Horrible Experience With Engeika Shop

[Algester]

I would still like to add

Pen and Message

Tsutaya Books

Morita Pens

again not sure about international transactions but heh... someway somehow you could probably have ways to get them

Edited November 24, 2015 by Algester

[fountainflyer]

Hi all,

 

I decided to throw caution to the wind after seeing a handful of online reviews of Sailor pens which were procured at this vendor to see if I could be one of those who could have a successful purchase.

 

After sending the shop an e-maila about the PGear w/ NMF nib, he offered to order direct from Sailor. A process which, due to the limited availability in a certain number of lots made, would take a little bit of time.

 

Time will tell what the end result of this purchase and experience will be.

 

Thank you to those that had left a note about their own story with this vendor.

 

/ff.

[keegan]

I've always had good experiences with Taizo at Engeika.

[fountainflyer]

I've always had good experiences with Taizo at Engeika.

 

Thanks I'm going to give him a try. Order has been placed, waiting on some confirmation.

[Hospitalier]

Hi all,

 

I decided to throw caution to the wind after seeing a handful of online reviews of Sailor pens which were procured at this vendor to see if I could be one of those who could have a successful purchase.

 

After sending the shop an e-maila about the PGear w/ NMF nib, he offered to order direct from Sailor. A process which, due to the limited availability in a certain number of lots made, would take a little bit of time.

 

Time will tell what the end result of this purchase and experience will be.

 

Thank you to those that had left a note about their own story with this vendor.

 

/ff.

I was quoted an estimated lead time of about nine months for a Sailor with special nib from Engeika, it arrived a few days less than a month after I ordered; I'm not saying anyone else will have the same or similar experience, I may have just been very lucky!

[FriendAmos]

Even though there are many FPNers who are pleased with engeika, please watch out for the following issues:

 

1. he will tell you he has farmed out his shipping functions to a 3rd party logistics provider, Japan Post. As such, he says he cannot control which "grade" of stock they ship. You will hear what I mean by "grade" below.

 

2. he (or his shipping agent Japan Post) may ship an "opened" item to you as new. When he is being pointed out on that front, he will tell you his 3rd party logistics provider is receiving and picking and he cannot directly control what his contractor does. When you receive a "new" pen (if a new is typically shipped in a sealed package by the manufacturer) without being sealed (in a plastic bag), that is an open item product. This can be a return from a department store in Japan. He will advise you that Japanese pen makers are releasing the "returned" pens from department stores which have been shut down due to poor retail economy in Japan. Therefore, he will advise you he will not be able to control what Japan Post ships as it is just shipping what it receives from the "manufacturers."

 

Some of his auctioned pens are sold at a low price. So, that's a compromise you need to face when bidding in an auction. Some pens don't go low in the bidding; in that case, it might be better to buy a pen from a traditional web retailer who sells the "real" new pens.

 

This is an incredible (bleep)-and-bull explanation, and it is astonishing that it has been repeated here. Japan Post, like any other such postal system, simply forwards whatever it is given by its customers. It has absolutely no role in deciding what is to be posted, its condition, etc. Nor should it.

[KBeezie]

This is an incredible (bleep)-and-bull explanation, and it is astonishing that it has been repeated here. Japan Post, like any other such postal system, simply forwards whatever it is given by its customers. It has absolutely no role in deciding what is to be posted, its condition, etc. Nor should it.

^ This, to put it another way Japan Post ~= USPS (or your country's postal service) ... would USPS alter/control/dictate what is being sold (outside of things illegal to ship in the first place)?

Edited November 26, 2015 by KBeezie

[daoud62]

By far the most bothersome part of dealing with Engeika/Taizo is that he takes your money at the time you place your order and there is no way of telling whether he indeed has access to the particular pen at that time. I understand WHY he is doing this: He has no inventory, or a very limited one, and for that reason, he only orders from the manufacturers when an order is placed and paid for. I have often wished there were some easy way to tell whether he, in fact, has access to a certain pen at a certain time. Some of you have suggested writing to him first, which I have done, and he typically responds in a few days. However, he is not always right. I have done this, and been told by Taizo that he has a certain pen in a certain nib width and a certain color, I pay for it, and I then receive an "automated message" that the pen is out of stock and has to be "special ordered from the manufacturer" which can take several weeks. When this has happened to me, and I have written him about it, he either doesn't respond or he responds with a one-line response: "Sorry, the last piece in stock was sold before your order could be registered." This is silliness. What it indicates is that you, the consumer, are financing Taizo's inventory so that he doesn't have to do so commercially (paying a bank a huge interest rate to keep his inventory up to necessary levels).

 

The other aspect is that Engeika/Taizo truly misuse the labels "rare" and "limited edition." Most of the time, on his website, "rare" means "new old stock." For me, as a pen collector and user, "limited edition" means a pen created in a specified limited quantity or an edition released at a certain time for a certain event. "Limited edition" does not mean: "Not easy to find in the department stores, so I have to check first."

 

Finally, and this is the one that bothers me the most, he puts one price online, and often will offer a lower price to someone else, or even to you in one of his "special offer for you only" messages. I once ordered a Sailor 100th anniversary pen and paid the listed price for it ($1240 +/-), and the very next day, he sent me an e-mail offering the same pen to me "only" for $900. I wrote him that I had just ordered the pen and paid for it; why was he sending me an offer for $300 less today? I asked him to refund me the difference. He claimed that the special offer was sent by a different department and he apologised, but never refunded me a penny. That's bad business, and that was my last purchase from him, so he wound up losing out.

[Kit4pens]

I ordered a Platinum 3776 celluloid FP in Jade Green from Engeika. Waited almost 4 weeks then was informed from Tazio that it would take 4 to 6 months to get the pen from Platinum. I canceled the order and was refunded my paymment. That same day on Engeika facebook page, they said the pen I ordered was in stock after they told me it would take 4 to 6 months to get it. Go figure!

[dasXFnib]

Right now I'm waiting on 2 orders for Sailor 4 Seasons Pro Gear pens from Engeika....both are "being ordered direct from Sailor....."

"We would like to ask for your patience and understanding for the shipping...."

Ummmmm.....OK....But time CAN wear patience a tad thin.....!!!

Trust me....the $$ saved on these pens IS (for me, anyway....) worth SOME wait time.....

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

[ScienceChick]

I think I ordered my Four Seasons pen around the same time and I got an email today saying it shipped. Fingers crossed for you.

[dasXFnib]

I think I ordered my Four Seasons pen around the same time and I got an email today saying it shipped. Fingers crossed for you.

Good to know!!!

Thanx for the heads-up!! I'll be watching my inbox!!

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

[Frozz]

oh wow so glad i found this thread ... was about to hit the buy at engeika.com.

Seems to me after reading the whole thread from A to Z, i can safely narrow down 2 down side on ordering from taizo/engeika which are

1) His website does not list actual stock availability whether delayed or real time which is real bad !!

2) he tends to ship opened boxes with missing tags to you when clearly on his site it is stated none of the packages from engeika are shipped open even once.

 

 

I really do not have problems with issue No.1 as i will even shoot an email asking for stock availability regardless whether he states it or not, its my common practice when ordering from the net full of uncertainties 99% of the time.

 

NOW my MAIN issue is the second problem ... I certainly would not want an open box shipped to me regardless me paying high or low prices, used or not used before, as he CLEARLY states that everything he ships are never open and direct from manufacturer so why would he open the box ?? (this is excluding requested by customer and SOS situations)
I really don't get it unless you by which i mean taizo has sh*t up his sleeves like what many has mentioned here sells to us returned goods or refurbished goods. This is not an honest seller and certainly not a good business practice. I would have search used sections on ebay or in FPN bazaar had i wanted a used opened box product !

I really appreciate the opinion in this thread, less worries for me, shall skip engeika. Guess i will go to japan and buy direct or source elsewhere. Congratz to those who got perfect packages from this seller.

[daoud62]

Good to know!!!

Thanx for the heads-up!! I'll be watching my inbox!!

 

Always try to get the dibs....on fountain pens with EF nibs!!

 

Hi there,

 

A bit tangential to the OP, but if you are interested in vintage Japanese pens with XF nibs -- Pilots and Platinums -- please send me an PM. All the best, David

[Felix Unger]

I had several positive experiences with Engeika in 2015 and 2016, however I'm disappointed to say that in late 2016 my past experiences were overshadowed somewhat by a 2 month wait for a package of items which included 1 damaged pen and another incorrect pen. Engeika was very slow to respond to my complaints and in exasperation I sought a refund through PayPal. I'm still trying to resolve the matter with Engeika - but 4 months into the transaction it's all wearing a bit thin. I had hoped to continue buying higher end pens from Engeika but this last transaction has affected my confidence. I'd like to give Taizo the benefit of the doubt as he's been good and is no doubt a decent man, but something just isn't working anymore (not to mention the website which seems to have lost most listings of Pilot, Sailor and Platinum pens). A pity.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Felix Unger

[Duane Pandorf]

I ordered the Sailor 1911 Realo w/F nib from Engeika on Feb 1 and received it today. The pen was not in stock when I was ready to order last month but I sent a message to them on what I was interested in. I got a message from them on the first that it came in stock and immediately placed the order.

 

This is my first experience with them and the transaction went without a hitch. Plus I saved quite a bit of money as the order included free shipping too.

[anferpenman]

I have been warned by several people I know about how bad this engeika store is. I will avoid it like the plague. There is an Ebayer that recently told me that he doesn't have the item I paid or in stock! Picture that! And a few months ago I had a problem with a store called "japanpen" that tried to keep my money after they delivered the item to the wrong address. Good thing invoices don't lie and Paypal nailed them. One simply can't trust Japanese stores. I have had more trouble with Japanese sellers in the past few months of dealing with them, than all of the troubles I have had with Chinese and American sellers over the years. It's amazing really!

[Aramchek]

One simply can't trust Japanese stores.

From what I can recall, I've bought things directly from Japan seven times (so far). Other than the language barrier, I can remember having problems only two times out of those seven and both where the two times I bought from Engeika (fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me...) I've never bought anything from Japanpen but others have had problems with them: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/270421-japanpencom/

[Chrissy]

Although my experience with Engeika will ensure that I never order from them again, I, personally, wouldn't apply that sweeping statement to all Japanese stores. I've bought ink from several Japanese stores via ebay and Amazon.

[f2002q]

I've also bought many pens from Japan and from Engeika. My experience with Engeika was quite a few years ago and the Pilot pens I purchased where good and delivered fast. They don't sell Pilot (on their website) anymore, so I don't purchase from them. I've also purchased from quite a few vendors from Rakuten, and other than language, the transactions have been fine. I use the Google translator a LOT !!!

 

I agree with the previous poster that not all sellers from Japan are terrible. You have to really do your research on what your are purchasing and communicate that to the seller.

Edited March 17, 2017 by f2002q