. I am shooting iso1000-1600 at f4 and that seems to work.

 

The show is one big ballroom plus a large area outside. Lots of stuff to see.

 

Everyone was arriving and setting up today. It got pretty lively by the late afternoon. Today was heavily slanted towards vintage (mostly American). A lot of the modern pen dealers were just arriving or setting up tomorrow. No nibmeisters until tomorrow. Seems like a lot of big deals are being done on the side away from the tables.

 

Very few Japanese pens today and no vintage Italians (as expected). Inks and paper arrived very late.

 

 

That's my show report for now.

Edited February 12, 2010 by AltecGreen

[ethernautrix]

OH MAN! I'm still packing! I was SOSURE I would make it to the Purple Onion for an evening of comedy tonight, but... alas. I plan to leave early, early, early anyway.

 

Ricky, when YOU say lots of cash... I might as well give up. *Throws hands up in the air* I'm going to focus on the custom Danitrio. FOCUSFOCUSFOCUS.... FOCUS.

[Alice L]

I'm jealous! Can I say that? I would so love to go to a pen show! Have a great time for me while you're there

[AltecGreen]

OH MAN! I'm still packing! I was SOSURE I would make it to the Purple Onion for an evening of comedy tonight, but... alas. I plan to leave early, early, early anyway.

 

Ricky, when YOU say lots of cash... I might as well give up. *Throws hands up in the air* I'm going to focus on the custom Danitrio. FOCUSFOCUSFOCUS.... FOCUS.

 

Don't worry and don't give up. Just stay away from Sarj's table. It's more of a problem for Deidre and myself. The stuff you are interested in was not set-up today.

Kevin arrived but did not set-up and John Mottishaw and Bryant were not set-up yet either. Brian Gray was there and I chatted with him briefly. A lot of the vintage stuff on display was not very much. It was when Sarj and Bittner's set-up that things got more interesting. But there was nothing that interesting for me today. The only pen I bought was from Deidre. It's dangerous on your pocket book if you collect vintage American pens.

[PAKMAN]

Cash is king at pen shows! Many dealer tables are not from brick and mortor stores and thus can't take plastic and at really big shows, folks don't really like checks. But do bring your credit card because numerous B&M stores will be represented and you can pick up paper, ink, journals and pens from them with out wiping out your cash. People pay a lot of money for tables at a show so many aren't really thrilled by brown baggers (folks going around with their bag of pens trying to sell to the croud). However many times there are pen dealers that have signs that they will buy pens and some folks would rather talk trades than to eat! Most of all have fun!!

 

PS It is always polite to ask before you start picking up pens off of someones table.

[blueblazes]

Thanks for the tips, folks! I've been trying to read Richard's page for the past two days, but for some reason his pages are loading weird and I can't do a search. I remember skimming over it last year when I thought I might get to go the LA Pen Show (but didn't), but can't remember a thing I saw, so I figured ask you kind people for advice.

[thosialg08]

This makes me excited for Chicago! (my first pen show too)

[FredRydr]

Bring:

- Wallet with cash and cards (with vintage, cash is king, and bring twice as much as you first thought)

- Tablet of smooth high quality paper (e.g., pocket-sized Rhodia pad).

- 10x Loupe (Richard Binder sells those Lomo loupes; he'll put a strap on it for a little extra.)

- Your reading glasses (you will never forgive yourself if you forget)

- Carry bag or rucksack

- Open mind

Have fun.

 

Fred

[Treecat]

A question about payments at pen shows. They always seem to be held at big hotels. As an alternative to carrying around a lot of cash, would it be possible to take a netbook, log onto the hotel's wifi, and make paypal payments? I'd like to go to the Atlanta show, but I don't like carrying around a lot of cash. Things happen--lost purse, lost backpack, etc.

[AltecGreen]

A question about payments at pen shows. They always seem to be held at big hotels. As an alternative to carrying around a lot of cash, would it be possible to take a netbook, log onto the hotel's wifi, and make paypal payments? I'd like to go to the Atlanta show, but I don't like carrying around a lot of cash. Things happen--lost purse, lost backpack, etc.

 

This will be at the discretion of the dealer. Some of BM stores have laptops for payment. Most of the smaller guys deal strictly in cash. I've seen plenty of cash change hands but no online payments. Everyone is walking around with wads of cash.

[Treecat]

 

This will be at the discretion of the dealer. Some of BM stores have laptops for payment. Most of the smaller guys deal strictly in cash. I've seen plenty of cash change hands but no online payments. Everyone is walking around with wads of cash.

 

Thanks for your reply. I asked because so many of the pen and paper people use paypal. So, if they were at the pen show, could I pay for something--a nib grind, etc., via paypal.

 

I'm not a person who likes to carry a wad of cash, but if that's the best way to handle things, I'll do it.

[Jeff E]

My advice for a first-time pen show attendee:

 

• Bring cash, more than you think you might need.
• Pace yourself. You will see more pens in a short period of time than you will ever imagine.
• Have a "shopping list" of pens, inks, paper you want to buy.
• If you are buying vintage, invest in a good quality jewelers loupe to check for defects.
• Mingle. Talk to dealers, repair people, and attendees. The people are what make the show.
• Have fun. You've picked a great hobby.

[ethernautrix]

What worked for me:

 

Bring a list -- a specific list. Mine was:

 

1. Buy a Delta from Bry. (The evil Evil Pen Purveyor elevated to sainthood.)

2. Buy two Rhodia Webbooks (one black, one orange).

3. No, no, no.... Item 1: Have FUN. See friends and meet FPN pals and enjoy. That's number one. Please re-number this list accordingly as I am on a road trip and will leave in a few minutes (or 20).

4. Meet John Mottishaw (what a lovely man!) and exchange soft F for firm M for current Nakaya Piccolo Cigar.

5. Discuss ordering Nakaya Negoro.

6. Discuss custom Danitrio with Kevin (and meet his Cheng Gang! Ha ha ha! Hooray!).

7. Buy a pen case that holds more than four pens -- six or eight slots.

8. Try not to focus on anything. Be comfortable that all those thousands and thousands of pens are pretty blurs in my peripheral vision.

9. Bring a sad amount of cash. (Leaving the actual emergency stash in a hidden place for actual pen purchasing emergencies -- which shouldn't happen if one keeps one's vision blurred.)

 

 

Having experienced the Pen Show Friday night and Saturday until I left at about 3:30, I want to add:

 

10. Have a friend like Ricky who will buy a fabulous pen every time you turn your back. Or a dozen vintage pens before you even arrive. This vicarious experience was very satisfying: it felt as if I were participating without spending the money. And even if I also don't have the pens, I did get to look at them, and Ricky will probably bring them to visit at Pen Posse, and I am exquisitely pleased with my new Nakaya firm M (HOOYIPPITYRAY!) and bonus! The Danitrio semi(?)flex EEF that Kevin gave me in exchange for the semi-flex F that I had on my Komori, even though I liked that nib a lot. Still, the EEF flex, even though I won't use the flex (my angle is very high), the nib itself is wet and RAAAAAAHR! Just like I like 'em.

 

So, thanks, Ricky, for taking the hit and conforming to your strategy of drinking like a sailor and spending like a -- wait, I have to come up with a Jackie Chan title for you now. Drunken Sailor Pen Buying Master. I'll work on it.

 

P.S. Did you INK IT YET? Did you ink it? The -- you know the one -- did you ink it? Huh? Is it great? Did you ink it? The one from Sarj! Did you ink it? Inkitinkitinkitinkitinkitinkit, I'm just sayin'.

 

 

Did ya ink it?

 

 

I gotsta know.

[ethernautrix]

P.S. I stuck to my list. I STUCK TO MY LIST.

 

Also, I had so much fun. Seriously -- what a grand time. I'd go into more detail, but I'll save it for the photos -- Ricky's photos (hahaha, why were mine so blurry? Hahaha!) -- cos I'm on a road trip, and the road is waiting.

[Stylo]

3. No, no, no.... Item 1: Have FUN. See friends and meet FPN pals and enjoy.

After 3-4 pens shows, I think this is really the only aspect that would make it worth for me to attend another show. Due to very sever time constraints, I allocated myself only one hour for the show, but I surprised myself when I felt ready to leave after just 20 minutes or so. I forced myself to do the rounds a couple of more times in an attempt to make attending the show worthwhile. I am not into vintage pens, so most of the ballroom area had nothing for me. And the rest had only a few things of interest to me (thank god for those few).

 

The biggest turnoff for me this time around was the confirmation that vendors see Sunday folks as newbies with invisible "sucker" signs on their foreheads. Both last year and this year, most of my own price inquiries and those I overheard for new pens were always answered by something like "MSRP is XX" but the show price/your price is "YY," with YY being a lousy deal. This time I made a single price inquiry on a Visconti closeout pen from a well known new online dealer. The price I was quoted was 40% higher than what he sells the pen for online. This price was even higher than what Worldlux sells the pen for At least for the pens I have been interested in, it seems to me like good deals on new pens have become more scarce. Perhaps I need to go later in the day or learn to negotiate. Or perhaps pen shows have gone the way of outlet stores: they have just become gimmicks with no real good deals to have.

[Jeff E]

Stylo,

 

I understand your frustration as I have experienced some of the same at pen shows. As I see it, there are several options. Most importantly, knowing MSRP and common discounts. The asking price may or may not be the final price, based upon friendly bargaining. If a dealer does not wish to bargain or things become adversarial, then so be it. My money is just as good elsewhere. MSRP on pens with gold nibs has increased based upon unfavorable exchange rates and the price of gold. Even so, I expect at least a 20% discount at a show. Negotiating is a real negative for lots of people as it is too much like buying a car. Then again, much of the fun in buying can come from good natured and honest negotiating.

 

Jeff

[blueblazes]

I just returned from the pen show and found a lot of the advice here to be quite helpful. I do agree that some sellers took me for a sucker and indeed I fell prey to one such person who told me an outright lie. I didn't realize how CRAMPED the space would be and how hard it was to look at a given pen for more than a moment or two without being in someone's way. However, it was overall a positive time and I behaved myself pretty well financially, despite my ill-informed pen purchase (though with some work, it should become one of my all-time favorites). Next time I will go in with a much better idea of what to look for and what to avoid. And I will definitely make plans to meet up with some of the lovely folks from FPN.....