Bought A Fake Safari...

[apestapatas]

Darn... mine is a fake also. It has exactly the same issues, I has a fine nib and writes really wet with the thickness of a med. And I can not take the nib off. This sucks!

[apestapatas]

I am just seeing this for the first time now, and I can hardly believe it! This is crazy! Why would people make fakes of a ~$30 fountain pen...of all things! These things really must be a hot commodity! In a sense...I'm glad to know that there are enough FP fans out there!

Sorry for the double post. But just think of how many of us bought them already... crazy money.

[Black Spot]

With the price of a real Lamy being so low I would try to get the real thing and report any fakes.

[leod]

try to contact Amazon support to see what they can do? buy directly from amazon next time if the price difference is not big or just buy from trusted FPN vendors, I got the Safari last time from *He sell pens* and comes with extra converter.

[inkstainedruth]

I am just seeing this for the first time now, and I can hardly believe it! This is crazy! Why would people make fakes of a ~$30 fountain pen...of all things! These things really must be a hot commodity! In a sense...I'm glad to know that there are enough FP fans out there!

You never know -- I've heard of fake Hero 616s being marketed, and those are a lot less expensive than a Lamy Safari to start with.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jpnyc]

I also just purchased an obvious fake on eBay. There are some differences from what has been reported here and elsewhere:

 

(1) It wasn't even boxed as a real lamy pen: neither the (fake) included converter or the (real looking) Lamy cartridge was in the pen--both were bouncing around the Lamy box separately. The pen had nothing seated inside.

 

(2) The uncentered breather hole issue has been fixed; the breather hole is perfectly centered, but is still not as far back on the nib as on a real Lamy pen. Even with poor machine tolerances it should be closer to perfectly in line with the end of the squared off part of the back of the nib.

 

(3) They're apparently no longer including the 'founfain pen' insert as it was a dead giveaway. Mine came with no paperwork.

 

(4) The pen was wrapped in tissue paper inside the box. I don't think any Lamy pen ships this way.

 

(5) The ink window is perfectly centered so that it is not partially obstructed by the threaded part of the section/feed screw in. I've seen other fake reports which didn't line up properly.

 

The plastic also doesn't feel right for a matte charcoal to me, but I can't be sure. I don't own another Safari to compare it to (I have only handled them in stores). Otherwise, the fake has the other issues that I've seen here and on other threads.

 

Had this been my first Lamy purchase, I would not have known that this was a fake. It's a really, really good one.

 

Please, please, please only buy Safaris from trusted dealers. I thought mine would be real for certain since it was only 15% or so cheaper from Amazon's (not third party) price and the seller had a 100% positive feedback with several hundred reviews. Since amazon was out of the right nib size, I thought it would be a fairly safe purchase. I was wrong.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I am just seeing this for the first time now, and I can hardly believe it! This is crazy! Why would people make fakes of a ~$30 fountain pen...of all things! These things really must be a hot commodity! In a sense...I'm glad to know that there are enough FP fans out there!

 

People make fake Hero 616s...a three-dollar pen.

 

Amazon should be informed. I doubt they want to be selling fakes.

[icemanh]

Sorry for hearing that you got a fake safari.

 

There are fake Lamy around in China & Taiwan markets, sorry about that.. I am a Chinese

 

Anyway, there are some comparisons, I hope it helps. I can help to translate

 

Middle one is fake.

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2933849141

 

For this post, blue & the upper one is fake

http://hsugg.blogspot.hk/2014/09/glamy-safari_21.html

 

Right one is fake in below

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3003005222

Edited May 17, 2015 by icemanh

[jpnyc]

FWIW, the most noticeable giveaway to me was the the nib was on the feed way too tight. I couldn't get it off because of serious fear of completely destroying the nib in the process. Other people who have got them off report that a genuine Lamy nib will not fit the fake feed if you manage to get the fake nib off.

 

There's a goulet video that shows removing and switching nibs on real Lamy pens: a piece of cheap scotch tape has more than enough 'grip' to get the job done.

 

Thanks iceman for the comparison!

[Sebvelez]

Sorry for hearing that you got a fake safari.

 

There are fake Lamy around in China & Taiwan markets, sorry about that.. I am a Chinese

 

Anyway, there are some comparisons, I hope it helps. I can help to translate

 

Middle one is fake.

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2933849141

 

For this post, blue & the upper one is fake

http://hsugg.blogspot.hk/2014/09/glamy-safari_21.html

 

Right one is fake in below

http://tieba.baidu.com/p/3003005222

 

Wow, seriously outrageous. A fake of a pen that's actually affordable. And really does look like it internally as well. I mean, once the correct the nib hole location it's anyone's guess what's what!

[Wolverine1]

The solution to the problem of fake Lamy pens is to never buy Lamy pens from Amazon or from eBay. Buy the pens you want from a trusted pen seller, example, from Goulet Pens, or any of the many sellers who are well known here on FPN.

[bardharlock]

Just another difference to point out. Lamy nibs are laser engraved, not actually engraved. My Lamy pens have all been purchased from JetPens (before the Goulet's started) and later from Goulet Pens. Remember: you're not really saving money buying a fifteen dollar pen for ten dollars on Amazon when you don't get the pen you wanted anyway.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I wonder where on earth a Safari costs fifteen bucks?

[bardharlock]

I wonder where on earth a Safari costs fifteen bucks?

Go on the bay, there's thousands of them! Sorry, just numbers I pulled out of, well, somewhere.

[arcadeflow]

Go on the bay, there's thousands of them! Sorry, just numbers I pulled out of, well, somewhere.

 

I am sorry to have to say this, but this is the opposite of the advice we are trying to give people here. Don't buy a fifteen dollar Safari on eBay! Unless you trust the seller, this is probably a fake. I recommend buying Safaris from The Writing Desk, Tiger Pens and Fontoplumo. They have great prices for the converters and nibs too. If you leave outside the EU, the prices will be cheaper than buying from the North American websites for sure, because they discount the VAT.

[Sailor Kenshin]

 

(Me)I wonder where on earth a Safari costs fifteen bucks?

-----------------------------

 

(You)Go on the bay, there's thousands of them! Sorry, just numbers I pulled out of, well, somewhere.

 

 

Just another difference to point out. Lamy nibs are laser engraved, not actually engraved. My Lamy pens have all been purchased from JetPens (before the Goulet's started) and later from Goulet Pens. Remember: you're not really saving money buying a fifteen dollar pen for ten dollars on Amazon when you don't get the pen you wanted anyway.

 

Ahhh...but here you said Amazon, which charges the going rate. I got my B Vista there not long ago. Yes, it's a real Vista.

[bardharlock]

 

I am sorry to have to say this, but this is the opposite of the advice we are trying to give people here. Don't buy a fifteen dollar Safari on eBay! Unless you trust the seller, this is probably a fake. I recommend buying Safaris from The Writing Desk, Tiger Pens and Fontoplumo. They have great prices for the converters and nibs too. If you leave outside the EU, the prices will be cheaper than buying from the North American websites for sure, because they discount the VAT.

It was a joke. I figured my previous post warning people not to try and save a few bucks only to get burned was warning enough. Obviously I do not advocate buying from shady sellers. I even listed the sellers from whom I purchased my Lamy pens who are trusted.

[jpnyc]

I would add that I would completely trust Amazon (and have with much larger purchases than Lamy pens). One of the largest e-commerce retailers on Earth isn't going to buy its merchandise from anyone other than the official distributor. The only possible issue is if you're buying from a third-party seller through Amazon; even if it's a 'fulfilled by Amazon' order (meaning that it's shipped from an Amazon warehouse, not from the third-party seller's place), they aren't going to QC against counterfeit items for which they aren't the ultimate seller.

 

Buying from someone like the Goulets clearly does a public service for the rest of us by keeping them in business, but you aren't likely to get a fake if you save the $5 from a regular, reputable retailer.

Edited May 21, 2015 by jpnyc

[arcadeflow]

I would add that I would completely trust Amazon (and have with much larger purchases than Lamy pens). One of the largest e-commerce retailers on Earth isn't going to buy its merchandise from anyone other than the official distributor. The only possible issue is if you're buying from a third-party seller through Amazon; even if it's a 'fulfilled by Amazon' order (meaning that it's shipped from an Amazon warehouse, not from the third-party seller's place), they aren't going to QC against counterfeit items for which they aren't the ultimate seller.

 

Buying from someone like the Goulets clearly does a public service for the rest of us by keeping them in business, but you aren't likely to get a fake if you save the $5 from a regular, reputable retailer.

 

I would recommend that you get to know Amazon better. Years ago they have started what they called a "marketplace", so they list products sold by various third party sellers around the world. These sellers can be shady. There is no reason to trust Amazon when they do this kind of stuff. If you are going to buy from the small guy anyway, buy directly from their website, if you can trust it. We can recommend you stores that have prices as good as Amazon and you won't be fooled.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Amazon is usually very good about refunds, even with third-party stuff.