Barriers to participation

[Empty_of_Clouds]

Plenty in evidence

[TSherbs]

I have some of the same ones, but $ is my biggest limiter. I also have a kind of personal limiter that says, no more than one item per month, no matter how small.

I've only been to a pen store twice, so I have learned how to shop without trying pens. And, basically, I rarely spend over $50 (although I have twice in the last three months!), so the risk is limited.

I hate spending money, but I like pens.

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[jbb]

Pens on a Budget: Over the years I have amassed a large, lovely, vintage pen collection through ebay, yard sales and flea markets. I've only purchased one pen over $100.00 and many of my pens were under $20.00. I have lots of Watermans, Parkers, Wahls and Sheaffers. I can re-sac lever pens so I've stuck to pens I can fix myself most of the time as a way to keep my spending low.

[Chip]

Thoughtful analysis. Being a headlong sort, the barriers haven't limited my pursuit of pens. But for now I seem to have more than enough.

Not sure where you are in EnZed, but there's a great stationer in Devonport (might be on lockdown right now):

https://shop2.fitzgeraldtaylor.co.nz/

I recall seeing modern pens—Parker, Lamy, etc.— at Whitcoull's in Newmarket, I think.

Years ago, I found some nice vintage pens in Christchurch, among the used bookshops (which likely tumbled down in the quake, alas).

I also bought dip nibs, ink, and such at The Old Stone Store in Kerikeri.

[christof]

Perhaps I do not recognize the core of the question due to lack of language skills, but is it not with every field of interest, be it professional or hobby, that certain difficulties and hurdles must be dealt with? Whether it is the procurement of information or objects. Specialized knowledge is required and must be acquired, etc. ...

So what can I say, I have been dealing with fountain pens for 20 years. I have learned a lot and made many contacts. All this was only possible because I am very interested in the subject and I was willing to invest my time.

Please allow me the remark that I find the application of the term "barriers to participation" from the sector of health care to our hobby inappropriate, if not a bit cynical...But maybe, that's just me.

[christof]

Thank you for the explanation. It may be that I have misunderstood. I apologize. I thought you were applying a healthcare term to our hobby.
That would have seemed strange to me.

[eachan]

I confess that my first reaction to your post is that barriers are there to be overcome and in our hobby it isn't hard to do so. However, I'll work through the points you make. Most of my own pens are vintage. I'm remotely situated, though in a different way from you. There are no shops that sell pens within hundreds of miles. Travel is complicated and difficult because of my health and we don't try any more. The nearest "pen person" that I'm aware of is in Edinburgh, 300 miles away.

1) Access to markets isn't difficult because of internet sales, eBay and auction houses. I've never felt deprived in that area. In fact we are presented with an abundance of riches.

2) Cost can be an issue. I've had to stop buying old pens from the US because of import charges. However, those same pens will turn up in the UK if I have patience. Which I do. Also, auction house prices vary and some are prohibitive. That can be disappointing but again, patience will reward with the desired pen at the right price in time.

3) I have good contacts within the pen community with correspondents all over the world. The blog that Deb and I share concentrates much more on the hobby side of pens. There are many contacts there, in Facebook and FPG, of course.

4) It would be nice to handle pens before purchase but it isn't essential. I've hardly ever had that opportunity. Most sellers accept returns without difficulty and if there are any minor issues with pens, old or new, I can usually fix them.

5) Of course lack of knowledge of pens old and new affects us all at first. It's a hobby; you're supposed to throw yourself into it and gain the information you need! I've pursued knowledge about pens obsessively since I first took a serious interest in the subject fifty years ago. I've gradually built up a decent library. Like most branches of knowledge you don't have to know everything but you do have to know where to find it.

6) It took quite a long time for me to discover what works for me. I've tried flex, stubs, obliques and finally firm fine or EF. That's where I am now and I keep a couple of stubs for addressing envelopes. I love the pens I use now and I've greatly enjoyed the process of getting here.

[Ron Z]

I think that barriers exist in every aspect of life, and vary from person to person. Many of the barriers have been lowered with the internet opening up so much commerce. My business would not exist without it. Information that was not available at all 30 years ago, is now easily found. Rather than seeing problems, I am amazed at how accessible this hobby is. The only problem now is that so many of the vintage pens have come out of homes as the owners have died off so the supply is dwindling, while demand has climbed, as have the prices. Its much harder to find pens in the wild than it was 25-30 years ago.

[Jon Szanto]

What Ron said.

[pajaro]

The internet enabled me to acquire a lot of pens that I would not have even known about. I live in southeast Michigan, USA, in a small city. FPN and this site have opened access to information and techniques of maintaining pens. Money is a factor, but I think I have more pens than I am interested in. Over time I came to see what worked for me, so time and experience can help even if you live in a backwater like I do. Hobbies are things that help to pass time enjoyably, on whatever level you can. At 73 I can say that I have enjoyed pens, and I think I might have liked it better if I had limited the collection to Parker 51s and maybe Sheaffer Touchdown Imperials. I was going through boxes of pens today, and there's so much junk. Of course the junk is someone else's preoccupation.

[scud80]

Access would be pretty big deal for those who live outside of countries with a lot of presence. For me in the USA it's not much of a big deal for me to buy a pen to try it out and resell it for basically the same amount, so I only lose fees and shipping which are both cheap. If every transaction required overseas shipping that would be problematic since the fees are higher and shipping each way is $15+. For those on a budget it would really slow the progress of trying things out. It would limit all aspects of the hobby ... having nib work done, buying inks that aren't available domestically, etc. So, I'm sympathetic to those issues even if they don't affect me personally.

[silverlifter]

If every transaction required overseas shipping that would be problematic since the fees are higher and shipping each way is $15+

It's USD 35 for a pen of any value, tracked and insured, from these parts. I don't consider it a barrier, it's just another variable to factor in when thinking about the value of a pen.

[pajaro]

If you were on a fixed income, $35 might be an issue, especially the way food and lodging prices are. If you are still employed, it might be no sweat, but for retirees without a decent income it could be an issue. My wife's parents had little more than social security and a pension that covered the medicare supplementary health coverage. It's tight for a lot of people. And with COVID, no telling.

[Chip]

For older folks, who grew up with parents, family, teachers, and business contacts who used and valued fountain pens, there's an ascribed value: using a fountain pen is a function of social class and profession, with a symbolic link to literature. But writing in ink on paper is increasingly rare. For younger people, who have mostly abandoned handwriting in favor of electronic communication, there's not the same association.

Another aspect is the disposable nature of writing tools in the present: cheap ballpoint pens are thrown out when the ink dries up. Same goes for outdated mobile phones. Does anyone bother to collect or restore old flip phones? The physical means are not objects of high regard.

[Fermata]

For older folks, who grew up with parents, family, teachers, and business contacts who used and valued fountain pens, there's an ascribed value: using a fountain pen is a function of social class and profession, with a symbolic link to literature. But writing in ink on paper is increasingly rare. For younger people, who have mostly abandoned handwriting in favor of electronic communication, there's not the same association.

Another aspect is the disposable nature of writing tools in the present: cheap ballpoint pens are thrown out when the ink dries up. Same goes for outdated mobile phones. Does anyone bother to collect or restore old flip phones? The physical means are not objects of high regard.

Just on the phones and recycling.

There are people who restore old mobile phones for resale, there is a growing number of people who say, all I want is a simple phone such as the Nokia 3210 and I have no interest on spending $1200 to buy the latest Apple phone. There are also Charities who either sell on your old phone through online sales or for sale in the third world. Finally, there are companies who are building the technology to harvest the precious metals in old phones.

I know of people, young and not so young, who despite using fountain pens have no interest in fountain pens as we might, as an attractive writing tool or their history, but have rejected ball point pens because of the plastic waste, they also reject the use of cartridges for the same reason.

[SlowMovingTarget]

One additional barrier I encounter (apologies if it's already been mentioned) is a disapproving spouse. Collections of any kind (books being the barely tolerable exception) are frowned upon and actively eliminated in our household. In part, this is to dissuade kiddo from developing the practice of collecting stuff, but it is also a large part my wife's behavioral DNA. That I have more than one fountain pen at all is often the source of arguments, let alone pursuit of the hobby which would include new pens or exploration. I've worked through all manner of justifications, some more reasonable and real than others. But, I avoid the pull of building a collection mostly for the sake of household harmony and keeping my word.

This may be atypical as a barrier, but it is one for me.

[TSherbs]

One additional barrier I encounter (apologies if it's already been mentioned) is a disapproving spouse. Collections of any kind (books being the barely tolerable exception) are frowned upon and actively eliminated in our household. In part, this is to dissuade kiddo from developing the practice of collecting stuff, but it is also a large part my wife's behavioral DNA. That I have more than one fountain pen at all is often the source of arguments, let alone pursuit of the hobby which would include new pens or exploration. I've worked through all manner of justifications, some more reasonable and real than others. But, I avoid the pull of building a collection mostly for the sake of household harmony and keeping my word.

This may be atypical as a barrier, but it is one for me.

I'm with you. My wife is better now, but there was a rough patch where I got some grief. Probably some spillover tension from some other issues, in my case. Topics and concerns tend to conflate in relationships, if you know what I mean.

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[christof]

...
This may be atypical as a barrier, but it is one for me.

It's a pity, of course, but basically, if I had to choose between my beloved wife and my collection, my choice would be the human individual, not things. So I feel wirh you.

[Fermata]

...
This may be atypical as a barrier, but it is one for me.

It's a pity, of course, but basically, if I had to choose between my beloved wife and my collection, my choice would be the human individual, not things. So I feel wirh you.

Here is a TV advertisement that sums it up for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHA4-5N5AzA

[PenInvestigations]

One additional barrier I encounter (apologies if it's already been mentioned) is a disapproving spouse. Collections of any kind (books being the barely tolerable exception) are frowned upon and actively eliminated in our household. In part, this is to dissuade kiddo from developing the practice of collecting stuff, but it is also a large part my wife's behavioral DNA. That I have more than one fountain pen at all is often the source of arguments, let alone pursuit of the hobby which would include new pens or exploration. I've worked through all manner of justifications, some more reasonable and real than others. But, I avoid the pull of building a collection mostly for the sake of household harmony and keeping my word.

This may be atypical as a barrier, but it is one for me.

Fully agree! My spouse has come around a bit (and even gifted me two pens), but even so, he really disapproves of how many pens I own, and that is made amply apparent every time a new pen arrives. Honestly, that's probably the main reason I've started selling pens on here. Trying to not spend more money on the hobby. And to prove that I do use the pens I own.