Cheaper Buying From Germany?

[psych_ink]

A relative is visiting Germany in July and I was wondering would it be cheaper to get a fountain pen from Germany rather than here in the US? I was considering the pros and cons of "local german made pens" maybe being cheaper vs. the US $ exchange rate? My budget is about $250 (may stretch it to $300). Any suggestions?

 

My current pens:

Pelikan M600

Pelikan M205 Blue (Demonstrator)

Lamy 2000 (has given me quite some grief, even after a new replacement nib, that has to go back in for repair)

Waterman Phileas

Lamy Safari

 

Thank you.

[piembi]

It depends on the pen you are looking for. And the shop you are going to.

 

Let me know what you are looking for and I can check the prices.

[JMX]

In Germany, street prices seem to be nearer to the MSRP(?) than in the US.

 

Lamy has fixed retail prices. They cost the same in any B&M Store.

 

Not sure about the Pelikans. You can still get that blue M605 for 99 € in most Galeria Kaufhof stores.

 

 

[agchristie]

As JMX said most pens are more expensive due to the MSRP. However the exchange rate is quite favourable at the moment for those with $ and not so good for us europeans so you might be able to find a bargain. But I think that for most pens places like oscarbraunpens are far cheaper than stores here. It is weird but especially pelikans, Lamys and MBs and probably quite a few others seem far cheaper over the pond than in the country they come from! For example the Pelikan m205 demo is still 99Euros here compared to $70 at the above-mentioned store (although I havent bought from them).

[Bo Bo Olson]

Galleria Kaufhaus, (Heidelberg) still has 605's for €99. A Yellow 200 for €39, and the new sale a 250 or 250 set for a very reasonable price....but I have two 400's and can't use the 200-250. They still have the Cross Townsend set in Midnight Blue for €99 also. The nib is steel.

I bought my 605 and Cross set there for that price. You could then send it off for a gold nib and pay extra for that as exchange. I kept the steel nib. LOM.

 

I'm not sure where you are going to be visiting in Germany; or how long you are going to be staying in one place, but if you want the 605, it might be possible for the store to order it from another store, if they are out. Many of the Kaufhaus's are out.

 

If you plan ahead, google the locations of the store, contact them now, the pen should be in that store waiting for you, when you get there. There will be some one who speaks English in the office.

Another alternative, would be to go to a Kaufhaus order the 605 pen if they don't have it, and have it be shipped to a hotel on your route. They don't ship to the US.

[Nero]

You could get at drugstores like Müller a lot of the "cheap" Pelikan, Lamy and other brands pens (Pelikano, Safari, ABC, ...). They offer these for school children.

[Marko Kloos]

It's also worth noting that non-EU citizens can get the VAT refunded. That's a 19% tax rolled into the price of most goods in Germany. Have them buy the pen and take their receipt to customer service, along with their passport. The store will let you fill out the proper form, and a few weeks later, you'll get a refund check mailed to your home address.

[beluga]

A relative is visiting Germany in July and I was wondering would it be cheaper to get a fountain pen from Germany rather than here in the US? I was considering the pros and cons of "local german made pens" maybe being cheaper vs. the US $ exchange rate? My budget is about $250 (may stretch it to $300). Any suggestions?

 

My current pens:

Pelikan M600

Pelikan M205 Blue (Demonstrator)

Lamy 2000 (has given me quite some grief, even after a new replacement nib, that has to go back in for repair)

Waterman Phileas

Lamy Safari

 

Thank you.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheaper buying in Germany? That depends....

 

 

Discounts in Germany are rare, but you may be able to get at least part of the 19% VAT back.

There are some "specials" like the €99 Pelikan 605 or €75 Pelikan M200 from Galeria-Kaufhof, although these are limited (but apparently recurring) time offers that are not all the time available.

 

I come to Germany several times a year and bought some of my pens there; some directly from brick-and-mortar stores, some from Rolf Thiel - who has good service and attractive prices - on www.missing-pen.de.

 

But I bought almost as many pens from Worldlux and increasingly from Pam Braun at www.oscarbraunpens.com.

 

My suggestion would be to check Rolf Thiel's website; if the pens are not outright availabe on his website, e-mail for a quote.

Compare what he quotes with Pam and Worldlux and then decide.

 

If you're after one of those Pelikan specials, try the Galeria website www.galeria-kaufhof.de and do a search for Pelikan by entering "Pelikan" in the "Produktsuche" (product search) field. Keep in mind though that if you should find something you are interested in, it does not necessarily guarantee availability in all local Kaufhof stores.

 

Generally, range and availability in the bigger German cities is superior to what you find in most US or Canadian larger cities and - besides pens - it is also fairly easy to pick up interesting inks and paper.

 

 

 

 

 

BV.

Edited June 23, 2010 by beluga

[bigstick]

"Bound to be someone who speaks English". Well, maybe. I found that if you were in the former East Germany parts, there was no English at all, unless you found someone under the age of twenty to try it on. Russian? Certainly. But no English to be had in Thuringia.

[Bo Bo Olson]

"Bound to be someone who speaks English". Well, maybe. I found that if you were in the former East Germany parts, there was no English at all, unless you found someone under the age of twenty to try it on. Russian? Certainly. But no English to be had in Thuringia.

 

 

sorry about that...I don't get over to the Zone much. I speak enough Ami Deutch to get by...and have my side kick (wife) to tell them what I said. I tend to use a sludge hammer, and hammer German words into an English sentence.