Engeika > Taking A Moment To Recognize A Positive Experience

[fountainflyer]

Hi all,

 

 

A little preamble here..

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

Within the last several months, I had started to research a few different procurement routes to get Sailor products into Canada at their actual real price rather than pay the over inflated markup my local retailers were adding on. (I get second-hand embarrassment for some of the tags in the display case, to be quite honest.)

 

In any case, I read a few good notes, but had also seen more negative experiences with shopping through the http://www.engeika.com website. Various fulfillment issues, product authenticity issues, and basic communication problems between parties.

 

 

My Order Experience:

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

Throwing caution to the wind and wanting to give Taizo a chance, I placed my first order understanding that a) there's quite a time zone difference between Japan/Canada, and that the initial order confirmation can take some time to occur.

 

Sure enough, I received confirmation a few days later. One of four pens on the order, (the H-MF Naginata Togi in silver) was out of stock and had to be manufactured in a queue at Sailor. I had found out about 10 days later from Taizo that the expected delivery time to his business was approx mid-September 2016. (Almost a full year away.) He assured me that the order was placed and was awaiting processing there. I left him to manage Sailor to ensure that I got the product I purchased.

 

With the order being shipped back to Canada free, I assumed that I'd get all four pens at the same time next September... boy, was I in for a shock.. I checked my e-mail on Christmas morning and here was an EMS Shipment Notification -- the pens were sent.

 

I received the box yesterday. Pens were in perfect condition. Sealed bags, original Sailor tags, not a scratch on them. Really couldn't have asked for more.

 

Later that evening, I had noticed the order was short one pen. My first thought was that it may have been missed. If I received the gold Naginata Togi, it's possible the silver one just wasn't processed OR it was still actually pending being manufactured. I sent off a note at 01:30am my time (which was the end of the business day in Japan) to let him know - only to find out that the silver Naginata was the one which was still in queue at Sailor pending for 09/2016.

 

Tonight, I received a reply. Not only did he let me know he was still watching the order there for any updates, he also let me know that all of the items on my new order were almost ready for shipping and that I'd be getting another notification from EMS that they were on the way.

 

Perfect. I'm up to date with with what's happening on the previous order and also have a status update on the new order that was just placed. No worries.

 

 

Pre-Wrap-up:

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

I've so far made two orders (7 Sailor pens as well as a Wancher wood 50-pen display case) - and so far, I am very impressed and happy with the way that Taizo has handled my business. He understands the value of the order and provides the updates that I need to be able to rest easy that things are being taken care of. I'm looking forward to placing more orders in the future and doing more business with him to get the products I want.

 

I'm sure there are other alternative routes to getting the same products at the same relative pricing, but folks - if you have the chance, give Engeika a try. I'm glad I did.

 

Closing:

---------

Keep in mind a few things:

- Engeika is not Amazon, I'm sure he's running a fairly manual-type mom'n'pop shop.

- Robots aren't working overnight in a multi-million-acre warehouse.

- Give Taizo the time he needs to get things done for you, and he will.

- Communication can take a bit longer sometimes with what I'm suspecting is sheer volume.

- Remember the timezone difference which can add anywhere from 10-16 hours depending where you are in North America, or, the world. Responses may take 1.5 days depending on what time they're sent.

 

 

Most importantly, patience is key... it's certainly paid off for me as I'm now using a few of the best pens I have ever owned.

 

Thanks

 

/ff

[dcwaites]

I have never had a bad experience dealing with Taizo, but then I have always bought standard, off-the-shelf items.

I intend to test that relationship soon by ordering a non-standard pen, and we will see what happens, but I'm sure that with patience and good will on both sides, all will end well.

[rxgus]

Hi all,

 

 

A little preamble here..

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

Within the last several months, I had started to research a few different procurement routes to get Sailor products into Canada at their actual real price rather than pay the over inflated markup my local retailers were adding on. (I get second-hand embarrassment for some of the tags in the display case, to be quite honest.)

 

In any case, I read a few good notes, but had also seen more negative experiences with shopping through the http://www.engeika.com website. Various fulfillment issues, product authenticity issues, and basic communication problems between parties.

 

 

My Order Experience:

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

Throwing caution to the wind and wanting to give Taizo a chance, I placed my first order understanding that a) there's quite a time zone difference between Japan/Canada, and that the initial order confirmation can take some time to occur.

 

Sure enough, I received confirmation a few days later. One of four pens on the order, (the H-MF Naginata Togi in silver) was out of stock and had to be manufactured in a queue at Sailor. I had found out about 10 days later from Taizo that the expected delivery time to his business was approx mid-September 2016. (Almost a full year away.) He assured me that the order was placed and was awaiting processing there. I left him to manage Sailor to ensure that I got the product I purchased.

 

With the order being shipped back to Canada free, I assumed that I'd get all four pens at the same time next September... boy, was I in for a shock.. I checked my e-mail on Christmas morning and here was an EMS Shipment Notification -- the pens were sent.

 

I received the box yesterday. Pens were in perfect condition. Sealed bags, original Sailor tags, not a scratch on them. Really couldn't have asked for more.

 

Later that evening, I had noticed the order was short one pen. My first thought was that it may have been missed. If I received the gold Naginata Togi, it's possible the silver one just wasn't processed OR it was still actually pending being manufactured. I sent off a note at 01:30am my time (which was the end of the business day in Japan) to let him know - only to find out that the silver Naginata was the one which was still in queue at Sailor pending for 09/2016.

 

Tonight, I received a reply. Not only did he let me know he was still watching the order there for any updates, he also let me know that all of the items on my new order were almost ready for shipping and that I'd be getting another notification from EMS that they were on the way.

 

Perfect. I'm up to date with with what's happening on the previous order and also have a status update on the new order that was just placed. No worries.

 

 

Pre-Wrap-up:

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

I've so far made two orders (7 Sailor pens as well as a Wancher wood 50-pen display case) - and so far, I am very impressed and happy with the way that Taizo has handled my business. He understands the value of the order and provides the updates that I need to be able to rest easy that things are being taken care of. I'm looking forward to placing more orders in the future and doing more business with him to get the products I want.

 

I'm sure there are other alternative routes to getting the same products at the same relative pricing, but folks - if you have the chance, give Engeika a try. I'm glad I did.

 

Closing:

---------

Keep in mind a few things:

- Engeika is not Amazon, I'm sure he's running a fairly manual-type mom'n'pop shop.

- Robots aren't working overnight in a multi-million-acre warehouse.

- Give Taizo the time he needs to get things done for you, and he will.

- Communication can take a bit longer sometimes with what I'm suspecting is sheer volume.

- Remember the timezone difference which can add anywhere from 10-16 hours depending where you are in North America, or, the world. Responses may take 1.5 days depending on what time they're sent.

 

 

Most importantly, patience is key... it's certainly paid off for me as I'm now using a few of the best pens I have ever owned.

 

Thanks

 

/ff

Thank you for this write up. I have been referred to engeika by a couple people, but I was always a little nervous about pulling the trigger. It sounds like if I set reasonable expectations that it should work really well.

[Barry Gabay]

Thank you fountainflyer, for such an honest & detailed report. My experience with Tazio has been the same as yours: normally excellent, though when there is a delay or problem, it is soon remedied with extensive apologies.

 

May I add one more point to your excellent list of good manners in your closing? Not only is this an international company dealing with customers in many time zones, but the guy is conducting business in a language which is not his native one.

 

Happy new year to all.

Best wishes,

Barry

[Mon34480]

I have used engeika every now and then, I believe the "main" issue that many people have with engeika is that they tend to list that they have stock pushing you to buy only to realise that you are now on a "waiting list" for them to order more rather than their customer service. Most who I have talked to prefer just ordering directly from the Japanese retailers themselves via sites like Rakuten global.

 

I dont believe I have every had anything close to a truly horrible experience with engeika (That upstanding spot is reserved for Pens De Luxe)

Edited January 2, 2016 by Alteyz

[dcwaites]

I second your thoughts on Pens De Luxe...

[fountainflyer]

Thank you fountainflyer, for such an honest & detailed report. My experience with Tazio has been the same as yours: normally excellent, though when there is a delay or problem, it is soon remedied with extensive apologies.

 

May I add one more point to your excellent list of good manners in your closing? Not only is this an international company dealing with customers in many time zones, but the guy is conducting business in a language which is not his native one.

 

Happy new year to all.

Best wishes,

Barry

 

You're very welcome. You make a great point.. I'm sure it's a challenge (not only linguistically) but also in business form / professional customs to have to translate Japanese to another language and still ensure a great customer experience.

 

For being able to juggle all of these moving parts of doing online business, he's doing quite well - and I just wanted to showcase the examples of this good work that I had.

 

cheers!

/ff

[fountainflyer]

I second your thoughts on Pens De Luxe...

 

Good to know - I've never heard of this site, but couldn't imagine I'd get any advantage out of ordering in Austrailian/NZ dollars with a conversion into Canadian dollars, I'd probably just stick to the Japanese sites.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

/ff

[Mon34480]

Good to know - I've never heard of this site, but couldn't imagine I'd get any advantage out of ordering in Austrailian/NZ dollars with a conversion into Canadian dollars, I'd probably just stick to the Japanese sites.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

/ff

To sum up their store briefly they grossly mark up their prices (eg charging 50-55$AUD for iroshizuku ink) half of the workers there dont know a thing about fps and if you're lucky to find someone who is knowledgeable enjoy dealing with someone who thinks anyone writing with a sub 600$ pen is a pleb. I originally thought it was just bad luck on my side but after speaking with multiple people it seems to be the norm.

 

Most shops here are roughly 5-10% more expensive than marlet price which is expected accounting for shipping and the alike. We do enjoy outrageous deals every now and then for example we had a shop which had 50% their entire range of Kawecos (eg ~49$aud for a al sport including clip or a lamy safari for 20aud)

Edited January 7, 2016 by Alteyz

[pp763]

Hi all,

 

 

A little preamble here..

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

Within the last several months, I had started to research a few different procurement routes to get Sailor products into Canada at their actual real price rather than pay the over inflated markup my local retailers were adding on. (I get second-hand embarrassment for some of the tags in the display case, to be quite honest.)

 

In any case, I read a few good notes, but had also seen more negative experiences with shopping through the http://www.engeika.com website. Various fulfillment issues, product authenticity issues, and basic communication problems between parties.

 

 

My Order Experience:

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

Throwing caution to the wind and wanting to give Taizo a chance, I placed my first order understanding that a) there's quite a time zone difference between Japan/Canada, and that the initial order confirmation can take some time to occur.

 

Sure enough, I received confirmation a few days later. One of four pens on the order, (the H-MF Naginata Togi in silver) was out of stock and had to be manufactured in a queue at Sailor. I had found out about 10 days later from Taizo that the expected delivery time to his business was approx mid-September 2016. (Almost a full year away.) He assured me that the order was placed and was awaiting processing there. I left him to manage Sailor to ensure that I got the product I purchased.

 

With the order being shipped back to Canada free, I assumed that I'd get all four pens at the same time next September... boy, was I in for a shock.. I checked my e-mail on Christmas morning and here was an EMS Shipment Notification -- the pens were sent.

 

I received the box yesterday. Pens were in perfect condition. Sealed bags, original Sailor tags, not a scratch on them. Really couldn't have asked for more.

 

Later that evening, I had noticed the order was short one pen. My first thought was that it may have been missed. If I received the gold Naginata Togi, it's possible the silver one just wasn't processed OR it was still actually pending being manufactured. I sent off a note at 01:30am my time (which was the end of the business day in Japan) to let him know - only to find out that the silver Naginata was the one which was still in queue at Sailor pending for 09/2016.

 

Tonight, I received a reply. Not only did he let me know he was still watching the order there for any updates, he also let me know that all of the items on my new order were almost ready for shipping and that I'd be getting another notification from EMS that they were on the way.

 

Perfect. I'm up to date with with what's happening on the previous order and also have a status update on the new order that was just placed. No worries.

 

 

Pre-Wrap-up:

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

I've so far made two orders (7 Sailor pens as well as a Wancher wood 50-pen display case) - and so far, I am very impressed and happy with the way that Taizo has handled my business. He understands the value of the order and provides the updates that I need to be able to rest easy that things are being taken care of. I'm looking forward to placing more orders in the future and doing more business with him to get the products I want.

 

I'm sure there are other alternative routes to getting the same products at the same relative pricing, but folks - if you have the chance, give Engeika a try. I'm glad I did.

 

Closing:

---------

Keep in mind a few things:

- Engeika is not Amazon, I'm sure he's running a fairly manual-type mom'n'pop shop.

- Robots aren't working overnight in a multi-million-acre warehouse.

- Give Taizo the time he needs to get things done for you, and he will.

- Communication can take a bit longer sometimes with what I'm suspecting is sheer volume.

- Remember the timezone difference which can add anywhere from 10-16 hours depending where you are in North America, or, the world. Responses may take 1.5 days depending on what time they're sent.

 

 

Most importantly, patience is key... it's certainly paid off for me as I'm now using a few of the best pens I have ever owned.

 

Thanks

 

/ff

Same wonderful experience here. Took 2 days for my Sailor KOP to arrive in my country (UK) perfectly sealed and brand new. Saved around 45% over the UK price and it is my favourite writing instrument

[Bill Smith]

I just placed an order with Taizo yesterday for a Sailor Professional Gear Slim S hiki-Oriori Four Seasons Edition Manyou in gold and dark metallic green. I have ordered in the past from him via Ebay and I have no issues for the wait.

 

Like others I'm happy that Engeika is now a stand alone website because I have the Japanese pen bug bad and two with the Canadian dollar being beaten up, I rather buy the pen in Japan then through domestic channels to get a better exchange rate along with getting pens that just aren't available on this side of the Pacific.

Edited January 13, 2016 by Bill Smith

[lacquerpen1]

Taizo keeps the words said, from my experience. Probably one of the most knowledgeble dealers in terms of Sailor pens, in my eyes.

[Edwin Yontef]

My many dealings with Mr. Taizo on ebay have always been 10/10. It did take him five or six days to acknowledge and then ship my most recent purchase, a Platinum 3776 gathered. I consider the slight delay well worth my winning bid, $90.

[episkey]

My many dealings with Mr. Taizo on ebay have always been 10/10. It did take him five or six days to acknowledge and then ship my most recent purchase, a Platinum 3776 gathered. I consider the slight delay well worth my winning bid, $90.

what a steal! Now I DEFINITELY have to check his store out on ebay.

 

I've been contemplating whether or not to buy a Sailor pen from a trusted US retailer or save 50% of the price and buy from Engeika. After all the recent positive reviews from you all, I think I will definitely buy from him! This is my first "big" pen purchase and I wanted it to be a trusted seller, and I'm convinced that he knows his Sailor pens.

[bone215]

very satisfied customer of engeika

no problems at all

good communications

products as advertised

good comprehensive web site

[Bill Smith]

To follow up, I bought a Sailor Prof. Gear Slim in the Dark Green metallic resin, can't remember the name off hand, it looks gorgeous. I think with shipping in it cost me like a good $80 less. So I buy mid January, but Taizo doesn't have any in stock. He was waiting for a new batch from Sailor, took about three weeks. He shipped the last Friday in January my time, and it showed up Monday February 1st.

 

As Fountainflyer said, it's a mom and pop shop, not Amazon we're dealing with and I rather give my money to an independent even if he is the other side of the World. Time difference factored in, the communication has been great. I'll be buying from Enjeika again at some point soon.

[Calibrating]

I placed my very first order with him this morning after days of agonizing over placing the order. I sent off several emails at night and always had a reply in the morning. I was told the wait would be 1-3 months.

 

The wait is not a problem for me. I dabble in knitting and spinning and like fine handcrafted tools. The wait for certain knitting needles can be 1-2 years. Not a typo..... Years! Same with certain spindles.

 

I would, of course, like immediate delivery but the pen is not available in the US any more. That and I'll remind myself that this era of speedy deliveries from things all over the world is quite unique in history. ; )

 

Looking forward to my new Sailor Pro Gear in white with pink gold. : )

[irondome]

I have never bought from them before. I also noticed the price of the pilot iroshizuko bottle inks are cheap. Has anyone order those ink from them before? What was your experience?

[Legal Eagle]

Yeah I've bought from him too, and so far so good.

[indianajones83]

I have made my first purchase from Taizo about a month ago. Ordered a Sailor Pro Gear II Realo and some Sei-boku ink via the Engeika webpage. I received the parcel within 15 days after ordering + 3 days for customs clearance (Europe). All necessary documents for customs clearance were supplied with the shipment. Both the pen and the ink were 100 % brand new and well packed. The pen is a real joy to use and lives up to the expectations