I'm Creating A New Company (Pen Related) - Need Feedback

[gtd]

Hi guys, how are you?

I have been following and collecting fountain pens for about 15+ yrs... Currently I am in the process of creating a new company that will allow customers to rent luxury fountain (or other types) pens on a monthly basis.
With this, I wanted to get your feedback to see which brands (or pen models) you would be interested to have available... Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!

[Laura N]

Great idea; I've often wondered why no one does this. I suggest Montblanc, Pelikan and Omas. Maybe Nakaya. I wouldn't bother investing in the special editions, but just the standard ones, to give people an idea of the pen size and the nibs. I think one week would be a long enough rental period, personally.

[tandaina]

So this is really a way to try out high end pens before buying? Otherwise I wouldn't see much market?

Would only make sense for those pens that regular editions run over $400 or $500. With a variety of nibs.

[Waski_the_Squirrel]

I always love to see a new business. Often people can find a niche that other people have never even considered.

There are currently businesses that will rent out high end camera lenses and other gear. I can't quite manage the cost of these businesses, but I love the concept. I would love to use certain lenses for my photography work. It's just that the prices don't put the lenses at a level I can pay.

That said, I saw this post originally on another forum and thought, "Good idea." However, now I'm thinking about it some more. Who is your intended market? People who want to try a pen first? People who want a fancy pen for a special occasion? What pens will you offer? High end pens like Montblanc, Pelikan, Visconti, or Nakaya? Middle range pens like Pilot?

How customized or unique will these pens be? How will you cover damage to the pens?

I don't offer this to discourage you. Instead, I hope you will really think through this business and create something that will work out for you and for the larger pen community.

[kia]

I think the "what if's" could take you far.

However, there is only one word that screams at me: Insurance.

[ChrisC]

Careful, because i imagine a lot of people simply comb through the used market, since buying and reselling to try pens can often result in no loss, or possibly even a small profit. Likewise, I don't want to discourage, but this is something to think through quite a lot.

[kaisnowbird]

What kind of rental rates are you thinking about? Will it be US only or open to some international countries?

Apart from user damage, courier/shipping loss or damage is a real risk you need to think about. With more secured/insured shipping, the rental costs will go up too. Also, I think one week to test write a pen may not be quite enough. I know if I go through the trouble of renting a pen, I'd want it for a fortnight to a month at least.

+1 on Nakaya. Some Visconti's and maybe a Montegrappa.

[VertOlive]

I like this. Many people have no chance to handle a pen before they buy. I would rent a Nakaya and a Visconti for starters. Some musical instrument makers also attach a purchasing plan to their rentals if a customer wants to keep the item...

You might want to move this post to a general pen area?

[PeppWaves03]

Wow! What a great idea. I would surely use the services and I think it's a heat business idea. I would definitely think about Nakaya, Montblanc, and higher end Pelikan.

[Nomdeplume]

There have been similar ventures with high-end women's handbags and, of course dressy clothes like tuxedo rentals....you could learn a lot from those businesses for this one!

[gtd]

Wow, thanks a lot for the feedback! I really appreciate it! I am taking all your suggestions into consideration and as part of the business model and baseline for operations. I would love to hear any other suggestions and thoughts on how to make this a win-win model.
Thanks so much for the help!

[Frank]

I wanted to chime in and say I agree with the "tread with caution" approach.
There is the insurance issue- pens could be lost, switched, broken, etc...

You will need to charge a large "Member Fee" to basically cover the costs of buying these items. You should look at car clubs, watch clubs, etc.. for business ideas/models/suggestions.

Good Luck!

Frank

[everybodylovesbacon]

I really like this idea. I will probably never be able to buy high-end fountain pens, but that doesn't mean I don't want to try them. I would definitely use this service and treat the pens quite gingerly; I love the fact that I would have the opportunity to use these pens for a month. The thought of using a Nakaya is pretty exciting to me. I really hope you work out the kinks and give this a go. I'm signing up first!!!

[pengeezer]

Seems like a good idea.......but will it make money for you? Also,
what about an option to buy?


John

[gtd]

Im making good progress on the business strategy. Already setting up the website, insurance, process etc... Another topic I wanted to cover would be nib sizes. Would you be interested to try OB, EF, others? I might start out just with the simple M, F. Still debating on this :-) thanks so much for the help!

[Script1one]

Reverse OB, OB or vintage flex nibs are a pretty rare option,i personally think is a nice choice, but don't you mind about someone that may ruin the pen or it's nib? Anyway besides this matter i think it's a great ideea.


Good luck !!

[PeppWaves03]

Yeah I would stick with a basic medium. Another thing you may want to think about is having a nib meister tweak the nib to a medium flow and smooth it out. You may also want to work with retailers to try and see if they will give you returns for a discounted price and use them as an official supplier

[everybodylovesbacon]

I like the idea of a range of nibs, though I'm not sure how practical that would be. I would like to be able to use things I could never afford to buy or that would be highly unlikely for me to come across.

[kaisnowbird]

Im making good progress on the business strategy. Already setting up the website, insurance, process etc... Another topic I wanted to cover would be nib sizes. Would you be interested to try OB, EF, others? I might start out just with the simple M, F. Still debating on this :-) thanks so much for the help!

If your target market is mostly people who wishes to try high end pens that they wouldn't be able to afford or wouldn't buy such a pen until they've tried them, then I would say that F and M will cover most of the demands. Other additions that would be very favourably received may be some unique factory nib offerings, such as Visconti Dreamtouch and Smartouch stubs, Conway Stewart's factory italics (eg. MI) and modern flexible offerings by high end brands.

[fncll]

I'm going to go against the flow here and note that I would be very interested in renting some high-end pens, but only if they are available with something more than the basic fine or medium nib configuration. For me the name is almost all! I would definitely consider some kind of purchasing plan as well. My point in renting would be because I never get a chance to get my hand on a pen before I actually purchase it!

[Greg Minuskin]

I agree, basic medium will work for most people, and especially if the pen is heavy, like so many of the modern pens are today compared to the vintage pens in lighter hard rubber or early plastics.

If there is something I can do for you, please let me know!

Greg Minuskin
www.gregminuskin.com
greg@gregminuskin.com

[Mags]

I must say if there was a higher end Rent to Own program you would probably find me signing up. I like OMAS and Visconti and Pelikan and Mont Blanc and Sheaffer, maybe Delta and most recently loving Conway Stewart.

I suspect that Medium and Broad nibs would be my interest and the BB nibs also.

As a left handed writer I find some pens just don't do what they should for me so renting one with the option to keep it at a reasonable price once I tried it out would likely have me keeping all that worked well and only returning those that would be parked in a pen case for me to trade or sell later.

I also believe that if you had some Fine nibs which were tuned to a 8/10 by John Mottishaw or some 1.1 to 1.3 mm stub nibs by Greg Minuskin you would be selling more pens than were returned after a monthly rental. For folks doing volume sales who will not restock a pen once inked you may become one of there better clients as you become an enabler for pen user/hoarders like myself.