Regarding Possible Fakes: S T Dupont

October 2, 2017

Having a mild interest in adding another Classique to my S T Dupont pens, I came across an advertiser in the land of Oz, offering a Classique and a Montparnasse, as well as a whole bunch of other much more expensive pens.

The advertiser has a good seller rating and many followers. He offers a 30-day money back guarantee, and said that all goods were owned by him, collected over many years. However (and leaving aside all matters of price), my caution came from the fact that the "Montparnasse" is quite obviously not.

Neither pen comes with box or papers, yet of the "Montparnasse" (it looks to me like a Classique) he said it had been dipped only, never used. This seemed odd. If you buy a pen and dip it only, it seems less likely to me that you would also discard or lose the box and papers. I wrote and asked about this. While I was at it, I asked whether my Waterman converter would fit or whether I would need an international converter *. This was the reply, which I think it reasonable to publish here:

"I have no idea if the converter will fit or not. It takes common cartridges so writing with it is no problem.

I used to travel a lot when I was working overseas. Every time I was near a duty free e.g. Hong Kong, Schipol in Amsterdam etc I tended to pick up a pen as I did collect them. In a hand luggage that would have been the first thing to throw away the box.
I never thought I would sell my pens so they have been in a display case for years. Now I am old and have no use for them. I know they are genuine because they were mostly from authorised Airport Duty Free shops around the world.
Hope this clears."

I do not intend to buy from this seller. I have better options, assuming I do anything at all. However, I am interested in considered views. Reputation and story on one hand, obvious error and the explanation on the other.

* I am quite aware that Duponts up to the Montparnasse take neither of these converters.

edit:typo

Edited October 2, 2017 by praxim

October 2, 2017

The Classique may have been faked even more often than Montblancs. And he very may well believe what he has was real but the story simply stinks. When putting stuff in hand luggage the last thing I would do is throw away protective boxes.

October 2, 2017

"I have no idea if the converter will fit or not. It takes common cartridges so writing with it is no problem.

I used to travel a lot when I was working overseas. Every time I was near a duty free e.g. Hong Kong, Schipol in Amsterdam etc I tended to pick up a pen as I did collect them. In a hand luggage that would have been the first thing to throw away the box.
I never thought I would sell my pens so they have been in a display case for years. Now I am old and have no use for them. I know they are genuine because they were mostly from authorised Airport Duty Free shops around the world.
Hope this clears."

Smells like fecal matter.

Fred

October 2, 2017

Even if one were to discard boxes to put pens in a display case, would one also discard all the papers for authenticity, being a display-collector rather than a user-collector? Rhetorical question.

Not knowing about the cartridge converter type for either pen, then identifying one of two "Classiques" as a "Montparnasse" also seems less than collector-ish. Neither advertisement mentions any cartridge or C/C at all. The same advertiser has quite a few much more expensive pens for sale.

The promise to refund no-questions-asked in 30 days is merely consistent with Australian Consumer Law (except there is no time limit) yet, perversely, would probably help nefarious activity. If discovered one simply says "sorry, no idea how that happened, here's all your money back" while expecting to profit over all.

Proving the pen in question is not a Montparnasse (misrepresention) is trivial. Proving it is a fake (passive fraud) may be possible. Proving active, persistent fraud would require specific investigation and monitoring, which may be considered to have a low payoff for the size of the crime, if such there is.

I have elected not to tell the seller I know it is not a Montparnasse. If their behaviour is not innocent then I can not readily stop it so should do nothing to improve their approach; better to leave the flag up.