I'm in the US and interested in finding good sources on the web for buying pens that you can't find in this country...probably Japanese and German pens, maybe Chinese products.

What are the best sources you'd recommend?

PenGallery.com has a good selection, good prices, and are based in Malaysia. Have done business with them once, but quite happy with the result.

ISellPens.com has a good range of cheaper pens, including Chinese brands. Again, did business once, happy.

Both these places are highly recommended among FPNers.

I would Second Pengallery. They are located in Malaysia and the shipping is about 15.00 USD but it arrives very quickly!! Prices are great and Lai provides excellent service!!!

Also if you are looking for Japanese pens such as Platinum, Pilot/Namiki and models that are not available in the US then Ujuku's website store is a place to look at. He cannot speak or type english all that well but all of the transactions that I had with him have been as smooth as Exlax!!! He ships quickly and you get the pen you want. They are not discounted, so dont expect to get dirt cheap prices but he has the pens that you might be looking for. Ujuku

TNS

I second the Savage's experience with Ujuku. After receiving a pen, I noticed a broken feed. Ujuku mailed me a replacement, pronto. Good service!

Thanks for the responses. Any online stores for European pens?

I have also purchased from Pengallery and Ujuku and can confirm that both are great sellers. Pengallery is great for Sailor, Pelikan and Dupont, while Ujuku is 'the man' for Pilot/Namiki pens.
I also recommend www.melpens.com - he is based in Malaysia, like PG and offers good deals on a variety of brands. He is very reliable and packs very thoroughly. Pens are sent by Fedex for little cost.

As for European sellers, you have to turn to Ebay. There are several there. I recommend Mr Lewertowski, from France. He is a Parker and Waterman specialist and offers excellent deals for these brands.

On the European front, I have delt with two vendors in Italy that have been excellent. Giardino Italiano [www.giardino.it/] in Milano, Suzanna is the point of contact, has been in business as a cyber store for 10-years. They have a good selection of pens and a lot of other gift items, and Suzanna works hard at customer service. Giardino also has a "fidelity discount" for return shoppers. The other is Novelli Pens [www.novelli.it/] in Rome, Marco is the point of contact. This shop has been in busines as a B&M pen and pipe store since 1951. I don't know how long they have been on the web. Marco also puts a lot of effort into customer service.

The dollar-to-Euro exchange rate has dissuaded me from doing a lot of oversea buying lately, so it has been a couple of years since I bought from these shops. I check their sites regularly and I will not hesitate to buy if something really grabs me that I can't get through a US vendor.

I hope this information helps.

I am aware of Gardino and Novelli, but unfortunately, for European Union buyers their prices are on the high side. US buyers have the advantage of not being taxed, so it's good for them.

I recently purchased a Pelikan 405 in Malasia from PenGallery.com
Good price.
However, I was stuck with a surprise U.S. Customs Fee of about $35.

In reality it was a Customs Fee of about $5 plus about $20 of the broker plus about $10 of FedEx for paying on behalf. Had the shipper paid (or made me pay in advance) the $5 customs fee it would not have been so bad.

However, given that issue I do not think I will buy pens overseas anymore.

You should have requested Pengallery to declare a low amount as customs declaration. They will do that; they've done that for me many times.

Anyway, I don't think $35 is a big deal given the good price you got on the Pelikan.

For Pelikans, I have found Oscar Braun Pens to have usually better or similar prices than Pengallery, without the custom fees and higher shipping U.S. buyers have to incur. But that's just me, and as a moderator, I need to stress this is not an endorsment of any sort.

European taxes are actually a problem, I know, even if I try keeping prices lower than I should - sometimes getting in troubles with producers.
Don't forget that I also refund 10% at your next order (our Fidelity Discount, 1 year valid)...

I am aware of Pam. Again, what is good for American buyers does not necessarily apply to the Eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Which is why I specified for "U.S. buyer." To put the comment further in context, let me also remind you that the very first post in this thread started with "I'm in the US and interested in finding good sources on the web..."

There are some issues in "buying ooverseas" that apply regardless of what part of the globe you are doing the buying from.

Prompted by the experience of joseanes, I'm curious about duty on pens coming into the U.S. Does anyone know the value at which U.S. Customs will begin levying duty on pens? This is idle curiosity, as I have no plans to order higher-valued pens from overseas (at least, not at present).

I do have a couple fun Waterman Audace FPs coming in from the UK, from Munus, to be exact. On their website they remove the VAT during the check-out process for purchases going to the U.S.