Why was sailor "barcarolle" series discontinued?

[migotka21]

Last week I saw a pen from older barcarolle series on a photo. I didn't know about this series so tried to find reviews or articles. Not too much solid info and it was a very short-living model, some 3-5 years.

 

Is there anything unofficial about "WHY"? Why discontinued? Was it too expensive? Was it unpopular? Was it bad quality?

In some cases gossip is more important that official version.

[A Smug Dill]

9 minutes ago, migotka21 said:

In some cases gossip is more important that official version.

 

I'm sorry, but what (‘intelligence’) do you expect to hear from others not otherwise associated with the manufacturer (and not bound by a Non Disclosure Agreement) to share the information?

 

I met the national manager of Milligram (a stationery chain now with bricks-and-mortar presence in several states ins Australia) a couple of times at launches of new stores in the state where I reside; and I also ran into her in the Sydney store sometimes (even though she's based in Victoria, which is a neighbouring state and the ‘home’ of the Milligram brand). When I brought up for ‘question’ how Milligram has discontinued many brands (Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917, and Delfonics Rollbahn, among others) from its range that was carried when Milligram launched its stores in greater metropolitan Sydney (late in 2023), the answer I got was, ”We're rationalising our range and catalogue, ‘unfortunately’.” It's just a business decision to suit what management thinks is best for the company.

 

17 minutes ago, migotka21 said:

Is there anything unofficial about "WHY"? Why discontinued?

 

So, what is it that you seek or want to be told (by anyone), to assauge the feeling of loss in a, ”Oh, now it makes sense,” kinda way?

[migotka21]

4 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

I'm sorry, but what (‘intelligence’) do you expect to hear from others not otherwise associated with the manufacturer (and not bound by a Non Disclosure Agreement) to share the information?

 

I met the national manager of Milligram (a stationery chain now with bricks-and-mortar presence in several states ins Australia) a couple of times at launches of new stores in the state where I reside; and I also ran into her in the Sydney store sometimes (even though she's based in Victoria, which is a neighbouring state and the ‘home’ of the Milligram brand). When I brought up for ‘question’ how Milligram has discontinued many brands (Rhodia, Leuchtturm1917, and Delfonics Rollbahn, among others) from its range that was carried when Milligram launched its stores in greater metropolitan Sydney (late in 2023), the answer I got was, ”We're rationalising our range and catalogue, ‘unfortunately’.” It's just a business decision to suit what management thinks is best for the company.

 

 

So, what is it that you seek or want to be told (by anyone), to assauge the feeling of loss in a, ”Oh, now it makes sense,” kinda way?

Why did you write all of this? It's completely pointless and has nothing to do with my post.

[A Smug Dill]

12 minutes ago, migotka21 said:

Why did you write all of this?

 

Because, like I stated explicitly, I'm asking for clarification as to what you want or expect to get in reply, so that I or others could possibly address it.

 

People can only tell you what they're at liberty to give; and if they're not in a position to give it because either they don't know (on account of not being close enough to the decision-making) or can't share (on account of being bound by a Non Disclosure Agreement), then I'm sure you agree they can't share it with you because their priorities and/or primary obligations are elsewhere. So what is it that you want to hear from whom, by asking the question (the way your framed it) here?

[tacitus]

Hello, @migotka21.

 

I live in Japan for a long time and keep an eye on the world of fountain pens, but perhaps because I’ve never been particularly interested in the Sailor brand, I didn’t even know that Sailor produced fountain pens like this in the first place.

 

I believe the price of gold wasn’t as high as it is now, so it was quite reasonable. The quality of Sailor fountain pens is guaranteed. I also think it had its own unique appeal, such as the metal barrel and the snap-on cap, features not found on other Sailor fountain pens. However, I couldn’t find many reviews of it. I did find one review —it’s in Japanese.

 

Sailor often releases new models, but I get the impression that they are discontinued rather quickly. Ultimately, whilst the quality of this particular model was good, it wasn’t one of Sailor’s mainstream fountain pens, and it didn’t seem as though Sailor was actively promoting it, so it probably didn’t sell very well. I think that’s why it was discontinued.

 

I hope it helps.

 

PS 

 

Another link. Mr Kawaguchi, who appears on this page, is one of Japan’s leading fountain pen experts and used to work for Sailor. He is likely to know more about the inner workings of Sailor than anyone else, but whether he chooses to share that knowledge is entirely up to him.