(bleep) still doing business?

[inktastic.adventures]

Anyone know if this company is still doing business?

https://www.(bleep).com

Website is pretty basic but doesn’t look like it’s been updated for years! A couple of pens I’d love to buy but an email to their requested contact has not been replied to. Anyone have any experience with them?

[inkstainedruth]

Have no idea, given that I don't know what company you're talking about, and when I clicked on the link you posted I got a pop-up warning saying that the site "may not be private" and warning that my personal data could be stolen!  So I backed out of that ASAP....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Paul-in-SF]

I think I know what company is being automatically bleeped there. The operator and the company are "they who shall not be named" on this board, for historical reasons before I arrived here.

 

As for the OP's question, I sent emails and never got any response, so I sent a DM on their Facebook page and got a very quick response. He said he has been traveling and not responding to email. He said he would get back to me after he returns home and gets organized, this communication was on April 5th. I have not heard anything since them on either platform. 

 

In my opinion, he is so dilatory about maintaining his site and his communications that I am not going to expect anything at all from him in the future; he seems like a major waste of time. 

[Ceilidh]

Paul is right.  I have no idea about bleep's current business practices, but if you google his company name, you'll get the proper link and there's no issue with the pop-up. The problem is not the actual site, but the bleeped link above. 

[Seney724]

"Bleep" is still a "regular" attendee / vendor at all the major USA pen shows,

[inktastic.adventures]

Hi there, I appreciate the updates. 
For clarity- the site in question is V A C U M A N I A .com and I get a not secure notification too. 

I wish I knew who you were referencing though. LOL

 

Can anyone confirm that we're all talking about the same site/person? 

[inktastic.adventures]

On 4/21/2025 at 9:02 PM, inkstainedruth said:

Have no idea, given that I don't know what company you're talking about, and when I clicked on the link you posted I got a pop-up warning saying that the site "may not be private" and warning that my personal data could be stolen!  So I backed out of that ASAP....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Pls see below! Thanks for the reply! 

[inktastic.adventures]

On 4/21/2025 at 9:59 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

I think I know what company is being automatically bleeped there. The operator and the company are "they who shall not be named" on this board, for historical reasons before I arrived here.

 

As for the OP's question, I sent emails and never got any response, so I sent a DM on their Facebook page and got a very quick response. He said he has been traveling and not responding to email. He said he would get back to me after he returns home and gets organized, this communication was on April 5th. I have not heard anything since them on either platform. 

 

In my opinion, he is so dilatory about maintaining his site and his communications that I am not going to expect anything at all from him in the future; he seems like a major waste of time. 

Pls see my reply! Thanks in advance!

[InkyProf]

13 minutes ago, inktastic.adventures said:

Can anyone confirm that we're all talking about the same site/person? 

yes.

[inktastic.adventures]

23 hours ago, Ceilidh said:

Paul is right.  I have no idea about bleep's current business practices, but if you google his company name, you'll get the proper link and there's no issue with the pop-up. The problem is not the actual site, but the bleeped link above. 

Thanks for the tip. I tried googling and that was the same link that keeps coming up. Maybe it doesn't matter anyway since he's "he who shall not be named" here anyway. LOL

[Seney724]

Personally, I think the "bleep" business is being blown a bit out of proportion.

What follows is one of many active links on this FPN website relative to the subject of this thread.

 

Hopefully, no one will quibble with your being provided a reference which is freely available here on this site...........

Also, when I google the site in question it comes up for me.

Hope this helps to lay this matter to rest.

[Paul-in-SF]

8 hours ago, inktastic.adventures said:

Can anyone confirm that we're all talking about the same site/person? 

 

Also yes. Also, I have no problem connecting with the site. 

 

edited to add: I had no idea you could search this site on that name, I just assumed it wouldn't work. I only joined here in 2019, so whatever the fallout was (and I'm sure we don't want to rehash it here) it was apparently well before that. 

[FarmBoy]

37 minutes ago, Paul-in-SF said:

 

Also yes. Also, I have no problem connecting with the site. 

 

edited to add: I had no idea you could search this site on that name, I just assumed it wouldn't work. I only joined here in 2019, so whatever the fallout was (and I'm sure we don't want to rehash it here) it was apparently well before that. 

There is nothing wrong with a little hash at the next Peters Cafe event. 

[VacNut]

Peter’s hash is easier to swallow than some of the other “hash” that surrounds this topic.

[inktastic.adventures]

Somebody please give the coles notes version of the drama? So any newcomers can make informed decisions about whose business to support? 

[inktastic.adventures]

This is what I see when I visit the site. Hasn't been updated since 2018 so maybe that's why it's not secure? Or? 

[Paul-in-SF]

4 hours ago, inktastic.adventures said:

This is what I see when I visit the site. Hasn't been updated since 2018 so maybe that's why it's not secure? Or? 

 

That's interesting. I have a bookmark for that site, and it connects me without a warning, but my browser also does not show the URL in the URL field. If I type it directly, I do get the warning, even though what I type is exactly what is in my bookmark. I don't know enough to be able to figure out what is going on with that.

 

In any case, being not secure shouldn't be a problem, since you don't do any payments through that site. You have to contact him directly to arrange payment.

[VacNut]

5 hours ago, inktastic.adventures said:

Somebody please give the coles notes version of the drama? So any newcomers can make informed decisions about whose business to support? 

Be assured that the drama surrounding this topic has nothing to do with the quality of the pens, or the integrity of the person. The person in question remains a resource to the pen collection community.

IMHO.

[inktastic.adventures]

21 hours ago, VacNut said:

Be assured that the drama surrounding this topic has nothing to do with the quality of the pens, or the integrity of the person. The person in question remains a resource to the pen collection community.

IMHO.

Thank you That makes me feel better. 

[inktastic.adventures]

23 hours ago, Paul-in-SF said:

 

That's interesting. I have a bookmark for that site, and it connects me without a warning, but my browser also does not show the URL in the URL field. If I type it directly, I do get the warning, even though what I type is exactly what is in my bookmark. I don't know enough to be able to figure out what is going on with that.

 

In any case, being not secure shouldn't be a problem, since you don't do any payments through that site. You have to contact him directly to arrange payment.

Thanks- that's also good to know