Melbourne Pen Group

[otherboss]

Hope you have a good time in Melb, but be warned that one of the 3 pen shops in the city is a genuine rip-off. Nothing less than retail price and I was asked $14 for a bottle of Quink, which has a retail price of $8. They wonder why we buy online?

[penguina]

Hope you have a good time in Melb, but be warned that one of the 3 pen shops in the city is a genuine rip-off. Nothing less than retail price and I was asked $14 for a bottle of Quink, which has a retail price of $8. They wonder why we buy online?

 

Thanks for the tip off here, otherboss. As I am planning on visiting these shops. Could you give me a little clue as to which one is the rip off? Say: 1, 2 or 3? For example?

[tanalasta]

Hey Penguin,

 

There are three good shops selling fountain pens in the CBD of Melbourne. "Pen City" on Elizabeth Street, "Pen Place" on Queen Street and "Tafts: The Pen People" on Collins Street.

 

I recently visited Melbourne and did drop into the different pen stores on lunch break. Didn't really buy anything but it was just nice to browse.

- Pen City were a little bit messy and cluttered but seemed to have a nice selection. One of the larger stores. I've dealt with them via email before and they're nice, but didn't have much luck when I dropped in there in person. Several store people chatting away (and swearing) and I was totally ignored. They have a large range of pens but are no longer MB authorized retailers. Bit disappointed really. Their prices are a bit better than the usual retail Australian RRP and they actually had a few things I may have wanted to buy.

- Tafts: Very friendly, once they realised I was actually waiting for service. Asked for a few recommendations but unfortunately, I already had the pens they were pointing out! Came very close to buying from them and will visit again. Retail prices though.

- The Pen Place: Again, friendly and knowledgeable. If I remember, slightly smaller than the others. More personal service and the chap there really did have a good knowledge of his pens. Will visit again but ran out of time. Was offered some pens to dip but I politely declined as I was in a hurry by then and was unlikely to purchase.

 

Australian prices really are something. Around $1000US (equivalent) for a new MB 149? Or $22US equivalent for a bottle of Noodler's? The US exchange rate is 0.90USD to 1.00AUD and postage is $35-40 insured, with USPS express international (2 weeks)..... I kind of justify buying Australian to support the local businesses, but sometimes it does get a bit much.

Edited April 23, 2010 by tanalasta

[Shangas]

Pen City & Pen Place are very nice places to visit for pens & stuff. The service is personal and friendly and they both have very nice ranges.

 

Tafts is more expensive and more retail. It has a very nice range of stuff, but the prices are significantly higher than what you might find elsewhere.

[sunnerd]

There are a couple more shops

- Melbourne Pen Depot at Chadstone Shopping Centre, they are a Montblanc dealer, only retail price but they have 10-15% off everything Xmas sale, still not good enough compared to direct purchase from US dealer. I bought from them when 1A$ = 0.52 US$.

- Monards, from what I see, they are a Montblanc dealer, not a lot to choose from but they will order for you from catalog.

Edited April 25, 2010 by sunnerd

[SidandNancy]

Sorry to get off topic.....I was in Pen City last Friday (to try out before I bought a couple of Waterman's I had been watching on eBay - yes, I am wracked with guilt). I have bought most of my pens from them over the years (except the Carene's, which I bought from OS). They are very knowledgeable (compared to me a chimp would know more about fountain pens so that's no big rap) and I have always had really great service from them. I sort of felt bad when I purchased 2 Waterman converters for the 2 pens I had decided to buy from ebay - but the price in Australia compared to what you can purchase from OS is just ridiculous. Pen City had the purple Waterman Carene for AU$475, I got mine from Germany, including postage, for less than AU$200!!!! And it's perfect. I got my bronze and gold Carene from the US for about AU$170, including postage and again, it's perfect! I just paid AU$44 for a Waterman Phileas, with free postage, and Pen City had it priced at over $200. Oh, and I nearly keeled over when I saw they had the Waterman Edson for $2,000!!!!!! With the Aussie dollar doing so well at the moment, you'd be mad not to get an OS bargain. The down side being that you may get a dud, with no recourse to the vendor (and expensive postage back and forward etc) but if you set a limit as to what you are willing to lose if things go wrong (mine is $200), then unfortunately, it's hard to buy from Australian sellers

 

Pen City have a great range of Noodler's and other inks. Oh, and when I was there a couple of weeks ago I did buy a great fountain pen called "x- pen". Can't rave enough about this little find - cost about $60, and it's my favourite day to day working pen at the moment:

x-pen

 

Never been to Pen Place, but have been to Tafts - enough said!

 

Does anyone know if there is still an annual pen exhibition on in Melbourne? I saw it advertised a few years ago for November I think it was, but never got around to going.

 

Cheers

 

S&N

Edited April 26, 2010 by SidandNancy

[Shangas]

Hey S&N,

 

Yes, there is a 2010 Melbourne Pen Show happening, but its details are yet to be finalised.

[penguina]

Hi Shangas: Just to say thanks for the information that the Melbourne pen fair is now coming to HAPPENING this year. Really pleased about this. This event will probably take place in October, I think? Will really do my best to get down at this time.

 

Also, thanks for the further information about the pen shops in Melbourne, Tanalasta, & SidandNancy. Special thanks to Sunnerd for pointing out the pen depot at Chadstone city, as I am staying on this side of Melbourne, and it will be much easier to drive down to Chadstone from where I am staying (hopefully).

 

But one question about these shops: Does anyone know a good place to get vintage flexy nibs get a really good health check, and the tines straightened out: if they need this. At the moment, I have three vintage pens in need of this service. Two Watermans, and one Todd (of "Swan", Mabie Todd) fame.

 

Would be grateful if there is repair person/shop down in Melbourne that you recommend?

[SidandNancy]

Hi penguina

 

Pen City do have a repair service. Have a look here:

 

Pen City Repairs

 

I've not used their repair service as I don't have any vintage pens (yet!! ), but I have seen their extensive vintage range, and they so have lots of "spare parts". If your pens need repair and you won't be in Melbourne long enough for the repairs to be completed, I have bought items from them over the phone, and I can say they have always been sent very promptly and at reasonable cost for postage. Maybe send them an email for an estimate for the repairs? Their email address is on their website under "Contact".

 

Shangas, so excited to hear that there will be a Melb pen exhibition this year - it will be my first, and am looking forward to it already!! Would appreciate it if you could let us know the finalised date!

 

Cheers

 

S&N

[Shangas]

The main pen-repair joints in Melbourne are Pen City (Elizabeth Street) and Peter Ford, who runs an online pen-repair business (he used to work out of a shop, but that became impractical after he moved house, I think).

 

I won't know any more details about the show until the others tell me. Sorry folks.

[aget19]

i bought a pelikan m600 from pen city.. and had the original nib (two-tone) on the pen.. i changed it to a Broad nib.. it was a monotone (not the m600 nibs) and when I wanted to change back to medium they couldnt give me the two-tone nib again. they gave me the monotone nib, when i asked the lady why i couldnt get the two-tone (and proper) m600 nib she told me that 'they don't make them anymore'

 

also.. a friend went in there to buy Noodler's heart of darkness ink as per my recommendation and the same lady told him they dont make that anymore.. I went in the next day and bought some just to show them up!

 

Bad experience.. and now i wont go back to pen city to buy pens again.. Kai is right.. best to get them online, its not worth supporting businesses if you get totally ripped off..

 

I might go back to pen city again to buy a diary or notepad or ink (big maybe though) only because its really close (tram straight up Elizabeth st) otherwise.. its all online

 

ps.. i recommend Pendamonium (and online store from SA) for buying ink.. thats where i get mine from.. only because its cheaper and they have a bigger range of Noodler's than pen city

[shrinknib]

Yeah I agree with some/most of the above comments re our local retailers.

I was interested in the Visconti Wall St LE BECAUSE iI first saw it at Pen City, but they wanted something like three times the price of what I could buy it for online- so I bought three online instead!

They do have great inks with a number of different brands, but I agree you can buy much much cheaper OS.

Also they don't stock J Herbin which I really like.

 

On one hand it is important to support retailers, but it is hard to justify just for the sake of it.

However if it weren't for these retailers it would be so difficult so touch and try some of these pens- and at Pen City they are lovely in allowing one to try most of the pens with ink.

 

Also David comes to the local pen group so it is great he has such a passion for pens!

:thumbup:

[fuchsiaprincess]

Yeah I agree with some/most of the above comments re our local retailers.

I was interested in the Visconti Wall St LE BECAUSE iI first saw it at Pen City, but they wanted something like three times the price of what I could buy it for online- so I bought three online instead!

They do have great inks with a number of different brands, but I agree you can buy much much cheaper OS.

Also they don't stock J Herbin which I really like.

 

On one hand it is important to support retailers, but it is hard to justify just for the sake of it.

However if it weren't for these retailers it would be so difficult so touch and try some of these pens- and at Pen City they are lovely in allowing one to try most of the pens with ink.

 

Also David comes to the local pen group so it is great he has such a passion for pens!

:thumbup:

 

 

I am all for supporting local businesses too, and my local penshop (Pencraft) is extremely helpful and has very nice staff. However, in terms of pens, they sell at RRP, so, I get most of my pens online. Bryant is a terrible enabler (I mean it in a nice way). He sends me pens to try, and if I don't like them, I just send them back to him. So, I only spend money on shipping (not a lot compared to the amount of savings saved) if I don't buy the pen. You should ask him to do the same for you.

[shrinknib]

Isn't he a devil!

He kindly offered a Hemingway for me to "try" but seriously, how does one try a pen like that and then return it!

I love an enabler as well as the next person.

 

He is like the middle ground between online and retail, a devil.

 

And available to us all, irrespective of city.

[fuchsiaprincess]

Isn't he a devil!

He kindly offered a Hemingway for me to "try" but seriously, how does one try a pen like that and then return it!

I love an enabler as well as the next person.

 

He is like the middle ground between online and retail, a devil.

 

And available to us all, irrespective of city.

 

Easy! He did that trick to me too, but the nib was an EF - I sent it back

[tanalasta]

He does what?! Bryant - if you send me a Dupont black XL and a MB 149  ...... there's a very high chance I'll only send one back. FPN and Bryant is definitely not good for my bank balance. And to think I nodded innocently and thought 'I'm only buying pens I'll use... so I only need one or two".

 

Now does Bryant take AMEX?

 

More seriously, I love my local pen store. They're friendly and I am always made to feel right at home. There's someone there who I always manage to talk to and is always happy for me to dip whatever pen I like. Trouble is, I'm happy to part with money but when you do the sums in your head and think 'hmm... for the price I'm paying, I could buy the pen I want and another good one, the decision is much harder.

Edited May 18, 2010 by tanalasta

[shrinknib]

Yep- mine was gonna be a bit tougher- a Hemi, with papers and box with a medium stubbed nib.

He even did a video for me!

God knows how I resisted.

I've been lying low, around tax time. Hopefully things will be freer in a month or so.

 

Enable forth!!!

[sunnerd]

I just got my tax refund and the #%@%! A$ tanked 10% in 1 week. #!%$!%

[tanalasta]

I just got my tax refund and the #%@%! A$ tanked 10% in 1 week. #!%$!%

 

From AUD 1 = USD 0.92 to USD 0.83

 

I really regret holding off on my purchases *sighs*

[sunnerd]

I just got my tax refund and the #%@%! A$ tanked 10% in 1 week. #!%$!%

 

From AUD 1 = USD 0.92 to USD 0.83

 

I really regret holding off on my purchases *sighs*

 

It is 0.81553 at the moment (AEST 7:15am 21/May). Lucky I got my 75th LE 149 last month

The more the drop is the less the price difference between buying from the boutique here vs overseas