Not All Amazon Cheap Pens Are Scams!

[Honeybadgers]

Most of them are. and thankfully, the wave of mont blanc 149's and pelikan M1000's for five bucks seem to be gone. But amazon still just screws up from time to time, and I spotted a platinum CF5000A (weasel hair brush pen) for NINE BUCKS. It' normally goes for about $50. I saw it had prime shipping and was being sold by amazon themselves, so I figured, worst case scenario I chargeback my card.

 

It showed up the next day!

 

 

Moral of the story, if a deal seems too good to be true, it might be true! just make sure you're buying it from a reputable seller (i.e. amazon themselves) and that you're willing to go through the chargeback of a scam in case you get burned!

 

On a side note - they did fix the price the next day and it's about $40, but MAN this brush pen is fun! It's made fantastically and draws wonderfully.

[james3paris]

I have bought expensive things on Amazon warehouse products. Normally, I have found the packaging was damaged.

[Honeybadgers]

I have bought expensive things on Amazon warehouse products. Normally, I have found the packaging was damaged.

 

Amazon warehouse is a real gamble. I have had two good experiences and one absolute (bleep) nightmare.

[sketchstack]

I've gotten great deals on Amazon Warehouse. Ironically they once rated the packaging as being a bit 'scuffed' (which didn't bother me).

 

However when I received the pen the packaging was in excellent condition --except for a huge "Inspected by Amazon" sticker that doesn't come off without damaging the box.

[cellmatrix]

I would not say most of the pens sold on amazon are scams - Ive bought several good quality Japanese pens including platinum pens such as the 3776 for far far less than what American sellers charge and although it takes a little time to ship, once pens arrived they were perfectly fine. Very happy with my purchases and glad to have saved the money.

[mikey_abz]

I would not say most of the pens sold on amazon are scams - Ive bought several good quality Japanese pens including platinum pens such as the 3776 for far far less than what American sellers charge and although it takes a little time to ship, once pens arrived they were perfectly fine. Very happy with my purchases and glad to have saved the money.

 

Same here....

Amazon for Platinum pens and eBay for Pilot

[ian1964]

Yep, 3 Waterman Carenes from Amazon UK. All 3 an amazing price and completely legit!

[nyc-roller-ball]

I recently had a few bad experiences with Amazon. Both orders were direct from Amazon and not through 3rd party sellers.

• 
  
• I ordered a Tombow rollerball which came with a torn box, scratched, and a blue refill (they usually come with black).
  
• I ordered a Montblanc LeGrand rollerball which came with a deep scratch and no serial number written or printed on the warranty card.
  
• I ordered a Parker Premiere rollerball which came with a torn outer box, damaged inner presentation box, and no refill.
  

I grew up being told by my father to always go to authorized dealers which I have been doing for years but each of these pens were almost 50% off retail so they were difficult to pass up. Unfortunately, each of them also had to be returned, at Amazon's cost, so they were no deal at all because I wasted time and have nothing to show for it.

[nyc-roller-ball]

 

I recently had a few bad experiences with Amazon. Both orders were direct from Amazon and not through 3rd party sellers.

• I ordered a Tombow rollerball which came with a torn box, scratched, and a blue refill (they usually come with black).
• I ordered a Montblanc LeGrand rollerball which came with a deep scratch and no serial number written or printed on the warranty card.
• I ordered a Parker Premiere rollerball which came with a torn outer box, damaged inner presentation box, and no refill.

I grew up being told by my father to always go to authorized dealers which I have been doing for years but each of these pens were almost 50% off retail so they were difficult to pass up. Unfortunately, each of them also had to be returned, at Amazon's cost, so they were no deal at all because I wasted time and have nothing to show for it.

 

 

I called Amazon and they said there was not much they could do and that next time I should "exchange rather than return" so I can get another pen at the same price. They did give me a small credit for "my troubles" but I am not sure it covers the aggravation of having to constantly pack up returns and waste time going to UPS to drop them off. So much for good prices via ecommerce. Maybe it just back to brick and mortar for me but that means higher prices.

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't tried ordering pens through Amazon. I HAVE had good luck with replacement cartridges for my laser printer (3rd party vendor, IIRC, but a discount for signing up for an Amazon card). I've also had good luck with the most recent order, a couple of books for prizes for the sort of scavenger hunt thing I ran last weekend. And got one book effectively for free because I had a $20 US credit.

But the REASON I had the credit was because of the order before that -- I ordered a couple of CDs (and they were from Amazon, not a 3rd party vendor, in order to get the free shipping (I don't have Amazon Prime -- I don't order enough to make the added costs be negated by the free shipping). And that order was a complete nightmare. They had some random guy making deliveries (not the USPS or someplace like UPS or FedEx), and the guy couldn't find my house without someone like Sacajawea or Kit Carson playing native local guide.... I spent HOURS on the phone going "WHERE IS MY ORDER? I just live across the river from your Pittsburgh warehouse -- I practically went past it coming home from someplace a week or so before!" The order was a couple of CDs. I added the second one to the order to hit the minimum for free s/h, and THOUGHT that everything should be fine because I wasn't dealing with a third party vendor.... I had some supervisor not only giving me the credit on my next order, but she ALSO was writing up a formal complaint about the delivery guy. At one point earlier in the day I was told the guy was on the street mine ends at (I live on a corner) and five minutes out -- only when they said where he supposedly currently was, it turned out he was easily three or four MILES away.... And I don't recommend taking Pittsburgh streets (especially after they've been so badly torn up by frost heave last winter, then further damaged by the record rainfall we've had) that there was -- even with zero traffic and making all the lights through the city, that he could have gotten to my house. Needless to say, I was unpleased.... Especially after being told the package HAD been delivered and that the place stopped making deliveries by something like 4:30 PM (and when I made the phone call, got told the wrong info....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedrut

[Fatalpotato]

People who are into Pelikans should definitely check all of the European amazons Imho. M1000 and m80x models go for pretty economic numbers there, it is possible to find the first one for~300€ and the latter for 250€ if you're vigilant and patient enough. None of the 4 Pelikans I bought from Amazon had any problems, except one has babies bottom.

[JulieParadise]

BUT: If you buy Pelikan pens on (European) Amazon be aware of their practice to ship even expensive pens in a simple cardboard sleeve, not the pretty gift packaging! Since there has been some trouble with that and many people were upset now it is mostly noted whether the pen comes in the representative packaging. Still you should check or be prepared to only get the pen -- and nothing else.

[Fatalpotato]

BUT: If you buy Pelikan pens on (European) Amazon be aware of their practice to ship even expensive pens in a simple cardboard sleeve, not the pretty gift packaging! Since there has been some trouble with that and many people were upset now it is mostly noted whether the pen comes in the representative packaging. Still you should check or be prepared to only get the pen -- and nothing else.

Yep, this happened to me with a 805. I got two 1000s with the packaging, frankly, I wouldn't care if they didn't came with the box though. Half my of my cupboard is now filled with boxes, and sometimes I wish some manufacturers made packaging a little more lightweight

[nyc-roller-ball]

I am sorry to hear about your issues with Amazon. I know in some cities where Amazon has warehouses they delivering their own items using their "own trucks". The issue is that these are "independent contractors" and not Amazon employees so they are being paid the least amount possible for local delivery. In Boston, I have seen these drivers throw, kick, and drop packages worse that anything I have seen from a FedEx or UPS driver when I was still in NYC. You should be able to tell by the tracking number on the order which you cannot search for on the web (because it is proprietary to Amazon).

 

I did some more research on Amazon and it appears most of the pens they sell direct (not from third party sellers) are probably real. The issue is that they are not an authorized dealer so many manufacturers will not honor the warranty or service the pens even after the warranty has expired. Amazon purchases overstock from authorized dealers and then sells as cheaply as possible on their own website.

 

For me, I am going to stop purchasing pens from Amazon because it is not worth the hassle and it is too risky not to have the warranty or service option if ever needed (for some of the more expensive pens).

 

I haven't tried ordering pens through Amazon. I HAVE had good luck with replacement cartridges for my laser printer (3rd party vendor, IIRC, but a discount for signing up for an Amazon card). I've also had good luck with the most recent order, a couple of books for prizes for the sort of scavenger hunt thing I ran last weekend. And got one book effectively for free because I had a $20 US credit.

But the REASON I had the credit was because of the order before that -- I ordered a couple of CDs (and they were from Amazon, not a 3rd party vendor, in order to get the free shipping (I don't have Amazon Prime -- I don't order enough to make the added costs be negated by the free shipping). And that order was a complete nightmare. They had some random guy making deliveries (not the USPS or someplace like UPS or FedEx), and the guy couldn't find my house without someone like Sacajawea or Kit Carson playing native local guide.... I spent HOURS on the phone going "WHERE IS MY ORDER? I just live across the river from your Pittsburgh warehouse -- I practically went past it coming home from someplace a week or so before!" The order was a couple of CDs. I added the second one to the order to hit the minimum for free s/h, and THOUGHT that everything should be fine because I wasn't dealing with a third party vendor.... I had some supervisor not only giving me the credit on my next order, but she ALSO was writing up a formal complaint about the delivery guy. At one point earlier in the day I was told the guy was on the street mine ends at (I live on a corner) and five minutes out -- only when they said where he supposedly currently was, it turned out he was easily three or four MILES away.... And I don't recommend taking Pittsburgh streets (especially after they've been so badly torn up by frost heave last winter, then further damaged by the record rainfall we've had) that there was -- even with zero traffic and making all the lights through the city, that he could have gotten to my house. Needless to say, I was unpleased.... Especially after being told the package HAD been delivered and that the place stopped making deliveries by something like 4:30 PM (and when I made the phone call, got told the wrong info....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedrut

[Honeybadgers]

I would not say most of the pens sold on amazon are scams - Ive bought several good quality Japanese pens including platinum pens such as the 3776 for far far less than what American sellers charge and although it takes a little time to ship, once pens arrived they were perfectly fine. Very happy with my purchases and glad to have saved the money.

 

There was a massive influx of huge scammers selling FP's last year. Mont Blancs, Pelikans, everything under the sun for prices in the $5-10 range. All scams.