Which Ink Lines Are Overpriced?

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

Which inks are overpriced, in your opinion?

I find the Montblanc LEs, Elixir inks, and Sailor Bungubox and Colorverse quite overpriced here.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Edelstein, sailor bungu box and anything by Ferris Wheel Press.

 

- the only one I have hands on experience with is FWP, a sample of Cream of Earl... so pale it's barely useable. Unusable in anything but the wettest of nibs. And all the rest of their inks appear to be the same.

 

It's the exact opposite of Noodlers:

- Fancy expensive bottle;

- high price; and

- extremely low saturation that almost requires you evaporate some of the water in order to make the ink useful.

 

So, exactly the opposite of Noodler's business philosophy 

 

I assume MB inks are, but I've never really priced them out

 

 

 

 

 

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

7 minutes ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

I assume MB inks are, but I've never really priced them out

 

The regular inks ( Royal Blue, Midnight blue, Irish Green and Toffee Brown) are decently priced here, and they cost slightly less than Iroshizuku for 10 ml more.

[Karmachanic]

The ink brands that disappear fron the marketplace.

[Carguy]

1 hour ago, IlikeInksandIcannotlie said:

Which inks are overpriced, in your opinion?

I find the Montblanc LEs, Elixir inks, and Sailor Bungubox and Colorverse quite overpriced here.

I find Colorverse to be overpriced because they try to sell you 2 bottles of their “seasonal” ink for $36 which annoys me

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

45 minutes ago, IlikeInksandIcannotlie said:

The regular inks ( Royal Blue, Midnight blue, Irish Green and Toffee Brown) are decently priced here, and they cost slightly less than Iroshizuku for 10 ml more.

And Iroshizuku coats slightly less than 20 dollars here.

[IlikeInksandIcannotlie]

9 minutes ago, Carguy said:

I find Colorverse to be overpriced because they try to sell you 2 bottles of their “seasonal” ink for $36 which annoys me

They cost 50 dollars here, and even GvFC and MB LE bottles (the 50 ml unscented ones) cost less.

[lapis]

Hieronymus (company in Switzerland; manufacturer unknown). Existent since around 2014. AFAIK, the most expensive (normally-sold) inks in the world.

[Karmachanic]

Yet another subjective question in search of an objective answer.

 

An ink priced higher than a particular individual is prepared to pay does not make it overpriced.  There are many people happily spending disposable income on all the brands mentioned so far in this tread.  Proving that these inks are not overpriced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carguy]

14 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

Yet another subjective question in search of an objective answer.

 

An ink priced higher than a particular individual is prepared to pay does not make it overpriced.  There are many people happily spending disposable income on all the brands mentioned so far in this tread.  Proving that these inks are not overpriced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are correct and I should know better. I should have said “more than I felt obliged to spend” especially given so many less expensive and comparable options.

[A Smug Dill]

3 hours ago, IlikeInksandIcannotlie said:

Which inks are overpriced, in your opinion?

 

Overpriced where? I have nothing against Vanness at all, but if you can only get bottles of PenBBS inks from the US-based retailer, I'd say they are overpriced. They are less overpriced on AliExpress, but then still overpriced if you compare that with how much they sell for in the brand's home market.

 

Platinum Mixable Ink in 60ml bottles aren't overpriced at ¥1200+tax in Japan, but they may well be overpriced elsewhere.

[nibtip]

Iroshizuku ink bottles cost about 60$ in Switzerland. But I don't like those inks.

 

Neither do I care about price. But give the most importance to whom my money goes to.

 

If you have a fondness for something and you can overcome your guilt of thinking of it as a potiential acquisition, then it is a step forward for mankind.

 

[PithyProlix]

Given how many really great inks can be had for less than $0.30/ml - Diamine, R&K, Waterman, PenBBS, L'Artisan Pastellier, Herbin, Birmingham, KWZ, Fritz Schimpf, Troublemaker, Krishna, De Atramentis, GVFC,... - I'd say anything significantly above $0.30 that isn't a true specialty ink is overpriced. 

[RJS]

I suppose the answer depends where you are in the world. Most Japanese inks are fairly cheap in Japan and China. In England I'd say anything priced above the £18 you'd pay for Montblanc's regular inks is extortionate. I feel that above about £9 you have to accept you're basically paying for a brand name and/or fancy bottle.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

1 hour ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

Overpriced where?.... brand's home market.

 

Platinum Mixable Ink in 60ml bottles aren't overpriced at ¥1200+tax in Japan, but they may well be overpriced elsewhere.

not related to the quote, but the quote brings up an excellent point, ex: the apparent price of Noodler's in India which some have said is 2-3X the US cost

 

I am IN Ferris Wheel Press's home territory and I find their prices to be laughable. 
So yes, some, maybe a LOT of the pricing has to do with shipping and market size etc, but at least some of it is "how much can I get away with" and I mean LITERALLY "get away with" 

 

Now for the definition of "overpriced" I mean overpriced in a semi objective sense as in "cost of manufacture vs retail pricing"
Noodler's and Diamine being the best values for money, where clearly their margins are MUCH MUCH MUCH lower than FWP (or montblanc, who's SE inks seem to be Diamine inks rebottled...) And yet, Diamine and Noodler's with their lower prices still somehow manage to stay in business... its almost as if the higher priced companies are giving people less for their money...

 

I guess as long as there are hipsters, there will be overpriced ink. (and overpriced everything)

 

So who is the core market for these inks?
Largely (but not entirely, obviously) The same people who pay 400$ for a 40$ airtag just because it says "Hermes" on it. (but is functionally IDENTICAL to the $40 one)
IMO: people who are desperate for the cachet that it provides.

 

makes me think of "Rock N Roll Lifestyle" by Cake:

"Well your CD collection looks shiny and costly.
How much did you pay for your bad Moto Guzzi?
And how much did you spend on your black leather jacket?
Is it you or your parents in this income tax bracket?"

 

 
 

[NumberSix]

1 hour ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

(or montblanc, who's SE inks seem to be Diamine inks rebottled...)
 

 

Interesting. That's the first time I have heard of this possibility. Can you tell me more?

[Karmachanic]

2 hours ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

I guess as long as there are hipsters, there will be overpriced ink. (and overpriced everything)

 

So who is the core market for these inks?
Largely (but not entirely, obviously) The same people who pay 400$ for a 40$ airtag just because it says "Hermes" on it. (but is functionally IDENTICAL to the $40 one)
IMO: people who are desperate for the cachet that it provides.

 

makes me think of "Rock N Roll Lifestyle" by Cake:

"Well your CD collection looks shiny and costly.
How much did you pay for your bad Moto Guzzi?
And how much did you spend on your black leather jacket?
Is it you or your parents in this income tax bracket?"

 

 

I have a £600, handmade, custom pen arriving in a few short weeks.  Guess that makes me "desperate for cachet", when I could use a functionally identical £10 Jinhao.  I've been known to purchase £40 inks from far away places, because I like the hue and other characteristics.  Foolish deluded me.  I should have bought a bottle of Quink.

 

As one well past pension age I can assure you I'm neither a 'hipster', nor a gullible fool.  I purchase objects for their qualities, not their name.

 

 

 

 

 

[NumberSix]

I have yet to find a similar ink color that compares with Montblanc James Purdey & Sons Single Malt, which retailed for $60+ if you can even find it now. Not even SBRE Brown did it for me, which is a close color and is itself not cheap to buy. 

 

So, is Single Malt an expensive ink? For sure. One might even call it very expensive.

 

Is it overpriced? Not to me.

 

 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

48 minutes ago, NumberSix said:

 

Interesting. That's the first time I have heard of this possibility. Can you tell me more?

certainly:

http://racheldelafuente.com/blog/ink-dupes-4/

https://fountainpenfollies.com/2016/06/16/ink-review-montblanc-bmw-ink/2/

for my money, Unicef blue may as well be Aqua

and BMW may as well be Mediterranean 

same for racing green.

(no personal experience, only the reviews and photos quoted)

 

Maybe it's just that Diamine is THAT good at making doppelgängers, that is a DISTINCT possibility, and I will admit that here and now. Especially since they have so many colours and so many doppelgängers for different companies inks. 

 

Whatever the case, I'm sure MB charges a great deal more than diamine does per ml

 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

20 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

 

 

I have a £600, handmade, custom pen arriving in a few short weeks.  Guess that makes me "desperate for cachet", when I could use a functionally identical £10 Jinhao.  I've been known to purchase £40 inks from far away places, because I like the hue and other characteristics.  Foolish deluded me.  I should have bought a bottle of Quink.

 

As one well past pension age I can assure you I'm neither a 'hipster', nor a gullible fool.  I purchase objects for their qualities, not their name.

 

 

 

 

 

Whatever floats your boat. Its your money to spend.

Have at 'er. Im sure the retailers are happy to take it.  

 

Quink BB is growing on me BTW, it's very nice and consistent for testing pens. Good flow and saturation, cleans out with medium effort, no feathering or bleed. It's not a Blue-black IMO, more of a "dark blue" but a decent ink nonetheless and well priced to boot! 

 

And for the record; I think it unlikely that a Jinhao is as "functionally identical" to your 600L pen as an "Hermes" airtag is to a regular airtag, since they are the EXACT same product minus the engraving. If so, frankly, I would be having a word with the maker of the 600L pen. But that's me, and this is your money to do with as you please. 

Enjoy your pen.