PELIKAN took my Binderized M200 away! o_O

[Possum Hill]

Best,

Anna

 

P.S. I'm absolutely sure, that Richard Binder with his company will support the effort of Pelikan - he is one of the important supporters of the brand.

 

Say whut?

 

You are absolutely sure that Richard would support the confiscation of a pen, legally owned by an individual AND sent from a licensed distributor of the company?

 

Now, he didn't address your comment, and I surely don't speak for him, but if I were you, I wouldn't go waggering any large

sum of money on that idea...

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

 

Yes, I'm absolutely sure! He is a reasonable person!

I'll wager...No polemics needed.

 

Anna

Richard Binder generally does not seem reticent in stating his opinion or position, so I suggest that we let him speak for himself. He appears to trying to help resolve the issue. What he hasn't said himself, he probably thinks doesn't need to be said.

[welch]

 

1) I received a Pelikan 200 from Richard's pens last week, maybe one of the last befor the Raleigh show. Yes, the return address says "Richard's Pens" (approximately) and include's Ricard's name with his middle intial, which I have forgotten, unfortunately. Inside there is a slip of paper saying "Binderized by <someone> and Richard's business card, plus a return-mail card. Pretty clear.

 

2) However, what person at Pelikan thinks that counterfeiters import pens one at a time??? Around here, those guys on Canal Street come with a whole suitcase-full of Rolex watches.

 

A single pen packaged in a box that has most likely both the sender address of and a receipt from Richard's Pens should have been very easy to verify as being legitimate merchandise. My guess is that an "unsure" postal employee simply played it safe rather than exercise some judgement.

 

[Ondina]

In my opinion, the problem here is less likely a counterfeit problem but that of gray marketing and market area segmentation:

 

Richard B. is an official dealer of Pelikans - for the North American market. I don't know if his contracts actually say anything about his rights to export complete pens to the EU. It is possible that Pelikan, which obviously is aware of different pricing of its products in the US or in Malaysia (Pengallery), now tries to protect the EU/German market area from cheaper imports of their own pens back to the high priced home market. Maybe they are trying to enforce a right they already may have.

 

Pelikan is not alone: recently I've read about the Japanese camera maker Canon (maybe even Nikon) doing exactly this. New cameras bought cheaper outside Germany/EU from official foreign dealers are under the risk of being held (confiscated?) by the customs, when (gray) imported. Canon tries to protect their high prices over here.

 

Saint Simon, I was going to write exactly the same, you're the one that has hit it on the nail. I chatted with a couple persons who work at Customs yesterday and apparently, already overtaxed to death European residents are much likely to see this situation from now on. Corporations are tightening the bolts to protect their substantially marked up products in the EU market, as just in the past year internet sales have boomed over 145%. Imports from other markets were very attractive even with added eventual duty fees. So is not only Pelikan, or Canon, but a general policy that will be implemented rigorously more frequently. Counterfeit protection is just the varnish to make it presentable. We all would be much better off if authorities were effectively clamping down the containers, not individual packages, that come into the US/Canada/Australia/Europe with millions of faked items and that are sold at every corner dollar store and Chinese shops that mushroom everywhere, apparently, without a single problem.

[darkgreen]

In my opinion, the problem here is less likely a counterfeit problem but that of gray marketing and market area segmentation:

It is possible that Pelikan, which obviously is aware of different pricing of its products in the US or in Malaysia (Pengallery), now tries to protect the EU/German market area from cheaper imports of their own pens back to the high priced home market. Maybe they are trying to enforce a right they already may have.

 

... Corporations are tightening the bolts to protect their substantially marked up products in the EU market, as just in the past year internet sales have boomed over 145%. Imports from other markets were very attractive even with added eventual duty fees. So is not only Pelikan, or Canon, but a general policy that will be implemented rigorously more frequently. Counterfeit protection is just the varnish to make it presentable. We all would be much better off if authorities were effectively clamping down the containers, not individual packages, that come into the US/Canada/Australia/Europe with millions of faked items and that are sold at every corner dollar store and Chinese shops that mushroom everywhere, apparently, without a single problem.

 

It all seems very strange to my simple mind. I can't comment on the specifics of this case and this country but confiscating a pen in this situation seems to be illogical.

 

1. Why should Pelikan care about imports of its own pens from overseas? Presumably, it still gets the money for its products, whether it sells a genuine product to a distributor locally or overseas. Presumably if anyone is being protected, it is the local distributors rather than the manufacturer?

 

2. If the concern is counterfeiting, it doesn't seem logical to target pens that are more expensive (a point made elsewhere). Counterfeiters usually prosper by offering significantly cheaper products.

 

3. If the issue is local/national taxes, that can be dealt with by charging import taxes.

 

However, it seems that in this case the consumer/importer has been considered "guilty until proven innocent." Ouch. Must be very frustrating.

 

[Gehaha]

Best,

Anna

 

P.S. I'm absolutely sure, that Richard Binder with his company will support the effort of Pelikan - he is one of the important supporters of the brand.

 

Say whut?

 

You are absolutely sure that Richard would support the confiscation of a pen, legally owned by an individual AND sent from a licensed distributor of the company?

 

Now, he didn't address your comment, and I surely don't speak for him, but if I were you, I wouldn't go waggering any large

sum of money on that idea...

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

 

Yes, I'm absolutely sure! He is a reasonable person!

I'll wager...No polemics needed.

 

Anna

Richard Binder generally does not seem reticent in stating his opinion or position, so I suggest that we let him speak for himself. He appears to trying to help resolve the issue. What he hasn't said himself, he probably thinks doesn't need to be said.

 

...so I suggest that we let him speak for himself...

 

[Banana]

I think the problem is less about counterfeiting and more about grey imports. I work for an Australian importer and authorised distributor of many American brands (not pens) and we own the trademarks for those brands in Australia. Under Australian law if anyone imports those brands (genuine products) we can have them confiscated by customs. We have done this many times but only to shipments of commercial size, not individual items imported by the end user.

[JimStrutton]

This thread is now closed to allow time to wait for developments. The OP should have by now contacted Richard and I have no doubt that he will be making representations through the commercial channels to get this resolved.

 

I hope to see a post in the next few days to say that this issue has been resolved, but until then we sit on our hands and wait.

 

Best regards

 

Jim