Did you ever go to pen shops just for testing pens?

[SnowLeopard]

I've read a lot, and tried to absorb what's going on here at the FPN. Clearly there r people who write to promote a certain co's products as if they have some vested interest...or have their own fp related businesses,... there r repair people who want FPN business,... collectors, and I use that term loosely,..vintage fp brokers,..and... every other niche represented wrt the fp business. The whole f-n pen industry is a study in niche marketing. Where else... could you find a person, pen broker, who will purchase an estate pen... with the story... that the instrument in question was locked away in a home office desk for 40-50 yrs.... and is now the find of the century,.... and it will $$ you (... his or her time) to even hold it for a few precious clicks...after which it must go back in the darkness... to await a purchaser with many GW's... to finally buy the right to put it in a display case... never to see ink again. This is but only one scenario. There r so many... that it defies any attempt at description. The fp is one of the single greatest engineering marvels of the industrialized world.They used to cost $1-$25, or so, for the best of them back in the 50's...that's when I became aware of their existence. They were utilitarian, and were at the hub of one the primary sources of communication worldwide. You went to a shop, and tried them out with only what they had on the counter, b/bl... that was it. Those were the only options. There was no internet, online source... or any other way to get them... other than,...a company's order route, ...they became large players in the ever evolving pen story. What's now happened... is that they (sellers) applied the mail order mentality... to the sale of these marvels... aided by the high speed delivery of information about the product... thick with hype... & all without a soul to walk u thru the maze to help you make an informed purchase....at a price. Just remember there is an endless stream of new potentials, as well as veteran purchasers in the mix..all with different motivations 4 making a purchase...cranial overload. Me... I go to my fav pen shop, I look , I ask q's, I ask to hold, I will ink a potential with a nib size for a particular service...if no, I'll try another, and as many as I feel necessary, or I'll leave to return at a later date , and start all over again. After all... how a pen performs is dependent on.. your grip, hand- writing style, pressure, paper, ink type- fabrication, angle, dexterity, age, personal likes & dislikes, personality, motivation, ....and other things. The problem is that those who work in these places want to be in the business of making money. Most don't do it for love. There are a select few who truly r in their element...knowledgeable, and are really there for you....because they love helping in any way they can...whether it be selling a cart, bottle, or instrument, they love the interaction. I'm really talking about only one person in my whole city. Sad but true. No matter. This person is the single greatest asset to the pen industry that I have come across in half a century. The pen industry is a SERVICE industry, it's not about product...at all. There are little marvels to be had from vintage to modern, inks of almost ever color in imagination , papers, cases,crystal inkwells, and just about every other product you can imagine. I commit everything to paper by fp, ....I then transfer my thoughts to electronic media....4 my work. ...or scan handwritten stuff. I send letters of a more personal nature by hand....sail-mail. Fp can do that. With their aid, you can communicate in a special way....who would ever send a condolence letter any other way....I can't imagine....or a love letter ftm! They can be an advantage in the boardroom too. They are conversation pieces, most of all, they provide an endless variation for personal expression. People who wear pen shop people out with no intension of purchasing....search your hearts. Don't do it any more. There is this one person I know of, and a few cohorts... at this place I go to ...if you find it at a reasonable price online, ...there's no problem... you can walk out with what you've selected...after you've paid 4 it...lol. They'll exchange a nib, send to correct a problem, or whatever need be done for you...to make you happy, and better informed then when you came in. I'm always exploring new possibilities with this person...whether I purchase, then, or not. If the price is in the ballpark, competitive... I will always purchase in house. I get no renumeration ..nor am I affiliated with this place...I just do my thing ...there. If the price can't be met...I might consider another option...but this is rare. Or not purchase at all. If you do your homework...and I suggest you do, the in house purchase is so much more satisfying. Provided you seek out the right ...4 U... individual. There are those who won't give you the time of day..because you have been profiled as...a n/s....or too poor to sustain their thing. Avoid them at all costs...your only good to them for the $$...not as a client...unless you drop signif. capital. I always dress down....it's fun to see how shopkeepers relate to you...or not. So whether or not you're flush doesn't enter into the equation...generally. My last swipe at fp insiders is to ask a Q.."NOS"...what does it really mean? It can be a gem of a pen discovered, ...or a " Frankenpen" of the best parts from recently deceased old dead stuff brought to life by Dr. Frankenpen..., or a mismatch of stuff..if you don't know what you're looking at, or a never sold, ... in store purchase, at a d/c'd price they're now selling to you at an inflated one, 'cus it's no longer in production....or the producers are no longer alive or too senile to remember those issues....to give you informed info of the pen. Be forewarned...Lastly... the LE's...the brainchildren of lust and greed. Most vintage isn't all you'd expect....why else would you go to a pen show...after the vendors have had a chance, for two hrs., to make their "insider" trades and purchases for their own collections for the creme of what's there....then let "the public" in....f.. the c..of the c... Unless they come with papers ..signed in blood...lol...just kidding...they should be viewed as USERS. That's their intended function, FYI. Let "them" hoard the real collectables...I only purchase regular issues...never the LE's. That's a different niche, and mentality.I really enjoy the color, & enjoyment of what these things can do. It's an inner joy...mostly...and one I can use to communicate with real people... to boot. So if you ever see me at a show, or shop, I'm just looking....lol.

[Joane]

The local b&m store I frequent has a policy of encouraging people to try the pens. I have bought many many pens there but only when they were on sale, because that's the only time I can afford the type of pens I like. The store manager is aware of that because I have told him outright. Even with buying on sale, over the years I've ended up spending a lot of money in that store where I keep going back because their service is terrific. I get ink there as well, ballpoint and rollerball refills, accessories, gifts, etc. Sometimes I do stop in just to check out what's available and chat and try out the new pens. It's possible to test any pen except LEs that have to be pristine.

[Yuki Onitsura]

I always pop into a B&M to pick up a bottle of ink and try out a few pens though I don't think I've ever bought a pen there. The staff are always very polite and reasonably knowledgeable. I'd love to support the store by buying more pens from them but the recommended retail in Australia is a huge hike from most online sellers (for example, a Lamy 2k retails for over $300 AUD) and this just makes it very very difficult.

 

Yuki