How Do You Justify Buying An Expensive Pen?

[max dog]

Whether its a mechanical watch, camera, glasses, or fountain pen, attention to detail, utmost quality, care, passion for craftsmanship comes at a cost. That is my justification when i pay a premium for something.

 

If something is important to you, paying a premium for fewer nicer things is a better value than having a lot of cheap mediocre items in the long run.

Edited June 26, 2015 by max dog

[Lince]

I want Dolce Vita, and it is expensive, but I will wait some time a year maybe of no pens and then treat myself to one of them, with piston an no fusion nib please, the real 14k.

[jmccarty3]

To whom must I justify my purchases?

 

Your wife, of course, just like everything else.

[cleosmama]

 

Your wife, of course, just like everything else.

 

My husband has never made me justify any purchase to him, not just pens, and I have never made him justify any purchases to me. He would buy me any pen I liked. The truth is, though, I have a lot of pens that are very nice (he bought many of them for me), and at some point, enough is enough. If I wanted it, I would know it in my bones. If I have to justify it, I don't believe I really want it, or else I don't think I can afford it. I don't buy it in those circumstances.

Edited June 26, 2015 by cleosmama

[Vpen]

You don't 'justify'. If you like it and can afford it, you buy it. Simple enough.

 

'Justify' leads to 'buyers remorse'. Time and brain wasters!

True

[Vpen]

I think you've received a lot of good advice so far. Some of the responses here have really given me food for thought. I'm one of those people who gets caught up in justifying...well, everything, I guess. And it causes me a lot of stress and takes the fun out of life. I could probably stand to live a little more freely and stop worrying about stuff that, in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter.

 

When making an expensive purchase, I will go and do my research on the pen. If I love the pen, and it makes me happy, if I will use it and not feel guilty about purchasing it later, then I go ahead and purchase it. I have also tried more recently to take the approach of waiting to make a purchase, and telling myself, if it's still there in (x amount of time) then I will purchase it. If it isn't, then I wasn't meant to have it. That extra time allows me to REALLY decide if I LOVE pen, or if it's just a fleeting obsession, which will pass. I've avoided a couple of mistake purchases that way, because I get so darned excited when I see pens, and I want them all That doesn't always work in all purchasing situations, but it's a tactic to consider employing

 

I have a few pricier pens now, and I love every single one of them. I may not have the biggest collection, but each pen that I do have (with the exception of one), I have chosen with care and I feel that I made good, solid purchases. Funnily enough, the one purchase that I did make on an impulse, is the one pen that I am rather indifferent about, however, as it was a cheapie pen, I don't feel badly about it.

 

I would rather put money towards something that is well made, and of good quality than feel as though I squandered it on something that either I didn't love or was poor quality. Those values though, are only something that the person making the purchase can decide. What works for one person, won't necessarily work for another, as we all put different values on things and have our own criteria.

 

Anyway, as I said (and others have too) ultimately, it's your decision and your happiness that is most important. Maybe having 100s of less expensive pens will be more fun and make you happier in the long run, only you can decide. Good luck

Thanks nice advice...

[Sandy Fry]

If you can afford it...buy it. if not ...don't.

 

Seems pretty simple to me.

 

David

[spaceink]

It's a matter of disposable income, I guess.

 

That said, the most I've paid for a pen has been about $150, and even with greater income I don't think I can really justify anymore than that. Beyond a certain price, I feel, you are really not getting any finer a writing instrument for your buck and paying for basically branding and some corporation's more than healthy margins..

[Wahl]

Now from the practical point of view.

 

I have good mechanical watches and vintage pens (more than 80 years old), both of which are rather expensive. I buy them because I enjoy them and obviously can afford them.

 

I also know that if I ever need the money I can sell them and not lose money on my original purchase, and might even make a profit. The same will not work with inexpensive items.

[Davis19942003]

Fountain pens are writing instruments to me, I really write with Fps, not just for collecting them.
If I buy an expensive one, and I really write with it, I don't really need a justification because I spent my money on a tool that I use and love.

[de_pen_dent]

This is a different kind of question than Is Nakaya's price justified or Mont Blanc worth it etc.

 

I am looking for tips and advices on how to justify my purchase of an expensive pen may be more than a couple of hundred dollars? It's not that I cannot buy it, but when I see that that amount can probably buy me a month or two of groceries or pay my internet bill for entire year etc.

 

I am not being a troll but I seriously want to buy an expensive pen and be able to justify the purchase to myself .

 

You are overthinking things. Do you drive the most basic car in the market, live in the cheapest house, use a basic Nokia handset and buy clothes from a vendor by the side of the road?

 

If not, then atleast somewhere else in your life you are paying more for something nicer. It is the same concept. Whether you are willing to pay a premium here is up to you.

 

If you cannot justify a more expensive pen, dont buy a more expensive pen. I dont think a bunch of strangers here are going to make this decision for you.

[hbdk]

 

it's better than a cheap pen.

 

next.

Best answer in this thread

I'll keep that in mind!

[ethernautrix]

I was going to joke that it gets easier with practice.

 

But...justify to whom?

 

If you want it and can afford it and you're still hesitating, then maybe the question is more about how badly you want it. Maybe hold off on the purchase until you're sure whether or not you want it.

[de_pen_dent]

And to add - if you have an internal governor that prevents you from splurging, be thankful.

[Bisquitlips]

This is a different kind of question than Is Nakaya's price justified or Mont Blanc worth it etc.

 

I am looking for tips and advices on how to justify my purchase of an expensive pen may be more than a couple of hundred dollars? It's not that I cannot buy it, but when I see that that amount can probably buy me a month or two of groceries or pay my internet bill for entire year etc.

 

I am not being a troll but I seriously want to buy an expensive pen and be able to justify the purchase to myself .

 

 

One reason. Life's pleasures. Just that simple.

 

"You get what you pay for" is also true in the realm of FP purchases. I have never regretted any of my magnum purchases.

 

If you are successful in life and can afford it, just treat yourself. Joy!

[delano]

"Expensive" is a relative term. To someone who makes a lot of money, Visconti's Declaration of Independence pen would be an easy purchase; to someone who makes minimum wage, a Franklin-Christoph is a grail pen.

[Alex2014]

I did not buy any expensive Fp yet My Fp's costed under 2k$ each

Edited June 27, 2015 by Alex2014

[Dhruv_Sood]

My personal justification is that it will be used. I write for a living and I use fountain pen almost exclusively. For our 20th anniversary my wife allowed me to buy a Mont Blanc Starwalker fountain pen- fine liner set. When we were questioned by customs official (it was bought outside the U.S.) about why someone would spend THAT MUCH for pens. I said, I'm a writer. The customs agent turned to my wife and asked, "is he any good?" She said, "I think so." We didn't have to pay any customs fees....

Custom officer with a sense of humor. This made me smile. Thanks.

I usually think about my purchases a lot, sometimes I end up thinking about them for 5-6 months. This leads to me buying a lot less pens than most people (I have only 2 fountain pens, one of them a Nakaya and other from a locally made brand, both are good). I know most people here have suggested not to waste time thinking about it, but I would urge you to think a little about it on whether the pen you are buying is worth it or not.

 

This thinking about my purchase has helped me almost every time in making a rational decision. I can pay for the pen I want, but the price made me think whether it is worth it or not.

Like in the other thread I created to get an understanding of the Hakase pen materials, most people I have come across who have a Hakase have taken the solid gold fitting pen whereas I don't see any use of those fittings, hence I decided to buy the cheaper one with gold plating.

[LisaN]

A fine pen gives pleasure to the hand, delights the eye, and eases the soul. Writing, calculating, grading, composing, problem solving- all of these can have their difficult moments. When we pause to reflect on the task at hand, those small luxuries- the chair, the ticking clock, the carpet underfoot, the smooth nib, the cup of tea - give us the strength to continue.

[LeonW]

I don't need to justify. I am lucky enough to enjoy a good salary. Despite that I wear department store clothes (no designer stuff or branded clothing), drive a modest 6 year old car, don't smoke, and don't drink alcohol. I recently treated myself to two Onoto pens (a blue-chased Magna Classic and a Dickens Chuzzlewit). I felt really guilty but my wife just said, "you work hard, and barely spend any money on yourself. Enjoy them". Oh boy, do I enjoy them!

Blessed are you for such a wife.