Iroshizuku Price Increase

[Margana]

More Sailor inks in the U.S. would be great but I will miss Iroshizuku if the price increase comes to pass. $35 US per bottle is exorbitant and I won't pay it. Period.

 

While a few colors in the line may have no competition, all the others have relatively close matches offered by other ink makers. I love that all my pens work well with one brand but in truth not a single pen has complained when I have forced it to fill up on J. Herbin or Diamine or Sailor. I am just now exploring De Atramentis so that brand may well have colors to fill in the gaps. More on that in future.

[AltecGreen]

Unless you are going to buy only one bottle at a time, it is more cost effective to buy directly from a Japanese online dealer.

 

The Japanese MSRP for these inks is ¥1575 which is about $17.48 a bottle. Bunkido-shop in Japan sell the Iroshizuku inks for ¥1260 which is about $13.99. The shipping is where the extra costs comes in but if you order three bottles at a time, the price per bottle shipped is around $22.50. The way the EMS shipping prices are structured, you can easily beat JetPens by ordering 6 or more bottles at one time. The service from Japan is very fast via Rakuten. My last order took 5 days from the time of order to delivery. If you live in Europe, the prices are even better because of the better exchange rate (as long as the shipping are similar).

 

 

These pens aren't that expensive but the eBay dealers are making a hefty profit. If JetPens raises their prices, so be it. It is cheaper to order from Japan. As more dealers on Rakuten offer International services, the prices will be better. You also get new releases faster.

 

 

As a point of reference about ink prices, Private Reserve and Noodler's go for about $21 in Japan. The import costs go both ways.

[GreenVelvet]

I find it a bit mysterious that JetPens will no longer carry the ink. How is the company going to stop that? If the price went down below what JetPens could import it for, that would make sense. I don't see how they would keep JetPens from selling it otherwise. Even if they don't have dealer status with Pilot USA (and I don't know if they do), they would surely be able to continue doing what they're doing now. If they have dealer status, I'm not sure why they wouldn't be able to carry something that is widely available.

 

I'm with you. I don't know what exactly constitutes dealer status, but they certainly sell Pilot fountain pens on their site.

 

I love JetPens and am constantly blown away by their awesome customer service, so I'll go out of my way to order from them.

 

I just ordered my first Iroshizuku (Shin-Ryoku) and am totally in love with it - it's an incredibly gorgeous ink, gorgeous shading, and it dries so fast that even I can't smudge it, on Clairefontaine Triomphe, too.

 

That being said, $35 a bottle is just ridiculous. I won't pay that. The $22.50 from JetPens (which is always $22.50 even, since they have free shipping over $25 and I can just throw in a couple of Preppies to get that) is a splurge which I only just recently justified. No way on $35.

 

I admit, I am now visiting JetPens site and wondering if I want another color right now...

[Neill78]

 

However, if making it available to places like FPH and Art Brown at $35 a bottle is the direction Pilot USA is going, that's where I start getting irritated at the almost 50% mark up when it's supposed to be coming from US distribution at that point, eliminating the import angle of things. If Pilot USA can't make it for less than the $22.50 of Jetpens, it's ridiculous for them to step in and do this.

 

I heartily agree with the irritation. But it's not uncommon; most of Pilot's US pricing is 50% higher than the Japanese MSRP. Take the Custom 74 for example; it's $100 MSRP in Japan, $150 MSRP in the USA. As far as I can tell, all Japanese 'boutique' items are like that. Even JetPens' markup is 50-100% on a lot of items. It's easy to see since the Japanese prices are on the packages. The pricing structure for electronics and cars is quite a bit different -- the US prices are usually lower than in Japan.

 

 

I find it a bit mysterious that JetPens will no longer carry the ink. How is the company going to stop that? If the price went down below what JetPens could import it for, that would make sense. I don't see how they would keep JetPens from selling it otherwise. Even if they don't have dealer status with Pilot USA (and I don't know if they do), they would surely be able to continue doing what they're doing now. If they have dealer status, I'm not sure why they wouldn't be able to carry something that is widely available.

 

Japanese companies are extremely careful to avoid competition between their domestic and overseas divisions. If an American Pilot distributor noticed and complained to Pilot USA about 'grey market' competition whose prices couldn't be matched, rest assured that Pilot Japan would work to rectify the situation very quickly. I was involved as a consultant for a similar situation involving Hitachi power tools and within a week the offending party's (who was undercutting the established pricing structure) distributorship was revoked and all remaining stock was reclaimed by Hitachi, and was then offered at a special discount to the "good" distributors with the OK to sell it at "special sale prices" until that stock was gone.

 

JetPens is in a vulnerable situation as a grey-market importer, so if Pilot USA was to make certain products officially available, I can imagine that Pilot Japan would quickly move to make sure JetPens stopped carrying those products and stuck only with products that were not officially available in order to avoid competing with itself. They can do this by either threatening JetPens' cost structure (if they buy direct) or threaten the same to JetPens' suppliers.

[Jimmy James]

Even still, wouldn't the best way of doing that be to carrot and stick JetPens into becoming a Pilot USA authorized dealer? They could then carry the ink at the same price as all others.

[tnmike1]

Personally I wouldn't mind spendig the money IF these inks were supershading, virtually bulletproof and their colors were truly different. In other words, make them worth the additional money. As it is, and as others have commented, there are too many color equivalents from other less expensive sources.

[adam11]

Well, I payed my Jama-guri more than 20 Euros, what is indeed to much. Now I have Ku Jaku and Yama Guri and strongly doubt I'll buy another bottle for some time. Must say, inks are pretty, but not that spectacular. Yama guri seems to me even "thiner" than Ku Jaku.

Edited December 13, 2009 by adam11

[sallywally]

I have a bottle of Asa-Gao and find it quite undistinguished in my XF pens. I've been sorry from the first time I used it that I didn't buy the Hydrangea instead, but haven't wanted to spring for $22.50.

 

Oh well!

[Neill78]

Even still, wouldn't the best way of doing that be to carrot and stick JetPens into becoming a Pilot USA authorized dealer? They could then carry the ink at the same price as all others.

 

Agreed, except if $35 is going to be the price maybe it's not worth carrying it at all. I mean, ouch.

[Jimmy James]

Even still, wouldn't the best way of doing that be to carrot and stick JetPens into becoming a Pilot USA authorized dealer? They could then carry the ink at the same price as all others.

 

Agreed, except if $35 is going to be the price maybe it's not worth carrying it at all. I mean, ouch.

 

I'd rather pay that for this ink than what Visconti wants for a plastic bottle of ink.

[Silvermink]

$35 a bottle would be beyond crazy. I don't have any and I never will if that's what I have to pay to get it. Hopefully it'll still be available from Japan for cheaper.

[Sandy1]

Even still, wouldn't the best way of doing that be to carrot and stick JetPens into becoming a Pilot USA authorized dealer? They could then carry the ink at the same price as all others.

 

Agreed, except if $35 is going to be the price maybe it's not worth carrying it at all. I mean, ouch.

 

I'd rather pay that for this ink than what Visconti wants for a plastic bottle of ink.

+1. I'll keep buying their ink. The prices reflect the economic reality, both are nasty. As I've said before, I do'nt use thesse inks for grocery lists, I use these inks for letters, so the paper @ 30 cents a sheet + envelope + postage makes the cost of ink inconsequential. Likely keep me out of the whiskey bars - so there is an upside I guess sort of, well maybe not. -- BR S1.

[Jimmy James]

I'm not sure I will buy another bottle, but I am all but certain I'll not buy Visconti under the current conditions.

 

Even with a very handsome bottle, this ink represents the price I can pay for about 180 mL of Diamine ink bought direct in 30 mL bottles or about 270 mL of Noodler's ink assuming $11 or $12 per three ounce bottle. If I had something truly irreplaceable with one of these inks, I'd definitely keep buying. As it is, my Asa-Gao is maybe my 5th or 6th favorite blue.

[Margana]

If I were a retailer, I'd pass on stocking Iroshizuku if the price is held to $35 USD. Given the comments in this thread, that inventory could sit a very long time waiting for the occasional deep pockets buyer. Better to stock ink that retails in a range that most people would find acceptable which would seem to be $20 at the high end and closer to $10-12 for most consumers.

 

Some may claim quality over quantity but there just isn't enough difference IMO between Iroshizuku and most other inks. Difference in characteristics depending on what you value, yes, but not a difference in quality.

 

Color substitutes are possible for at least some of the Iroshizuku inks so I've started a thread on that subject. Hopefully, there will be some good choices for those who want a less expensive option whether the $35 retail price comes to the U.S. or not.

[tarheel1]

If this comes true I will become sad. I have just become interested in these inks and only have 2 thus far. Hopefully I will be purchasing more in the near future, but alas will have to quit and go back to PR or another ink.

[DanF]

If this comes true I will become sad. I have just become interested in these inks and only have 2 thus far. Hopefully I will be purchasing more in the near future, but alas will have to quit and go back to PR or another ink.

 

I thought about you when I first saw this thread, knowing your plan to use this ink exclusively.

 

Dan

[Sparkle]

And I thought $22 was crazy!

[Triplet Mom]

Just to be on the safe side, I ordered an extra bottle of my two most used colors from Jetpens: yu-yake and tsuyu-kusa. I won't be able to afford these beautiful inks if the price really does go up to $35 a bottle as predicted.

 

Warm regards,

Lynne

[Jimmy James]

Just to be on the safe side, I ordered an extra bottle of my two most used colors from Jetpens: yu-yake and tsuyu-kusa. I won't be able to afford these beautiful inks if the price really does go up to $35 a bottle as predicted.

 

Warm regards,

Lynne

 

You're worried about the price going up $13, so you spend $44.

 

I don't know your circumstances and am not trying to mock you. This just struck me as funny.

[Triplet Mom]

Just to be on the safe side, I ordered an extra bottle of my two most used colors from Jetpens: yu-yake and tsuyu-kusa. I won't be able to afford these beautiful inks if the price really does go up to $35 a bottle as predicted.

 

Warm regards,

Lynne

 

You're worried about the price going up $13, so you spend $44.

 

I don't know your circumstances and am not trying to mock you. This just struck me as funny.

 

Yes...but $44 PLUS free shipping! Better than $35 a bottle plus shipping costs that Art Brown and FPH will charge is how I rationalized it.