Experiences With Martemodena

[welcmhm]

There is definitely some luck of the draw. I'm serviced by Cincinnati and have made two purchases from Martemodena (each just about $400) and have not been charged import tax either time.

Just got a customs duty invoice from my first purchase (about 3 weeks after arrival). I guess I'll probably get one for my second as well. However, that's part of the price of purchasing from overseas, so I don't have a problem paying it.

[jekostas]

Purchased a Delta from Martemodena off of eBay, in my hand in less than a week. Even with a customs fee it was way cheaper than I would have payed elsewhere.

[aardvarkbark]

 

Wow, how much later after delivery did the customs bill come? Hope I don't have anything waiting for me in the mail....

 

two or three weeks

[ALeonardoA]

Thank you for this thread. I've communicated with them through eBay on their auctions and they usually respond very quickly. I didn't realize though that people were being billed for customs weeks afterwards. I suppose since their prices are pretty low that it's still worth it.

 

Has anyone had any experience purchasing one of the 2016 Pelikan M800 from them? If so I'd appreciate any thoughts on the transaction and how the pen came etc. Thank you.

[Lam1]

Thank you for this thread. I've communicated with them through eBay on their auctions and they usually respond very quickly. I didn't realize though that people were being billed for customs weeks afterwards. I suppose since their prices are pretty low that it's still worth it.

 

Has anyone had any experience purchasing one of the 2016 Pelikan M800 from them? If so I'd appreciate any thoughts on the transaction and how the pen came etc. Thank you.

 

 

I bought a Pelikan M805 Black (B ) from them on February 14 for an amazing price (I never paid such a low price for a M80x). The pen arrived on the 17th (impressive, isn't it?) in one of the big round boxes with a bottle of Edelstein Onyx (black).

The pen was sold with the possibility of choosing the nib. So, when I paid for the pen I sent a message saying that I wanted a B. They answered the next day saying that the pen was shipped with the nib I asked.

The pen writes beautifully and I couldn't be happier.

 

This was the second pen I bought from them. The first was a Montblanc 146 Platinum about 2 weeks prior to buying the Pelikan, also for a fantastic price. I would not hesitate to buy from them again.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Lam1

[welcmhm]

 

 

I bought a Pelikan M805 Black (B ) from them on February 14 for an amazing price (I never paid such a low price for a M80x). The pen arrived on the 17th (impressive, isn't it?) in one of the big round boxes with a bottle of Edelstein Onyx (black).

The pen was sold with the possibility of choosing the nib. So, when I paid for the pen I sent a message saying that I wanted a B. They answered the next day saying that the pen was shipped with the nib I asked.

The pen writes beautifully and I couldn't be happier.

 

This was the second pen I bought from them. The first was a Montblanc 146 Platinum about 2 weeks prior to buying the Pelikan, also for a fantastic price. I would not hesitate to buy from them again.

I had the same experience with them and my m1000 (same days for auction and receipt). The pen was sold in the round packaging with a bottle of Edelstein ink and was well packaged. It was my second m1000 from them and I would purchase from them again if they had the pen I was shopping for.

[ALeonardoA]

Thanks guys!

[Bill P]

I have purchased multiple Fountain Pens from Martemodena...communication with them has been good, on the surface the price of the item seems good if it was an auction...

 

BUT:

On several of my auction purchases they did NOT have the item....so it took an extra week for them to obtain it. The items were standard routine FP's nothing out of the ordinary, and they have an auction every couple of days for these items. So I was disappointed that the items were not in inventory.

 

They will NOT do combined shipping - Why? They give some really really lame excuse..it's there ebay policy or something..their explanation defies logic and common sense.

 

Shipping rate - they have recently raised their shipping rate to $24 - so that is $24 additional for each item you purchase.

 

Shipping carrier - they will ONLY use DHL to the US...I have had very bad experiences with DHL on these transactions...almost 50% of the time the packages have been mis-routed. One package went from Italy, to Germany, to NY, to Italy, to NY, to Italy, to Germany, to NY...what? remember you are paying $24 per item for an expedited service.

2 other packages were mis-routed IN the US...and when a package gets mis-routed DHL told me they automatically send it to their hub in Cincinnatti, causing further delays.

 

Customs fee and fees: It seems if they use DHL you are almost assured of getting customs fees...AND the DHL fees for DHL doing the Customs for you...so DHL has every incentive to make sure you are charged customs fees, because they get a fee on top of that.

 

Recently they have raised the starting bid price for their auctions...and the increased shipping fees.

 

I also learned that they maintain a black list...a list which will prevent you from bidding on their auctions or buying thru buy it now. How do you get on this list? well if there is an issue they PRESUME YOU are the problem so you are blocked...sometimes after resolution you are removed from the black list, sometimes you are not.

 

In summary, initially I was enthusiastic about doing business with them...but after several transactions, and learning more about their policies, total cost of am item, etc...I have lost my enthusiasm.

 

And when you add all the monetary issues, what initially seems like good value, in totality it may not be.

 

My 2 cents based on my experiences.

[xty]

I too have had great experience with MM- although I received medium nibs when fine was requested on two eBay auctions. I'm okay with it as I love the pens and I feel I got a great deal - good enough to use those two pens to try out a nibmeister.

 

I would not have been able to become a Delta lover without them!

[FriendAmos]

I have purchased multiple Fountain Pens from Martemodena...communication with them has been good, on the surface the price of the item seems good if it was an auction...

 

BUT:

On several of my auction purchases they did NOT have the item....so it took an extra week for them to obtain it. The items were standard routine FP's nothing out of the ordinary, and they have an auction every couple of days for these items. So I was disappointed that the items were not in inventory.

 

They will NOT do combined shipping - Why? They give some really really lame excuse..it's there ebay policy or something..their explanation defies logic and common sense.

 

Shipping rate - they have recently raised their shipping rate to $24 - so that is $24 additional for each item you purchase.

 

Shipping carrier - they will ONLY use DHL to the US...I have had very bad experiences with DHL on these transactions...almost 50% of the time the packages have been mis-routed. One package went from Italy, to Germany, to NY, to Italy, to NY, to Italy, to Germany, to NY...what? remember you are paying $24 per item for an expedited service.

2 other packages were mis-routed IN the US...and when a package gets mis-routed DHL told me they automatically send it to their hub in Cincinnatti, causing further delays.

 

Customs fee and fees: It seems if they use DHL you are almost assured of getting customs fees...AND the DHL fees for DHL doing the Customs for you...so DHL has every incentive to make sure you are charged customs fees, because they get a fee on top of that.

 

Recently they have raised the starting bid price for their auctions...and the increased shipping fees.

 

I also learned that they maintain a black list...a list which will prevent you from bidding on their auctions or buying thru buy it now. How do you get on this list? well if there is an issue they PRESUME YOU are the problem so you are blocked...sometimes after resolution you are removed from the black list, sometimes you are not.

 

In summary, initially I was enthusiastic about doing business with them...but after several transactions, and learning more about their policies, total cost of am item, etc...I have lost my enthusiasm.

 

And when you add all the monetary issues, what initially seems like good value, in totality it may not be.

 

My 2 cents based on my experiences.

 

(1) Combining shipping would be nice, but it is really up to the seller. On ebay (most sellers), the MM site, ... each item is sold individually, on its own terms, and there is really no reason for a buyer to expect combined shipping as a matter of some sort of right. To my mind "I didn't get combined shipping!" is not legitimate complaint, unless there was something in the auction conditions that led the bidder to expect it as the norm.

 

(2) You seem to be unhappy that you "expedited" package took something of a detour to get to you; presumably, in your excitement, your were "tracking" it and getting frustrated that it wasn't coming "directly". All that "expedited" means is that you will get it quickly; it doesn't mean that it gets to you "as the crow flies". (As a matter of fact, the routes taken by other organizations similar to DHL sometimes defy "common sense", but nevertheless seem to "work".) A more legitimate complaint would be that your item was late, but that doesn't seem to be what makes you unhappy.

 

On your various complaints about DHL: First they should be separated from complaints about MM. Second, some of them are obviously not true---e.g. the ones about "customs and fees"---in that they do not apply to every shipment by DHL, nor is it the case that similar issues never arise with the obvious alternatives to DHL.

 

(3) A statement such as "And when you add all the monetary issues, what initially seems like good value, in totality it may not be." is rather vague. An unjustified expectation of saving money should not be equated with a loss of money.

 

And what is one to make of statements like "Recently they have raised the starting bid price for their auctions...and the increased shipping fees"? Perhaps they initially kept them low to attract business, but they have now made a change. I see no problem with such raises: if people find them too high, they will go elsewhere that they consider cheaper ... that being the nature of business in general.

[rohit1974]

I agree with FriendAmos here. I recently purchased a delta dolcvita Federico 14 k nib for about 130 euros which arrived me in 3 days from Italy to India in perfect condition . I had some problem with the paypal transaction and he sorted it out and was interacting with me on email almost immediately. Let us not forget that the rates with all the shipping is still way cheaper than what we will get otherwise. My full support to Martemodena and Mr Giulio

Edited February 29, 2016 by rohit1974

[little pen]

I've won 2 deltas on Friday night the post stated that they don't ship at the weekend .Fine had an email saying the pens had been dispatchednow I just have to wait for DHL tomorrow happy days .

[little pen]

Update the 2 pens came today both in perfect condition very impressed .

[jconn]

On the subject of customs fees in general, not just fountain pens from Martemodena, but on any fountain pen imported into the United States, if the FOB (free on board, or product cost x # of units + shipping cost) value of the pen is less than $200, then there is generally not a customs duty owed.

 

http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/saved_calculations/view_details/200029365/

 

Notes on duty & taxes rates and compliance.

Fountain Pen has an import duty rate of 2.7% + US$0.004 per piece. If the product is made of endangered species, import of this product requires a CITES license [some probability].

Notes on import taxes due

No duties because the total FOB does not exceed US$200.00

No Merchandise Processing Fee because the total FOB value does not exceed US$200.00

Please note that your shipping provider may add an additional handling fee

Read more on how import duty & taxes are calculated for United States here

[DevonReviewer]

Evenin'

As I started the thread I thought I should close off my story!

 

In short an thoroughly excellent experience with MM, they did honour the pricing glitch on the New Gallery with Fusion Nib, and I also picked up the Dolce Vita Federico Stantuffo 14kt for a cracking price in the auctions.

 

On top of that I rather cheekily asked if they could combine the shipping on the 2 items; they could not do so, as others have pointed out, they simply do not do this. That is absolutely their prerogative, and I am fine with that.

 

None the less for those reasons we had ended up exchanging a number of emails, and they were kind enough to offer to throw in a couple of nice Delta pen cases (a 2 pen pouch and a 1 pen slip). I gratefully accepted the offer!

 

I love the pens and am itching to find an excuse to shop again at MM.

 

As a side note, the Fusion nib is smooth and has great flow, although being a "B" keeps you filling the cartridge converter very regularly (my personal preference is towards "E" and "M").

 

Whilst I have not used the pens enough to offer my full thoughts, I have posted a few "first impressions" on my YouTube, which you are welcome to check out (https://www.youtube.com/user/DevonReviewer) ........2016 feels like a bit of a fountain pen year, and I would welcome any subs if you want to follow my journey!

 

Best regards,

Chris

 

Hi,

After seeing a review on "The Pen Habit" YouTube channel on the Delta Dolcevita, I was compelled to visit MarteModena.

 

I joined a couple of their auctions both of which I won, the first seems to have been a glitch or pricing error as I picked up a Nuova Galleria Fusion for £0! I completed the transaction out of curiosity and paid a total of only £14.81 for postage.

 

The payment was accepted, and I have heard nothing more. I have emailed and messaged through the site but still nothing.

 

Whilst I don't really expect them to honour the deal and be out of pocket, I would expect them to respond and / or arrange a refund.

 

Has anyone had successful comms with them? Are they normally responsive?

 

I am reluctant to carry out any future transaction with them if they simply do not communicate when things go a little wrong!

Best regards,

Chris

 

Edited March 1, 2016 by DevonReviewer

[freeboy]

 

(1) Combining shipping would be nice, but it is really up to the seller. On ebay (most sellers), the MM site, ... each item is sold individually, on its own terms, and there is really no reason for a buyer to expect combined shipping as a matter of some sort of right. To my mind "I didn't get combined shipping!" is not legitimate complaint, unless there was something in the auction conditions that led the bidder to expect it as the norm.

 

(2) You seem to be unhappy that you "expedited" package took something of a detour to get to you; presumably, in your excitement, your were "tracking" it and getting frustrated that it wasn't coming "directly". All that "expedited" means is that you will get it quickly; it doesn't mean that it gets to you "as the crow flies". (As a matter of fact, the routes taken by other organizations similar to DHL sometimes defy "common sense", but nevertheless seem to "work".) A more legitimate complaint would be that your item was late, but that doesn't seem to be what makes you unhappy.

 

On your various complaints about DHL: First they should be separated from complaints about MM. Second, some of them are obviously not true---e.g. the ones about "customs and fees"---in that they do not apply to every shipment by DHL, nor is it the case that similar issues never arise with the obvious alternatives to DHL.

 

(3) A statement such as "And when you add all the monetary issues, what initially seems like good value, in totality it may not be." is rather vague. An unjustified expectation of saving money should not be equated with a loss of money.

 

And what is one to make of statements like "Recently they have raised the starting bid price for their auctions...and the increased shipping fees"? Perhaps they initially kept them low to attract business, but they have now made a change. I see no problem with such raises: if people find them too high, they will go elsewhere that they consider cheaper ... that being the nature of business in general.

I bought direct and mm off ebay.. no issue for me at the online site for combined shipping , they even sent me a coupon when I signed up for hte newsletter, I got 10% off, free ship and two super nice pens well below retail.. 4 deltas from them... they are as a company not perfect, one request basically I was told to F off... but the proof is in the pudding ..

They might not want to combine ship off ebay...

[little pen]

Re ebay and shipping they openly display the price of shipping so you can decide how much of a bargain the product is . If it's a problem don't bid simple . I must add that I bought 2 delta oversized journal pens Inc shipping for $96 fully boxed came the next day from Italy to the UK .

[chad.trent]

Add me to the list of satisfied customers. I won an auction from them last Wednesday. It was shipped Thursday and arrived today (Monday) here in the US. I had to pay like $25 shipping, but to get from Italy to the US in 3 days is worth it for me. Plus even with shipping it's significantly less than it would have cost to buy it in the US. Mine even came in a really nice box with a bottle of Delta ink that they didn't mention in the listing.

[bulbboy]

I bought a Delta Fusion Gunmetal from him awhile back and he is awesome! Great communication and super fast shipping!

[patta]

I got several Deltas von MM through their website only. Very fast shipping, safely packed. Cannot state any difficulties and still am a happy customer.