Pen Heaven - London

[therecorder]

Want to order something from this shop (to be shipped to Israel). Anyone have any dealings with them, good or bad?

 

http://www.penheaven.co.uk/

 

Thanks much.

[mongrelnomad]

Hi. Never dealt with them, but you should try Shimon @ Dana Pens on Dizengoff in Tel-Aviv. He has most of the brands listed by penheaven, and once you factor in taxes and shipping, will probably be as cheap, if not cheaper, too.

 

That said, if it's something you can't get here, I've never used Pen Heaven. In the UK specifically, I've used Andy's Pens, Cult Pens and The Writing Desk repeatedly, with excellent results.

[owend]

Agree with Mongrelnomad - Penheaven's prices are high, and I've used Cult Pens and Andy's (although not The Writing Desk); both excellent service, quick in the UK. If their overseas postage is reasonable they look better bets than Penheaven.

 

Also, as he says, if you use a local supplier you may get better/quicker/cheaper service.

[therecorder]

At the moment, I am looking at this pen - http://www.penheaven.co.uk/platinum-president-fountain-pen-red-medium-nib and http://www.fahrneyspens.com/Item--i-123703S. Dana doesn't carry Platinum. Even if they did carry something that I was seeking, I would never shop there. Dana is a shop for those individuals who don't care how much they are paying for a product... Individuals who just want to buy the "right" thing at the "right" place. Example - A few weeks back I bought a Pelikan M805, blue/black fountain pen from ebay:

 

Seller: missing-pen ( 2378 )

Item title Price

P&P price

Quantity Item total

Pelikan fountain pen M805 / M 805 ( item: 161023933960 transaction: xxxxxxxxxxxx )

 

Paid on 20-Dec-13 US $349.90 US $14.99 1 US $349.90

Dispatched on 20-Dec-13

Standard Int'l Shipping

Estimated delivery: You can contact seller for more information.

 

Rolf, at missing pen, is an honest guy from Germany, known to many at FPN. The pen took about 10 days to reach the Be'er Sheva post office. When I picked up the pen at the post office, I was pleasantly surprised that Israeli Customs had not assessed VAT. If I had paid VAT, that would have have been another $62.80 ($349 X .18), and the total cost would have been $426.81. This would have been approximately 1,492.56 NIS ($426.81 X 3.4970 NIS/$). Here is Dana's price for the pen: 2,300 NIS ($657.71) for the pen (and the photos seem to show that this is old stock (without the new silver insignia on the top of the cap)). This absurd pricing has been as absurd for every item I have checked at Dana.

 

Pelikan's Recommended Retail Price for this pen is $520 ( Add 18% to that, and you get $613.60. Add some import costs to this, and you see that Dana is charging the absolute maximum that they can for this pen. Wish I were rich enough not to care, but am not. (Actually, most rich people do care... That usually has a lot to do with why they are

[tmenyc]

I bought some ink from Cult that I couldn't get here in the US, timed to be shipped to my cousin's hotel in London when she was visiting. Cult could not have been nicer or more accommodating, even confirmed with her that she had received it. I'll gladly buy from them again.

 

Tim

[mongrelnomad]

Well, I guess we have divergent options about Dana, though it appears you've never actually set foot in the store. In my experience, Shimon has always matched the prices of the equivalent international sellers (Mottishaw, Binder etc) - of course without the prospect of shipping and the potential taxation whammy. Go and meet him, try the pens, and you'd be surprised how the advertised prices suddenly drop.

 

He also adjusts the nibs for free (he is a first class nibmeister), lets you ink the pens, and is a port of call should things go wrong. All in all, more than worth it.

 

For Platinum pens, check out engeika on eBay. His Platinum auctions are usually very quiet and you can pick up the same pen for much less. He will also make sure it slips through customs...

Edited January 13, 2014 by mongrelnomad

[therecorder]

Well, I guess we have divergent options about Dana, though it appears you've never actually set foot in the store. In my experience, Shimon has always matched the prices of the equivalent international sellers (Mottishaw, Binder etc) - of course without the prospect of shipping and the potential taxation whammy. Go and meet him, try the pens, and you'd be surprised how the advertised prices suddenly drop.

 

He also adjusts the nibs for free (he is a first class nibmeister), lets you ink the pens, and is a port of call should things go wrong. All in all, more than worth it. The collective population of this country's rush to the absolute cheapest irrespective of all other variables often results in them being the fools down the line.

 

For Platinum pens, check out engeika on eBay. His Platinum auctions are usually very quiet and you can pick up the same pen for much less.

I am 66 years old, partially disabled, and traveling from Be'er Sheva to Tel Aviv is not easy for me. If I could, I definitely would follow your advice.

 

Engeika does have good prices, but he'll only ship EMS to Israel, which charge at lest an extra $35 for Customs Charges (in addition to the VAT), and you have to have the exact amount due when they deliver your package (no credit cards accepted, and you don't know the exact amount due until an hour or two before they come to your door).

Edited January 13, 2014 by therecorder

[mongrelnomad]

The pen is available through Engeika's web-shop. If you sign up as a member (email address and newsletter), it's $163.80. If not, it's $182.

 

There. I just saved you nearly $70 (not including shipping or tax - probably cheaper). All I ask in return is that next time you're in Tel-Aviv, you stop in to Dana Pens (on a day Shimon is there) before you judge

 

תתחדש!

Edited January 13, 2014 by mongrelnomad

[grainweevil]

Huh. It appears that Penheaven's price is actually rather low, at least compared to Cult Pens and Andy's Pens. Am I missing something?

 

Hope you have a successful purchase wherever you end up buying from, therecorder.

 

Cheers, Al

[perrins57]

Not used Penheaven, but they do have some very good reductions on limited number of items. I, like others have had good service from both Cult and Andy's pens.

[Ste_S]

Has anyone used them ? They're offering the Parker Sonnet with the medium Italic nib for a reasonable price

[sandy101]

I used Pen heaven in the dim & distant past - I think it was for a journal. No problem with them.

 

Cult pens currently have 20% off all Platinum products, and a further 10% off in their January sale. if you want Platinum, then Cult pens will be the place to go.

[Captivelight]

I've used them recently for some spare parts for a couple of Parkers - service was excellent, goods arrived quickly and price was comparable to others. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

[perrins57]

Bought a Platinum President from them - good price, quick postage.