Mb 149 Ef To B Or Bb

[NeverTapOut]

I am thinking about making one more 149 purchase. I do not have a MB Boutique in my state. Most if the MB 149's that I have are in XXFine, XF, or F.

Can someone post an example of a XXF or XF to B or BB for comparison purposes.

I would appreciate it.

I spend most of my days filling out forms and I write on the smallish size in BLOCK print. Would a BB be too large for forms?

Also has anyone ordered from Appelboom and had it delivered to the states? How was your experience? The reason I ask is the pens seem less expensive in Europe than the US. I'm concerned about customs and not getting my items.

Thank You in advance.

David

Edited March 8, 2019 by JesusNeverTappedOut

[thygreyt]

I have bought PLENTY of items from Appelboom. Joost is just fantastic to dealing with.

 

From shipment time until arrival, the total time elapsed is around 3 days or less.. All my future pens are going to be from Appelboom.

[meiers]

Thats great to hear. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[OCArt]

https://appelboom.com/nib-information/

[dubhe]

I would say with a BB your writing needs to be relatively large, roughly 1cm in height or more. If you are restricted to a smaller size style then it might not work for you. I would recommend the OM or B to get some variation in a smaller width.

[mulrich]

I can't speak to comparing line widths but I'll offer another endorsement of Appelboom. I've placed orders with them and a US vendor at the same time and Appelboom's package arrived days earlier than the US vendor's.

I have had Appelboom mix up some items in an order. This has only happened on cheaper items (i.e., ink bottles and paper) that weren't worth shipping back across the ocean. Joost was apologetic and refunded the mistaken items.

[NeverTapOut]

Why is a cheaper to buy a MB in Europe even with the exchange rate against us versus buying the same thing here the US?

Edited March 8, 2019 by JesusNeverTappedOut

[RenM]

You can save partly because the price in Euros includes the 21% VAT, which is deducted if you’re buying from the US. You also avoid any local sales tax. And sometimes the US prices were set at a time when the dollar was weaker against the euro. Here’s an example: the (recently discontinued from Mb web store) Moon Pearl was priced at $3195, and €2545. After deducting the VAT, the Moon Pearl would cost around $2363 at today’s exchange rate. If I also figure in my 6.25 MA sales tax, I’m saving over 30% buying from Europe. And if there’s a 20% sale at LCdC, oh boy.

[zaddick]

Why is a cheaper to buy a MB in Europe even with the exchange rate against us versus buying the same thing here the US?

Ypu pay no tax, if your pen is expensive you get free shipping, they often have 20% off coupons, and most people don't have to pay customs fees.

 

So let's say I want to buy a $940 James Dean pen from my local boutique in SF. I pay about $1,030. That same pen in various stores in the Netherlands is 905 Euros list. If I deduct 21%VAT and the apply thr not too uncommon 20% coupon we are at 598.35 Euros. Today's rate is 1.12 dollars to buy a Euro so the cost would be $672.51. If you have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees that's more or less what you pay. If you use PayPal their rates are not as good, but not way different. So I can effectively save about 35%.

 

Even without the coupon I'm still saving money vs full retail. You can pay less if you don't buy from MB, but not usually more that 10 to 20% if you are a good customer.

[mulrich]

Not paying VAT can save about 17% (1/1.21=.826) but some prices take this into account (i.e., assuming perfect exchange rates, a European price would be 21% higher than a US price). The exchange rate can work in the US favor just depending on how the currency markets go and when local prices were last updated.

 

Some of the difference may be from how customs are paid. In theory, pens bought in Europe and imported to the US worth over $800 are subject to customs fees. I assume US retailers are more likely to pay these customs fees (which are passed on to the customer) than US customers (unless the products are shipped via DHL which is the only postal service who's charged me customs). But I honestly have no idea how customs fees work for retailers, so maybe they pay different fees on wholesale items.

 

Some of the difference could come from what wholesale prices retailers pay. Europe sells more fountain pens so maybe those retailers get better deals from the manufactures.

 

Some of the difference could come in shipping costs. Many European retailers offer free shipping on orders over some amount. I bet US retailers don't get shipping discounts from European manufactures so those expenses get passed along.

 

Some European resellers will also occasionally discount Montblanc pens where US resellers generally don't.

 

And not all pens have such large differences between US and European prices. I feel bad for US retailers though, so if their price is close to their European counterpart I'll buy from the US shop.

[mulrich]

You can pay less if you don't buy from MB, but not usually more that 10 to 20% if you are a good customer.

This is also important. I don't think official Montblanc prices are all that much different in the US and Europe, but Europe's Montblanc resellers are way cheaper than their US counterparts (it seems like most US shops charge full MSRP).

[RenM]

My impression is that the US prices generally track the Eurozone prices based on the exchange rate at the time the pens are introduced. For example, the recently released Geometry Solitaire pens are $1650 and €1420. That implies an exchange rate of 1€ = 1.16 $, which is pretty close to the actual exchange rate a few months ago. The point is that even if the exchange rate stays constant, we in the US save approx 17% buying from Europe vs US because the Eurozone price includes the VAT. The rest (sales tax savings, 20% coupons) is gravy on top of that.

Edited March 9, 2019 by RenM

[zaddick]

This is also important. I don't think official Montblanc prices are all that much different in the US and Europe, but Europe's Montblanc resellers are way cheaper than their US counterparts (it seems like most US shops charge full MSRP).

A fair number of authorized dealers will offer a discount in the US. Just not MB boutiques usually.

[NeverTapOut]

LCdC accepts PayPal...Does Appelboom?

I can't find it anywhere on their website.

Thank You.

David

[adim]

LCdC accepts PayPal...Does Appelboom?

I can't find it anywhere on their website.

Thank You.

David

 

Yes, they do. But they charge a supplementary tax (around 3-5% iirc), not sure if it's PayPal's or Appelboom's. I tend to think it's the former.

[NeverTapOut]

That's good that they accept PayPal...I still get to keep my hobby a "secret"...until tax time when I bring out the receipts...and then the wife sees them...

[RenM]

Wait, are pens tax deductible?

[NeverTapOut]

Grey area...I have a business so I put it on my Schedule C as an office supply.

Edited March 10, 2019 by JesusNeverTappedOut

[NeverTapOut]

Most of the nibs I have are XXF, XF, or F. Instead of buying an OM and I write in small block print should I buy a M or B and have an Architect grind done to it by Dan Smith. I have never had an oblique nib. Am I correct that B's are kind of stubish anyways?

Thanks,

David

Edited March 10, 2019 by JesusNeverTappedOut

[zaddick]

The B and wider nibs are stubs. An architect grind will change the direction of variation. A stub will give thick down strokes and thin side strokes. An architect grind will reverse that. I am not sure what you would prefer for printing.

 

You can also rotate a stub 90 degrees to write like an architect nib. Not best for long term writing, but it can show you what the grind would do for your writing.

Edited March 10, 2019 by zaddick