How To Sell A Pen

[friscowonderdog]

Hello. I am glad to be here. My father has given me several of his MB pens from the early 90's. One is a twice used Hemingway, another is an unused 149, and several are MB ballpoints and roller balls. I have spent some time researching fountain pens and have enjoyed the process. I have decided to purchase a Lami Safari, as I like the feel... and price point, and sell the Monte Blanc collection. I ask you to lend me advice on how to sell the pens. Is ebay the best marketplace to sell on? What is the present pen market climate? Is there a "pen season"? What would you do? I appreciate your time.

[terminal]

Well, if you want to sell them on the 'bay, you're starting with the right brand. MBs fetch strong prices on eBay.

[kps]

Make sure your pictures are clear and detailed. In particular, read the 'how to spot a fake' guides and be sure your photographs include the details that demonstrate your pens are geniune. Also, clearly describe and photograph anything that might be considered wear or defects, as this will give buyers confidence that there are no undisclosed problems.

[Multiechelon]

You can certainly sell them yourself on ebay. Any time is a good time to sell fountain pens as popular as the Hemingway and 149. If you have prior selling history and take detailed pictures, you should get very good prices on both.

 

However, the Hemingway is as popular a fountain pen as you can have and the 149's price is the most stable (once you know its vintage which you can determine using DkbRs' thread above). For those two pens, you will likely make more money if you have an established pen seller like Bry (FPN username Bryant) at pentime.com sell the pens for you. A trusted intermediary like Bry can then vouch for the condition of the pen and buyers will pay more because they will perceive the sale to be lower risk.

 

As a case in point, I bought a 149 on ebay last week that the seller claimed had been used "a few times." I asked the seller all the common questions before the sale and the seller answered by saying the pen had no evidence of ink in the pen (i.e., they said the piston moved freely and ink window was clear). When the pen arrived it was completely full of dried ink and the piston moved a fraction. I am certain the seller was not trying to deceive me. The seller just did not fully understand the questions because the seller did not what they did not know. (and after a soaking the pen works fine)

 

If an established seller says the pen is in fine working order, it does not matter if it was inked twice or two thousand times. The trusted-seller's assessment of condition will be sufficient.

 

Again, especially if you have ebay sales history, you can sell these pens yourself. But my guess is you will come out ahead if you have an established seller (like Bry) sell the two fountain pens on your behalf. The other pens should just be sold by you on ebay.

 

Sean

[BrandonA]

Once used, twice used, many times used equals used. If you have 100% rating on eBay with a lot of selling history then esy is your place. Hemingways don't actually sell tht regularly though due to the over inflated price. You don't have many other options for selling them. If you don't have a selling history though I think your price will be affected.

 

My question is, why would your dad give you his collection? And secondly, how does he feel about you selling it? I'd be peeved at you.

[Silas]

I, too, wonder about this. Did the father give this as a "LEGACY?" As often is the case, fathers will leave a prized possession such as a Hemingway, to his son so his son could have something of him to remember him by. Not to sell off to get money.

 

Very strange.

 

I hope this is not the case.

[Pen Nut]

I agree with the above. You may be selling much more than a pen if you do decide to sell.

[impossiblebird]

I think that, in your shoes, if I didn't want the pens, I'd be asking my father whether there was anybody else he'd like to have given them to, if he'd known you weren't that keen. If he's truly happy for you to sell them off, and you're sure that neither of you will regret it later, selling through an established, trusted intermediary seems like an excellent idea. Incidentally, if I see a pen on ebay described as "twice used", I tend to suspect that the pen didn't suit the seller, and may possibly be a lemon.

[batjet3]

You're selling several MBs to finance a $200 Lamy?

 

Why not just get rid of one or two and hold onto your father's gift?

[JLS1]

To the OP: If you're serious about getting into fountain pens, keep the pens that your father left you, at least for a little while. FYI, you can buy a Lamy Safari for next to nothing (relatively speaking of course) and you'll have the benefit of having some of the most famous and iconic MB pens to compare it to. Should you wish to sell your pens later, you'll find a willing market here on FPN or on eBay.

 

To the responders: While I may be going out on a limb here, it's worth bearing in mind that we don't know the relationship between the OP and his/her father. The OP may have very good reasons to be thinking about selling his/her father's pens (e.g. Job loss, foreclosure, just too painful a reminder, etc.) regardless of their interest in other FPs, and/or our personal opinion of the Lamy Safari. We were all in this person's shoes at some point...but probably not with a Hemingway and 149 already in our collections!

[Chrissy]

It might be hard for us to believe but sometimes people lose interest in fountain pens and may even believe that they are possibly a luxury that they no longer need. For whatever reason the OP's father gave his son these pens accepting that it would be up to him what he does with them. Maybe the father was even aware that his son needed something to fund something special, and this was his choice.

 

Some people are less precious with their things than others.