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Advice On Selling Imperfect 149 In Uk/europe

Sarah M

By Sarah M
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Sarah M Near Mint

Sarah M

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Posted (edited)

I hope it's okay to post this type of question. I have a 149 that I wish to sell in the Classifieds. But it isn't perfect, it has flow issues, had them from the start. (I bought it two years ago so it's a bit late to go back to the seller now.) The feed does not seem to keep up with the nib, and it varies between quite wet and somewhat dry, and occasionally even skips. I've tried the usual non-invasive remedies -- different inks, soaking, flushing with a bit of washing-up liquid in water, etc.

 

At the end of the day the pen is just too big for me and I don't enjoy using it anyway, which is why I have not bothered to sort out its problems and I'm not really interested in trying to get it fixed for my own use. Other than the flow and a slightly stiff piston it seems fine. It has a broad stubbish nib. I think it is about 1990 in date. I have a 146 that writes beautifully and fits my hand, and that one is enough Montblanc for me. :)

 

The problem is that I dont' have a good idea what a fair price would be. :unsure: I know I'm not going to get my money back but I don't want to give it away for nothing. Of course I will describe it fully in the advert so anyone looking at it will know it needs some work.

 

Bearing in mind that I am in the UK and would prefer to ship within the EU, can any of you kind people give me an opinion on what would be a fair price to ask?

 

Edit: I am now concerned that my topic violates FPN rules since I have asked for opinions on value. I have requested that the topic be removed if this is the case, and I apologise for the blunder.

Edited by Sarah M
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hari317 Museum Piece

hari317

Posted
Posted

I suggest do a market research on what a typical used 149 of the age of your pen goes for on ebay. From that amount, deduct the standard MB service fee say 100USD, the rest will be a fair amount to sell the pen for. YMMV.

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Sarah M Near Mint

Sarah M

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I suggest do a market research on what a typical used 149 of the age of your pen goes for on ebay. From that amount, deduct the standard MB service fee say 100USD, the rest will be a fair amount to sell the pen for. YMMV.

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking and I have started to do some research. Unfortunately I don't know what the standard MB service fee is here in the UK. Anyone know?

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Sarah M Near Mint

Sarah M

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Hi it's between £40/£60 ish

 

Thanks very much.

 

I have just realised that my post may violate FPN rules as it is not permitted to ask for a valuation. If so, I apologise and have asked the moderators to remove the post if it does violate the rules. Sorry! :blush:

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da vinci Antique

da vinci

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I would seriously consider taking the MB to your local authorised dealer to be serviced by MB.

 

I appreciate that means spending money on this pen, but a) you may find you love it when it works properly, and B) if you still decide to sell you will not get people making daft offers due to the problems and c) if you do have to resort to ebay you have proof of authenticity.

 

I think the challenge you may face is that there are a lot of good 149's about for a purchaser to choose from, and query why a potential purchaser may want to take the risk with your pen.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope it goes well.

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Sarah M Near Mint

Sarah M

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I would seriously consider taking the MB to your local authorised dealer to be serviced by MB.

 

I appreciate that means spending money on this pen, but a) you may find you love it when it works properly, and B) if you still decide to sell you will not get people making daft offers due to the problems and c) if you do have to resort to ebay you have proof of authenticity.

 

I think the challenge you may face is that there are a lot of good 149's about for a purchaser to choose from, and query why a potential purchaser may want to take the risk with your pen.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope it goes well.

 

<sigh> I appreciate your taking the time to reply, and you make good points. I really wanted to be rid of it because it is a reminder of my own stupidity in buying it in the first place. Maybe the best thing to do is bury it in a drawer again and hope I can forget about it.

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CS388 Antique

CS388

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I don't think you're violating rules, here? It's a valid and open question.

 

I rarely see 149s going for less than £150 in the UK. I've seen totally mint examples (with box etc) struggle to get £400.

There don't seem to be any hard and fast rules to the values - some sell inexplicably high, others are complete bargains.

 

From what you've said in your description, I'd try it at just under the £200 mark, to start with.

Ebay is also a good option - much decried by many - but if you list your pen fairly and honestly, with good pictures - it will usually attract the appropriate market value. Other options include: send it off for a service and move it up a price bracket.

 

But selling it here on the classifieds, at the right price, is probably your simplest/quickest option.

 

Good luck.

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da vinci Antique

da vinci

Posted
Posted (edited)

<sigh> I appreciate your taking the time to reply, and you make good points. I really wanted to be rid of it because it is a reminder of my own stupidity in buying it in the first place. Maybe the best thing to do is bury it in a drawer again and hope I can forget about it.

Its a shame you feel a bit despondent about it :) Definitely do not bury it in the drawer. You might consider offering to trade for,say, a burgundy 146?

 

Edited to add my63 got there first :)

Edited by da vinci
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JLS1 Collectors Item

JLS1

Posted
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Have you thought about approaching a dealer and asking a it trading this pen for one that you will use or maybe two

 

+1 for the above advice, especially w/the LWES show coming up soon, but it might be necessary to send it into MB in order to really maximize your trading potential.

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akshaydashrath NOS (New Old Stock)

akshaydashrath

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The fee is either £44 or £66 (depending on the parts that need changing) just gave a 147 with a Bold nib for the same issue to Mont Blanc. I was actually considering not doing anything with the pen but the chap at the Montblanc boutique convinced me to get it "fixed" as the nib was brilliant. It takes upto three weeks for it to come back and you don't loose anything in the bargain (apart from the fee). My recommendation is to get it fixed, give it one last shot.

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Z-Tab Rare

Z-Tab

Posted
Posted

I'd say that sending it to a nibmeister will likely be cheaper and have better results than sending it to Montblanc, though I myself have had great results with MB's repair service. Flow issues can be sorted by yourself, depending on what's causing them, but a nibmeister should be able to handle that sort of adjustment easily.

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Sarah M Near Mint

Sarah M

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Thank you all for your replies. :)

 

There is a lot for me to think about, and I'm starting to feel that getting it serviced by MB before doing anything else might be the best plan. As several of you have pointed out, at least if it works well I can either sell it with a clear conscience or trade it for something I would like better.

 

Sarah

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Chrissy Museum Piece

Chrissy

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The 1st level service by Montblanc in the UK is now £65 I believe. It's not been near £40 for as long as I have been having pens serviced.

 

On ebay I think a large boxed excellent condition 149 can be bought for around £200. I have seen several that have gone for that price.

 

The problem on here is that it isn't an auction, and it's going to need a service to make it work properly.

 

IMHO the best way for you to go is to pick a price that you will be happy with. Imagine you are starting it off on auction on ebay. You would have to pick a start price. On here you could maybe bear in mind that you don't have ebay's 10% fees. Try and get the best price you can without being greedy.

 

Definitely don't bury it in a drawer. It deserves to be used and loved by someone.

Edited by Chrissy
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playtime Extremely Rare

playtime

Posted
Posted (edited)

Before selling, try dating your pen by determining what components are on your pen - split ebonite feed? 14k/14c bi-tone nib? stubish broad nib? semi-flexible?

 

your 149 will be more attractive to prospective buyers if your pen enjoys an ebonite feed and duo-tone nib.......one that is truly stubbish and semi-flexible.....

 

should your pen enjoy those components, then servicing by MB may not be the best course of action - MB will change the feed (if memory serves)......

Edited by playtime

"Writing is 1/3 nib width & flex, 1/3 paper and 1/3 ink. In that order."Bo Bo Olson

"No one needs to rotate a pen while using an oblique, in fact, that's against the whole concept of an oblique, which is to give you shading without any special effort."Professor Propas, 24 December 2010

 

"IMHO, the only advantage of the 149 is increased girth if needed, increased gold if wanted and increased prestige if perceived. I have three, but hardly ever use them. After all, they hold the same amount of ink as a 146."FredRydr, 12 March 2015

 

"Surely half the pleasure of life is sardonic comment on the passing show."Sir Peter Strawson

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