Lamy Safari/ Vista Packaging Differences

[gammada]

Does anyone here knows why there is so many different packaging versions for the Safari pens?

 

I went to a local pen shop to buy some Safari pens and I was given this, rather nice, boxes for each one (see attachement).

 

At first, I thought it was due to the fact that all are special editions, but turns out all the Safari, Vista, Al-Star pens they carry are sold like these!

 

The couple of pens I've gotten from the US all came in small dark grey cardboard boxes and I've seen another package from a European FPN member that is only a cellophane bag.

 

Is this determined by the export market?

[FayeV]

I have purchased 8 Lamy Safari/Vista/Al-Star pens and none of them came in a nice box like the ones in your photo.

 

7 of mine came in the typical (to me) small dark gray cardboard box that is pretty much the length & width of the pen. The pen is clipped onto a piece of dark gray cardboard which is then slipped inside the box diagonally to fit.

 

1 of mine came without any box at all. Just clipped to the slip of cardboard and then placed in a small "envelope" of bubble wrap.

 

The boxes in your photo certainly make the pen nicer to give away as a gift.

[arcadeflow]

I guess the vendor has to pay for the fancier boxes, so they have to sell them for a higher price if they want to keep the same profit. The Safari is also been offered in a blister package, or a gray plastic bag with a plastic zipper.

[LamyOne]

Hello Gammada,

 

Like FayeV, I, too have purchased 8 Safari/Al-Stars and every one of them has arrived in the square, slotted cardboard box. Perhaps that fold open box is for the European market only; here in the States, we can the lighter cardboard boxes because they're cheaper to ship overseas. (The upper echelon models do come in the better boxes here though).

 

Just guessing.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

[gammada]

I guess the vendor has to pay for the fancier boxes, so they have to sell them for a higher price if they want to keep the same profit. The Safari is also been offered in a blister package, or a gray plastic bag with a plastic zipper.

 

The vendor is selling the pens at a competitive price for this market but it's possible that Lamy (or the importer) is packaging the pens in a more upscale package in order to appeal to the affluent clientele that visits this place. Cheap Lamys are surrounded by pens that go from the hundreds to more than 10 grand.

 

Hello Gammada,

 

Like FayeV, I, too have purchased 8 Safari/Al-Stars and every one of them has arrived in the square, slotted cardboard box. Perhaps that fold open box is for the European market only; here in the States, we can the lighter cardboard boxes because they're cheaper to ship overseas. (The upper echelon models do come in the better boxes here though).

 

Just guessing.

 

Best regards,

 

Chris

The store is located in Mexico City. If you ask me, I would have guessed that these boxes would be more common in the States (given the market size) than here, but yeah, my US-sourced Vista came in the cardboard box too.

 

It really puzzles me!

[gammada]

 

1 of mine came without any box at all. Just clipped to the slip of cardboard and then placed in a small "envelope" of bubble wrap.

 

The boxes in your photo certainly make the pen nicer to give away as a gift.

I know what that bubble wrap feeling is, I ordered a Safari pen from Amazon and it came with just that, the bubble wrap. However, upon contacting Amazon's excellent Customer Support, they went out of their way to sent me another pen with box without me having to return or pay anything else. The pen is yet to arrive, but my bet is that it will come in the cardboard box too.