Endlesspens Has Some Great Deals...don't Know How They Do It

[TSherbs]

What's their Philippines connection?

[ParkerDuofold]

What's their Philippines connection?

I'm sure the answer comes at the price of your life.

 

 

- Anthony

[ParkerDuofold]

Hi all,

 

My $35 Lamy CP-1 was delivered today... looks kosher to me... included the tri-fold gift box with the accordion insert and the paperwork, too.

 

The only thing missing was the black-knob converter... I thought they were included on the CP-1, (it was on my $55 model).

 

But that's why I'm also not gonna complain.

 

Can't wait for my Pelikans.

 

 

- Anthony

[Pensei]

Since there seems to be interest, I'll add one more piece of data, purely personal, YMMV, as they say. Just received a Graf von Faber Castel Guilloche. Pretty much a flawless transaction: shipped day of order, arrived quickly and carefully packaged. And on to perhaps the key issue at hand: pen was in all original packaging, including a clear wrapper on the pen. The pen had to my untrained observation not been touched by human hands since manufacture. Each person must make their own decision about how comfortable they are with turning warranty service over to a secondary vendor. Oh, the pen? Very nice, but it sent me digging through my inks to find something dry. The German definition of EF and mine are not the same. I have also found, perhaps only in my imagination, that GvFC and F-C pens slow down their ink flow a bit when you use cartridges instead of their converters. Others firmly in the EF camp with me might find that bit of information useful. If I have to use only GvFC carts to make the pen useful (to me), they fortunately have some nice colors. I won't attempt a review, there are others here, but it really is a pretty pen. I particularly like the restrained but elegant nib design. I got the Ciselé Anthracite, which is well crafted and subtle but a bit snazzy. If you are bored you can spin it around and have some childlike entertainment. Sort of an Op Art revival. In summary, to be blunt, this pen is perhaps overpriced at retail for those of us in the working class; at this price, it's worth consideration.

[A Smug Dill]

The only thing missing was the black-knob converter... I thought they were included on the CP-1, (it was on my $55 model).

When I bought my first Lamy CP1 fountain pen from a UK vendor, for US$45 via Amazon.com, to my pleasant surprise it came with one even though it wasn't mentioned in the product listing.

 

When I bought my second CP1 from Endless Pens for US$27, it didn't come with one — but I did order one separately just in case. Looking on Lamy's web site, I'm not sure whether it's supposed to come with one in the first place.

[ParkerDuofold]

When I bought my first Lamy CP1 fountain pen from a UK vendor, for US$45 via Amazon.com, to my pleasant surprise it came with one even though it wasn't mentioned in the product listing.

 

When I bought my second CP1 from Endless Pens for US$27, it didn't come with one but I did order one separately just in case. Looking on Lamy's web site, I'm not sure whether it's supposed to come with one in the first place.

Hi SD,

 

You got a great deal on your CP-1.

 

When I took up this hobby in 2015, the cut-off pen was the Logo. The Logo and Al-Star did not include the converter, but the CP-1 did.

 

It seemed $50 was the break... pens below the $50 mark came without; models at or above $50 had one.

 

That all changed when the Aion was introduced... it was the first $50+ Lamy not to include a free converter.

 

This is when an included converter moved up to the Studio class... which is ridiculous... because the next step up from there is the L2K, which doesn't need a converter.

 

I think Lamy has been cutting corners on things so they can afford to keep production in Germany... because I would think with all the lush colors available today... converters would be more popular than ever, (which may also explain their absence... it's another way to turn a big buck).

 

Be well.

 

 

- Anthony

[Misfit]

I saved the mint color Safari for my birthday. When I got around to trying to fit the converter and put all in the barrel, it seemed too large.

 

The converter has a silver color part where they used to be black (near the twist part). But that is how the converter looks on other websites. I need to do more research, but its strange.

 

Ah ha, the difference is it is a Z28 converter now. I had to be more aware of pushing the converter in than with the old one. It fits now, and is fine.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Misfit

[jvr]

With their pre-order system, they prevent inventory costs. Also, their prices are roughly in line with the European pricing of some brands. US importers seem to add quite a margin for themselves.

[Penryn87]

So a few observations - they don't carry a full lineup of the brands they have in stock it seems. I would guess they are buying overstocked items from distributor warehouses at a clearing price. Their other sales method being pre-orders; which probably works similar to mass drop (or just 'Drop' now lol) where they build up a large order and then once they have enough pre-orders to get them the discount they want, they make the order.. all within 120 days of your order. They do take the full pre-order payment up front and apparently do not offer the option to cancel that order.

In their About Us section, they say they have affiliated partners in China, South Korea, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. Well with the exception of the Philippines, all happen to be the location of the major shipping ports in the world. (Shanghai, Busan, Rotterdam)

I would guess they use pre-order funds to bankroll their overstock purchases since they probably try to buy in as much bulk as possible and probably with cash to get the lowest price possible.. hence why they don't offer cancellations on them (the money is already gone lol).

They are legit.. just know what you are getting.

Edited September 29, 2019 by Penryn87

[bemon]

well so far I have ordered 5 pens from them from at least 3 separate occassions.

 

No complains at all. the pens arrive in perfect packaging, and as far I can tell and use, its the real deal.

 

service has been good. Although not everything is the cheapest at their sites, their deals are really really good.

That could be how they do it- aggressive loss leaders and make up the difference on regular inventory.