Forbes: Goulet Pen Company $13.8M In 2019

[Arkanabar]

Because it isn't always just three dollars?

 

I love Goulet and use them for as many of my purchases as I can justify (ink, paper, accessories, etc), but to be honest, I never buy pens from them. They almost never have competitive prices on anything I want. I've bought their special edition turquoise Diplomat Aero, but that's the only pen I recall ever having bought from them -- and only because it was not possible to get it anywhere else since it was a Goulet exclusive.

 

A random example I recently priced:

 

Pelikan M800 Brown Black, medium nib.

 

Goulet price -- $675.75

Appelboom -- $464.35

 

These are shipped prices. A difference of $211.40. I realize WHY Goulet has to price Pelikans, specifically, that high. But I've literally never found them to have the best price on any pen I've been interested in. And their prices are usually high enough that I just can't justify the difference in good conscience. I really like them and would love to buy more from them, but, especially when you are looking at Pelikans and Pilots (my preferred brands at the moment, subject to change at any instant, lol), there are just too many other vendors that give comparable levels of service and shipping care while being much lower in price. As always, YMMV, JMHO, etc...

Wow, with a price difference like that -- nearly two days of labor -- I'm sure I'd buy from Appelboom too. But I'm more or less done buying pens for now, and when I do, they tend towards inexpensive. I love me my cheap thrills.

[txomsy]

I do not really know, but might it be a problem of trade wars? Kinda like the US placing a higher tax on German goods to protect the inner market? Then, Pelikan would be forced to sell in the US at a higher price. When you buy elsewhere, the item comes in a box and is just a "generic" item, so the general tax applies on import customs.

 

I suppose not, 'cos it looks as too high a difference. But I've often seen, with many expensive items -specially electronics- that they may cost 1/3 less when bought on the US than on EU, but if I add in the customs tax, then the price comes more or less the same.

 

Here you can be sure to pay customs for parcels worth over 50€, so in the end, buying outside does give very little economic advantage. Which is why I stopped buying from Goulet, I need to make sure the shipping cost, taxes and shipping time balance for the order... or that they are the only ones who have the item (like Goulet specialty nibs or some inks). That said, I've always been happy with their prices and service.

[welch]

Wrong.

Just wrong...........

 

When one places an order with Appleboom, a well recognized world-wide Pelikan Authorized Dealer (AD), said buyer receives a factory fresh pen straight from an AD. And, that pen comes with a full 3 year Pelikan warranty so signified by an official Pelikan warranty card which has been duly authenticated, stamped and dated by Appleboom, an authorized dealer.

 

Just because Chartpak might not do the warranty work does not mean Appleboom has sold you a grey market pen.

 

Appleboom might be an authorized dealer in NL, but that does not make them the US Pelikan distributor. That is Chartpak, and Chartpak sets prices in the US. Appleboom might send you a welcome card signed by Mr. Pelikan himself, but that is irrelevant.

 

So far, people have merely complained that the European price for this special edition Pelikan 800 is lower than the price the US distributor has set. Now I don't know a lot about how the pen industry works, but a mere wish and protest that "I don't want to pay Chartpak's price" is far from a solid argument that Goulet is gouging customers.

 

Here are three examples:

 

FPH: List $795, Our Price $636

Vanness: "$ 635.00 $ 795.00"

Goulet: $636

Drumgooles: $795 $500

[A Smug Dill]

Now I don't know a lot about how the pen industry works, but a mere wish and protest that "I don't want to pay Chartpak's price" is far from a solid argument that Goulet is gouging customers.

 

I don't think that's what people are saying at all. I think some fellow hobbyists and consumers, on either side of the Atlantic, is saying, "Goulet's price for this Pelikan model is significant higher than how much it cost me to buy from a bona fide Pelikan authorised dealer, and it just isn't worth it to me to buy from Goulet, whether Brian is a nice guy or not, whether it's a family business or a US$13.8M business, whether it treats its employees well, and whether it throws in Tootsie Pops with each order." Anyone else may disagree as to how to assess "worth", but if the essence is just to buy a Pelikan from an authorised dealer, there are far more cost-effective options for the purchaser. Being an American business (in the matter of selling a German import) has no intrinsic value to buyers in the wide world outside the US, and even in the US I doubt every resident would think there is something for which it is worth more out-of-pocket expense on the buyer's part. As for being a small business, buying from LCdC and Fontoplumo in the Netherlands, PenGallery in Malaysia, Pensachi in Japan or LarryPOST here in Australia would also be buying from a small business (probably smaller than Goulet, in revenue terms, but I wouldn't actually know).

 

It's not a matter of Goulet either doing the wrong thing by consumers or the business not having any virtue; far from it. It's a matter of trying to identify some virtue(s) that Goulet as a retailer has that isn't also a trait of other retailers, such that it has a competitive edge vying for the pen hobbyist's custom.

 

I personally haven't been able to find any, and as a result I have never bought from Goulet; but all the same I wish the business well and I'm sure it has earned its reputation and loyalty among fans of the company.

Edited May 30, 2020 by A Smug Dill

[TSherbs]

Dill, that is an excellent summary.

[mulrich]

I dont think so, but I am not in US either. But I have had multiple items delivered over the years, most of which were more than $1000 and they came in without requiring any payment on delivery.

The import duty level used to be $400 but was changed to $800 a few years ago. Many shippers dont bother with these taxes except for DHL, which is one reason I prefer appelboom (fedex) over LCdC (DHL), but I still order from both.

[welch]

Sorry there, fellow. Where do you get the crazy notion that I like Goulets?

 

- I disagree only with a complaint that the Goulets are overcharging when the only example is a Pelikan pen that they sell at what seems to be a price within range set by Pelikan's US distributor. Prices in other countries are irrelevant. There is not a world-wide common market.

 

- Hit Goulet's for selling pens but knowing very little while they have a bloated reputation among those pen users who do not yet know, but who will learn, and among those, like "business journalists" who know nothing. I stay away from Goulets as a company. I dislike them -- must have bought something once, long ago, but I have set my email to dump their "communiques" into the spam folder.

 

- The advice videos are only a little more than superficial. Walk into a pen store like Fountain Pen Hospital, and you can talk with one of the Wiederlights, who have worked in their dad's store all their lives. Ask about anything, and they probably sold it and know it. Compare the Goulet videos to all the information easily available at Richard Binder's site, for instance. Yes, that's a little arrogant, but Goulet's videos seem like marketing hogwash. After Goulet claimed that he didn't know if pen-flush was safe for vintage pens, our pen club rolled our eyes and snickered.

 

- However, that Goulet's pens is closed during the pandemic is a big shrug. So are a lot of things. A splendid specialty pencil store has been closed, and they do not yet appear to be re-stocking, although they are doing some mail-order business. Here they are: https://cwpencils.com/

 

John Mottishaw's Nibs.com says they are getting no new shipments and that mail orders will be delayed.

 

Bookstores are closed, and independent bookstores, like McNally Jackson in NYC, are managing to wrap and ship books but clearly not as easily as before the pandemic.

[Seney724]

Sorry there, fellow. Where do you get the crazy notion that I like Goulets?

 

- I disagree only with a complaint that the Goulets are overcharging when the only example is a Pelikan pen that they sell at what seems to be a price within range set by Pelikan's US distributor. Prices in other countries are irrelevant. There is not a world-wide common market.

 

- Hit Goulet's for selling pens but knowing very little while they have a bloated reputation among those pen users who do not yet know, but who will learn, and among those, like "business journalists" who know nothing. I stay away from Goulets as a company. I dislike them -- must have bought something once, long ago, but I have set my email to dump their "communiques" into the spam folder.

 

- The advice videos are only a little more than superficial. Walk into a pen store like Fountain Pen Hospital, and you can talk with one of the Wiederlights, who have worked in their dad's store all their lives. Ask about anything, and they probably sold it and know it. Compare the Goulet videos to all the information easily available at Richard Binder's site, for instance. Yes, that's a little arrogant, but Goulet's videos seem like marketing hogwash. After Goulet claimed that he didn't know if pen-flush was safe for vintage pens, our pen club rolled our eyes and snickered.

 

- However, that Goulet's pens is closed during the pandemic is a big shrug. So are a lot of things. A splendid specialty pencil store has been closed, and they do not yet appear to be re-stocking, although they are doing some mail-order business. Here they are: https://cwpencils.com/

 

John Mottishaw's Nibs.com says they are getting no new shipments and that mail orders will be delayed.

 

Bookstores are closed, and independent bookstores, like McNally Jackson in NYC, are managing to wrap and ship books but clearly not as easily as before the pandemic.

Well since it is apparent that we agree more than we disagree I will respond, if only to take this back to where it began, which is over Goulet's business practices.

 

It has been well established that throughout the past 2-3 months Goulet has continued to take orders and they are charging people's credit cards immediately. This with no intention to ship the purchased item anytime soon. They are not sneaky about it; they tell their buyers upfront they are doing it.

 

Many, including me, are bothered by this practice. Others, not so much.

 

I propose you circle back to all the excellent pen & pencil businesses you have cited in your post. Take a look and see how many of them are doing the same thing with regard to the immediate charge to the customer's card. Please then report back. In the opinion of many of us (but not all) what Goulet is doing is a very disconcerting business practice yet consistent with many of their other self serving business practices. Again, nothing illegal but enough to make many of us want to give someone else our business. Your findings will be a helpful and constructive contribution to this thread; if you find that most others are doing the same than our concern is unwarranted. If Goulet stands alone, as we believe they do, that says, to me, we are right to be bothered by by their making money on other's people's money for 2-3 months at a time. And, can afford to stay home while other "family" businesses are out their busting their butts to stay alive.

[Estycollector]

"fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice.,.,,shame on me".

[NumberSix]

Something interesting: On r/fountainpens people frequently ask what's a good starter pen. Inevitably, the recommendations are the pens sold by Goulet. No one ever recommends a Parker Vector, for instance, even though the Vector and Jotter fountain pens are terrific entry-level pens for the same price as the beloved Metropolitan (and can often be purchased at your local Office Depot).

 

I guess you have to give the Goulets credit. Because they're the first place many people go, those are the items people know as available. And then you have people who have been using pens for a month advising wannabe users about what they should buy - and all those new people know is what Goulet sells. And so on.

[sandy101]

And, can afford to stay home while other "family" businesses are out their busting their butts to stay alive.

 

Goulet made a difficult decision in the face of a global pandemic - which has hospitalised millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands of people.

 

You know nothing about the individual circumstances of the business, the employees or the families behind the business.

 

They've made it clear to their customers that there will be shipping delays due to the circumstances they have found themselves in surrounding Covid-19. Some of the shops I use have similar polices. If you use Paypal, then Paypal can charge upfront. The retailer has no control over that.

 

You said you've taken your business elsewhere. You don't own shares in the business, nor are you a customer - so why is their decision, taken in the face of a terrible global pandemic any of your business? You are not the one facing the personal consequences should someone who works for the business get critically ill.

 

I haven't been able to see many of my friends or family since March because of this pandemic. One of my friends is caring for his sick parents, who are extremely susceptible to the virus. Can you imagine what it's like thinking that you might bring home a virus that might kill your parents, because you went to get the groceries? That's what living with this virus is like for many people.

 

Will Pen shop A send me a pen in two months, or pen shop B send me the same pen in a week. Does it really matter? If it does, then you should count yourself fortunate. Others have not been so lucky.

 

People and businesses have had to make difficult choices from the very different individual circumstances they have found themselves in. Who are you to ask us to judge who is right, and who is wrong?

[TSherbs]

There is not a world-wide common market.

Oh gosh. Pretty darn close to one at times via the internet.

 

But who cares. Some of us here have only been talking price comparisons, and the internet gives access to sellers in several regions of the world. That was the point. No one here was accusing the Goulets of nefarious pricing practices. They are a retailer like any other. Some of us were simply pointing out that for the US consumer, better deals on some brands can be had buy purchasing from sellers outside the country. That's all. It's like when I cross the state line to buy alcohol where the price is much less. Why not? It's not personal; it's money and the freedom of choice.

[cellmatrix]

I've been around here long enough to realize that FPN is the ideal environment for retailers and pen/ink companies to promote sales. Even if its not entirely accurate, or driven more by emotion than objectivity, FPN is totally fine with you gushing about how I love this particular brand or retailer, and saying everything they have is amazing. However, FPN discourages similarly sweeping negative statements about a particular brand or retailer.

 

This is especially true with negative ink reviews, and the general rule has been if you say anything negative it has to be very specific and cannot be general. Otherwise the brands or retailers will complain. Because of this, I feel FPN often crosses the line from objectivity to promotion.

 

At any rate, the Goulets have clearly been one of the most successful internet retailers at exploiting this FPN environment. I've bought from the Goulets multiple times, they are very nice, they package stuff well and they are very smart business people. They know how to work the system that FPN has given them.

 

At the same time, I used to like to buy fountain pens and ink from the several mom and pop stationary stores in my local area before internet retailers like Goulet and others drove them all out of business. Its kind of sad because I do miss going to those stores, and interacting with the people who used to work there. I also miss the sense of community that these stores brought and I miss supporting the local economy.......

[Seney724]

At any rate, the Goulets have clearly been one of the most successful retailers at exploiting this FPN environment.

I think you are one of the few contributors to this thread who has said something which everyone would agree is correct!

[sandy101]

 

 

I have said, and will say again (since you apparently missed it the first time) after more than 5 pages of this thread it is abundantly clear that all of us are going to have to "agree to disagree" on the matter of the Goulet's business practices. And, that's it.

 

 

There's a really nasty virus out there that has killed many, and put many more into hospital and yet, you choose to take a company that sells pen and inks to task over business decisions that were made in circumstances that you know absolutely nothing about?

 

Decisions are being made based upon the type of insurance the business has, how much room there is for employees to be able to work safely, the general health and wellbeing of the staff and the availability of childcare. Many schools are closed which means that some employees may not be able to work 9-5 as they have to look after children.

 

You don't know any of these circumstances, yet seem determined to blunder into a crusade against a business you don't own, or use yourself. How is criticising a business that has acted in a positive manner to stop the spread of Covid-19 helping? Doesn't a decision to try and limit the spread of Covid-19 deserve a modicum of respect, rather than an inquisition?

 

Go ahead, if you want to tilt at windmills, but there is no dragon. However, there is a nasty virus that has an extraordinary capacity to spread quickly and easily between human beings. Shouting at a business, because they are shipping pens, paper and ink slower than they were able to do so before the pandemic is not helping.

[FPN Moderator & Admin Team]

This thread has run it's course. The discussion has strayed far afield from the original post, and has devolved into bickering, and name calling (some of these have been hidden).

 

The topic is now closed.