Warning: Chinese converters being sold as Schmidt universals

[ambimom]

I hope this is the right place. There is a seller on Amazon that is selling cheap Chinese converters as Schmidt universals.

When the converter arrived, it didn't look like any Schmidt converter I own. It was green and looked suspiciously like every single converter in a Jinhao or Hero pen.

I tried the converter in my KarasKustom: It did not fit. It slipped right out. I tried the converter in my Faber-Castell Loom: it slipped right out of that too.

Despite being advertised as a Schmidt on Amazon, when it arrived, the seller's packing slip further identified it as Schmidt bluRAFIA.
Research on the seller's website said it was a Chinese converter made by a German company. Huh?? It's a Chinese (probably Jinhao) converter masquerading as a Schmidt.

[inklord]

Thanks; another reason for buying from reputable dealers only - avoiding sources such as e-bay, Amazon etc. only to get something a tad cheaper. Apart from that, cheapsourcing is also linked to backstabbing honest dealers and brick-and-mortar stores who can't afford lowering their prices.

[jar]

And did you contact Amazon and demand a refund?

[ambimom]

Yes I certainly notified Amazon and asked for a refund. It isn't even about the money but the principle.

[KrazyIvan]

I have some of those bluRAFIA converters. (If it's the real thing) They are high quality and work in Waterman/Parker/Aurora pens.

[ambimom]

I have some of those bluRAFIA converters. (If it's the real thing) They are high quality and work in Waterman/Parker/Aurora pens.

If the bluRafia fits your pens, that's great, but they are not Schmidt converters, which is what I was purchasing.

[KrazyIvan]

I have some of those bluRAFIA converters. (If it's the real thing) They are high quality and work in Waterman/Parker/Aurora pens.

If the bluRafia fits your pens, that's great, but they are not Schmidt converters, which is what I was purchasing.

Sorry, I was not clear. Schmidt makes the BluRafia converters. That is if you actually got a BluRafia converter. They make K1, K2 on up through K6 converters which are differently sized than your standard international converters. K5 is the size you would need to replace a standard international converter. K6 is the same but has threads at the base as is common with some of the Monteverdi pens. If you received a K1 or K2, I can see them being confused for cheap Chinese converters just looking at them but once you handle them, the higher quality is readily apparent.