Fake Pelikans...

[basterma]

I am in China and There is almost no presence for Pelikan that i have seen. Parkers are evident, expensive and uncommon, hence a cachet of sorts. Parkers also have a reputation all over the world. Pelikan is more known as a stationery supplier than just a pen company. It is well known, but not for its piston fillers. Lamy is a niche company, but the Safari is an iconic, trendy design that many generations of people can use. I don't think you can say that about Pelikan piston fillers. I imagine the fakers want something they can make a profit from on large production runs.

[Bluey]

It would be quite reasonable to suggest that many many many many times more people worldwide have heard of Jinhao than have heard of Pelikan.

 

Faking a Pelikan would be like faking a manbearpig.

Edited August 16, 2017 by Bluey

[stevekolt]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason for the original post was that I found a new M800 on Ebay for a really good price. I have since received the pen, and thankfully it is the real deal.

[senzen]

Thanks for all the replies. The reason for the original post was that I found a new M800 on Ebay for a really good price. I have since received the pen, and thankfully it is the real deal.

 

Well beyond the discussion, it's great news that it turned out all right!

[MilanKov]

I am sorry for reviving this old thread, but I have stumbled upon a interesting deal on the new blue 120 pelikan for a rather interesting price and I wonder do you think it is a real deal or a fake. This ebay seller has it about 50 bucks cheaper and the thing that concerns me a bit is that the seller is from Taiwan and that puts me bit on the edge...

 

Can you advise me on this deal?

 

Cheers Milan

[bass1193]

I've been following that seller for a while now due to their excellent prices and feedback. I have a strong feeling that they sell genuine pens, but alas I have yet to actually make a purchase.

[Nyanzilla]

I've never seen a faked Pelikan pen.

[MilanKov]

I know it is just little uncertainty on my part I will probably have to wait and see.

 

Cheers Milan

[Lam1]

The price quoted for the M120 is reasonable, but it certainly doesn't put it in the "too good to be true" category, IMO.

 

I also never saw a fake Pelikan.

 

I'd say go for it without fear !

Edited October 20, 2018 by Lam1

[sargetalon]

That is the same price that I paid for my Iconic Blue from Germany when it came out. That is a reasonable price for those in the US purchasing overseas. It goes to show the large price differences that exist between regions. I see nothing suspicious about it. I certainly have no suspicion that it is a fake. Besides that fact, eBay is skewed towards protection for the buyer so even if it wasn't up to expectations, you're completely covered. I would purchase that one without hesitation if I was in the market. Just my 2 cents.

[Runnin_Ute]

Massdrop recently (still active) had the same pen with bottle of ink for about $159.99 USD recall correctly. As I had just purchased a M400 White Tortoise I wasn't in the market even at that price. I was thinking it was even lower, (another $20-30) but was mistaken. Either way, I couldn't have pulled off both the M400 and the M120 anyway. I could have spent roughly half that more and got a M405 Stresseman rather than the White Tortoise.

[KBeezie]

I'm thinking that they might not be able to make as huge a profit margin between the faked model and the price that they try to sell as a "steal" for.

There's probably also dozens and dozens of counterfeit manufacturers behind the scenes for Montblanc that are in huge quantities that still haven't been sold off completely, and there's usually a design or two that always seems to be the one faked with the simple snowflake on top being the status symbol beacon.

I've also noticed that Pelikan, depending on the country, brand new can be had for a very fair bit cheaper than the US market, like your standard M200 ~ M1000 line being a few hundred dollars cheaper new in box off Rakuten. You're not going to see that for Montblanc, and it's probably not worth as much to counterfeit a Pelikan when you can get it cheaper than the US in a neighboring country (if for example Chinese business people want something to show off wealth such as a MontBlanc or formerly an Omas).

But I've noticed Pelikan also sells very inexpensive pens too, for your typical everyday student and such, MontBlanc does not.

[inkstainedruth]

I am sorry for reviving this old thread, but I have stumbled upon a interesting deal on the new blue 120 pelikan for a rather interesting price and I wonder do you think it is a real deal or a fake. This ebay seller has it about 50 bucks cheaper and the thing that concerns me a bit is that the seller is from Taiwan and that puts me bit on the edge...

 

Can you advise me on this deal?

 

Cheers Milan

 

I just looked (briefly) at the listing, and the current bid (as about 4:30 PM EDT) is what I paid for my Iconic Blue last month at the Commonwealth Pen Show. AFAIK, mine is the real deal (the seller -- or the place he got it through -- would have had to fake the box and packaging, and even the nib width tag on the clip). Given that it's pretty close to what I've seen "reputable" dealers charging, I think mine is well within a price range would have not raised any eyebrows (but is still a little below what I've seen them go for. And I looked up the seller online when I got home.

Admittedly, I did not look super closely to see if the pen in the listing link is new or used, or what the starting bid was.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sansenri]

There have been attempts to copy Pelikan, at least one attempt I would recognize as such by a Chinese manufacturer, but in my opinion the copy was so far fetched that to the best of definitions it might be a replica, not a fake.

The result is not a bad pen, it's actually a rather nice pen in terms of size and shape (when compared to other Chinese pens which have been often so badly designed ergonomically to make them so uncomfortable), but still suffers from the frequent defect of being far too heavy, although uncapped it is still usable.

The pen in question is the Jinhao X500.

Look at it closely, you will recognize inspiration from the M400/M600.

 

The other small defect is the small but sharp step between section and barrel.
The nib is the usual Jinhao standard, smooth but stiff.

 

 

 

[Seney724]

I think the greatest risk for getting a "fake" Pelikan is in the vintage market where sellers put all kinds of parts (some original Pelikan and some not) onto some other Pelikan part and then have the audacity to call it a "rare," vintage Pelikan. Whereas one might argue they are "innocent" mistakes, by and large they are egregious examples of very savvy but unethical sellers preying on a unknowing, usually novice, buyers. Most of this, of course, occurs on the 'Bay. There is one seller, who claims to be based in Switzerland, who has made this into a virtual sport. In spite of having been reported several times and having changed his eBay user name at least once, is still out there doing his crooked thing while laughing his way to the bank on a regular basis. Be very, very careful when purchasing a vintage Pelikan. Know what you are looking for and ask questions. Some deal which seems too good to be true..... probably is. First and always, "Caveat Emptor!"

Edited October 21, 2018 by Seney724

[sansenri]

I think you're right here

[LionRoar]

If the Chinese fake Parker Sonnets, why would they refrain from faking Pelikans?

 

I agree that the Chinese will fake anything that they think they can profit from.

 

But, there's probably more money in faking other brands. Pelikans are probably harder to copy because they are very nontraditional pens and have a piston filling mechanism. Parker Sonnets are just normal pen shaped, very easy to copy.

[PAKMAN]

Still haven't seen any fully copied, piston filled fake Pelikans. One day they may but so far no.