When Nib Grinding Goes Very, Very Wrong

[jekostas]

So, I bought a Delta Y2K Carbon Fibre special edition off of the 'Bay with an 18k broad nib. Pen came in today, I busted out the loupe to take a look at the nib, and...

 

 

Seemingly an attempt to grind an oblique italic and it looks more like the nib was dragged down the road behind a car for a couple of kilometres.

 

This is why you practice on cheap pens, kiddies.

[linearM]

Now what! What do you see as your options?

[jmccarty3]

I would return this pen for a refund, unless you are so enamored with it that you are willing to pay for retipping and regrinding. If I had paid a lot for this disaster, I would be asking for my money back. I must say that I have bought a lot of pens on ebay, and I've never encountered this sort of horror.

[jekostas]

I would return this pen for a refund, unless you are so enamored with it that you are willing to pay for retipping and regrinding. If I had paid a lot for this disaster, I would be asking for my money back. I must say that I have bought a lot of pens on ebay, and I've never encountered this sort of horror.

 

I've already requested my money back. The seller says that I have to pay return shipping (from North America to Israel, no less) if I want a refund even though he listed the pen as in "excellent" condition. I'm not sure how you can see those pictures and honestly stick to that claim.

[ac12]

The problem and cost of return shipping is why I avoid buying from overseas.

And when I do, I do not expect to return it. As in, the item is cheap enough to call it a loss.

 

My wife got burned with the return shipping of a pen. Swiss customs charged a duty on the item, even though it was being returned to the seller.

[jmccarty3]

It's time to file a complaint with ebay. Send them the photos we have seen, with a detailed description of the irregularities of this nib. They should stand behind you and get you your money back. They are capable of being rather intolerant of sellers who misrepresent items like this.

[PAKMAN]

Shocking to see such a mess on that nib!

[Ian the Jock]

It's time to file a complaint with ebay. Send them the photos we have seen, with a detailed description of the irregularities of this nib. They should stand behind you and get you your money back. They are capable of being rather intolerant of sellers who misrepresent items like this.

Yip

The seller should be liable for return shipping if the goods are faulty or not as described.

Ebay will withold the payment until resolution is found, so you'll get your money back if you don't reach agreement as they always find on the side of the buyer.

 

More often than not the seller doesn't want to pay for the return and offers a partial discount, which would need to be pretty substantial to cover the cost of that repair.

 

Ian

[Bluey]

If they didn't show clear photos of the nib to get an accurate idea of the state of it, why did you buy it?

[jekostas]

If they didn't show clear photos of the nib to get an accurate idea of the state of it, why did you buy it?

 

Honestly? The seller had excellent feedback, so I made the (foolish) assumption that they'd be honest about the item's condition. So yeah, so at least a little bit of this mess has to fall at my door. That said, I've bought plenty of pens on eBay, new, used and vintage and I've never seen a nib quite this bad.

 

On the plus side, filing a complaint with eBay got the seller to change their tune about return shipping very, very quickly.

[Bluey]

I don't know. I personally wouldn't buy anything that didn't show lots of pics with every angle.

 

I wouldn't rely on words because words are vague. Pictures less so.

 

If there was anything even slightly wrong with the item, the seller should have highlighted them in the description, or at the very least shown a clear picture of the issues so that the buyer is no doubt about what they are receiving. Anything less and they're being dishonest.

 

Unfortunately, I have to agree with you that half the problem is down to you as a buyer not making more enquiries to get a good idea of what you're going to receive

Live and learn eh.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Bluey

[sidthecat]

Yikes!!

This is why the husband’s Dremel stays in the closet.

[siamackz]

More than an issue with polishing it seems the nib has experienced some trauma (dropped, banged, etc.). There seems to be sufficient iridium tipping, and the tipping itself doesnt seem to be in terriblly sharp angles or anything, so it doesnt look so much as polishing done wrong to me. But it is a damaged nib for sure. Definitely not excellent condition.

[jekostas]

The tines themselves are actually perfectly straight and not warped, so I don't think the pen was dropped or damaged. I'm pretty sure it's just a truly terrible attempt at grinding an oblique italic as both the top and bottom of the tipping have been ground flat. I also have no earthly idea how whomever did this managed to grind a chunk out of the outside of the left tine, and a more-or-less straight angle out of the right.

[Needhelp]

[jekostas]

Well, after some negotiation (and maybe a threat or two) the seller refunded the majority of my purchase price and told me to keep the pen. I ended up grinding the remaining tipping material in to a very usable stub. The nib is still ugly, and it'll never be the 18k broad that I wanted but hey, for the ~$35 ended up paying when all was said and done I'm happy.

[Kelly G]

All's well that ends well,or, ah, sort of well anyway. Some people just shouldn't be allowed near power tools!

[siamackz]

Well, after some negotiation (and maybe a threat or two) the seller refunded the majority of my purchase price and told me to keep the pen. I ended up grinding the remaining tipping material in to a very usable stub. The nib is still ugly, and it'll never be the 18k broad that I wanted but hey, for the ~$35 ended up paying when all was said and done I'm happy.

I would have done the same rather than return. Enjoy the pen. Some arent meant to be perfect, but that doesnt mean they cannot end up being good purchases

[mitto]

Be happy with your stub.

[Randal6393]

Wow! That's the worst botched nib job I have ever seen. But that's why I use stones for shaping rather than power tools. Glad you got a partial refund and were able to salvage the pen. Hope you enjoy the stub.

 

Best of luck,