Parker Jotter Bought In Ebay - Is It Fake?

[Auval]

Hi,

 

I've bought a new Parker Jotter pen from an ebay seller from Hong Kong, for 2GBP + 3GBP shipment. I thought it was cheap but still reasonable.

 

There are some things that make me suspect it is not a genuine Parker.

It feels differently than a previous Parker Jotter I had, but I lost the previous, so I can't compare side by side.

It arrived with black ink, even though the pen is blue.

This one feels less smooth to write (it can be a fake refill, but it's less likely to happen when buying a genuine Parker).

It is harder to press (more rigid spring).

The engraving on the pen looks rough, and I remember the previous having a gentle and thin engraving.

 

Can anyone confirm my suspicion, or say that this is still a genuine Parker?

 

Thank you,

Uval

 

 

[MKIM97]

Well, I'm not a Jotter expert by any means, but my instinct tells me it's not a fake. The Jotter is quite an inexpensive pen, and counterfeiters seem to like copying pricey pens (e.g. Sonnet, Montblanc).

 

Then again, those imprints look shabby.

Edited June 18, 2013 by MKIM97

[The Blue Knight]

The only jotter's I own (quite a few) are English/American one. all the engravings look good on them and the Parker refills are normally smooth and write well. The engravings don't look great on your model. Maybe since they have moved production else where the quality has dropped? Or perhaps indeed it is a fake, I just don't have enough knowledge to tell your for certain.

[At Midnight]

It may be an inexpensive pen but you can sell so many of them, easily. Nobody ever will suspect it is fake

 

I hear that the Hero pens are being counterfitted and that is even cheaper.

[usk15]

Parker is well known for their inexpensive and good quality product. Yours seems to be a fake one according to this pictures and what you said about...

[Vendome]

Hi

 

I've checked your pictures against my French made Jotter. The lettering on your pics looks like it's been scratched on and not engraved. This suggests to me that you have a snide copy. Contact the seller, ask for a refund and report the seller to E-bay for selling counterfeit goods.

[pencils+pens]

The bottom of the arrow clip looks wrong. My Parker 15/Jotter made in the UK has a sharper point. The one in the photo looks blunt or broken off.

[Savory Goodness]

Hello Auval -

 

I've been writing with Jotters for more than thirty years. I have three on my desk right now, and I can tell you that - as you already suspected - the engraving on yours really sucks. I've got a UK-made, button actuated, in front of me as I type. Of mine, it's the worst engraved by far, and it ain't as lame as your French (Sino-French?) one.

 

And, to endorse pencils+pens' opinion, the point on yours is a whole lot blunter than any of mine.

 

The spring weight really does vary greatly in these pens.

 

But I'm not feeling good about your new Jotter. Sorry,

 

mark

[Auval]

I've tried using the pen a bit, and it occasionally missing a stroke - so I'm certain the refill is a fake as well. Another nail in the overall impression coffin.

 

I've wrote to the seller and he offered full refund.

I'm going to buy my jotter from non Hong Kong / China seller next time!

 

Thank you all, my friends!

Edited June 19, 2013 by Auval

[The Blue Knight]

I've tried using the pen a bit, and it occasionally missing a stroke - so I'm certain the refill is a fake as well. Another nail in the overall impression coffin.

 

I've wrote to the seller and he offered full refund.

I'm going to buy my jotter from non Hong Kong / China seller next time!

 

Thank you all, my friends!

 

Just another thought It may have a factory second which didn't comply with the quality control, that would explain the low price.

[Scrawler]

It may be an inexpensive pen but you can sell so many of them, easily. Nobody ever will suspect it is fake

 

I hear that the Hero pens are being counterfitted and that is even cheaper.

This is true. I am in possession of a number of fake Hero 616. They sell for around $1.00 each. You need to see price in context of the economy in which the fakes are produced. When I lived in China the disparity between the cost of food there and the value of US$ was astounding. A civil servant earned the equivalent amount of money in local currency, that would buy US$50, in a month. Each one of those fakes brings foreign exchange into the country. If you can turn out 10 pens in a day and earn enough to feed your family for a week, you are laughing. There are entire villages that have gone into the pen manufacturing business. As far as quality control is concerned, if you buy 10 pens in a package for say $10 and four are duds, is it worth your while sending them back, or will you be happy that you have 6 working pens for a low price?

[rochester21]

There may be another explanation- if this was bought from Hong Kong, maybe the pen was part of a bad batch that the factory sold cheaply to a chinese dealer who then resold the pens on ebay. Although i admit the pen was too cheap anyway.

 

In the end, i think you can tell a fake pen from a genuine one from the nib- if you had jotter fountain pens before, then you should be able to tell the difference.

 

And if it`s a ballpoint we`re discussing about, then i could bet it`s a fake! It`s very easy to make fake ballpoints, since the technology is inferior- much easier to replicate.

Edited June 19, 2013 by rochester21

[Auval]

I'm ashamed to admit I've bought the ballpoint

Inferior as it is, it is still amazingly comfortable to use and consistently high quality (I mean the genuine Jotter).

So I've learnt the hard way that there are things you should be very suspicious when you buy them in China / Hong Kong (unless you're actually interested in fakes): That's pens and batteries of all kinds.

The facade is very similar, but the quality is incomparable.

[richardandtracy]

That is the first fake Jotter I have seen & heard of. I think you were right to be suspicious.

To the best of my knowledge Chinese made Parker pens do not have a country of origin engraved on them, so if they were legitimate, the country wouldn't be there or it would be done better.

 

Thanks.

 

Richard

[pajaro]

 

I'm ashamed to admit I've bought the ballpoint

Inferior as it is, it is still amazingly comfortable to use and consistently high quality (I mean the genuine Jotter).

So I've learnt the hard way that there are things you should be very suspicious when you buy them in China / Hong Kong (unless you're actually interested in fakes): That's pens and batteries of all kinds.

The facade is very similar, but the quality is incomparable.

 

This pen could actually be part of something of value to you as you go on collecting: a reference collection of fakes and counterfeits. Save them, photograph them and share the pics. Collectors of other items, such as postage stamps, sometimes make these reference collections of fakes, etc., from what they pick up over time. These can be a great help in outing fakes, and so your purchase is not a waste.

[Auval]

The seller promised to refund, but didn't do it, and didn't respond after I told him it's a fake pen.

Eventually I missed the deadline to get my money back, because the seller dragged the time to trip me.

 

(this item seem to be removed)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-New-Parker-Jotter-Ball-Pens-Balllpoint-Pen-Blue-Rare/170830074303

 

 

beware of "http://myworld.ebay.com/celinda-vianne/"

Edited July 8, 2013 by Auval

[MLKirk]

^{I'm a bit late to the party. As a Jotter fan, this has been a very interesting thread to read up to now.}

 

^{I find it difficult to understand how a fake can be identified by simply viewing these photos. No offense intended to any opinons posted. They are just that. Opinions.}

 

^{I feel that the only way to make an educated evaluation is to inspect the specimen side by side with a known genuine Jotter. Knockoffs of anything can be pretty good.}

 

^{When Parker began manufacturing Jotters of recent years, particularly the ones from France, I noticed a definite difference in the metal used in the cap and a drop in (my) perceived quality of the engraving. I felt that the metal appeared to have a wider "grain" to it; not as smooth as previous years manufactured in the UK and the USA. And...the imprint looked very light compared to previous years.}

 

^{I cannot conclude, by the posted photos, that this is truly a fake. It would have to be personally inspected. Rochester21 brings up another angle that may hold water. What does the manufacturer do with rejects? Likely recycle them to the scrap bin. If any get out, it would likely be by employees, IMHO.}

 

^{As Mark posts, I've been writing with Jotters since the mid-1960's. It was in elementary school that I was introduced to the best ballpoint of all. Jotters have, indeed, changed a bit. Once in 1956, again in 1960, more significant in 1973,again in 1982 and more recently as it has been shuttled between countries in the last 15 or so years. If I was a betting man, judging by the photos, which I hesitate to do, I'd say the specimen was authentic, if not bordering on the poorer example.}

 

^{BTW, an "A" date code with a "France" imprint makes it a 2012 manufacture.}

 

^{My two cents.}

Edited July 9, 2013 by MLKirk

[Auval]

Thanks Kirk

You've planted some doubt in me. But as an avid Jotter user myself I still not convinced it was produced and approved by Parker.

 

For start, I'm almost certain that the refill is a fake, since it just irritating to use, writing irregularly. I just can't write a full sentence without needing to repeat some letters.

And I got a black refill in a blue pen.

 

I assume a genuine new Parker would ship with a genuine refill, of the correct color.

It is possible that an eBay seller would buy a genuine pen and replace its refill with a fake one, to sell separately. But the seller could just sell the fake refill as genuine, so it's not very likely.

 

If it is a fake refill, than it reflects on the whole package, increasing the chance it's a fake.

 

 

Other than that - the pen itself looks and feels a bit different as I wrote above.

I'll be glad to compare side by side if you have the same model and could upload a photo - I'll take more photos from the same angel as your pics.

 

Thank you!

Edited July 10, 2013 by Auval

[sammyboy]

I was looking at a Jotter of mine, a made in UK 2004 example. The engraving on the side of mine looked of below par quality, looks quite similar to the pictures you've posted of yours. Could be as stated earlier you have a factory second or reject but is genuine. Some refills can be suspect too, I've a genuine black Parker refill that writes more of a grey colour and stops writing altogether if you draw too quickly with it.

[Auval]

Interesting. Are you 100% sure yours is genuine?

If Parker had started manufacturing lower quality pens, or failing to scrape rejects, than I'll start rethinking about buying Parker at the first place...