Positive experiences with retailers for newbie

[knjkrock]

After a twenty year hiatus from using my Joseph Lipic fountain pen I recently picked up a twsbi classic for daily use. Looking to expand my collection. Could you relate some positive experiences with US retailers. Thanks.

Ken

[jar]

I have always had very good service from Fahrney's in DC, Bertram's Inkwell, Fountain Pen Hospital, Peyton Street Pens, Pendemonium, Nibs.com, Airline International, Pens Plus, GoPens, Main Street Pens, The PENguin, Chatterly Luxuries, Carmen Rivera, Goulet and Vaness. Likely missed a few but that should get you started.

[Kaputnik]

Jet Pens (http://www.jetpens.com/) is about my favorite U.S. dealer if they happen to have what I'm looking for in stock. They sometimes have lower prices on individual items than other American dealers, case in point, Pilot Custom Heritage 92. You have to shop around of course. Goulet Pens (http://www.gouletpens.com/) is quite reliable, and their website has FAQs with a lot of of good fountain pen information. I haven't bought from ISellPens (http://www.isellpens.com/Default.asp) in a few years, but had good experiences when I did. His reputation still seems to be good, and he has an interesting selection.

If you have any interest in vintage pens, and don't want to restore stuff you picked up on eBay or at a flea market, there are some dealers who sell restored pens. You could check out Peyton Street Pens (http://www.peytonstreetpens.com/) and Indy Pen Dance (http://www.indy-pen-dance.com/) to start with.

At any rate, that gives you some web sites to browse. Welcome to FP Geeks. :welcome:

[Jon Szanto]

What they said.

[sharmon202]

Where are you maybe there is an actual store near you.

[knjkrock]

Central Illinois near Peoria.

Any recommendations for Pelikan dealers.

[Laura N]

The best thing to do is look around and see who offers the best price on what you want with shipping.

You've gotten many great names. I'll add to the foregoing: Pen Boutique, Anderson Pens and ipenstore. You can also find some good deals on Amazon, some offered by Amazon directly and some by the same retailers we are mentioning here.

If you are ever at Oak Brook Mall, there's a Paradise Pen store there. I know that's not super close but it's all I can think of. :)

[rpsyed]

As far as online retailers, I've had good experiences with Goulet, Peyton Street Pens, Greg Minuskin, and Nibs.com. When I ordered my Nakaya Piccolo, CFP had some issues with their billing and I was charged twice. When I called them, they worked immediately to get the second billing reversed and had it done within an hour or so. John Mottishaw even personally called me to apologize and talked pens with me for 5-10 minutes. And though it wasn't necessary, he also offered me a 10 percent discount on my next order. It was an honest technical glitch and they were superb in their response. I couldn't have asked for better service.

I haven't had any experience with Vanness or Anderson Pens, but I look forward to ordering from them, when I'm looking for Akkerman, Montblanc, Callifolio, or KWZ Ink. I've heard nothing but good things about them.

There is only one brick and mortar store selling fp/ink near me, Allard's Art Supply in Fresno, CA. The pen selection is limited to Lamy Safaris, Al-Stars, Monteverde pen, etc. but they are authorized retailers of brands like Aurora and Visconti and can special order them. I wanted some Rhodia notebooks they didn't have in-stock and they ordered them for me and gave me a call a week later when they were in. Great service. Price on ink was high - they sell Iroshizuku at full MSRP, which is $35/per bottle - but price on paper was in line with what you'd get from Goulet, Anderson, and others. They also offer a 10 percent discount if you show them a student ID.

Shawn Newton and Alvaro Romillo are the two custom pen-makers I have the most experience with. Both have been fantastic in my email exchanges with them in the process of ordering two pens each from them. I highly recommend them both - for customer service and their products. I've ordered my first pen from Renee Meeks of Scriptorium Pens not too long ago and she has been equally lovely. Ernest Shin was great to deal with on my urushi Edison Pearl and he did a fabulous job on the lacquer work, though I do wish he would give regular progress updates.

[inklord]

Anderson Pens in Appleton, WI - remember: in Wisconsin, you are among friends!
(and: why Pelikan???)
Franklin-Christoph has been an outstanding manufacturer/direct retailer for me.
Best wishes for your future purchases!

[knjkrock]

Anderson Pens in Appleton, WI - remember: in Wisconsin, you are among friends!
(and: why Pelikan???)
Franklin-Christoph has been an outstanding manufacturer/direct retailer for me.
Best wishes for your future purchases!
Uhh, my wife saw the new pink Pelikan and fell in love so it may be a gift soon. I recently looked at the Franklin Christopher so that may be a gift too, for me.[emoji5]

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Tatanka]

Is there any opinion on ordering from Fahrneys Pens, since 1929? I receive their catalog in the mail. They're located in MD, practically DC, near the White House.

[jar]

Good folk, not the lowest prices but great customer service and support. Bought a pen from them in the 60s, 70, 80s and 90s but not yet this century. Great place to visit. So is Bert Oser's Bertram's Inkwell in same general neighborhood. Bert's holds fairly regular Saturday pen repair classes and nib adjustments. Contact them for schedules.

[pajaro]

I have bought from Fahrney's. They gave me good guidance and the prices were very good.

Other than that, I liked to shop ebay when I was buying pens.

[Sandy Fry]

Echoing what everyone else has already said. Have bought a few pens from Fahrneys. Not the best prices but not the worst either. Good deals can be had in the "specials" section online. Customer service is excellent and fast shipping too.

David

[Tatanka]

Wow "jar" - Thirteen suppliers! I'm quite shocked to find that fountain pens, in particular, (over ball-point), are in such demand and use! Until only recently, I knew no one else who enjoyed writing with a fountain pen. This is quite a revelation! I thank you again for these supplier names. I have copied them all down.
While I have my foot holding your door open, I have yet another question: 1) Are nibs difficult to change? Do most screw in or push in? And 2) Are most/all nibs made in a universal (fits all) size to be interchangeable? Or do you have to order new nibs - if manufacturer supplies them(?) - matching the brand name of the pen you own?

[Tatanka]

Pajaro, Did you bid on pens via eBay or simply pay what is the listed price?

[Tatanka]

I simply wish to thank all who have posted replies and answers to my questions. You are most patient and kind and I do appreciate this initial friendly, helpful attitude. If you keep this up, I may have to put you on my Christmas list! :)

[jar]

Wow "jar" - Thirteen suppliers! I'm quite shocked to find that fountain pens, in particular, (over ball-point), are in such demand and use! Until only recently, I knew no one else who enjoyed writing with a fountain pen. This is quite a revelation! I thank you again for these supplier names. I have copied them all down.
While I have my foot holding your door open, I have yet another question: 1) Are nibs difficult to change? Do most screw in or push in? And 2) Are most/all nibs made in a universal (fits all) size to be interchangeable? Or do you have to order new nibs - if manufacturer supplies them(?) - matching the brand name of the pen you own?

1) Are nibs difficult to change? Depends. Some are pretty easy, particularly on lower end pens and pens that did not come with tipping on many nibs like the Esterbrooks. Other like the Parker 45 were also designed to allow user changes. Most pens though have nibs that require a knock-out block and are not really user swapable.

Do most screw in or push in? Six of one, half dozen of the other.

2) Are most/all nibs made in a universal (fits all) size to be interchangeable? No although many of the newer lower end pens do use relative standard sizes.

Or do you have to order new nibs - if manufacturer supplies them(?) - matching the brand name of the pen you own? Again, depends. There is no one answer. As mentioned, many of the newer lower end pens do use relatively standard nibs and folk do swap them out.

[SteveE]

I'm late to the party, but I can add a couple of additional retailers to the list.

If you can get to Indianapolis, stop in to see Susan at Avalon Pens. She's been part of the pen scene for many years. Great to work with, and in a fun spot to visit.

If you're going to be near Milwaukee, check out Daly's Pens. They are now located on the far west side of the city, having closed their quaint old downtown store a couple of years ago.

If you're in Boston, don't forget Bromfield Pens, right downtown.

In Kansas City (MO), there is The Pen Place.

In Omaha, if they still carry pens, try The Gadgeteer.

I haven't ordered or purchased from all of the retailers others have suggested, but I didn't see any names about which I've seen any negative news.

[pajaro]

Pajaro, Did you bid on pens via eBay or simply pay what is the listed price?

I placed bids on some pens, and snapped up some buy-it-now items if they were a good buy.

I like ebay because of the mass of stuff coming on the resale market and because of the possibility of bargains.

[inklord]

Anderson Pens in Appleton, WI - remember: in Wisconsin, you are among friends!
(and: why Pelikan???)
Franklin-Christoph has been an outstanding manufacturer/direct retailer for me.
Best wishes for your future purchases!
Uhh, my wife saw the new pink Pelikan and fell in love so it may be a gift soon. I recently looked at the Franklin Christopher so that may be a gift too, for me.[emoji5]
Thanks for the suggestion.
Ok. You got to get that Pelikan, no doubt about that ;)
And, once more: I can't say enough good things about Franklin-Christoph! (Get a Masuyama nib if you like stubs and italics... for only $15 more it's a whole different category of nibdom)

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I've had good experience with 3 retailers:

Goulet Pens (http://www.gouletpens.com) is a great US retailer with a good selection, good website, and great service. They even tried to reimburse me for a leaky bottle I got in the mail...and it wasn't even their fault.

Anderson Pens (http://www.andersonpens.net) is a pleasant enough company. The website is a little clunky, but they do have a physical presence, which is increasingly rare. They have provided capable service. I won't put them up with Goulet Pens, but I rank them very well, and do business with them sometimes because the internet is better with them on it.

Jetpens.com (http://www.jetpens.com) is a website run by pleasant people who are helpful and provide some personal service and some products which are not available elsewhere. Sometimes their prices are surprisingly low, and their blog is interesting. Also, they have an interesting array of Japanese stationery.

[Alanc]

Reading through this thread I spotted a mention of Daly's Pen shop.

Digging through my pen boxes I found this box with the proud boast, " America's Finest Pen Shop".
I am not sure how old this box is, the pen that it contained dates from the early 50's. However the pen may not be original to the box.

Nice to know that they are still in business (with a new location).

[Quantum Sailor]

I missed this the first time around but I'll second Goulet Pens and add Franklin-Christoph to the list. I don't think I've had better customer service than F-C.

If you're going to eBay there's some really good japanese sellers. You can get a Japanese pen for 1/3 of what you pay in the u.s. for it if you are good about bidding and I have had really good experiences with them.

[VertOlive]

Pen Chalet in the US and Engaika in Japan for deep discounts on Japanese pens.

[tandaina]

Don't forget Vanness Pens! Lovely people, I email them with questions and not only do they respond quickly but they'll do special stuff like put your name on a list for super rare ink and when they get the chance to acquire some they grab it for you. Great people, reasonable prices, stupidly fast shipping.

[tmronin]

Hi! I'm shiny and new, but I wanna say what a good experience I had at Fountain Pen Hospital here in NYC last week. I picked up a Monteverde Intima in Neon Pink with a 1.1 stub on a crazy sale ($39 with a converter!). I really did not like the way it wrote and just couldn't gel with it. Brought it back the next day (I flushed it with water before returning it of course) and swapped for a Broad nib. No muss, no fuss. I know that shopping on the net is the way to go with a lot of things, but there is something to be said about dealing with a knowledgeable human in the flesh.