Bought A Fake Safari...

[jpnyc]

Iceman posted the picture I was attempting. I apologize for my technical incompetence.

 

It should perhaps be noted that I have never seen a fake Safari which doesn't have a fine nib, as per that picture. Has anyone seen a nib displaying the same breather hole problems, etc. that wasn't fine?

[Kasbe]

I was concerned that my Safari Charcoal could be a knockoff, being the ink window misaligned with the tip and having a F nib that I think writes too wet and wide for me (although it's my first fountain pen so...).

I fixed the misalignment by grinding the body of the pen until the ink window matched where I wanted, and tinkered with the nib a little so it would drop less ink and write thinner (by the way it was so hard to take off the nib at first). Now I think it writes perfectly.

I am going to buy a replacement nib just in case to check it is a real Lamy. I don't really mind it being a knockoff since I think I've fixed what I don't like and I'm very comfortable now. But still going to check .

[jpnyc]

As a point of curiosity: has anyone ever seen a fake al-Star? I occasionally see these come up on eBay, etc. for suspiciously low prices as well. I'm almost willing to take (another) gamble since I've never heard of a fake.

[synerr]

  On 6/2/2015 at 12:07 AM, jpnyc said:

As a point of curiosity: has anyone ever seen a fake al-Star? I occasionally see these come up on eBay, etc. for suspiciously low prices as well. I'm almost willing to take (another) gamble since I've never heard of a fake.

 

I love me a bargain but decided that a mere couple of quid is not worth the head scratching and paranoia afterwards. At least here in the UK there seems to be a couple of good online suppliers that have competitive prices (roughly 20% over lowest prices on amazon) especially if you're buying over a certain amount and shipping gets included.

[bkkusc]

I just realized my Safari from amazon was a fake (purchased in January 2015) and they gave me a full refund. I purchased from "Nationwide Discounts" but was fulfilled by Amazon.

Edited June 5, 2015 by bkkusc

[rocky99]

  On 5/16/2015 at 6:07 PM, jpnyc said:

I also just purchased an obvious fake on eBay. There are some differences from what has been reported here and elsewhere:

 

(1) It wasn't even boxed as a real lamy pen: neither the (fake) included converter or the (real looking) Lamy cartridge was in the pen--both were bouncing around the Lamy box separately. The pen had nothing seated inside.

 

(2) The uncentered breather hole issue has been fixed; the breather hole is perfectly centered, but is still not as far back on the nib as on a real Lamy pen. Even with poor machine tolerances it should be closer to perfectly in line with the end of the squared off part of the back of the nib.

 

(3) They're apparently no longer including the 'founfain pen' insert as it was a dead giveaway. Mine came with no paperwork.

 

(4) The pen was wrapped in tissue paper inside the box. I don't think any Lamy pen ships this way.

 

(5) The ink window is perfectly centered so that it is not partially obstructed by the threaded part of the section/feed screw in. I've seen other fake reports which didn't line up properly.

 

The plastic also doesn't feel right for a matte charcoal to me, but I can't be sure. I don't own another Safari to compare it to (I have only handled them in stores). Otherwise, the fake has the other issues that I've seen here and on other threads.

 

Had this been my first Lamy purchase, I would not have known that this was a fake. It's a really, really good one.

 

Please, please, please only buy Safaris from trusted dealers. I thought mine would be real for certain since it was only 15% or so cheaper from Amazon's (not third party) price and the seller had a 100% positive feedback with several hundred reviews. Since amazon was out of the right nib size, I thought it would be a fairly safe purchase. I was wrong.

I must have gotten one from the same seller. This sounds just like the yellow one. I'm returning it tomorrow. The plastic on mine was so thin that it actually broke where the grip connects to the main body (don't know the correct pen parts, I'm a noob.) Reported it to Amazon as a fake. Hoping they'll still credit me even though it's broken. Sad that my first ever Lamy was a fake. :/

[afcart]

  On 6/23/2015 at 2:22 AM, rocky99 said:

I must have gotten one from the same seller. This sounds just like the yellow one. I'm returning it tomorrow. The plastic on mine was so thin that it actually broke where the grip connects to the main body (don't know the correct pen parts, I'm a noob.) Reported it to Amazon as a fake. Hoping they'll still credit me even though it's broken. Sad that my first ever Lamy was a fake. :/

 

That's very unfortunate; sorry to hear about it :[ The worst part is having to wait longer to get a real one, but it'll be worth it!

[ian1964]

I am now convinced all 3 of mine are fake! However, I have had them for a year now and they all write really well. So I will keep taking them to work as I have always done. If they are fake (and from what I have read, they are) they are high quality fakes.

[rocky99]

  On 6/25/2015 at 3:53 PM, ian1964 said:

I am now convinced all 3 of mine are fake! However, I have had them for a year now and they all write really well. So I will keep taking them to work as I have always done. If they are fake (and from what I have read, they are) they are high quality fakes.

This one wrote ok, but I couldn't stand paying the price for a real one and receiving a fake instead. If I knew it was a clone and paid a price on par I probably could have reconciled myself.

[thudthwacker]

After getting my Al-Star from PenChalet, I realized that the Safari I got from an Amazon vendor was a fake. Both where F's, but the Al-Star line was a lot finer, and held up next to each other, the nibs were quite dissimilar -- the Safari nib seemed a fair bit wider, with the previously-mentioned too-close-to-the-tip breather hole. Alas. Oddly, the faux Safari started misbehaving right after I got the Al-Star -- gushing ink, skipping weirdly, and similar. As if it knew its cover was blown, and didn't see a point in pretending any more.

 

My next PenChalet order is going to include a genuine Safari, and I've learned my lesson about making sure my pens come from reliable sources.

[apastuszak]

I'm getting a yellow Lamy Safari in the mail today from Amazon. After reading this thread, I'm seriously worried that I am going to get a counterfeit pen.

 

The Amazon reseller I bought it from is "Advantage Gifts." Unless the fake pens have gotten significantly better, you guys have helped me with lots of tips on how to spot a fake.

[apastuszak]

Ok, I appears my Safari is genuine, from the limited knowledge I have obtained from this thread, and this blog post:

 

http://www.deskoflori.com/blog/2015/4/16/my-experience-with-a-counterfeit-lamy-safari

 

• The box looks like the new style box.
• The nib breather hole is in the right place
• It did not come with a converter
• I got blue ink and not blue-black
• It's writing nice and smooth on my Apica notebook.

 

The only pause for concern is:

• The cardboard ring only has writing on the outside and not on the inside.
• It did not come with any documentation in the box

 

This only my second fountain pen (Pilot Metropolitan was my first), so I'm not the best judge of pens.

 

I guess I'm going to have to order another one now so I can compare. :-)

[apastuszak]

So, to add to the discussion here...

 

I received an email explaining how Amazon co-migles stock. So, say some Amazon seller that uses Amazon fullfillment sends them 100 Yellow Lamy Safari pens to their warehouse in Texas. It gets entered and cataloged under that pens stock number, along with the quantity. But when you order from that seller, they'll ship a yellow Lamy Safari from the closest warehouse to you. Cause to them, it's all the same model number. So, you buy from seller A, but get shipped stock provided by seller B, cause it's in the nearest warehouse. Seller B has provided Amazon with a bunch of fake pens. Even though Seller A is on the up and up, you still end up getting a fake pen.

[Koyote]

For what they cost, I'd be more interested in how they write than in where they are made. It's not as if a genuine Safari is a collectible, after all.

[Koyote]

  On 6/25/2015 at 3:53 PM, ian1964 said:

I am now convinced all 3 of mine are fake! However, I have had them for a year now and they all write really well. So I will keep taking them to work as I have always done. If they are fake (and from what I have read, they are) they are high quality fakes.

Bingo.

[Laura N]

  On 7/27/2015 at 9:56 PM, apastuszak said:

So, to add to the discussion here...

 

I received an email explaining how Amazon co-migles stock. So, say some Amazon seller that uses Amazon fullfillment sends them 100 Yellow Lamy Safari pens to their warehouse in Texas. It gets entered and cataloged under that pens stock number, along with the quantity. But when you order from that seller, they'll ship a yellow Lamy Safari from the closest warehouse to you. Cause to them, it's all the same model number. So, you buy from seller A, but get shipped stock provided by seller B, cause it's in the nearest warehouse. Seller B has provided Amazon with a bunch of fake pens. Even though Seller A is on the up and up, you still end up getting a fake pen.

 

I'm a skeptical person who doesn't necessarily believe anything that is not sourced to a named person with demonstrated knowledge of the subject. So I found this statement a little hazy, by my standards, and I ran an internet search to see if there was any source. Lo and behold, I found a Wall Street Journal about the subject from May 2014 at this link.

 

I am an Amazon Prime member and a big Amazon shopper. I appreciate their low prices and excellent return policy. However, this raises a huge red flag with me, since it appears possible from this story, if Amazon has not since enacted safeguards, that one could pay a bit more for the assurance of buying directly from Amazon, but one still might receive a counterfeit item if that happened to be on the shelf of the warehouse because of a third party seller of counterfeits.

 

I hope whoever receives a counterfeit Safari not only contacts Amazon about it, but perhaps also contacts Lamy.

[apastuszak]

  On 7/28/2015 at 3:07 AM, Laura N said:

 

I'm a skeptical person who doesn't necessarily believe anything that is not sourced to a named person with demonstrated knowledge of the subject. So I found this statement a little hazy, by my standards, and I ran an internet search to see if there was any source. Lo and behold, I found a Wall Street Journal about the subject from May 2014 at this link.

 

I am an Amazon Prime member and a big Amazon shopper. I appreciate their low prices and excellent return policy. However, this raises a huge red flag with me, since it appears possible from this story, if Amazon has not since enacted safeguards, that one could pay a bit more for the assurance of buying directly from Amazon, but one still might receive a counterfeit item if that happened to be on the shelf of the warehouse because of a third party seller of counterfeits.

 

I hope whoever receives a counterfeit Safari not only contacts Amazon about it, but perhaps also contacts Lamy.

 

That's the part that scares me. You can't even be trusted to buy 'Shipped and Sold By Amazon" merchandise. Once fake products get in the Amazon plumbing, then it's a buyer beware situation. Amazon will always put it right if you tell them. But it's on you to triple check to make sure you got a genuine product.

Edited July 28, 2015 by apastuszak

[apastuszak]

  On 7/28/2015 at 2:34 AM, Koyote said:

For what they cost, I'd be more interested in how they write than in where they are made. It's not as if a genuine Safari is a collectible, after all.

 

If you want to get a good fake at a good price, go buy a Hero 359 off of eBay. The 359 looks just like a Lamy, and appears to even take Lamy nibs. They go for $10 or less on eBay and come in colors the Lamy is not available in.

 

So, if you're not willing to pay the few extra bucks to go with someone like Goulet, that has known genuine pens, and want to take a (bleep) shoot, just go right for the fake. Why pay $18.00 on Amazon for a pen branded as a Lamy that is not, when you can pay $10.00 and get an indentical looking pen branded as a Hero, that takes standard internation cartridges and comes with a converter.

 

 

That being said, I bought my Yellow Lamy from Amazon, and it appears to be genuine. I paid $25 for it. But that was before I found this thread. Had I read it first, I think I would not have pulled the trigger quite as fast on my Amazon purchase.

Edited July 28, 2015 by apastuszak

[rocky99]

  On 7/28/2015 at 2:34 AM, Koyote said:

For what they cost, I'd be more interested in how they write than in where they are made. It's not as if a genuine Safari is a collectible, after all.

I think for many of us, it's the principle. Lamy created a functional and attractive pen, and that's the one I want. If, as mentioned after your post, a Hero is an acceptable substitute, then buyers who don't care about a genuine Lamy may purchase the Hero. Or, like you, they may be happy paying the price for a Lamy and receiving a knock-off that performs adequately. But to reiterate, to many of us it's principle: Lamy did the research, made the original, marketed the product, set up a distribution network, etc. I don't support illegal knock-offs, regardless of quality compared to the authentic product.

[gordonhooker]

  On 6/25/2015 at 3:53 PM, ian1964 said:

I am now convinced all 3 of mine are fake! However, I have had them for a year now and they all write really well. So I will keep taking them to work as I have always done. If they are fake (and from what I have read, they are) they are high quality fakes.

 

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