Montblanc Discount Question

[Manege Master]

Please forgive if this has been covered before. I have owned pens, primarily fountain pens, for many years and proudly have six Montblancs in my small collection. I am not the enthusiast that I come across on this website by any means, I love my pens but don't follow the markets very closely.

 

My question is this:

I have owned my MB's for some years now acquiring my first MB at least 25 years or more ago. I have casually watched the market over time and seen pens sold at a discount at some of the more reputable vendors and shown as such in their catalogues. I began to notice some years ago that advertised discounts disappeared and were replaced by "call for price" in catalogues. Then discounts appeared to disappear altogether.

 

I assumed that MB was tightening up on how their products were sold, especially with the advent of their own boutique stores. I don't pay much attention to pricing now but have recently come across discounts advertised on line from any number of sources, some at what must be counterfeit sites with absurd pricing. Can anyone tell me if MB actually provides any of their products to vendors who advertise and sell at discount prices or all these vendors suspect? I had figured that if places like Fahrney's and Fountain Pen Hospital dropped discounting then it must be everyone, but my knowledge of all this is very limited.

 

Many thanks to anyone who can straighten me out on this.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Manege Master

[KAC]

I'm curious about this topic as well. I've seen a 149-90 for sale on Amazon which was (if I recall correctly) one of a batch of six being sold by a vendor who had uniformly positive reviews for a variety of items. I contacted the seller about manufacturer's warranty, etc. The pen was not warranted but, as far as I could tell, it was authentic. How was/were it/they obtained? No answer to that question. I doubt the pens were sourced from MB.

 

Obviously, a seller has discretion in pricing: they buy from MB at one price and mark it up to make a profit. If MB forced sale at a certain price, I assume that's price fixing and it's supposedly illegal. One way around that, as you suggested, is to sell mostly through the manufacturer's own stores. I'm guessing Fahrney's, FPH and others all charge MSRP because they can. They would charge more if they could. Sometimes, prices can be "adjusted" by not charging sales tax, offering free shipping, etc.

[DBQMary]

I have purchased Montblancs from various US sites where I receive an e-mail price quote. I believe this is a MB requirement. But I can tell you that I do usually get a price that is discounted from MSRP. Some times it is not large but there is a discount. Also many of sites do offer a price match guarantee for in stock items.. I also watch for free shipping.

[Mister Mont Blanc]

I assumed that MB was tightening up on how their products were sold, especially with the advent of their own boutique stores. I don't pay much attention to pricing now but have recently come across discounts advertised on line from any number of sources, some at what must be counterfeit sites with absurd pricing. Can anyone tell me if MB actually provides any of their products to vendors who advertise and sell at discount prices or all these vendors suspect? I had figured that if places like Fahrney's and Fountain Pen Hospital dropped discounting then it must be everyone, but my knowledge of all this is very limited.

 

Many thanks to anyone who can straighten me out on this.

Hi there, I have had to purchase all of my Montblancs from websites, usually Montblanc directly or if they're out of stock, Pradise Pen which charges the same price. MB does allow authorized retailers to sell at a discounted price, usually it's 10% off but this price cannot be displayed online or ordered online. Fountain Pen Hospital DOES have discounted prices from MB's MSRP. You put in your e-mail address and get an instant e-mail with that model line & all the prices! Anything discounted more than 15-20% from MSRP is most likely not an authorized retailer.

[KAC]

Hi there, I have had to purchase all of my Montblancs from websites, usually Montblanc directly or if they're out of stock, Pradise Pen which charges the same price. MB does allow authorized retailers to sell at a discounted price, usually it's 10% off but this price cannot be displayed online or ordered online. Fountain Pen Hospital DOES have discounted prices from MB's MSRP. You put in your e-mail address and get an instant e-mail with that model line & all the prices! Anything discounted more than 15-20% from MSRP is most likely not an authorized retailer.

So, the question remains: where are the significantly discounted MB pens originating? Also, I'm not quite clear on how MB can enforce a price range short of charging sellers such a high cost as to leave little room to maneuver on margin.

[Mister Mont Blanc]

I'd be interested to find out how their contracts work and why some authorized retailers discount while others don't. And I wish I had an answer, I've also wondered how non-authorized retailers sell them for even less. Maybe MB liquidates certain models once they've sold what they could and companies buy them up in bulk? I wouldn't be surprised if MB did sell them much cheaper to other companies knowing if something breaks after purchase, they can charge the customer repair costs since there is no warranty from the non-authorized retailer!

[Tombstone]

At the end it always comes to the same point:

 

- every real MB comes from MB - where else shall it come from? If it passes an authorized dealer - who cares? MB already made its money...

 

- the difference in buying online from MB, an authorized dealer or from the grey market is always just the price - note: I write "ONLINE", so I do not speak about the work of a sales person in a shop. I know what I want, I do not need them.

 

- based on the actual calculation base, even prices below minus15 to 20 % are no problem - it just depends on the source and the modell

 

Think about it: you want to sell MB? Then you have to sign contracts where a minimum volume is defined. You pass that volume by yourself? Cool, no problem at all. You can not pass it but you want to stay an MB-dealer? Then see where you can get rid of the stock you have.

 

The thing with "no discount online" is just a part of that contract - you do it, you loose your dealership. MB wants to keep it underneath the radar. But at the end it's just a "you make the numbers? Good Boy!".

 

And this is not my "opinion" - a friend of mine is an "authorized dealer"...

 

 

PS: this is the same in every luxury area - I remember buying an expensive watch. I went to a shop in my city asking for the watch, including the discount. I was sent out - not available and for sure not more than 3% on cash, because the producer did not allow more. I bought the watch 3 days later from a grey market dealer with the usual discount - receiving a watch sold by the local dealer (the dealers name is printed on the warranty cards). Even more funny: the watch made an additional travel of two times 220 km...

 

Edited May 4, 2014 by Tombstone