problems with Ebay seller engeika

[Liessa]

Dear all,

I've purchased two pens and a bottle of ink from generally-well-reviewed Ebay member engeika. This was halfway through April. I received a tracking number but the parcel never showed up here. Instead it was returned to Japan, presumably by Dutch customs. Final delivery according to tracking was 5 May.

On the 7th, I sent a message to the email address included in their tracking number email to which I never got a reply. Then I sent a message through Ebay on the 13th, and then I got (on 14 May):


I will let you know when i get the package and also will contact the post office to let you know the reason.Please wait for few days

Then on the 28th of May I sent a message that it was well beyond 'a few days' now. On the 29th I got this message:


Sorry for the late reply.
But the post office reply is very late in japan as there are many procedure to follow and lot of emailing and phones has to be done. This hows ths systems works here.
We had sent your parcel properly but the post office of your country said that your address was invalid and thus they returned it back to us.
if you want us to resent it again to you please give your proper name, address, telephone number in English to us
I hope this helps and solves everything


Immediately I sent then them my correct address and phone number, assuming they would indeed (re)send my items. I was a bit surprised I didn't hear anything to that effect but the parcel could arrive any day now right?

On June 18 I send a message saying "I still have nothing please let me know what is going on".

To that I got a message "Thanks for your mail.I had already sent you items.Here is the tracking number.<>"
As I went to check I found that this was the old number, from the failed shipment. Nothing new seemed to have happenend!

The message I then sent was this:


That tracking number shows a parcel that has been returned to Japan. We discussed this issue already. Something went wrong with delivery. You asked me to provide my address and phone number, which I did. Here it is again:
[..]
As far as I can tell nothing new has happened since, and I don't seem to be closer to receive the items I have payed for over two months ago.
Please send me my items asap.


And got this:


Thanks for your mail.The item was sent to your following address,
<incorrect address>
I will check with post office and will let you know the situation when i get the package.
With regards,

At this point I was really fed up:


<explanation of how my address was wrong (house number was missing) and how it should be - inclusion of previous email mentioned above>

I then mailed you my address and told you I am still looking forward to receiving the items. I assumed you would then send the parcel to the correct address I supplied, but apparently nothing has happened since.

And now you are telling me I have to wait while you do the looking-into-process AGAIN?!

This is really abominable service. I trust you will make clearing this up your highest priority.


I have not heard from them since. I have asked for my money back :(

Clearly I have been too patient, as I now found that Paypal/Ebay can't help me with transactions that old, but is there anything I can still do?

Any tips welcome.

PS: I also emailed Ebay helpdesk because I can't give feedback on old transactions anymore either. That is a HUGE problem because it skews the data - anything that takes longer than six weeks and maybe never gets resolved automatically gets filtered?! Woah.

[jar]

Hang in there. All will work out. Sorry things did not work perfectly the first time.

[dannzeman]

If your Paypal payment was funded by a credit card you could try contacting their fraud department.

[Liessa]

Jar: turns out you were right - I did get my money back :)
That is, if you consider that 'working out': I'm still quite sad that I won't be getting the Tsuki-yo pen :cry:

Dan: not this time, but I'll change my settings to that effect. Thank you :)

I guess this was just the simplest way for them to get it over with, I understand that. Still I'm unsure what I could have done differently. Yes maybe 'jump on it, sent emails every day', but in my experience that's the ticket to 'this person is so annoying they are now banned to the bottom of my todolist'. At least I'm more aware of ebay timelines now.

You live you learn right?

[Paul-H]

Is that the guy that sell all the sailor pens, I tried a couple of times to contact him with queries about some of his pens and never once got a reply. Didn't risk any of my money after not getting any replies.

Paul

[Tony Rex]

Engeika is a volume seller. He pumps out Japanese pens online like no other. He would reply to questions like "How much is shipping for half a dozen Iroshizukus, two glass bottles and the rest in plastic bottles. Thanks" almost instantly. And at times he would delay sending you revised invoice with combine shipping calculated for days if you don't ask. IME... You cannot just click "ask for invoice", you need to email him via eBay messaging.

I'd buy from him no problem. Recommended.

PS: he has no control of your or any other country's customs.

[gwgtaylor]

Totally agree with Tony. I've had all my inquiries replied to in a timely manner. Taizo works very hard and provides pretty good customer service considering the volume he works in. I would buy again and have no reservations about recommending his ebay store to others. Think I've made seven or so purchases all a pleasure.

[youstruckgold]

Ditto above . Never a problem.

[Laura N]

I too have had a bad experience with Engeika. As have others. My experience is that if everything goes well, he's absolutely fine. But if there's a problem, then his communication and customer service do not measure up, in my opinion. There are other reports about this online, where they are allowed. His prices are good, and most transactions work out perfectly, I'm sure.

I'm saying this only to let the OP know that she is not alone.

[nico]

There is a piece of truth in every post. Taizo really is a volume seller. I think he is even selling more than he can manage to. You, who are contributing with your "no problem" experience, things are not that simple. You just did not buy enough times from him. You probably had no problems because you just experienced a seamless trade. The problems arise when you hit a faulty pen or something. It is basically not the same kind of situation. If you can say that you had to send a pen back and you got a new one with no questions a week later, it would count.

I have bought more than twenty pens and a lot of other stuff from Taizo. We become a sort of friends over the years. We were in contact when the tsunami hit Japan and we also offered him a financial help. I know it really does not matter. I just want to point out that our relationships were above standard. Taizo was always nice, communicative, posting packages on time. Prices were friendly including the excellent Japan postal service.

Everything was just perfect until the first faulty pen. It was a PG. The threading inside the cap was faulty and too short. It could not be completely screwed on leaving a big gap between the pen body and the cap. I wrote him about the problem. No reply. I wrote again. He could not understand the problem. I described it again with more details and examples, attached photos. No reply. Writing again. I was told to send the pen back, so I did. Long time no reply. Asking what is going wrong. I was told that it is not a problem but a common thing for Sailor pens. I told him, you saw the photos first, you understood the problem and you told me to send the pen back. I also have twenty other Sailors from you and no one has the same problem. If I try a cap from another pen, the problem disappears. There must be a problem with the cap threading. Did you really let me send the pen back just to come up with this? Well, what do you think was next? Right, no reply. When we got back in contact, the communication was going the same way. As other posters stated here, he kept forgetting previous communication. I do not believe he really could forget about me and this problem. Anyway, we were definitely moving in circles.

I asked him to send me the faulty pen back in the end. I thought better a faulty pen than nothing. To my biggest surprise, he did not even send the faulty pen back to me. It virtually took several months of waiting and writing to Taizo to get the pen posted.

When I got the pen after many months, it was a new pen so the problem was gone. I think the faulty pen had been lost somewhere in the process. It was a kind of happy end since I got a flawless pen. On the other hand, I lost a friend and a reliable pen seller. I feel I lost more than I gained.

[hari317]

There is a piece of truth in every post. Taizo really is a volume seller. I think he is even selling more than he can manage to. You, who are contributing with your "no problem" experience, things are not that simple. You just did not buy enough times from him. You probably had no problems because you just experienced a seamless trade. The problems arise when you hit a faulty pen or something. It is basically not the same kind of situation. If you can say that you had to send a pen back and you got a new one with no questions a week later, it would count.

I have bought more than twenty pens and a lot of other stuff from Taizo. We become a sort of friends over the years. We were in contact when the tsunami hit Japan and we also offered him a financial help. I know it really does not matter. I just want to point out that our relationships were above standard. Taizo was always nice, communicative, posting packages on time. Prices were friendly including the excellent Japan postal service.

Everything was just perfect until the first faulty pen. It was a PG. The threading inside the cap was faulty and too short. It could not be completely screwed on leaving a big gap between the pen body and the cap. I wrote him about the problem. No reply. I wrote again. He could not understand the problem. I described it again with more details and examples, attached photos. No reply. Writing again. I was told to send the pen back, so I did. Long time no reply. Asking what is going wrong. I was told that it is not a problem but a common thing for Sailor pens. I told him, you saw the photos first, you understood the problem and you told me to send the pen back. I also have twenty other Sailors from you and no one has the same problem. If I try a cap from another pen, the problem disappears. There must be a problem with the cap threading. Did you really let me send the pen back just to come up with this? Well, what do you think was next? Right, no reply. When we got back in contact, the communication was going the same way. As other posters stated here, he kept forgetting previous communication. I do not believe he really could forget about me and this problem. Anyway, we were definitely moving in circles.

I asked him to send me the faulty pen back in the end. I thought better a faulty pen than nothing. To my biggest surprise, he did not even send the faulty pen back to me. It virtually took several months of waiting and writing to Taizo to get the pen posted.

When I got the pen after many months, it was a new pen so the problem was gone. I think the faulty pen had been lost somewhere in the process. It was a kind of happy end since I got a flawless pen. On the other hand, I lost a friend and a reliable pen seller. I feel I lost more than I gained.

Thanks for sharing. Like you I have purchased from Taizo several several times.

I remember the days when I would win a Pilot and request him to send me a specific nib of that model, he would happily oblige. I think the operations are too big now. I used to buy nearly one pen a day from him in those days. I miss the old Taizo.

[nico]

Yes, Taizo never had a problem sending whichever nib size I asked for. In fact, it would have been a good strategy to bid on a B nib, which usually end lower, then ask for M or F.

[Tony Rex]

You, who are contributing with your "no problem" experience, things are not that simple. You just did not buy enough times from him. You probably had no problems because you just experienced a seamless trade.... Snip.... On the other hand, I lost a friend and a reliable pen seller. I feel I lost more than I gained.

Welcome to FPGeeks. I respect your input regarding Engeika in your first post here. However, this forum is for both negative and positive, and more importantly about the subject, not rubbishing others poster's experience. I invite you to read the forum rule. I hope you'll stay around beyond this thread on fpgeeks. That, I really do. Cheers.

Tony

[dannzeman]

You, who are contributing with your "no problem" experience, things are not that simple. You just did not buy enough times from him. You probably had no problems because you just experienced a seamless trade.... Snip.... On the other hand, I lost a friend and a reliable pen seller. I feel I lost more than I gained.

Welcome to FPGeeks. I respect your input regarding Engeika in your first post here. However, this forum is for both negative and positive, and more importantly about the subject, not rubbishing others poster's experience. I invite you to read the forum rule. I hope you'll stay around beyond this thread on fpgeeks. That, I really do. Cheers.

Tony
I don't think nico is "rubbishing" others' posts. I think he's trying to draw similarities and point out differences in circumstances and I think he does a good job doing it.

[Tony Rex]

Fair enough.

A few more remarks that I forgot. Taizo-san tends to "hide" the name of the item, perhaps to prevent research, but he always put the model number in the description. People need to really look into the real specs from the manufacturer before buying. For example, he listed the Platinum Hayakawa reissue Pencil as Solid 925 sterling silver although it isn't, and even put a comparison with GvFC sterling which is about four times the price.. and obscure stuff like Sailor emperor tab vs Nagahara vs naginata could cause confusion... And since he isn't ace answering noob questions, if there is even the slightest doubt you need to ask around first.

[nico]

Thank you, dannzeman. Of course, I did not want to "rubbish" opinion of anyone and I believe I did not do so. I agree that seamless trades make up majority. I wrote that I bought over twenty pens from Taizo myself. Always without any problems. I have no reason to offend others saying the same.

I just wanted to point out that an experience from a seamless trade is something different in comparison to the discussed issues. My repeated positive experience had nothing to do with the bad one I had to face in the end.

I am sorry if I offended anyone.

[Tony Rex]

Mate, none taken whatsoever.. And again, I do hope you stay around!

T

[Inginkpen]

I have purchased pens from engeika and haven't had a problem. However, I don't purchase a high volumes of pens And haven't had a problem like a defective pen.

[john]

I've purchased a few pens from Taizo, without any problem with him and the shipping is very fast. Within a week I can get the pen. He responses the inquiery very fast too.

[VertOlive]

Has anyone had recent experience with this seller? He seems to have the best price on a pen I want, but I'm not looking for headaches!

Thanks!

[mhosea]

Has anyone had recent experience with this seller? He seems to have the best price on a pen I want, but I'm not looking for headaches!


More recent than this thread? No. However, IMHO, you order from Japan to get the best price, and you hope for the best. You will probably not end up with the best price out-of-pocket if there is any problem, and sometimes there is. I've ordered 4 pens from Taizo, and half of them were perfect. The other two were in serious need of adjustment, and one, a cross concord emperor, had an unfinished fine point grind and a crooked emperor tab (not because of the way it was installed but because of the way it was bent in the first place, one bend not quite at a right angle to the ribbon of gold). I had Richard Binder (well, actually turned to be Jim Baer) adjust the first one because I didn't have the skill for it when I sent it in. The cross concord emperor I ground and smoothed the fine point and eventually (long story short) ended up removing the emperor tab. So that was a bit of a loss, but I considered it a bargain not to go through the return process to Japan with accompanying frustrations.

[krazyklod]

I have had some issues (in hindsight both parties fault) with Engeika and would actually come to their defence.

Problems happen and they did everything in their power to fix them (went beyond some would say in my case). That's the same for the original poster here, it's honestly not the shop's fault that the postal office rejected the address. Engelica sent it again (I'm assuming they covered the cost of delivery the second time) then refunded the person when this failed. They may have took some time but in the end they got their money back.

As for mhosea's problems above, Engelica didn't make the pens and unlike Hisnibs they don't promise to open or check any pens and like he said, it is from Japan, the negatives of international shipping are like that. I'm from the UK and if I order from the US then I have to swallow this as well.

At the end of the day they are just a shop, taking one box off a shelf and posting it to you is basically all they do. They can't control the postal services or manufacturer defects.
They can however, replace or refund you but if the prospect of paying for more shipping isn't for you then my advice is that you only buy from brick an mortar shops.

At the end of the day, despite having some issues buying from them, they provide a great service and I will be buying from them again.

[blopplop]

It seems that I've had more problems with international shipping in the last year than ever in the past. It is true that the risk is always there when buying/selling internationally. However, I have purchased from engeika numerous times without incident. In fact, my experience has always been that shipping from Japan has been less problematic than to and from Europe. I don't know why that is.

Dave

[mhosea]

As for mhosea's problems above, Engelica didn't make the pens and unlike Hisnibs they don't promise to open or check any pens and like he said, it is from Japan, the negatives of international shipping are like that. I'm from the UK and if I order from the US then I have to swallow this as well.


Yeah, I never even mentioned it to him. I evaluated the issue, decided whether it was a "suck it up and return it" or "suck it up and fix it" problem. In both cases it was "suck it up and fix it". I certainly try to avoid anything in-between those extremes where the pen makes a round trip to Japan and back to me. I bypassed all the full-service Sailor dealers in the US, went looking for the lowest price, and took my chances. So it goes.

[welch]

Engeika is well-known and dependable. Mentioned fairly often (for an EBay seller) on FPN, where nobody seems to have a complaint. I've bought from him (or her)...had no problems.

[79spitfire]

I've bought one pen from him and it was a flawless transaction.

[VertOlive]

Thanks for all the replies, this helps.

A follow up question; the site warns they can't anticipate extra charges for taxes/customs. I'm here in the US and wonder if other US buyers have paid these taxes/customs fees? Any ballpark on what they amount to?

Thanks again!

[KrazyIvan]

I have purchased many times from Japan and engieka, never had to pay anything other than what I paid through eBay, ie the sale price plus shipping.

[mhosea]

A follow up question; the site warns they can't anticipate extra charges for taxes/customs. I'm here in the US and wonder if other US buyers have paid these taxes/customs fees? Any ballpark on what they amount to?


I have never had to pay anything. I think they routinely waive the import tariff when the declared value is less than $200. But my reading of the online reference suggests that theoretically you could be be charged 2.7% of declared value (plus 0.4 cents each) on a fountain pen from any country where no special treaty/rate applies (e.g. NAFTA, ATPA, etc.).

[Scrawler]

I wonder if these complaints are a result of having grown too quickly. My own experiences with Engeika are quite positive. There was one error in one of the 8 or 9 transactions I have had with him. It was rectified immediately and I was really surprised at how fast the replacement arrived. He told me to keep the erroneous item, which I then promptly gave to someone who would appreciate it. If I wanted to buy something from Japan, he would be the first place I would try, based on my own experiences.

[VertOlive]

Well. I'm about to find out. I placed an order with them for a Platinum 3776 Celluloid Koi.

Thank you to all here for the very helpful input!

[earthdawn]

Well. I'm about to find out. I placed an order with them for a Platinum 3776 Celluloid Koi.

Thank you to all here for the very helpful input!

You have to post pics when it arrives.

I love that pen and have wanted one for a long time!

If I ever do get one Im going to order the goldfish converter from Nibs.com to put in it.

[Robert]

On December 22nd I placed an order with Engeika for a Pilot Custom Heritage 92 Demonstrator (clear w/ broad nib) and a bottle of Iroshizuku syo-ro. I received prompt acknowledgement of my order and today I received an email confirming the order had been dispatched and providing tracking information. If my past experience with Engeika is any indication, I expect to receive a superbly packed box by this time next week. BTW - the total for the order was $156.35 ($122.85 for the pen; $15.50 for the ink; and $18.00 for shipping). Had the goods totaled $299.00 or more, shipping would have been free.

[VertOlive]

Good to know. I don't want to be kicking myself because I went for the best price! Still awaitig tracking #.

[chad.trent]

Does anyone know if Engeika still sells Pilot pens? I can't find them on his site. I know he had to take the prices down not long ago, but I don't see them on there at all now.

[krazyklod]

Does anyone know if Engeika still sells Pilot pens? I can't find them on his site. I know he had to take the prices down not long ago, but I don't see them on there at all now.

You have to log in to see them. Silly but that's how they work.

[VertOlive]

Getting nervous. Ordered on the 25th, still no tracking number. Sent an email...

[Robert]

Getting nervous. Ordered on the 25th, still no tracking number. Sent an email...

I'm sure all will be well, VertOlive. My order, placed December 22nd, was hung up in U.S. Customs in Chicago for 4 days, but cleared today, which means I should have it in hand by the end of this week.

[VertOlive]

Getting nervous. Ordered on the 25th, still no tracking number. Sent an email...

I'm sure all will be well, VertOlive. My order, placed December 22nd, was hung up in U.S. Customs in Chicago for 4 days, but cleared today, which means I should have it in hand by the end of this week.

Did you have a tracking number sent to you? I haven't got one yet and they did debit my paypal account...

[Robert]

Did you have a tracking number sent to you? I haven't got one yet and they did debit my paypal account...

Yes, the tracking number was provided in the email from engeika confirming dispatch of my order. The same email provided a link to Japan's Express Mail Service.

[kaisnowbird]

Getting nervous. Ordered on the 25th, still no tracking number. Sent an email...

I'm sure all will be well, VertOlive. My order, placed December 22nd, was hung up in U.S. Customs in Chicago for 4 days, but cleared today, which means I should have it in hand by the end of this week.

Did you have a tracking number sent to you? I haven't got one yet and they did debit my paypal account...

Hi VO, you might have missed the following message on Engeika's website:


Due to the New Year Holiday in Japan, EMS shipping service may be temporarily suspended.

There may be a possible delay in shipping from Dec 27th until Jan 7th.

Please accept our sincere apology for this delay and thank you very much for your understanding.

[VertOlive]

Yes, thanks Kai--I saw it late last night and figure that's what's up. I think I have "First Overseas Purchase Syndrome"!

[Robert]

Yes, thanks Kai--I saw it late last night and figure that's what's up. I think I have "First Overseas Purchase Syndrome"!

Be of good cheer, VO - - I'm confident you'll receive your order soon. Mine (placed 12/22) arrived this morning, perfectly packed. As he often does, Taizo threw in a "freebie" - - a swank Mitsubishi lead pencil. Please let us know when your order arrives.

[VertOlive]

Finally got an email in reply to my inquiry, but no tracking number yet...at least he responded so this is a positive.

[mhosea]

I really wouldn't worry. Could there be an issue of some kind? Yes, it's possible. Will you get blown off, not get your pen, and have to fight to get your money back? No, that's just not going to happen.

[VertOlive]

Another positive--I've got a tracking number! Now...what was it I ordered? :)

[Robert]

Another positive--I've got a tracking number! Now...what was it I ordered? :)

In my case the EMS tracking number worked quite well - - - until the package hit U.S. Customs. The package seemed to be stalled in Customs for four days, until it abruptly showed up at my front door. The website continued to show that the package was in Customs for another day until (finally) indicating delivery. I attribute the faulty updating to the USPS.

[VertOlive]

In Chicago Customs today. Getting closer!

[Robert]

In Chicago Customs today. Getting closer!

Great to hear! I would bet you'll have it by week's end - - - Monday at the latest.

[KrazyIvan]

In Chicago Customs today. Getting closer!

In my experience, once tracking says that, it is only a day away.

[VertOlive]

Arrived on Monday, I was even home at the time to sign for it! It's a keeper!

[SeeThroughPen]

I'm having a problem with my first order from engeika now too. I bought an ebonite King of Pen ebonite. Sadly, there are two issues with it.

First, the pen has a scratch of a few millimeters on the cap and second, and this is the real issue for me, it does not write resp. there is far too little ink coming out of the nib. I tried flushing it with distilled water thoroughly, but alas that didn't help. Its a medium nib, but it writes like an EF to UEF. If I apply downward pressure, some more ink comes out, but it is not normal that I would have to write with any pressure at all with this pen. It barely lays down a line if I just drag it over the paper.

Now the part that worries me is that I have contacted Taizo/Engeika over 2 days ago, and he hasn't responded yet. Is that normal for this guy? I hope he does reply tonight, or else I might loose it.

[Neo]

I'm having a problem with my first order from engeika now too. I bought an ebonite King of Pen ebonite. Sadly, there are two issues with it.

First, the pen has a scratch of a few millimeters on the cap and second, and this is the real issue for me, it does not write resp. there is far too little ink coming out of the nib. I tried flushing it with distilled water thoroughly, but alas that didn't help. Its a medium nib, but it writes like an EF to UEF. If I apply downward pressure, some more ink comes out, but it is not normal that I would have to write with any pressure at all with this pen. It barely lays down a line if I just drag it over the paper.

Now the part that worries me is that I have contacted Taizo/Engeika over 2 days ago, and he hasn't responded yet. Is that normal for this guy? I hope he does reply tonight, or else I might loose it.


Open a case with the credit card company.

[SeeThroughPen]

I payed via Paypal. Damn, I'd like to avoid filing a formal complaint, but I guess I'll have to go down that ugly road if he does not reply in the next 16 hours.

[mhosea]

Well, the scratch is actionable, especially on a pen of this type. The writing performance is, OTOH, kind of subjective and almost always a matter of adjustment. BTW, distilled water will not remove any oily residue from the feed.

If the writing performance were the only thing, I'd say don't bother with Taizo and just send it off to a competent nib tuner. If you feel that you have not received your money's worth because of the scratch, I would suggest availing yourself of Taizo's return policy. Perhaps the combination of the two suggests returning it even if the writing performance was the main thing, but there's a thought that's nagging me: I think the scratch was the fluke but the needs-adjustment writing performance out-of-the-box was not.

[SeeThroughPen]

You're right, the scratch would probably bother me too, eventually, but atm I'm just totally stumped by the fact that it doesn't write. In my opinion, with a high-end pen like this, you expect the nib to be perfect out of the box. And afaik, Sailor even claim that they hand tune and check their KOP nibs before shipping. Anyway, as the seal of the plastic bag was already broken, I can't say for certain that it is Sailor's fault in this case.

[mhosea]

Yeah, I know the story. I just try to react to the reality. I've owned a half-dozen Sailors, including a KoP, and some needed more adjustment than others. FWIW, the more "Was this a return?" and "Needs work." ones came from engeika. I don't know whether that's just statistical chance, but it's a fact.

[pica pica]

I read somewhere that Engeika is slow to reply but I don't doubt that it will be sorted after all.

[alc3261]

I've never had a problem with Engeika.

[SeeThroughPen]

So today, six days after my initial email, I wrote him one more email in which I warned him that I would issue a claim with Paypal soon. After that he responded, apologizing that my mails were caught in his spam filter and that I may return the pen for a full refund + shipping.

I'm reliefed, but I'm not quite sure how to return the package. Anyone got any tips for me? Do you have to include a copy of the invoice and denote the package in some special way, so that customs accepts it as a return to sender package?

[checkrail]

It should be sufficient to mark the customs declaration 'Returned Goods for Refund' or similar.
The post office will supply the customs declaration for you to complete.

[mmahany]

So today, six days after my initial email, I wrote him one more email in which I warned him that I would issue a claim with Paypal soon. After that he responded, apologizing that my mails were caught in his spam filter and that I may return the pen for a full refund + shipping.

I'm reliefed, but I'm not quite sure how to return the package. Anyone got any tips for me? Do you have to include a copy of the invoice and denote the package in some special way, so that customs accepts it as a return to sender package?

Make sure you return the pen WITH TRACKING/DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. I learned that lesson the hardway after buying from a seller in Greece who turned out to be a scammer (long story). Paypal refunded most of my money on a relationship basis, but they weren't willing to side with me because they could not prove the pen ever arrived back to the seller.