Pleased Customer of Tokyo Pen Shop Quill

[DonkeyStonky]

This is not sponsored or compensated in any way, I am just very happy with the great service provided by Yasukazu Hagiwara of Tokyo Pen Shop Quill (Asahiyakami Bunguten Co. Ltd). He responded quickly to my emails about what his store carried, prices, shipping costs, and several other questions I had. He also shipped my order very quickly and it was incredibly well packed, so everything inside was in perfect condition. I have never been so impressed with any seller of anything as I have been with Tokyo Pen Shop Quill.

[inkstainedadventure]

I wholeheartedly concur with this. We were supposed to leave for Japan in early 2020 when the world went crazy and Japan shut its borders. I had already emailed the shop in anticipation of purchasing a Custom 823 with the FA nib. So I emailed him after the shut down and he made an exception and sold me the pen and shipped it to me!!! I was so happy when it arrived and it is one of my favorite writers to this day. He is a wonderful human and we need more people like him in the world today.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

On 5/26/2023 at 9:46 PM, inkstainedadventure said:

I wholeheartedly concur with this. We were supposed to leave for Japan in early 2020 when the world went crazy and Japan shut its borders. I had already emailed the shop in anticipation of purchasing a Custom 823 with the FA nib. So I emailed him after the shut down and he made an exception and sold me the pen and shipped it to me!!! I was so happy when it arrived and it is one of my favorite writers to this day. He is a wonderful human and we need more people like him in the world today.

The service is excellent, when they reply back. I am happy with the 6 purchases I made so far ( Pilot 823 and up models). Well packaged, he checks the pens, and has a wide selection. Ie., you can request any pen from Pilot's catalog, and he will get it for you (may increase ship time). Prices are reasonable.

 

My only issue is that reply can take a long time. I was trying to buy an 823 for 2 years (pre-covid), and would occasionally send an email and fill out the order form every 4 months, since this was the only place to get a pilot 823 with the specialty nibs. Never received a reply, until I tried one more time. I have been purchasing pens from them for 3 years now, and have spent a few thousand.

 

I recently reached out about 3 weeks ago  to purchase a 823 clear with WA nib and a black name emperor (have the red already). No response. So far. I will give him another month, and if no reply, I will remove him from the list of buyers I purchase from.

[DonkeyStonky]

Sorry to hear that! They were very responsive with me, perhaps they are just swamped with emails. You could even try giving them a call if you wanted to, although the timing of that with the timezone difference could be difficult.

[Linger]

Recently I have had the same experience. No replies to emails. Never any such issues in the past in ordering three pens (pilot custom 845, namiki yukari, namiki chinkin) so a bit strange - i gave up in the meantime.

[DonkeyStonky]

Bummer, hopefully they get it sorted out. He replied to me within about a week of my initial email.

[Harold]

It's basically been luck of the draw ever since the yen started running loose a couple years ago, but rest assured that once you do get a reply, you'll be well taken care of. There are just too many e-mails for one person to handle and as far as I know, it's just him and his wife running everything.

[effrafax]

I've just returned from a short stop-over in Tokyo, and made a point of going to this shop last Saturday (8th).  CLOSED!  According to the fine print on their web site, it was the one Saturday of the year they were not open.  Very disappointed.  Had to "make do" with Maruzen ...

 

[TitoThePencilPimp]

5 hours ago, effrafax said:

I've just returned from a short stop-over in Tokyo, and made a point of going to this shop last Saturday (8th).  CLOSED!  According to the fine print on their web site, it was the one Saturday of the year they were not open.  Very disappointed.  Had to "make do" with Maruzen ...

 

This makes sense. For some reason, the closure dates did not appear when I used Safari, but showed up when using a windows machine. So yes, that can account for communication.

 

He finally reached out, and took my order, now I do not have to cross out an excellent seller from my list. So if it is only him and his wife, then we must offer  leeway, in regards to communication.

[SpecTP]

I got my 823 with falcon nib from them, great service.

[DonkeyStonky]

That’s great news @TitoThePencilPimp, I’m glad they got back to you. What is the retail price of an Emperor (or Urushi No. 50 if you prefer) in JPY? I recall that it was something around ¥148,000, is that correct?

 

 @Harold , I agree with your assessment that it’s just him and his wife, all of the emails I got were signed by him, and the customs paperwork with my pen were also signed by him. I’m definitely ok with waiting a while for a reply in exchange for supporting such a small shop that is busy but has great service and seems to have a very close relationship with Pilot.

[TitoThePencilPimp]

1 hour ago, DonkeyStonky said:

That’s great news @TitoThePencilPimp, I’m glad they got back to you. What is the retail price of an Emperor (or Urushi No. 50 if you prefer) in JPY? I recall that it was something around ¥148,000, is that correct?

 

 @Harold , I agree with your assessment that it’s just him and his wife, all of the emails I got were signed by him, and the customs paperwork with my pen were also signed by him. I’m definitely ok with waiting a while for a reply in exchange for supporting such a small shop that is busy but has great service and seems to have a very close relationship with Pilot.

Yes, it was retail. Not sure the exact cost, but it looked similar to the number you posted from a quick google search. Much cheaper than ordering from the states.

[DonkeyStonky]

2 hours ago, TitoThePencilPimp said:

Yes, it was retail. Not sure the exact cost, but it looked similar to the number you posted from a quick google search. Much cheaper than ordering from the states.

Ah ok, I’m curious what it is. I bought my Custom Urushi from him so I saved about $800 on that compared to the US retail price. I don’t understand why Pilot Corporation of America marks some of the products up by such a crazy factor.

[Karmachanic]

5 hours ago, DonkeyStonky said:

I don’t understand why Pilot Corporation of America marks some of the products up by such a crazy factor.

 

Crazy gringos pay the price?  The sane figure out how to beat their system.  As exemplified by yourself. 

[DonkeyStonky]

34 minutes ago, Karmachanic said:

 

Crazy gringos pay the price?  The sane figure out how to beat their system.  As exemplified by yourself. 

You bet!! I was shocked when I found out how much the US markup is, I can’t believe they’re able to get suckers to pay that.

[The Duck Hunter]

I can buy two Pilot Custom 845's, with shipping from Japan, for what one Custom 845 costs in the 'states from an authorized distributor.  

[DonkeyStonky]

1 hour ago, The Duck Hunter said:

I can buy two Pilot Custom 845's, with shipping from Japan, for what one Custom 845 costs in the 'states from an authorized distributor.  

Yep, spot on. For the price of a Custom Urushi from a US dealer you can get a Custom Urushi, 845, 823, 743, 742/912, and a 74. I just double checked my guesstimation of this and it is not even an exaggeration, that whole list comes to $1501 at current exchange rate. Maybe the shipping for a parcel that big would drive it up, plus the import duties sonce it’s >$800, but that would probably about equal sales tax if you’re in a state (of the US) that collects it.

[Penguincollector]

Would it be worth it to see if I could get the Origami Penguin Nippon Art Tradition Maki-e pen through this shop? 

[TitoThePencilPimp]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

Would it be worth it to see if I could get the Origami Penguin Nippon Art Tradition Maki-e pen through this shop? 

Im sure you can , and much cheaper. but be prepared for a slow response.

[Penguincollector]

2 hours ago, TitoThePencilPimp said:

Im sure you can , and much cheaper. but be prepared for a slow response.

Right on, I don’t have a timeline, so it’s fine. Much cheaper sounds worth it.