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No More Fountain Pens In Mexico


hecya

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It´s nice to see that at least there are some pen shop left in mexico city. I live in morelia and the only places i can find fountain pens but overpriced and not to much variety (just some waterman, sheaffer, cross, lamy, montblanc and monteverde) are sanborns, liverpool and hiperlumen, although office max sell some sheaffers and lamy too. In fact, i haven't been able to find a lamy 2000 i want.

 

The only good thing is that sanborns gives a lot of discounts over the year and free interest with CC. I find the sheaffer taranis there and it wasn't too over pricy (maybe i will get one there :D )

 

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The problem is one of economics - there is no way a business, small or big, can survive selling Lamy Safaris and Ink exclusively. If a shop is to pay rent, knowledgeable employees, and maintain any sort of stock whatsoever, it must sell expensive pens at list price; or it must be a stationary store that also sells pens and ink.

 

The biggest problem in the last several years is "showrooming" - people using the brick and mortar store to try pens out, then searching online to buy them at a 30% discount. Is it surprising then that the shops would fail in this case?

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It´s nice to see that at least there are some pen shop left in mexico city. I live in morelia and the only places i can find fountain pens but overpriced and not to much variety (just some waterman, sheaffer, cross, lamy, montblanc and monteverde) are sanborns, liverpool and hiperlumen, although office max sell some sheaffers and lamy too. In fact, i haven't been able to find a lamy 2000 i want.

 

The only good thing is that sanborns gives a lot of discounts over the year and free interest with CC. I find the sheaffer taranis there and it wasn't too over pricy (maybe i will get one there :D )

 

Then again, Morelia is not that far! ;op

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It´s nice to see that at least there are some pen shop left in mexico city. I live in morelia and the only places i can find fountain pens but overpriced and not to much variety (just some waterman, sheaffer, cross, lamy, montblanc and monteverde) are sanborns, liverpool and hiperlumen, although office max sell some sheaffers and lamy too. In fact, i haven't been able to find a lamy 2000 i want.

 

The only good thing is that sanborns gives a lot of discounts over the year and free interest with CC. I find the sheaffer taranis there and it wasn't too over pricy (maybe i will get one there :D )

 

Keep away from Lumen, they've absurd prices, though it's a source for refills in an emergency; also Sanborns, their prices are more absurd than Lumen and their catalog is even smaller.

 

Try Miguel Angel:

 

http://www.miguelangel.com.mx/

 

They do not have an online store, but you can search their catalogs and order by phone or email, they've have several payment options with CC and they also use PayPal...

 

Best catalog, availability, prices and service of them all...

 

Regards

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The problem is one of economics - there is no way a business, small or big, can survive selling Lamy Safaris and Ink exclusively. If a shop is to pay rent, knowledgeable employees, and maintain any sort of stock whatsoever, it must sell expensive pens at list price; or it must be a stationary store that also sells pens and ink.

 

The biggest problem in the last several years is "showrooming" - people using the brick and mortar store to try pens out, then searching online to buy them at a 30% discount. Is it surprising then that the shops would fail in this case?

The main issue in Mexico is the absurd prices... but still, some specialised stores are thriving. Shopping online is a common activity among certain age groups, when that groups become older a degree of distrust against shopping online rises, and that group of people are the ones that buy the high end brands. I mean, the business is so healthy that they request special commissions from Tibaldi, Montegrappa and Visconti to make special editions about Mexican cultural motifs...

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The main issue in Mexico is the absurd prices... but still, some specialised stores are thriving. Shopping online is a common activity among certain age groups, when that groups become older a degree of distrust against shopping online rises, and that group of people are the ones that buy the high end brands. I mean, the business is so healthy that they request special commissions from Tibaldi, Montegrappa and Visconti to make special editions about Mexican cultural motifs...

The wealthy people in this country has never been left out of the exclusivity that befits the first world. If that 10% of the population can afford to buy Ferraris in cash for their acquaintances, it's no wonder they can buy or commission pens costing ten grand.

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Keep away from Lumen, they've absurd prices, though it's a source for refills in an emergency; also Sanborns, their prices are more absurd than Lumen and their catalog is even smaller.

 

Try Miguel Angel:

 

http://www.miguelangel.com.mx/

 

They do not have an online store, but you can search their catalogs and order by phone or email, they've have several payment options with CC and they also use PayPal...

 

Best catalog, availability, prices and service of them all...

 

Regards

 

 

I checked Miguel Angel and it seem pretty good, thanks :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

Also, i have seen a lot of sabonis pen in mercadolibre, anyone know if they are any good?

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The wealthy people in this country has never been left out of the exclusivity that befits the first world. If that 10% of the population can afford to buy Ferraris in cash for their acquaintances, it's no wonder they can buy or commission pens costing ten grand.

You hit the spot of the problem, and the problem is the publicity in Televisa and Azteca, it is a publicity focused in and for very rich caucasic people maybe 1 or a fraction of 1 percent of the people. Nobady can have accsess to those luxury ítems, cars , watchs, resorts, travels, womens, ( all of them blondies), it excites narcos, clergy, politicians, teachers, armies, they have to have that lust, and the greeds borns and you have to steal in order to obtain that.

Edited by penrivers
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I checked Miguel Angel and it seem pretty good, thanks :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

Also, i have seen a lot of sabonis pen in mercadolibre, anyone know if they are any good?

According to reviews on this site Sabonis is a pen marketed in Latin America that's supposedly made or imported from Germany. Considering the quality issues reported on the reviews (paint peels off, cap is hard to cap/ uncap, etc), I'm more inclined to think those are Chinese-made pens bulk produced for someone with a Sabonis brand.

 

The only place I've seen them being sold is Mercadolibre. If I were you, better stay away from them. Go the Lamy Safari/ Vista/ Al-Star route. Those are really German pens with an incredible quality. Miguel Angel retails them for $480 pesos (Safari/ Vista) and $780 Al- Star. Their nibs are interchangeable and you can buy those separately or in kits (EF, F, M, B, LH, OM, OB, MK, italic 1.2, 1.5 and 1.9). Also, the offer two converter options to allow the use of bottled ink.

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You hit the spot of the problem, and the problem is the publicity in Televisa and Azteca, it is a publicity focused in and for very rich caucasic people maybe 1 or a fraction of 1 percent of the people. Nobady can have accsess to those luxury ítems, cars , watchs, resorts, travels, womens, ( all of them blondies), it excites narcos, clergy, politicians, teachers, armies, they have to have that lust, and the greeds borns and you have to steal in order to obtain that.

 

I really don't think people in this wealth bracket watches any open-air TV at all. They might use those to advertise themselves (read politicians) or their products, services or brands, but nothing else. They have a pretty good knowledge and understanding of premium brands due to their extensive traveling, and the fact that for 300 years in most cases, their families have concentrated power and wealth here.

 

If you ever have the chance, read "El Seductor de la Patria" by Enrique Serna. You'll be amazed on how little we have changed since the days of Santa Anna right up to the present.

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I think you are perfectly right gammada, but my question remains, what about the 99% of the people, the rest of us subjected to the schizophrenia of live two realities, the real reality and the reality of that paradise offered by advertisement.We are paraphrasing Fitzgerald ''boats rowing against the stream''.

Edited by penrivers
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  • 2 weeks later...

According to reviews on this site Sabonis is a pen marketed in Latin America that's supposedly made or imported from Germany. Considering the quality issues reported on the reviews (paint peels off, cap is hard to cap/ uncap, etc), I'm more inclined to think those are Chinese-made pens bulk produced for someone with a Sabonis brand.

The only place I've seen them being sold is Mercadolibre. If I were you, better stay away from them. Go the Lamy Safari/ Vista/ Al-Star route. Those are really German pens with an incredible quality. Miguel Angel retails them for $480 pesos (Safari/ Vista) and $780 Al- Star. Their nibs are interchangeable and you can buy those separately or in kits (EF, F, M, B, LH, OM, OB, MK, italic 1.2, 1.5 and 1.9). Also, the offer two converter options to allow the use of bottled ink.

I was thinking in getting a couple of pens from them too bad for the quality issues.

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I suffer from the same problem, lack of good and affordable FP Stores..

 

There are like 2 where I live but they are quite far (as in another city...) and like they sell pens at the Premium price instead of shaving a couple dollars...

And the store that I bought from ships internationally, and to keep the Mods/Admins happy, and not to make myself look like a advertisers.. just shoot me a PM if you want to know the website name.

Favorite Ink and Pen Combinations:

Monteverde Jewelria in Fine with Noodlers Liberty's Elysium

Jinhao x450 with a Goulet X-Fine Nib with Noodlers Liberty's Elysium

Lamy Al-Star BlueGreen in Extra Fine with Parker Quink Black

Pilot Metropolitan in Medium with Parker Quink Black

"A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."

- Dr. Hannibal Lecter

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  • 1 month later...

This scarcity of visible pens at shops goes in detriment of the overall market in the end. For a new fountain pen user is vital to try the pen before, specially because of the big differences in nib widths. Not having a way to try before will limit the sales as is more difficult to take a risk for a pen that is many times more expensive than a Bic.

 

I was expecting that all this retro fashion that you see, for instance, on cameras and on cars would eventually bring back the glamour of old-school fountain open writing. I guess that this is not going to happen.

 

The most popular and available FP in Mexico was the Lamy Safari and for many people it was their first fountain pen. Reasonably priced, wide options in colors and availability on many shops guaranteed that.

 

My conclusion is that if now hand writing is becoming a rarity, hand writing with a fountain pen will be more so.

 

Dear hecya and others: I live in Mexico City and I find this post to be a surprise. Unless you are talking about Pilot and other lowered priced pens, you can find a Lamy, Sheaffer, Parker, Ferrari, Waterman within 5 miles from where you live if its a city with a population of over 200,000 (Sanborns stores). For high end pens, Montblanc, Cartier, Montegrappa, Visconti, ST. Dupont, you can find a decent selection in about every mall with a Liverpool department store or an Emwa jewerly (every state capital has at least one). Now, if you live in Mexico City, you will find over 100 stores with high end pens, including 5 Montblanc boutiques. And the jewel of the crown is Mighel Angel pen shop in downtown Mexico. This shop has about any brand and any price range in the pen world. I have seen $12.00 Dollar pens next to half a million dollar Montblancs. It is one of the best pen shops I have seen in the world. They will carry just about every Limited Edition pen from every known brand there is.

 

The only thing that Mexico is missing is a vintage pen shop (used and new)

 

I have no afiliation with any of these stores, I just shop a lot in all of them :)

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  • 3 months later...

I think that we have more Mortar stores than most USA cities. I can find all brands except Sailor, Platinum and Chinese pens, we have Pilot, Waterman, Lamy, Kaweco, all Italians, Parker, Sheaffer, Cross, MB, PELIKAN, there are FP in every big mall (Liverpool), in every Office Max and Office Depot. The prices are higher but the dollar has skyrocketed, I find that the price is similar once I add taxes when I imported pens from USA.

 

I actually surprised, everytime I travel to USA, finding a FP shop seems impossible. The FP spotting in Mexico is getting bigger, I was talking with a lumen employe while I was examining a Pilot Prera that I was surprised they have a big section on FP.. She told me that there is a lot of people buying FP, that some schools also started to ask parents to buy FP to their children (Lamy). If only Pilot were offering the Custom Series and Sailor were selling here it would be fantastic

Pens:

Sheaffer Targa M / Parker 45 M / Sheaffer Imperial M / Parker Arrow

Lamy Vista F / Lamy Safari EF / PELIKAN M400 M Vintage (for sale)

Pilot Custom 74 F / Namiki Falcon SF / Pilot VP M / Pilot Prera / Pilot Metropolitan F M

Sailor Sapporo B / Platinum 3776 BB Stub

Pilot Custom 91 SFM / Pilot Custom 74 Dark Blue B

INSTAGRAM: @carlosoutfocus

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In Houston we are somewhat lucky in that we have Dromgooles, a Paradise Pen store and a MB Boutique. Weekends are especially nice at Dromgooles when so many people come thru the door. We have a good sized Pen Club here, Lone Star Pen Club. The members have a really eclectic taste and a wide variety of experience from a new user to shop owner to vintage collector. All degrees. Several of us make pens and are known to the club members as well. Dromgooles is a great store of pens and writing ephemeral. He also has a Nib Meister available on weekends for adjustments or repairs. He has the very expensive pens as well as those that a student or college student could afford. A wall of colors (ink) that knows few limits with a multitude of brands.

 

I think the pen shows that play across the world on weekends are one of the few instances that you can go and see the many models, touch them test inks and in general have talks with other users about your pens or ones you are interested in. I would so love to attend one of these shows in the UK. Our regional shows from a Houston perspective are the Little Rock, Ark show in the early part of the year and the Dallas Pen Show in the latter part of the year. Vendors, tables, workshops make these shows so important.

 

The Pen World Magazine (www.penworld.com) which is published 6 times a year usually showcases one shop in each edition. They also publish a calendar of pen shows (world wide) and are in attendance at most regional shows. Quite a few of their staff are members of the Lone Star Pen Club.

 

There are many outlets for those without brick and mortar stores. Many of us that have the stores nearby still use the internet for information gathering, studying pens and research. There is just never enough time to do all that we would like to be able to do.

 

thanks

 

John

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In Houston we are somewhat lucky in that we have Dromgooles, a Paradise Pen store and a MB Boutique. Weekends are especially nice at Dromgooles when so many people come thru the door. We have a good sized Pen Club here, Lone Star Pen Club. The members have a really eclectic taste and a wide variety of experience from a new user to shop owner to vintage collector. All degrees. Several of us make pens and are known to the club members as well. Dromgooles is a great store of pens and writing ephemeral. He also has a Nib Meister available on weekends for adjustments or repairs. He has the very expensive pens as well as those that a student or college student could afford. A wall of colors (ink) that knows few limits with a multitude of brands.

 

I think the pen shows that play across the world on weekends are one of the few instances that you can go and see the many models, touch them test inks and in general have talks with other users about your pens or ones you are interested in. I would so love to attend one of these shows in the UK. Our regional shows from a Houston perspective are the Little Rock, Ark show in the early part of the year and the Dallas Pen Show in the latter part of the year. Vendors, tables, workshops make these shows so important.

 

The Pen World Magazine (www.penworld.com) which is published 6 times a year usually showcases one shop in each edition. They also publish a calendar of pen shows (world wide) and are in attendance at most regional shows. Quite a few of their staff are members of the Lone Star Pen Club.

 

There are many outlets for those without brick and mortar stores. Many of us that have the stores nearby still use the internet for information gathering, studying pens and research. There is just never enough time to do all that we would like to be able to do.

 

thanks

 

John

 

 

Dromgooles is fantastic! i my dad purchased a Custom 74 for me. The owner were very impressed some one from Mexico where looking for FP in there :)

Pens:

Sheaffer Targa M / Parker 45 M / Sheaffer Imperial M / Parker Arrow

Lamy Vista F / Lamy Safari EF / PELIKAN M400 M Vintage (for sale)

Pilot Custom 74 F / Namiki Falcon SF / Pilot VP M / Pilot Prera / Pilot Metropolitan F M

Sailor Sapporo B / Platinum 3776 BB Stub

Pilot Custom 91 SFM / Pilot Custom 74 Dark Blue B

INSTAGRAM: @carlosoutfocus

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  • 7 months later...

And I thought the fenomena is only in my neck of the wood! I hope FP users are not on endangered species list...

Edited by shea2812
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  • 8 months later...

I think the low sales of fountain pens in Mexico is the main reason of the company's retreat. It´s funny how often people with no experience in fountain pens feel fear to even touch one, because they think they can break it.

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I think the low sales of fountain pens in Mexico is the main reason of the company's retreat. It´s funny how often people with no experience in fountain pens feel fear to even touch one, because they think they can break it.

 

Good point. Those of us who value our pens probably don't help this misunderstanding when we go nuts at the sight of a hand reaching for our pen.

ron

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