True Blue Centennial f.p. : anyone had experience with this seller and/or overseas transactions?

[KAC]

I've been looking for a TB Centennial f.p. and there's a specimen listed at a seemingly reasonable price in allegedly near-virginal condition. The seller is on Ebay and is located in Japan.  It's the "Hashikan Store" and reviews for non-pen items have been 99.8% +

 

So, my questions are:

1) Has anyone purchased a Parker (or any other fountain pen) from this seller and, if so, how was the transaction?

2) I'm hesitant to engage in an overseas transactions due to (imagined?) concerns with US customs so, any experience with that aspect?

 

Thanks in advance,

KAC

[I-am-not-really-here]

Odd that there are three other sellers in Japan listing that pen and sharing the same set of pictures.  Of the four, which is legit (if any)?

[Penguincollector]

  There have been a number of cases where the pen is actually being sold by a B&M in Japan, and these people are either lying and using the picture and taking people’s money, or acting as an unofficial middleman and buying the pen for a much lower price at the store than the BIN on eBay and shipping it to the eBay shopper. Try checking some well known stores that buy pens like Kingdom Note or searching via a proxy buyer like buyee.

 

  That’s a grail of mine, I hope you find one that you love!

[KAC]

Thanks for the comments. I also noticed the same pen with slightly different descriptions for 3 Japanese sellers. I will pass on this.

 

Had I been conscious at the time that pen first appeared on the market, I would have purchased one of them instantly. I did that with the MB Hemingway when it was new and, for $400, I never regretted the decision.

 

Thanks all!

KAC

[jchch1950]

Some sellers put a pen for sale that they don't have. After you pay they buy it from a different store at a lower price and send it if you are lucky. On other occasions, they return your money or disappear in cyberspace.