Pay It Forward 2014

[madden11]

Congratulations AZBENNETT, winner of ink samples PIF.

[TheModernGent]

Congratulations, enjoy

[AAAndrew]

Very nice PIF. I've started to really like the browns. I now have Sheaffer Brown, and loving my new Sailor Jentle Grenade. Hopefully AZBENNETT shares some writing examples with the different inks. Would love to see!

[AZBennett]

I will definitely put up some pictures. Though the handwriting samples will be from my wife or daughter as my handwriting is rather poor. That's the reason I got my first FP, in order to improve my handwriting. Its getting better but somewhat slower than I had wanted.

 

Paul

[Chrissy]

My pet hate is shipping charges I mean I'd like to offer more however when I offer to UK only I get next to no interest. When offer world wide I get lots of interest however I have to pay £4 shipping. I don't really know how popular is pay your own p&p PIF's are but if I am to offer anymore it will have to be that way.

 

I think this type of discussion should continue.

But it isn't that much of a difference is it?

 

Within the UK the cheapest charge is £2.80 2nd class, assuming you're packaging it well enough. To Europe the cheapest charge is £3.20, then to World zones 1 and 2 it's £3.80 or £4 respectively. If most PIF's go to the US or Canada then the difference is only £1. Personally, I don't think that's too bad at all.

 

For US members that's just $1.57 difference between mailing within CONUS and mailing International to England. How does that compare with your service?

Edited June 21, 2014 by Chrissy

[Chrissy]

My congratulations to Chrissy, to whom I award my PIF. Hope you enjoy it !

Thank you so much. I'm sure I will love it and am looking forward to seeing it when I get Stateside.

Edited June 21, 2014 by Chrissy

[mhguda]

But it isn't that much of a difference is it?

 

Within the UK the cheapest charge is £2.80 2nd class, assuming you're packaging it well enough. To Europe the cheapest charge is £3.20, then to World zones 1 and 2 it's £3.80 or £4 respectively. If most PIF's go to the US or Canada then the difference is only £1. Personally, I don't think that's too bad at all.

 

For US members that's just $1.57 difference between mailing within CONUS and mailing International to England. How does that compare with your service?

Well, for me, everything I mail is international, seeing how I'm on a small Caribbean island. And the last PiF package I mailed, containing, admittedly, not one but four pens, all plastic EDs so very light, cost about the same as all the others - the equivalent of 6USD. And it takes about three weeks to reach its destination.

That's why I also try to give away pens and other stuff locally - that costs nothing beyond the effort to carry the package to the recipient...

Edited June 21, 2014 by mhguda

[The Blue Knight]

But it isn't that much of a difference is it?

 

Within the UK the cheapest charge is £2.80 2nd class, assuming you're packaging it well enough. To Europe the cheapest charge is £3.20, then to World zones 1 and 2 it's £3.80 or £4 respectively. If most PIF's go to the US or Canada then the difference is only £1. Personally, I don't think that's too bad at all.

 

For US members that's just $1.57 difference between mailing within CONUS and mailing International to England. How does that compare with your service?

 

Last time I sent a UK PIF it was less then £1 postage. I know relatively speaking £3 or £4 isn't that much especially when it's more expensive item it won't make much difference. Hypothetically for lower value items it does beg the the question when the postage costs 1/2 the cost of the item new is there any point. At this moment in time once I have sent no 4 out I'll probably leave it a while before I put another one up as I don't have anything else that comes to mind to offer. However when I do I will probably offer it in two stages first UK followed by everyone else if I don't find a suitable winner as this seems to work well.

[Chrissy]

 

Last time I sent a UK PIF it was less then £1 postage. I know relatively speaking £3 or £4 isn't that much especially when it's more expensive item it won't make much difference. Hypothetically for lower value items it does beg the the question when the postage costs 1/2 the cost of the item new is there any point. At this moment in time once I have sent no 4 out I'll probably leave it a while before I put another one up as I don't have anything else that comes to mind to offer. However when I do I will probably offer it in two stages first UK followed by everyone else if I don't find a suitable winner as this seems to work well.

If you sent something really thin through the Large Letter slot, then you're not comparing like for like. The rates I quoted will cover pens (packaged properly in a tube so not thin enough for Large Letter slot), a bottle of ink or a pack of ink samples. Anything less than 100grams weight for International mail purposes. If you check the current Royal Mail leaflet my quoted prices are correct. I think RM have recently tried to make their prices more competitive than they were.

 

I agree it's a problem for really inexpensive items, but there really isn't that much difference between postage for UK and US

Edited June 21, 2014 by Chrissy

[AZBennett]

To be quite honest I wouldn't be opposed to paypal-ing postage for a PiF I won. It only makes sense to put up some $ when you are getting something for free. And even international postage would be offset this way, even splitting the difference. Anyway, my opinion only, but I would be just fine if I were asked to help with shipping.

 

Paul

[The Blue Knight]

If you sent something really thin through the Large Letter slot, then you're not comparing like for like. The rates I quoted will cover pens (packaged properly in a tube so not thin enough for Large Letter slot), a bottle of ink or a pack of ink samples. Anything less than 100grams weight for International mail purposes. If you check the current Royal Mail leaflet my quoted prices are correct. I think RM have recently tried to make their prices more competitive than they were.

 

I agree it's a problem for really inexpensive items, but there really isn't that much difference between postage for UK and US

 

No it was a pen bubble wrapped and jiffy bagged.probably under 100g it cost me if I recall correctly 78p for second class and this was January. I've got a similarly sized packet going out on Monday so I will be interested to see how much that can be sent for?

[alc3261]

 

No it was a pen bubble wrapped and jiffy bagged.probably under 100g it cost me if I recall correctly 78p for second class and this was January. I've got a similarly sized packet going out on Monday so I will be interested to see how much that can be sent for?

I have sent inexpensive pens, pen wraps, ink samples etc for the Large Letter rate in the UK and they arrive fine. Not that I'd send an expensive pen in such wrapping.......

[Chrissy]

 

No it was a pen bubble wrapped and jiffy bagged.probably under 100g it cost me if I recall correctly 78p for second class and this was January. I've got a similarly sized packet going out on Monday so I will be interested to see how much that can be sent for?

73p 2nd class LL. You're taking a risk that it will be broken though.

Anyway I feel this discussion this is off topic for this thread

[daredevil22r]

To be quite honest I wouldn't be opposed to paypal-ing postage for a PiF I won. It only makes sense to put up some $ when you are getting something for free. And even international postage would be offset this way, even splitting the difference. Anyway, my opinion only, but I would be just fine if I were asked to help with shipping.

 

Paul

 

I also wouldn't mind paying for postage. Keeping in mind that someone is doing me a favor and helping me improve my poor writing.

[MyriamV]

I don't want to add to the lengthy discussions going on about shipping and such, but could a new thread be started on the subject, please? I just went through three pages of posts and most of them are discussing stuff, they're not PIF's. Saying thank you when you win a PIF is fine, but lengthy discussions are not. When I consult this thread, I want to see what's being offered, not what everyone thinks of shipping costs and other subjects.

 

I'm not a moderator and if one thinks my post is out of line, I'm sorry and you can delete it from the thread. I don't want to create trouble, I just want to find what I'm looking for without having to browse extra stuff. *getting off the soapbox and going out for a breath of fresh air*

[MissChief]

Speaking of PIF, it's my turn to offer one. I bought this Cross Aventura a few months ago and I just can't fall in love with it. It writes well but I prefer a finer nib than this one has. So, I'd like to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it more than I do. I've flushed it as well as I possibly could. I'll ship it anywhere and will include a couple of cartridges with it.

 

Ideally, I'd like it to go to someone who is new to the world of fountain pens, as I am, but I'm not going to limit it. Tell me why you'd like this pen and you'll be entered. I will choose a recipient on July 1 (or about then.... it could be a busy weekend).

 

 

 

 

[daredevil22r]

Very nice pen. I received one as a gift from m wife. Black. Good luck to those interested.

[mjhullett]

I have a bottle of noodler's Rome burning that I would like to send out.

 

Pm me a poem or limerick and I will send it to my favorite!!

 

Closes on the 25th

 

Thanks!

[mjhullett]

Whoops double post

Edited June 22, 2014 by mjhullett

[WirsPlm]

But it isn't that much of a difference is it?

 

Within the UK the cheapest charge is £2.80 2nd class, assuming you're packaging it well enough. To Europe the cheapest charge is £3.20, then to World zones 1 and 2 it's £3.80 or £4 respectively. If most PIF's go to the US or Canada then the difference is only £1. Personally, I don't think that's too bad at all.

 

For US members that's just $1.57 difference between mailing within CONUS and mailing International to England. How does that compare with your service?

Around here, I can reach most people in the CONUS with a package for about $5 (or a bit more, I'm rounding here), and the cheapest (no tracking, no pen tube, just a bubble envelope) international was about $10, and that wasn't going to a country that far away, for comparison's sake the difference is about the cost of a decent fast food meal or a couple meals if I cook at home, so while it's not that big a deal occasionally it's not something I could do every month and I'm better off financially than a lot of people. Edited June 23, 2014 by WirsPlm