Fp Market

[RJJ]

Just how large is the fpn market? I asked the manager at my local pen store and got a dunno. Not considering the paper side of the business there still is a multitude of brands/models out there. Inks are a definite part of the business too. Considering the specialty shops and stationers, there are also the box stores selling fpn's as well. With the Internet selling is international. I know how I spend but I may be atypical. Any market data out there?

[Harlequin]

At best, you may be able to find info on luxury pen sales, those that are part of brands like MB or Cartier. Otherwise, I doubt you will be able to really get your hands on much info of the kind you are trying to find. I hope someone else here though can prove me wrong!

[RJJ]

Thanks for the reply, Harlequin. I have to believe the data is out there somewhere. Companies wouldn't continue to produce without sound economics. And new companies wouldn't start. Must be a trade secret.

[Harlequin]

Oh, don't get me wrong- I didn't say (or mean to imply) that the data is not collected by someone or someones, but more that it is most likely privately held data that is not shared, for obvious reasons. Trade secret? probably not, but definitely private data mining.

[recluse]

Not particularly big, I'd say. For example, total Pelikan's revenue in 2011 was 650 MM dollars. The fountain pen's contribution can be safely estimated as at most 10 per cent, hence 60 MM dollars. Lamy provides a similar number (for all pens).

[Harlequin]

Recluse, just looking at your Pelikan umbers, what exactly does Pelikan make aside from pens/ink? I personally would include FP ink under the umbrella of FPs as well. Are you counting pens like RBs separately?

[recluse]

Recluse, just looking at your Pelikan umbers, what exactly does Pelikan make aside from pens/ink? I personally would include FP ink under the umbrella of FPs as well. Are you counting pens like RBs separately?

 

In their annual reports

 

http://www.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_MY_PICB.CMS.displayCMS.56525./annual-report

 

they quote some 4 percent for fine writing instruments (for 2011), which, judging by their website includes all "serious" fountain pens and bottled ink.

[RJJ]

Harlequin, my trade secret was more a joke. But it does make me wonder if there is a trade association group. I will have to follow that thought and see if there are some numbers collected.

 

Recluse, thanks for your info. I visited Pelikan's website quickly and will look at it more later.

[RJJ]

I did find the WIMA, Writing Instrument Manufacturers' Association. From their website, they have over a $4B trade that covers all writing instruments. Not an insignificant amount. This group covers North America and all writing instruments. This still leaves the Rest Of the World to find out about. The search continues.

[Gloucesterman]

Be sure to include the used, vintage and custom made markets as well. At this moment, eBay shows more than 51,000 listings from a search for "fountain pens". Yes, I realize that that may include other than just pens.

-S-

[recluse]

The industry of writing instruments is, no doubt, huge but it's not clear how to relate fountain pens to the whole industry since their contribution is tiny. According to www.wima.org , the US market of writing instruments in 2008 was, indeed, 4.9 billion dollars. But fountain pens make only 3.5 percent of that. In other words, in general discussions of the industry one can discard fountain pens whatsoever.

 

Judging by all these numbers the world market of fountain pens can be estimated as 300 million dollars.

[Harlequin]

So it looks like the other products Pelikan offers are art supplies (mostly crafts stuff) and printing- but not printers, just cartridges, paper/fax paper, accessories, and regular writing instruments. It doesn't surprise me that FPs make up not even 5% of their business then.

[RJJ]

Recluse, I think you have it about right as far as the magnitude goes. FPs are not the drivers of their businesses. All in all, there is a market they want to be in, new manufacturers enter I.e. TWSBI, and there are folks like us who support it.

 

Thanks Harlequin and Recluse for your thoughts.

[Mister John]

I suspect that fine writing for Pelikan probably excludes the school pen market, which is fountain pen heavy and probably not trivial. If you add in their rev share, I think the number if probably more like 15% of total Pelikan revs on fountain pens.

[RJJ]

Fine writing instruments vs what they produce for school children are still a smaller part of their business. Recluse posted the Pelikans website and it shows many kids type toys.

[SamKl]

I'm always surprised that companies constantly put out hyper-expensive "limited editions" of, say, 1500 pens. Are there really enough buyers for those types of things, or is it purely a marketing gimmick (and "limited" in name only)?

[Harlequin]

I think they are aiming at the "must have it b/c it's so exclusive" market; the kind of people who probably won't even end up using the pen or using it incredibly rarely.