Search the Community

Three units of the Faber-Castell Neo Slim metal fountain pen in “black with rosegold” are (or were, last I looked) available from the Dymocks George Street store in Sydney CBD for AUD $40 each. Two units with EF nibs, and one with an F nib. When I inspected one of the former on Saturday, it looked perfectly fine, no signs of cosmetic wear, and the snap and fit of the cap, either when the pen is closed and when the cap was posted at the end of the barrel, were crisp and tight.

If anyone here from Sydney still uses the discontinued Pilot Petit1 fountain pens, and dread the day when it's no longer possible to buy new/replacement cartridges for the model (even if just for refilling with one's inks of choice; cartridges shell don't last forever), Dymocks on George Street in the CBD is selling off its remaining stock of Pilot Petit cartridges at 50%-off, bringing the price to AUD $1.99 for a 3-pack. When I left earlier this afternoon, there were still seven or eight 3-packs in red or orange in the bucket, alongside maybe four Pilot Petit3 brush-tipped pens also at 50%-off (which, I guess, makes them $2.99 each).

Disclosure / disclaimer: I do not work for Dymocks, directly or indirectly, and am not otherwise affiliated with the company or its owners. I just walk past it several times a week when heading uptown or on the way home, so I'm just putting a word in for a local business. Dymocks on George Street in Sydney CBD is offering a selection of fountain pens (of different brands and countries of origin) at 30% off their regular prices, in the name of a ‘Pen Sale’ for which the sign hasn't been taken down since the height of COVID-19 related restrictions on movement in NSW. I didn't take note of them all, because brands like Cross, Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman, Kaweco and Retro 51 that were also there just don't capture my interest, but I did see six units of the Platinum Procyon (PNS-5000) including one Persimmon Orange (F nib), one Citron Yellow (F nib) and two Deep Sea (M nibs), which are priced lower than the Turquoise Blue ones sitting next to them in the same discounted goods cabinet near the front entrance. There were also: one unit of the Platinum #3776 Century Bourgogne with gold trim (PNS-13000#71) and F nib in the same cabinet. At the 30%-off discounted price, it's roughly comparable to ordering it from overseas, say Cult Pens today (inclusive of 10% Australian GST which it now adds to list prices expressly, the 10%-off discount code in play, and ‘free’ shipping to Australia), or from Japanese sellers on eBay once shipping charges are factored in; one Platinum #3776 Celluloid ‘Calico’ (or ‘Stone Celluloid‘) with F nib; and one Platinum #3776 Celluloid ‘Midnight Ocean’ (or ‘Ocean Blue’) with M nib. There were four Pilot MR Animal (if I'm not mistaken, two White Tiger and two Black Crocodile) pens on the same tray. Having owned more than half a dozen Pilot MR pens (including the oft-recommended Pilot MR Metropolitan), I just don't think they're good ‘beginner’ pens because of the step-down and the ineffective cap seal, and may give someone of little experience with fountain pens the wrong impression; and I'm confident fellow Aussies can order those more cheaply than $48.99-less-30% on Amazon.com.au, so they aren't really worth looking at either way. Also, a Porsche Design Tec Flex fountain pen, and a Visconti travelling inkwell at 30%-off, among other pens I don't recognise. There were two Lamy Scala in black, one Lamy Aion in red and another in silver (talking about fountain pens only; there were some Aion ballpoint pens next to them), in the adjoining cabinet that is also part of the 30%-off clearance campaign. A Cross Peerless 125 Darth Vader edition fountain pen, and the matching rollerball pen, too. All colours that remain in stock of Monteverde Portable Ink Capsules still at 50% off. I saw five different colours in the cabinet yesterday, but notably no more blues.

Now that the lockdown restrictions in Greater Sydney have been relaxed, and retail stores have started reopening this week to drop-in customers for general trading, I dropped by Dymocks (not that I'm in a position to buy any ink this year, if I keep to my promise) to see if it's offering any inks on special. I wasn't expecting this: The footnote (which is out of focus in the photo I took, even before I downsized it) reads: * while stocks last. Sale ends 31 October 2021. Available only at Dymocks Sydney. I asked the store attendant whether the 20% off applies to already discounted lines (e.g. Monteverde, at 30% or 50% off), and was told no. 20% off Dymocks's regular prices for ink doesn't make it interesting or tempting for me. There is only one ink (hinted in the photo) that I think is worth snapping up on the current promotional offer; while it isn't quite as cheap (delivered and all) as I can get by ordering online and applying my customary levels of discounts, it's a very good price for it from an Australian stockist, especially if one is able to just pick it up in-store and get instant gratification, without shipping charges and risking Australia Post delivery delays.

There's a eBay promotion in play for 26/9/2021 that gives any random Joe Punter 20% off the prices in Peter's of Kensington's official eBay store, or 22% off for eBay Plus members. Sadly, not much of interest to me personally (even if I were still in the market for pens and inks today), but I'll call out that: Monteverde 10-colour (Bloo, Emotions, Gemstone, and Noir ink collections) gift sets are now A$56 (or less) after discount Pelikan Souverän M605 Green-White fountain pen (different nib sizes still available) is now A$416.80 (or less) after discount That is much cheaper than ordering it from my normal go-to European retailers for Pelikan products, even after stacking discounts to get an overall 19%–20% off the regular price, and with ‘free’ international shipping by DHL. I personally wouldn't be able to get those items any cheaper anywhere else.

Dymocks on George Street in Sydney CBD is offering the Monteverde Portable Ink Capsule product in all in-stock colours at 50% off their regular A$20 price at the moment. Each package contains 50ml of ink in a cylindrical clear plastic vial with a screw-on lid, as well as an empty 50ml vial of the same type. I saw these a few days ago in the discounted inks cabinet, asked if they were also offered at half-price, and was told no. I asked again today, when I saw a new sign posted on top of the cabinet to indicate otherwise, and confirmed that they are indeed half-priced; I was also pointed to a different sign in one of the glass cabinets mounted behind the counter attesting to that. The signs didn't say when the promotion ends, and I didn't ask. When I was there a few hours ago, there were at least six or seven different ink colours — including Horizon Blue and Capri Blue, as well as several that aren't blue — and multiple units of each in stock.

Hi everyone. I live in Castle Hill (Northwest of Sydney, Australi), originally from China. My first fountain pen is a red Lamy Safari EF, purchased in high school, loved it so much, I even enjoyed taking notes and doing assignments, just so I get to use my Lamys. Stopped using fountain pens (or any pens really) when I was in university doing my IT degree, almost everything was done online/on a computer, totally forgot how a fountain pen feels. It's about 2 years ago, youtube randomly suggested a video in the "up next" and automatically played, its the one that features the Spencerian customization on a Pilot Falcon, I didn't even know flex nib existed before that video. After the video, I bought my first flex fountain pen, a Pilot custom 912 FA, and fell in love with FP again. I also started to like Calligraphy from that time. I'm still fairly new to the FP/calligraphy world, would love to share and learn from here. my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qiaqiac/ Hope to make some new friends!

Hello all! Having recently 'gotten into' Fountain pens, I was naturally interested in any brick and mortar retailers in my own city for the beloved stationary. I found this wonderful guide here on the forum (https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/12113-fountain-pens-in-sydney-australia/), but as it was written in 2006, I though I would give it a bit of an update, after about 6 months experience. In a semiparticular order Dymocks - The Sydney CBD store (Dymocks Sydney) has a specific fountain pen section, with a very wide variety of pens, inks and parts. They have too many to list, but I would suggest that if you are looking for anything this would probably be your best stop. They also sell Clairefontaine and Rhodia books, and at a very decent price - about RRP, which is a nice change. (424-430 George Street, Sydney 2000, https://www.dymocks.com.au/ - the website is ... not amazing for stationary) Pen Ultimate, also known as Pen De Luxe - I have only visited the QVB shop, and when you are looking for it, the sign out front says Montblac, not Pen De Luxe, so keep that in mind. Again, a very wide variety of pen paraphernalia (penaphernalia!), and other stationary items. They do also do repairs, as I understand. (QVB, Level 2, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, 2000, http://www.pensdeluxe.ashop.com.au/ - They also have an online shop) Officeworks - They sell a variety of good paper brands, including Rhodia, Quink (at about $10!), and a limited selection of pens, including the Lamy Safari, Vpens, and some calligraphy sets. Watch out for mark-ups though - the Lamy I saw was $50. Again, the bigger stores will have the most. (http://www.officeworks.com.au/) David Jones/Myer - Two major general retailers, they do have some fountain pen materials, including Waterman ink. You will need to go to one of the larger stores, I would recommend either in the CBD or at Bondi Juction, and ask after them in the stationary departments. (www.davidjones.com.au/http://www.myer.com.au/)Newsagents - Varied, you'll just have to have a look. Also varied is the pricing...Kinokuniya - In the GV, they do have a collection of stationary, including fountain pens. Mainly focused on Japanese calligraphy, but can still be helpful. (The Galeries, George St, Sydney 2000, http://www.kinokuniya.com.au/) Smiggle - You'll feel silly going in, but they have a couple of pens which could be of interest to a beginner. (http://www.smiggle.com.au/) I hope this helps!

Hey All, Just wondering if anyone has had experience getting a Montblanc pen ''serviced'' at a boutique in Australia, specifically Sydney? Do they do it ''in shop'' or are the pens sent overseas? Lastly, what timeframe and were the charges similar to international ''services''? Thanks, Tom.

Hello all! Greetings from Sydney, Australia. I have been learning and will continue to learn about fountain pens via this lovely community. Everyone is supportive and has very good things to say! Thank you! According to http://www.melbpenshow.com.au/Ant&Art_page.pdf: "Australia has a small ‘pen population’. Fountain pen use in the UK and US equates to one in 25 to 30 of adult population. In Australia, fountain pen use equates to one in 120 of adult population. As a consequence, Australia has the smallest number of specialty pen retailers per capita, in the world. What follows is that Australians are not the modern pen manufacturers’ best friend!" It is nice to know that there is a global community of fountain pen enthusiasts. I'm aiming to get myself to the Melbourne Pen Show. Fingers crossed! This newbie thanks you all!