Counterfeit Leuchtturm 1917 on Ebay

[Amory]

I have been using these for years and regularly buy via eBay, I purchased an A5 hardback 1917 recently on eBay for about £8 in an auction. Everything was 100% right from the wrap, twin page markers and right through to the inserts and pocket. When I unwrapped it a feint imprint showed under oblique light but the printing on the pages was once again 100% correct.

First stoke of a nib and it's lack of heritage became obvious. 

A quick email to eBay was all it took to get a full refund.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Amory
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[A Smug Dill]

16 minutes ago, Amory said:

First stoke of a nib and it's lack of heritage became obvious.

 

Just as likely and plausible an explanation is that Leuchtturm1917 has changed the paper used in its genuine products, irrespective of whether some repeat customer expected some sort of unstated ‘standard’ to be adhered to, or ‘heritage’ to be respected, by the company itself being consistent despite the absence of promise or product specifications to that effect. If you search online, you'll find more than a few anecdotes about declining paper quality in Leuchtturm1917 journals (of the same type and form factor) they bought over the years.

[Amory]

You misunderstood my post

The item I purchased and have shown in photos IS counterfeit and there is no alternative explanation, plausible or otherwise.  
My apologies if I failed to make it crystal clear that I was warning of counterfeit products on eBay.   

 

Leuchtturm is a respected company. It is wrong to cast aspersions.

 

The genuine replacement I purchased is exactly the same as those I have used before. 

[rafapa]

2 hours ago, Amory said:

You misunderstood my post

The item I purchased and have shown in photos IS counterfeit and there is no alternative explanation, plausible or otherwise.  
My apologies if I failed to make it crystal clear that I was warning of counterfeit products on eBay.   

 

Leuchtturm is a respected company. It is wrong to cast aspersions.

 

The genuine replacement I purchased is exactly the same as those I have used before. 

You can see below the behavior of my Master A4+ received directly from Leuchtturm.

[Preserved_Killick]

As a fountain pen user, I can't imagine a counterfeit Leuchtturm that's any worse than the genuine article.

[Jordan N]

4 hours ago, Preserved_Killick said:

As a fountain pen user, I can't imagine a counterfeit Leuchtturm that's any worse than the genuine article.

Well said!

[Ethelios]

First Moleskine, now Leuchtturm? Are they still at the same price range? Regular sketch notebooks with thick paper seem to perform better, and they come in the same colors and sizes.

[txomsy]

That's why I still prefer Miquelrius. A whole life using it and it still hasn't let me down.

 

And why I have been also lately getting Indian leather-bound notebooks with rag cotton paper: it is thick and with a few exceptions it behaves rather well with FPs and is nice for sketching (though the notebooks are way thicker). I can find hem on a price range on par with Miquelrius, Leuchturm or Moleskine, but they are leather-bound, and thicker.

 

And my last surprise: I found on Amazon a leather cover for notebooks, so I went on the hunt for cheap A6 notebooks (was actully looking for Miquelrius, but saw these Clairefontaine Mimesys, 90g, 96 page notebooks for 2.76 EUR each  which are just great and at an unbeatable price (when compared with other equivalent ones). Very nice to write with an FP. The cover's not amazing, but since I'm to use them with a leather cover, I do not care.

 

I should probably make a review of these last ones, and the Indian ones.

[OCArt]

6 hours ago, txomsy said:

[snipped] And why I have been also lately getting Indian leather-bound notebooks with rag cotton paper: it is thick and with a few exceptions it behaves rather well with FPs and is nice for sketching (though the notebooks are way thicker). I can find hem on a price range on par with Miquelrius, Leuchturm or Moleskine, but they are leather-bound, and thicker.[snipped]

Could you please post a link to these?

[inkstainedruth]

7 hours ago, txomsy said:

That's why I still prefer Miquelrius. A whole life using it and it still hasn't let me down.

I love my Miquelrius A5(?) 600 page leather-look soft cover journals -- but they're getting increasingly hard to find in the US.  They don't even list them in their online catalog now, so I have to buy as many as I can when I can.  

I'd prefer it if they made ones with unlined pages, but will settle for the lined pages ones in whatever colors I can get my hands on when I can find them (since I tend to go through more than two of them per year doing morning pages).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[txomsy]

I only made a quick search on Amazon.com and found this among the first hits:

 

20USD in US

https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Journal-Writing-Notebook-Handmade/

 

and later on

 

17USD in US

https://www.amazon.com/Refillable-Notebook-Handmade-Sketchbook-notebook/

 

16 USD in US

https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Journal-Women-Sketchbook-Notebook/

 

These are too pricey for me. Sadly all goods are getting increasingly more expensive lately. I used to get them for ~8-15 EUR one year ago and now they appear listed by as high as 30-60 EUR or more. Anyway, one can still find them (at least in the EU) for 12-16 EUR in Amazon (I force myself to cap cost at ~15 EUR). The trick is to navigate the pages, because there are tons of faux-leather PU notebooks made in China trying to pose as vintage leather notebooks and selling for similarly high prices (one needs to be careful with the descriptions). So, one needs to comb through the hits. Plus, the scammers are always on the lookout for new terms to make plastic look as true leather (and sell it more expensive).

 

I do not mind paying for real leather, I find real leather at a price similar to non-leather notebooks to be a good offer, that justifies the gamble on the paper, but gambling on paper to pay for a plastic-cover notebook as much as for a guaranteed quality, well-known brand notebook, I do not find reasonable (for me) at all. That's -to me- a hoax and if someone is willing to scam me selling plastic as leather, I won't trust their paper being any good.

 

But if you do your homework (at least in EU) it is not difficult to find this kind of notebooks at bargain prices. I can't say why, likely unsold stocks from various sites (sometimes the original text of the listing is in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish or else) independent of in which Amazon site one does the search. And indeed, when ordered, delivery tracking shows them coming from other EU countries (amazing since, when they are listed as Prime, you still get them next day). So, they change over time, I do not have a permanent link, have just learnt to identify them.

 

I expanded a bit my search (but grew tired soon of browsing through pages, but this may show the idea):

 

17 EUR in FR

https://www.amazon.fr/Bloc-notes-Feuilles-Couverture-Verrouiller-Celtique/

 

18 EUR in ES

https://www.amazon.es/cuaderno-escritura-encuadernado-hombres-mujeres/

 

9.95 EUR (leather notebook cover only) in ES (Clairefontaine refills are 2.7 EUR in excellent paper but plastic cover, pocket size)

https://www.amazon.es/Leabags-Funda-cuaderno-notas-moscada/

https://www.amazon.es/Clairefontaine-Cuaderno-cuadriculado-polipropileno-transparente/

 

15 EUR A6 in ES

https://www.amazon.es/Gusti-Cuaderno-cuaderno-accesorio-Universidad

 

10 EUR. leather passport-size traveler notebook in ES

https://www.amazon.es/ZLYC-Cuaderno-viajeros-pasaporte-vintage/

 

14 EUR in IT

https://www.amazon.it/Notebook-Taccuino-Pentagramma-Copertina-Personale/

 

Some sites seem to have more offers or are easier to find them (may be a question of local demand). In a sense, now, it is like a hunt on eBay, only the price is fixed and one has to seek until an offer pops up for a model one wants (some are gawdy). For me the most difficult is avoiding PU "leather" faux-leather "vintage", "vegan", "ecoleather"... notebooks.

 

During the pandemic I sought them in Amazon.In and found they are way cheaper there, but -don't know if due to the pandemic- it seems I cannot get anything shipped overseas. Delivery times would be longer and one would have to factor in delivery costs, but I suspect even so it would be worth ordering several at once. The problem may be knowing if the paper is good. And getting them delivered.

 

It is usually rag cotton paper, so sometimes a fiber may get caught in between the tines, but I do not find that a major problem. Note that I do happen to like them, and have had good results, but that may not be general and others may not like it. I am old enough to have written in many papers, prefer EF or F nibs and do not care too much.

 

There has been one case where it gave me some trouble, it was recycled eco paper that looks like fish scales pressed. When one of these paper scales slips, somehow the underlying fiber refuses to take ink. So I write with a lighter hand. All the rest have been nice. Some are fibrous, some are as soft as if coated... but generally I do like them.

 

I know this may be of little use to people in the US, as ordering from EU will likely incur delivery costs too high, but may be you can find them elsewhere. I've ordered goods from US and Japan to the EU, so where you find something needs not be a problem if delivery costs compensate. After all, that's what globalization is supposed to be for.

[OCArt]

@txomsyThanks for finding these.

[txomsy]

No need to. It's a pleasure to help.

 

I have been using notebooks for a short while (~40+ years) . At some point I discovered Indian notebooks would be in a price range similar (page-wise) to little black notebooks and decided to jump in and give them a try. Some have pretty nice paper, others not so much, but overall they seem to be decent and so far, they have been affordable.

 

From marketing, it looks as if they are handmade by many small producers and sold by brokers. Maybe it is so, and maybe that is the reason for the variation in qualities. OTOH, that's the charm of hand-made goods, no two are equal. I'm not  saying it is so, for I do not know.

 

Note that I still get old-style notebooks. It is just that when a brand starts switching papers and reducing quality, I tend to  cross them out of my list and try to avoid them.

 

P.S.: BTW, I got the impression during the search yesterday that Paperblanks, which are also good quality paper, have suddenly become more affordable (comparatively at least). Let's hope they do not follow Leuchturm or Moleskine.