Dear FPN Colleagues,

Has anyone ever purchased a pen from Thailand ?.

If so, was the seller reputable and merchandise as described ?. Or should I stay away from any potential purchase......

The reason I ask is that there is a fountain pen for auction on Ebay...but the seller is in Thailand......any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Kavanagh

It would be helpful if you could tell us what the seller's username is. Other than that, I guess apply the usual eBay caution. Check the seller's feedback, how long they've been around, etc. I believe speerbob is currently selling from Thailand, and he's a pleasure to deal with. I haven't yet bought from any other sellers from Thailand, but speerbob has posted here before warning of a scammer in Thailand who sells pens on eBay, so I'd be wary.

I got burned by a Thai Seller and so I avoid them completely.

There WAS a Seller named speerbob who was entirely reputable and who is now returning to the US and is not currently listing anything. (I just checked.)

Speerbob was the glory of Thai eBaying. If he's leaving Thailand, then I suggest you stay away from Thai eBayers.

I'm from Bangkok and we have a saying: "Don't buy the fruit if the vendor hides the dial on the scale." You can't rightly see the scale at all on eBay, now can you?

Best,
Summer Greer

Dear Colleagues,

The sellers name is send2pong on ebay......the name does sound a tad suspicious....

I have also attached pictures of the merchandise ( two oversize PFM V's )...

Did I get off lightly......or should I have gone for buy it now without a thought ?....

Regards,

Kavanagh

Hi,

You might want to have a browse through this thread. The seller in question is discussed at some length.

Buyer, it appears that you were right to beware.

Cheers,

Jon

Kavanagh,

I am sure you have read the thread on the discussion about Thai sellers on the Market Watch. In case you haven't, here is the link.
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=57741

As much as I have cast my doubt on the eBay seller, Send2pong, I do not want to put a negative judgement on him yet. I have bought a Sterling Targa from him, and am still awaiting the pen to arrive. I have reasons to believe he is a genuine seller, but I will not go into them.

If you have clicked the Buy-it-now option, please try to hold on the payment for the item for a few more days. My pen, according to the seller, was shipped last week, and should arrive latest by end of this week. I will message you to let you if I have received the pen or not, and it is up to you to choose whether to pay for your item or not. I have no guarantee on his character, so even if I do get my pen, I cannot guarantee you will get yours. If you are uncomfortable, you can try explaining to the seller why you do not want to pay for your item. Like all eBay transactions, if you are paying a seller with zero or low feedback points, you will have to take the risk of not getting the item you paid for, just as I have done.

purpledog

Can you also post your experience in a new topic to share with everyone?

Johnee,

The discussions are all in the linked thread.

I will post in the thread for any updates.

thanks,
purpledog

I do not know anything about this particular seller, but I have spent some time in Bangkok. As others have said, while you can get lucky but you really should not have any hope of getting a fair deal. If you are buying a new pen you should expect it to be a forgery. If you are buying an old pen you should expect it to have problems or not get it at all.

I really do like the Thai people but there is virtually no policing of these kinds of matters combined with an enormous number of people living in poverty and in desperate conditions. They have the factories and expertise to forge pretty much anything. The crooks and fast buck artists vastly outnumber the honest retailers.

I don't know if that is a sweeping statement to make. As Speerbob has pointed out in his earlier threads, there are really NOS of fountain pens in Bangkok.

purpledog

If you're buying Nike shoes, Bangkok is a great place: the fake Nikes are made in the same sweatshops as the real Nikes, but are sold at counterfeit prices. There is actually some pride in the level of counterfeiting that goes on in Thailand. Of course, this makes things difficult if you are looking for the genuine article.

If you want pens, I suspect the Hero pens will be real, but I would be wary of highly collectible brands unless the seller has a good reputation (like speerbob).

This also goes for watches: Thai Seikos are usually real; Thai Rolexes, however, are usually the best of counterfeits.

Best,
Summer Greer