Should I Get This Great Deal From Endless Pens?

[markofp]

An unimpeachable source for authorised, ship it now Pelikan Pens at excellent prices is Niche Pens of Newport, UK. I have bought many Pelikans from them over the years, their shipping to the US is lightning fast and their customer service is excellent. The Blue Dunes 805 that you mention is US$476, the M205 is US$114. I recommend them highly for all things Pelikan, really first rate plus no worries about gray market.

 

https://www.pelikanpens.co.uk/

Edited September 3, 2019 by markofp

[A Smug Dill]

Theres Appelboom, PW Akkerman, Fontoplumo, La Couronne du Comte in Holland. Ive bought from the first two, esp. Appelboom.

I've bought from the other two. In fact, I just placed an order with each of them yesterday.

[sirgilbert357]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Appelboom. They are usually the first place I check if I'm looking for a brand new Pelikan. Although lately Cult Pens has had good deals too, so I may have give them a try with the next purchase...

[kestrel]

I bought ink from them, and was pleased with the speed of their getting it out to me. Not so pleased with the USPS, who managed to route a box from Florida to Atlanta before heading to Houston.

 

Not the postal service's fault. It is a well known fact that all departures from Florida must go through Atlanta. Twice I have flown from Jacksonville to Miami via Atlanta. If not Atlanta then you go through Charlotte. When I die I fully expect to be routed through Atlanta en route to final destination.

[inkstainedruth]

I have no experience with Endless Pens, sorry.

I'll admit that most of my Pelikans have either been used/vintage or *possibly* grey market (in that I got them from off eBay) so if I have a problem with them I can't go to Chartpak. OTOH, the birds I've gotten from abroad have been from Rolf Thiel at Missing-Pens, and I would not hesitate to send anyone to him. I saved a lot on the two M405s I got from him (albeit I STILL got the phone call from PayPal double-checking to see if that order was legit... ) and of course being in the US I didn't have to pay VAT.

I've also had excellent service (although not buying a Pelikan, but a Sailor Pro-Gear Slim) from Cult Pens in the UK -- again, I didn't have to pay VAT and IIRC I didn't have to pay shipping because of the price of the item being over their minimum for free shipping; I had been holding out on getting one of the Purple Cosmos pens because I couldn't rationalize the higher price over one of the non LE colors; but when the new color was announced a few months ago I thought I'd shop around and see if I could get one on eBay before they disappeared -- only to discover that they were LESS expensive (even with the exchange rate being not as good on PayPal as what I was seeing on an exchange rate website).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[AMlines]

An unimpeachable source for authorised, ship it now Pelikan Pens at excellent prices is Niche Pens of Newport, UK. I have bought many Pelikans from them over the years, their shipping to the US is lightning fast and their customer service is excellent. The Blue Dunes 805 that you mention is US$476, the M205 is US$114. I recommend them highly for all things Pelikan, really first rate plus no worries about gray market.

 

https://www.pelikanpens.co.uk/

 

Thanks for the confirmation. I just found a good deal (Edited: on Niche Pens) on the M205 I wanted, and before I listened to other advice, I ended up ordering it. It's cost me $94 in all, since I don't have to pay VAT.

Thanks!

Edited September 3, 2019 by AMlines

[A Smug Dill]

Great. Now just sit back and wait for it to arrive.

[City74]

 

Depends on your definition of legit - they are grey market pens bought from outside of the USA, and not directly from the manufacturer, so are not supported by any of the pen manufacturers or their official suppliers. The only cover you have is through Endless Pens themselves. Some of the offers we've seen also question their legality and whether they are the real McCoy or counterfeits - the Lamy Pokemon set being a prime example where it can only be bought in limited numbers from specific stores and Lamy stores in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. It is not possible to directly buy them with an address from outside those countries (I know people who have tried) and as said Lamy forbids their sellers of the set from selling more than a small number at a time, precisely to prevent the grey market.

The pens I have bought were all real and I had no issues. A grey market seller isnt a bad thing, just not an AD. I also collect watches and there are many grey market dealers with outstanding reputations. Yes, you dont get manufactures warranty but for inexpensive items it doesnt really matter imo. I am a fan of Endless and have nothing but good things to say about them, just like I have nothing but good to say about Goulet or Fahrneys etc

[DonM]

I've purchased many "grey market" pens from Japan (via Amazon), The Pen Company (in the UK), as well as from Endless Pens. I've had no more issues from these sellers than the official retailers in the US. I find the US retailers to be excellent. They have to sell at the US distributor's prices, so I have no criticism of them on price because it is essentially out of their control.

 

Where I do have a criticism is with the US wholesalers. They mark up many pens by ridiculous amounts or just don't carry some very disable models (like Pilot). In the pre-internet days they could easily get away with this price gouging in the US, and manufacturers still try to protect them by not honoring warranties. But it's a new day and I make my buying decisions based on price and service. So I rarely buy a pen from a US retailer.

[Pensei]

To AMlines: I think all your questions have been answered, but as a courtesy I wanted to respond to your questions to my post on the previous page. Here's the key: Almost without exception, on the top or bottom of the front page of any dealer's website, there will be a link for "Warranty," "About Us," "Our Policies," or the like. To use the two vendors we were discussing, if you go two clicks in Goulet you will find this statement: "We are an authorized dealer for all our brands." That is, you might say, the gold standard, and any authorized dealer will say something like that somewhere. To take Endless Pens as the alternative, their page has a link that says, I think, "Warranty," and it explains their one year coverage for all new pens and how they handle any repairs. They also describe their return policy. The other question you asked was how to find good prices at AD's. Looks like you figured that out! But if you hang around here long enough you will hear about the good dealers.

Edited September 4, 2019 by Pensei

[bogiesan]

I have purchased a few pens from Endless. Transactions were fine, delivery prompt, and no problems with the pens themselves. I cannot comment on what might have happened if I had received a defective unit which, by the way, can happen with any dealer if you cannot stand at a counter and dip the pen before purchase. The speculation that Endless is a grey or gray market dealer so far is unsubstantiated. Might be accurate, might just be a rant by dissatisfied customers or competing dealers. Endless must get their stocks from a wholesaler. They didnt all just fall off a truck. Or did they?

 

FPN often sees inquiries about finding the best and lowest price on name band and high end pens. We also see posts from folks who think they have paid a high price (or an unbelievably low price) for a fake pen. You can buy from Endless and get a real pen at a good price. Warranty? You get what you pay for.

 

Price is rarely the incentive for me but I do not aspire to owning any expensive or high end pens. I bought my Lamy Aions from Endless because no one else had the red and blue LEs in stock at the precise moment I wanted them. Ordinarily, Id have bought from Goulet because I like those folks and I can afford to support dealers who actively and joyfully support the pen community.

Edited September 4, 2019 by bogiesan

[sirgilbert357]

The speculation that Endless is a grey or gray market dealer so far is unsubstantiated. Might be accurate, might just be a rant by dissatisfied customers or competing dealers. Endless must get their stocks from a wholesaler. They didnt all just fall off a truck. Or did they?

 

 

This is very black and white. Endless Pens is NOT recognized as an authorized retailer by Chartpak, nor are they listed on Pelikan's list of authorized dealers. They are, therefore, gray market.

 

A direct quote from an exchange with Endless Pens during my issue with an M805 (which ended up needing to be replaced) bought from their eBay store "aver-comb":

 

"I am not an authorized retailer I buy from authorized distributors in Europe that’s why I am able to keep our prices low.

Pelikan has a worldwide warranty system and as you saw you had the guarantee in your gift box which clearly states it’s a world wide warranty. Chartpak is trying to protect its local market from grey market sellers which is fair enough.

 

The way we counter this is by doing the warranty system ourselves and we have an understanding with our European dealers."

Edited September 4, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[A Smug Dill]

A direct quote from an exchange with Endless Pens ...

 

 

Good on ya! I asked Savannah myself yesterday about Endless Pens' relationship and standing with Chartpak, and she gave me a similar straightforward answer. I don't know why prospective purchasers seem to have such an issue asking the seller/retailer directly if they have doubts and/or questions to which they want answers. It's not as if it's costing actual dollars or otherwise sticking one's neck out just to express an interest in buying and wanting to know more.

[inkstainedruth]

Where I do have a criticism is with the US wholesalers. They mark up many pens by ridiculous amounts or just don't carry some very disable models (like Pilot). In the pre-internet days they could easily get away with this price gouging in the US, and manufacturers still try to protect them by not honoring warranties. But it's a new day and I make my buying decisions based on price and service. So I rarely buy a pen from a US retailer.

 

I ran into that with Pilot as well. I actually contacted Pilot-USA to ask why they only sold certain colors of Decimos here in the US, while they sold all sorts of cool colors for the larger Vanishing Points. And got told "It's a marketing decision...." Which, frankly, given what colors they sold and didn't sell here, led me to strongly suspect that some moron made the really sexist assumption that guys would not want a smaller pen and so they only marketed the "girly" colors in the US. Well, I didn't want a "girly" color. I wanted a grey Decimo, because it was classy looking, and I saved a bunch of money buying one on eBay from a seller directly in Japan who had 100% positive feedback -- and my experience didn't drop that seller's feedback ratings one IOTA....

Likewise, I've bypassed the markups which Chartpak inflicts on most of the (new) Pelikans I've bought by buying from overseas -- less expensive, no VAT charges, and I got Deutsche Post tracking #s from the seller (Rolf Thiel at Missing Pens) within 24 hours.

Much as I'd like to support only small businesses and US retailers, my budget doesn't always allow for that. Especially when being gouged by the US wholesalers; it's one thing to have a cost markup (I do understand they have to stay in business too) -- but I saved $60 US on my M405 Stresemann by NOT going through a retailer stuck with dealing with Chartpak. And that $60 meant I could go into Birmingham Pens (when they still had the B&M store in Pittsburgh) and buy a pink TWSBI 580-AL (ironically, I had gone in to have a look at the Lamy Pacific Blue al-Stars, which was a lot less expensive, and ended up buying the TWSBI -- AND 3 bottles of De Atramentis ink -- instead...). So Birmingham had a win. TWSBI had a win. De Atramentis had a win. I CERTAINLY had a win. Chartpak? Not so much....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[AMlines]

Where I do have a criticism is with the US wholesalers. They mark up many pens by ridiculous amounts or just don't carry some very disable models (like Pilot). In the pre-internet days they could easily get away with this price gouging in the US, and manufacturers still try to protect them by not honoring warranties. But it's a new day and I make my buying decisions based on price and service. So I rarely buy a pen from a US retailer.

I see. So, that's why the Pelikan M205 I ordered from the UK (nichepens) was well-priced ($93 after discounts). And similar pens go anywhere from $120 to 190 here in the US.

 

Why are the distributors doing this? And don't the manufacturers know this? Surely, they don't want people ordering the same pen from Europe!

[AMlines]

To AMlines: I think all your questions have been answered, but as a courtesy I wanted to respond to your questions to my post on the previous page. Here's the key: Almost without exception, on the top or bottom of the front page of any dealer's website, there will be a link for "Warranty," "About Us," "Our Policies," or the like. To use the two vendors we were discussing, if you go two clicks in Goulet you will find this statement: "We are an authorized dealer for all our brands." That is, you might say, the gold standard, and any authorized dealer will say something like that somewhere. To take Endless Pens as the alternative, their page has a link that says, I think, "Warranty," and it explains their one year coverage for all new pens and how they handle any repairs. They also describe their return policy. The other question you asked was how to find good prices at AD's. Looks like you figured that out! But if you hang around here long enough you will hear about the good dealers.

 

Thanks. This was helpful. It's mostly buried in the sections but I did figure out which ones are authorised by looking around as you suggested.

I also realised that prices in the US tend to be quite higher as the message from the other poster indicates. From now I am now going to check the European and Japanese sellers too

[A Smug Dill]

Why are the distributors doing this? And don't the manufacturers know this? Surely, they don't want people ordering the same pen from Europe!

Why would the manufacturers care, especially if and where they're not American brands or enterprises?

 

As for why distributors price imports in such a manner, perhaps they're properly informed by historical and/or apparent local demand. You yourself have expressed a preference as a consumer and prospective purchaser to buy "locally", even after becoming aware that there are cheaper alternatives buy ordering from a retailer elsewhere. If the intangible property of being supplied by a business in the US is considered a value-add by you (and other consumers who feel the same way), for what are otherwise identical products that can be ordered directly from overseas supply channels in today's global market, the rational thing for businesses in the US to do is to capitalise on their "unique" position (i.e. being seen as "local", in contrast to authorised dealers elsewhere) and charge a premium for satisfying that additional criterion.

 

If you think, say, a 20% premium in buying from local businesses is acceptable to you, but a 50% premium isn't, then — again, rationally — the thing to do is to make it clear, to yourself and to the market, that you're prepared to forgo your preference, and order from overseas in the first instance. The more your compatriots do that, the lesser demand for local supply become, and US businesses will have to respond by dropping their prices (or dropping out of the market altogether). The path to a new compromise is necessitated when you aren't getting what you want and they aren't getting what they want; if one side is already getting what they want, then there is no impetus for change.

[chromantic]

Just my experience with aver-comb: bought my M405 Stresseman and then the red M400 from him, good prices, really fast delivery (like 3 days from Fla to Ca). When Chartpak suggested I contact the seller regarding a nib exchange on the M400, he gave me the "we honor the warranty ourselves" and to return it to him for the exchange which he did at no cost (except the return shipping). So, no complaints.

 

Fast forward, I bought a black/grey M150 that I'd been searching for forever. Postal carrier left it at the wrong address (PO's tracking info confirms that). Contacted PO, they admitted that's what happened but refused to take responsibility - "yeah, sorry, you're SOL, have the shipper start a claim". Contacted aver-comb, he'd said he'd check with the PO but never heard from him again.

 

Paypal wants their money (bought it through PP Credit), I told them I never received it, submitted the tracking info, they said seller claims it was delivered, so pay up. I said bite me and now they've turned it over to some bank to collect. Needless to say, won't do business with him again.

[pararis]

Just my experience with aver-comb: bought my M405 Stresseman and then the red M400 from him, good prices, really fast delivery (like 3 days from Fla to Ca). When Chartpak suggested I contact the seller regarding a nib exchange on the M400, he gave me the "we honor the warranty ourselves" and to return it to him for the exchange which he did at no cost (except the return shipping). So, no complaints.

 

Fast forward, I bought a black/grey M150 that I'd been searching for forever. Postal carrier left it at the wrong address (PO's tracking info confirms that). Contacted PO, they admitted that's what happened but refused to take responsibility - "yeah, sorry, you're SOL, have the shipper start a claim". Contacted aver-comb, he'd said he'd check with the PO but never heard from him again.

 

Paypal wants their money (bought it through PP Credit), I told them I never received it, submitted the tracking info, they said seller claims it was delivered, so pay up. I said bite me and now they've turned it over to some bank to collect. Needless to say, won't do business with him again.

What is "aver-comb"?

[chromantic]

What is "aver-comb"?

 

 

 

 

This is very black and white. Endless Pens is NOT recognized as an authorized retailer by Chartpak, nor are they listed on Pelikan's list of authorized dealers. They are, therefore, gray market.

 

A direct quote from an exchange with Endless Pens during my issue with an M805 (which ended up needing to be replaced) bought from their eBay store "aver-comb":

 

"I am not an authorized retailer I buy from authorized distributors in Europe that’s why I am able to keep our prices low.

Pelikan has a worldwide warranty system and as you saw you had the guarantee in your gift box which clearly states it’s a world wide warranty. Chartpak is trying to protect its local market from grey market sellers which is fair enough.

 

The way we counter this is by doing the warranty system ourselves and we have an understanding with our European dealers."

 

Endless Pens' Ebay store.

Edited September 5, 2019 by chromantic