My second pen show (way back in summer) was a lesson in buyer beware.
Last time, my virgin voyage, I had great luck and
was gifted (Mitchell bought it for me) with the loveliest Jinhao,
made better with tweaks and a stub nib.
This time I was rooked! I am happy that it was under $40
(gads to be taken on a couple hundred dollars would be a disaster for us) and it was by someone well-known in the pen industry… who I will never buy from again.
They saw me coming… I did NOT have a light and a magnifying glass!
I don’t think that is the way most pen dealers are… They want to make a sale,
but they also want you to buy from them again, so they talk about problems if asked.
Mine was a set of Kookai pens, fountain and ballpoint, in their original case.
They are not expensive pens, but these looked older, and a set.
The lighting was dim (next year, a flashlight). I assumed that being big dealers
and online distributors of pens they would be reputable. They said mint condition.
NOT to both.
I didn’t see the cracked cowlings in the dim light…
They told me the pens worked and I took their words at it.
The ball point is dead, and it took me a lot to get the fountain pen to work.
The cap does not fit well, (cracked) and it dries the ink out quickly.
A learning experience… BUYER BEWARE!
Meeting peeps was fun, made nice connections, and will go AND BUY, again.
With caution!
We had a great lunch at the Lucky Labrador… any day exploring with Mitchell is fun!
*Regarding the idea of where-to-buy-from:
I only buy from Goulet or JetPens unless I happen to know the seller personally,
(I have not tried a couple other sites) and I absolutely do not buy from eBay.
I only lost about $10 when I bought a couple Jinhaos that didn’t work off eBay,
but they wanted me to send it to them in China at my cost for the refund.
Goulet or Jetpens are hassle free about standing behind their ink and pens.
This means I am NEVER ripped off by a bad pen.
AND
I want Goulet to keep informing me of everything-I-need-to-know-about-pens,
and so if I pay a dollar more with them it keeps them making pen videos.*
©D. Katie Powell.
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Darn it! Sorry to hear of your bad experience…. I too just assume the folks at these pen shows are all reputable… but now I will be more careful if I go again……. I really like the guy I bought my two vintage pens from, so I will seek him out in the future.
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A man next to me at another booth after I’d bought the pens was listening ot me ask a dealer and handed me his magnifying glass and penlight… then I realized many had them because our venue is a bit dark — not a huge convention hall. He talked to me about the nib and ignored the dealer.
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What a shame! I’m definitely willing to pay a little extra for good customer service and reliability. I’m sorry you had such a bad experience from an other wise enjoyable day.
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Yes. But that day I did not know I was rooked so I was blissfully having fun with my husband!
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That must be a big disappointment, Kate. I don’t understand the mentality that leads someone to basically steal from what could be a long term customer. If you have their contact info, send them s link to this post.
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Yup. I hadn’t thought of that. Perhaps I will. They sell online as well.
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