Doesn't Pilot Sell Fountain Pens Overseas?

[greciacret]

Hi, this notice is on a web page of an online fountain pens shop (https://www.japanshop-quill.com/pilot-custom823.htm) : "Unfortunately, we can longer ship the Pilot fountain thought overseas in accordance with the Pilot's overseas sales policy. (We are allowed by Pilot to ship to customers who have already made a reservation.) Of course, there is no problem selling in our physical shop. In that case, please check with us the stock in advance via Contact Form. We are sorry, but please understand)".

Do you know why Pilot no longer wants to sell fountain pens abroad?

[BaronWulfraed]

So far as I know, Pilot still sells pens "overseas" -- through their contracted distributors in those overseas regions.

 

Pilot has no doubt signed contracts giving those distributors sole right to sell the pens in their specific region, at price margins set up in the contracts. Allowing an out-of-region dealer to sell through to another region could be a violation of the the exclusivity clauses in the contracts and a cause for lawsuits.

 

You are perfectly free to travel to the physical shop to buy a pen -- after all, it is being sold by a store in that region to someone in that region; you then have something to declare to customs when you return home.

[fabri00]

Pilot protect the dealers in different countries allowing them to sell pens locally, and not to sell pens to customers of other countries.

Is a common commercial practice when a product is sold for different prices in different countries.

It does not mean that Pilot will stop selling pens overseas, as it has been wrongly said in other forums .....

[Karmachanic]

Still selling

[Timotheus]

For the Pilot Custom, see also https://choosingkeeping.com/collections/fountain-pens .

[gerigo]

The reason why is PROBABLY because Pilot wants consumers in each of their regional markets to purchase through their distributors, and not through the grey market.

 

Here's some background.

 

In Japan, relationships between businesses gets expressed in unique ways. IE unique offerings that can allow for differentiation in what is a very small, high sophisticated, very competitive market. Therefore many companies that we recognize maintain much more inventory in the name of maintaining these relationships. That's the reason why almost each and every pen shop in Japan can have unique, even to each other product. It's exactly the opposite in the US, where efficiency and streamlining trumps relationships. It don't matter whether you're Amazon, Walmart or a small regional store, you all get the same stuff.

What has that got to do with us? Well variety makes for interesting products we all want to have. In a perfect world, Pilot would realize we live in a world that no longer respects these arbitrarily drawn up distribution borders. However if you were resourceful, these products will still be available to you.

[Karmachanic]

However if you were resourceful, these products will still be available to you.

 

Which is why crafty FP aficionados have friends in many countries around the world

[inkstainedruth]

Pilot in particular also seems to have really arbitrary (read "stupid" IMO) rules about what pens get sold where. I contacted Pilot-USA a couple of years ago because at the time they only sold 4 colors (out of 8) of Decimos here in the US. None of which I was particularly interested in (and was completely amazed when Goulet Pens said that Champagne Pink was their best selling color of Decimos -- and I think that color is HIDEOUS ); since then, they now sell a couple of the other colors here -- but I had to go to eBay to get a grey one, a color which I personally think is STELLAR.... And Pilot-USA's response was that it was "a marketing decision". Which I took to mean that PILOT (or at least their US division thought that guys would only want the larger Vanishing Points (which come in all sorts of cool colors but which are too awkward a size for my hand) and that only the "girly" colors of Decimos would sell here.

So, as a result, they not only shot themselves in the foot, but the feet of all the US retailers as well -- I got my (grey) Decimo on eBay directly from a seller in Japan -- and for a lot less (even with the economy airmail shipping) than I would have paid to get one from a US retailer. I got it in less than 2 weeks; it was in and out of US Customs in NYC in a matter of hours, and I was able to track the package both through Japan Post and then, when it reached stateside, USPS. Oh, and when it was delivered, I had to sign for it (good thing I heard the mailman at the door) -- most of the time, packages just get left on my porch, and in ONE instance ended up in my DRIVEWAY). And the seller had warned me in advance that there might be delays due to the time of year (I ordered the pen around Thanksgiving) -- but it came in 11 days (the standard range being 10-14).

And all because of some marketing person at Pilot thinking that women would not like grey or that men would not like small(er) pens....

As for that eBay seller? I would not hesitate to shop there again, if the seller had what I wanted for a decent price. I just wish eBay feedback comments weren't character limited. Let's just say that the 100% feedback rating that seller had didn't drop a fraction after my experience....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Karmachanic]

Japanese pen makers main market is Japan. Because of this many Japanese companies do business the Japanese way, as alluded to by gerigo above. In Japan the individual is, at best, of tertiary importance. Gaijin even less so.

 

Becoming irritated or upset because a different culture does things differently produces no positive effect. Growing up in a small third world country I had lots of experience of visitors becoming agitated because thing were not the same as at home. Strange behaviour in that was the very reason they came to visit in the first place. Then, because of their lack of consideration and rudeness, the locals would ignore them, which agitated them even more. Expertly creating their own misery. Humans are strange creatures.

 

Anyway. With determination and resourcefulness, all Japanese pens and inks are readily available in the West. For example, I have a bottle of Shooting Star of Jonuma. A unique ink, made by Sailor for Sanda Sanshodo, a stationery shop Honmachi. The point? Even obscure product is easily obtainable. And as Ruth pointed out, sometimes at lower cost than locally, though that was not the case with the Jonuma.

 

But that's OK cuz money makes the world go 'round!

[A Smug Dill]

Do you know why Pilot no longer wants to sell fountain pens abroad?

You aren't talking about buying from Pilot Corporation in Japan, though.

 

So far as I know, Pilot still sells pens "overseas" -- through their contracted distributors in those overseas regions.

Of course.

 

La Couronne du Comte in the Netherlands, Cult Pens in the UK, Pen Chalet in the US, LarryPOST in Australia — just to name a few examples — all sell Pilot fountain pens "abroad" outside of Japan.

 

In a perfect world, Pilot would realize we live in a world that no longer respects these arbitrarily drawn up distribution borders.

 

In a "perfect world", Pilot would also be able to help themselves to what's in consumers' wallets and get the level of profitability the company and its owners/shareholders want. A world in which you're getting what you want, either by taking something at others' expense or with their willing cooperation, but they aren't also getting what they want from you on their terms is not a "perfect world" but (from some perspectives, anyway) a one-sided dystopia.

 

But that's OK cuz money makes the world go 'round!

Exactly!

[Olya]

In ways I get what is explained, but I still think Pilot doesn't want their goods sold, somehow.

 

I have read a long time ago here that Pilot is aiming to be established as luxury writing brand in Europe and looking at their official products available in Europe, that seems to be the case.

It's a beyond poor offer, the Kakuno and the Metro (which take int standard carts, I prefer Pilot carts so even have to order these from Japan if I wanted them) and then it jumps to the Vanishing Point and Decimo. Not even the Custom 74, 91 or others are available.

Those that are, are sold in Japan at about the same price as Platinum's and Sailor's equivalents, but are marked up even higher in Europe.

 

Pilot stopped Japanese vendors from selling Pilot goods via Amazon (.de hasn't had decent Pilot stuff for a long time now and fr, it and co.uk aren't much better).

 

It's ridiculous. They should at least offer more goods then in Europe, because what is on offer is a mix of "too little", "not attractive" and "hiked up in price".

 

On top of that people know of Pilot as pen maker of cheap and disposable goods and don't even know they make fountain pens. This can't ever establish them as luxury pen maker, anywhere. Not as long as the cheap office stuff exists (which is great and good, I love it and I assume it makes major profit so can't and won't (luckily) be axed any time soon) and as long as they continue to offer a poor catalogue of their fountain pens and hike up the price beyond reason.

 

The Prera was on the European market for a while, but way too expensive for what it was and was then yanked.

 

And Pilot also doesn't offer their good ballpoints and mechanical pencils like Sailor & Platinum do. (eg one model pen but all three pen types).

 

Pilot's strategy is just weird and doesn't exactly work well.

 

It's like they don't want people to buy their stuff...

Edited September 5, 2019 by Olya

[dapprman]

You aren't talking about buying from Pilot Corporation in Japan, though.

 

Of course.

 

La Couronne du Comte in the Netherlands, Cult Pens i

A very LIMITED set of Pilot pens in the UK and Europe.

 

[Olya]

And btw this doesn't even concern just fountain pens. It is also a problem with ink, gel pens (eg the Juice or Juice Up), their mechanical pencil leads.....

 

Pilot is seriously weird.

[Mew]

Japanese sellers are supposed to sell within Japan. As such they are not allowed to export, only pilot does that directly to their distributors in other countries. If they allow the retailers to export directly, the pricing difference in the Japanese market vs foreign markets will run the distributors in the other countries into the ground. From what I have seen, Europe and US have a decent number retailers who stock Pilot products.

As for products that are not available, some can be ordered from Pilot and they will supply to the retailer. Few products may not be supplied as they are intended for the Japanese market only. There are a few western products that never make it into the Japanese market either.

 

A shop finishing off it's pre-orders for the next 2 years and barely having any ready stock for over 3 years is not a healthy trend if 90% of the orders are received from overseas. It kills business of retailers in other countries.

[AL01]

Pilot in particular also seems to have really arbitrary (read "stupid" IMO) rules about what pens get sold where. I contacted Pilot-USA a couple of years ago because at the time they only sold 4 colors (out of 8) of Decimos here in the US. None of which I was particularly interested in (and was completely amazed when Goulet Pens said that Champagne Pink was their best selling color of Decimos -- and I think that color is HIDEOUS ); since then, they now sell a couple of the other colors here -- but I had to go to eBay to get a grey one, a color which I personally think is STELLAR.... And Pilot-USA's response was that it was "a marketing decision". Which I took to mean that PILOT (or at least their US division thought that guys would only want the larger Vanishing Points (which come in all sorts of cool colors but which are too awkward a size for my hand) and that only the "girly" colors of Decimos would sell here.

So, as a result, they not only shot themselves in the foot, but the feet of all the US retailers as well -- I got my (grey) Decimo on eBay directly from a seller in Japan -- and for a lot less (even with the economy airmail shipping) than I would have paid to get one from a US retailer. I got it in less than 2 weeks; it was in and out of US Customs in NYC in a matter of hours, and I was able to track the package both through Japan Post and then, when it reached stateside, USPS. Oh, and when it was delivered, I had to sign for it (good thing I heard the mailman at the door) -- most of the time, packages just get left on my porch, and in ONE instance ended up in my DRIVEWAY). And the seller had warned me in advance that there might be delays due to the time of year (I ordered the pen around Thanksgiving) -- but it came in 11 days (the standard range being 10-14).

And all because of some marketing person at Pilot thinking that women would not like grey or that men would not like small(er) pens....

As for that eBay seller? I would not hesitate to shop there again, if the seller had what I wanted for a decent price. I just wish eBay feedback comments weren't character limited. Let's just say that the 100% feedback rating that seller had didn't drop a fraction after my experience....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

I was lucky enough to go to a local Pilot event some time ago, and I asked about some of the 'JDM' models.

 

One of the higher-ups of Pilot USA told me that, (for example), the solid color Custom 74s are too expensive...

 

I didn't get it.

[A Smug Dill]

A very LIMITED set of Pilot pens in the UK and Europe.

 

Multiple models of Pilot fountain pens "abroad" outside of Japan all the same, in answer to the O.P.'s question. I don't care which partcular model(s) he/she wants to buy. For what it's worth, I'm in Australia and I've ordered Pilot fountain pens from Japan (Custom Kaede, Capless deep red birch, Elite 95s), USA (Capless blue matte, and additional Capless Stub nib assemblies, none of which seem to be available for retail in the Japanese domestic market) and the Netherlands (Justus 95 with rhodium trim, which again is missing from the JDM product line-up) within the past several months.

[dapprman]

@ A Smug Dill - aside from my understanding in Australia you have very favourable import taxes and your local prices are high - you'll also now not be able to buy Pilot pens from Japan and in an ideal world you should be able to buy stock pens from within your own country rather than having to looks at three different continents.

[A Smug Dill]

you'll also now not be able to buy Pilot pens from Japan

I tried just now, and I'm not seeing any obstacle or suggestion, right through to the last step of the checkout process, that I'm now not able to buy Pilot pens from Japanese sellers on Rakuten Global Market. Example:

 

Source: Rakuten Global Market

 

 

[dapprman]

I do wonder how long Pensachi and Rakuten market place sellers will be allowed to continue. Depends on how awkward Pilot want to be, but the fact they've clamped down on a reputable and well established retailer does make me wonder if they're going through a period of throwing their weight around (in the same way Lamy did with their high end pens and online only stores a couple of years back).

[Olya]

No one said Rakuten is a problem.

Neither is eBay for that matter.

 

Nor was Amazon for the longest time.

 

This strange clamp down makes me wonder how long goods will be available via Rakuten and eBay. If Pilot manages to shut oversea sales down there too, then that's it with Pilot (for me, I won't jump through hoops and hurdles to get their goods).

 

If they make these strange shut downs, then they should at least make more of their catalogue available in Europe and not overprice simple lines like the 74. On top of that I can only get the "smoke demonstrator" in Europe, at a ridiculously inflated price.

 

And all these arguments still fall flat, because Sailor and Platinum make their goods easily available everywhere. If one online shop doesn't have sth from their line, another will.

 

I think the problem with Pilot has been laid out very well by several posters from Europe, but somehow it's still not entirely grasped what the problem is for us European consumers....