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Noodlers Pen Increase


RwindleIII

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Is anyone else defeated by the small increase of noddlers' Ahab and Konrad. Looks like they're going up three dollars or so. Hate to be suspiciously minded but I feel like this is how it begins. Slowly the prices of goods increase, but in small incremental amounts. At first everyone shrugs and goes along with it. Then a little while later another increase under a similarly auspicious ruse.

Edited by RwindleIII

"A great man condemns others to explicate him." -Hegel

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In a free market economy the "correct" price for anything is the price that balances demand and supply for maximum profit, and the more competitive the environment the lower that maximum profit (and hence price) will be. If we don't like the price of something, the response should be to just not buy it and go with the competition instead. Either that, or foment revolution.

 

As for the Noodler's Ahab, I just got one and I think it's very good value even at UK prices. In fact, Noodler's seems to me to be one of those rare companies that is more focused on enthusiasm for its products than maximising profits, and to it my hat is doffed. (No connection, just the owner of a pen and some ink.)

 

Best,

Alan

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Defeated? No. Read some of the discussion on Pelikan prices over the years. Prices for luxury items like fountain pens will drift up due to changing markets, exchange rates, inflation, etc.

 

Buzz

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In the collectors world and pen collector specially free market economy rules do not work...some mental insanity touch may explain that behavior.. :lticaptd:

Regards,

:thumbup:

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In the collectors world and pen collector specially free market economy rules do not work...some mental insanity touch may explain that behavior.. :lticaptd:

 

Hehe, I'm sure you're right (and I'm happy to be in the madhouse with the rest of you :thumbup: )

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Is the increase in price from Noodler's or its retailers? Or from secondary re-sellers? The secondary market has its own rules of supply and demand. I am not aware that any Noodler's retailers have increased their base pen prices, especially since they seem to be nearly sold out almost everywhere.

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I guess high end fountain Pens are more veblen goods rather than conventional goods.

 

As far as noodlers goes, this is a case of low supply pushing up prices in the face of even demand.

A lifelong FP user...

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As with any collectibles, when there is little demand, the prices are low.

For example, I just bought a Minolta Maxxum 35mm camera with zoom lens and dedicated flash in mint condition for 5USD.

When interest goes up, prices adjust accordingly. It's not always a bad thing.

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Is anyone else defeated by the small increase of noddlers' Ahab and Konrad. Looks like they're going up three dollars or so. Hate to be suspiciously minded but I feel like this is how it begins. Slowly the prices of goods increase, but in small incremental amounts. At first everyone shrugs and goes along with it. Then a little while later another increase under a similarly auspicious ruse.

Isn't he in the habit of insisting that he'd rather stop producing stuff rather than raising its the price?

I wonder what happened to that notion...

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Isn't he in the habit of insisting that he'd rather stop producing stuff rather than raising its the price?

I wonder what happened to that notion...

No one has established that Noodler's raised the price to its retailers. The OP has not indicated whose pricing he/she was referring to.

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Ever heard something about inflation?

 

It's natural that things getting more expensive each year and that the money is less worth.

This is how our economy works.

 

So things which costs the same over several years are real exceptions.

 

You also want to earn more money each year, aren't you?

And if you are lucky your income increase compensates the inflation ;)

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Is anyone else defeated by the small increase of noddlers' Ahab and Konrad. Looks like they're going up three dollars or so. Hate to be suspiciously minded but I feel like this is how it begins. Slowly the prices of goods increase, but in small incremental amounts. At first everyone shrugs and goes along with it. Then a little while later another increase under a similarly auspicious ruse.

 

I don't see what's suspicious about it. The price has been the same for some years now. How many things do you know of that have the same price today as they had a few years ago?

 

And if you are lucky your income increase compensates the inflation ;)

 

The United States Government announced yesterday that there will be no increase in Social Security or Veterans' Disability compensation payments in 2016. That's because of “low inflation” and the plummeting price of gasoline :yikes: .

 

Meanwhile eggs are going for $2 for a half dozen, they were $1 or less a year ago. Other food prices are up too, or they stay the same while the amount of food sold for that amount is lessened :angry: .

 

I've probably got enough fountain pens, I certainly have enough Noodler's ink by now, but food I have to keep buying all the time. It's as if I just eat the stuff!

On a sacred quest for the perfect blue ink mixture!

ink stained wretch filling inkwell

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Other than a few sellers, the cost of Noodler's pens is about what it always is. At least on Amazon and eBay. Base price of $20.00 and shipping added. Most of the "free shipping" pens were retailing at $23.00 or so, the ones with "plus shipping" are usually $20.00 plus $3 to $5 shipping added. So prices are fairly stable.

 

But if you don't think an Ahab is worth $24.00, give or take a bit, then try Fountain Pen Revolution or xFountainPens. Both stores give real good buys on pens that are at least as serviceable as Noodler pens.

 

Enjoy,

Yours,
Randal

From a person's actions, we may infer attitudes, beliefs, --- and values. We do not know these characteristics outright. The human dichotomies of trust and distrust, honor and duplicity, love and hate --- all depend on internal states we cannot directly experience. Isn't this what adds zest to our life?

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Just wanted to put it out there. I like the Noodlers pens. I just feel like we should be alert. It seems like every corner you turn someone's trying to take you for a dollar.

"A great man condemns others to explicate him." -Hegel

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There's not a businessman in the world who abhors a price increase more than Nathan Tardif. If the price has increased it's because his vendor's cost has increased an equal amount.

Edited by Danny Kaffee
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Just wanted to put it out there. I like the Noodlers pens. I just feel like we should be alert. It seems like every corner you turn someone's trying to take you for a dollar.

In addition to the facts mentioned by others above re inflation and confirming whether the increase may have been generated at wholesaler or retailer level above, if you check out Nathan's posts here on the forum, read a few articles on his website, and see the youtube video about customising his/Noodler's nibs, I suggest you'll form a different opinion that probably matches the ideals I perceive you hold from your posts. His drive, from my perspective of doing just that, appears to be to produce pens at very cost-effective prices. (I remember him mentioning once on one of his youtube videos that he didn't charge a markup at all for the nibs he sells to retailers.)

Noodler's Konrad Acrylics (normal+Da Luz custom flex) ~ Lamy AL-Stars/Vista F/M/1.1 ~ Handmade Barry Roberts Dayacom M ~ Waterman 32 1/2, F semi-flex nib ~ Conklin crescent, EF super-flex ~ Aikin Lambert dip pen EEF super-flex ~ Aikin Lambert dip pen semi-flex M ~ Jinhao X450s ~ Pilot Custom Heritage 912 Posting Nib ~ Sailor 1911 Profit 21k Rhodium F. Favourite inks: Iroshizuku blends, Noodler's CMYK blends.

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I've ruined my teeth from 'biting the bullet' but that's just the way life is. If you want something, you'll pay what's asked, maybe after a little negotiation.

Simple.

The Good Captain

"Meddler's 'Salamander' - almost as good as the real thing!"

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In the 60s I bought a MB 149 for $34 :)

My future wife thought I was crazy (BTW she still married me :wub: Go figger)

When I told her of the current price she said I should sell it :lticaptd:

I still have it :D

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Have not seen what the price increases are yet, so what are they now going to be running? I know that the FPCs went up a couple of bucks from when I first started buying pens a couple of years ago (OTOH, I got one for something like $9 on closeout from isellpens.com year or so back). But even the ebonite Konrad I bought wasn't horribly expensive as pens go.

My husband and I have a sideline food business. We've had to raise the prices of some of the stuff we sell, simply because *our* costs have gone up over the past decade -- and not just for ingredients. We've also had to change the menu as our wholesalers no longer items (i.e., the quiches have gone to slices instead of 3" individual pies, and the chicken and apple sausages for the sausage rolls just aren't available.... But we've tried to hold the line as best as we can, simply because of not trying to gouge the customers at the event we run the booth at.

And I suspect Nathan is trying to do the same. Personally I'm not happy with him having to shift over to plastic bottles because I'm concerned about evaporation issues -- but I understand, from a financial perspective, as to why he went that route (and he hasn't raised prices on the ink in the three and a half years I've been using fountain pens).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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