Originally Posted by
Jon Szanto
Laura, I think that is a fair viewpoint, and don't think anyone, even the Goulet's would be offended. The pen world is a little odd, because - in the big scheme of things - it's pretty small. Especially with forum and mailing list traffic, you get to know "the usual suspects", and one tries to be fair in their business. Or, I should say, I do. When it seems appropriate, I try to send a little business to various places, but I also have a bit of a loyalty gene.
Another area is repair. There are only so many repair people, and one weighs the various data points: reputation, length of time in the business, turnaround time, pricing, etc. Through the forums, I've gotten to speak and feel comfortable with a number of them, and as a result, I don't send all my pens to one place, but end up working with a few different people. I try to help people out by sending them my business, while also looking at my needs and bottom line.
So, all in all, the more we can keep all these people in the fold, and foster a *healthy* sense of competition, the better for all involved.
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