50% off Sheaffers
Allan Tischler
Howard Friedman wrote:
>
> Thanks to all in this newsgroup for the support I have received to date!
>
> Still offering Sheaffers at 50% off. Each comes with giftbox and lifetime
> factory warranty.
>
> To see our inventory list, please visit:
> http://gramercy.ios.com/~tradecmp/index.htm
>
> Happy and healthy holidays to all!
>
> Howard Friedman
> TradeComp International
I wanted to describe my experience with buying Howard Friedman's 1/2-price
Sheaffer's. While I did run into a couple of problems, they were addressed
promptly and everything came out correct in the end. I ordered 3 pens in 2
different orders. 1st I ordered a brushed stainless steel Targa, with GPT and a
14K inlayed nib (#1001X) for a mere $44, which is a tremendous value for a
gold-nibbed pen of this quality. I don't exactly know what went wrong with this
order, but it was late in arriving. After informing Howard about this I
received one within a few days. He told me it was a problem with UPS. The
second order, which I was much more leery of making, involved 2 of the more
expensive pens. As a result I ordered these COD. A short aside. Having never
ordered COD before, I intuitively thought it imparted some protection to the
buyer--it does not. You cannot inspect the merchandise before paying. You can
however, pay by a bank-certified check, which can be stopped, much like a
personal check, particularly if it comes from a bank that you have an account
with. While there was a problem with this order, there was never any need to
resort to such measures. I had ordered a sterling Crest, #595, and a sterling
filigree Nostalgia, #800. The problem was that despite literature I had on the
Nostalgia and despite the picture on the impressive presentation box of a fancy
scrolled, 18K 2-tone nib, the pen inside the box had a very ordinary 14K 1-tone
Sheaffer nib. Moreover, it was definitely loose and looked to me that the 18K
nib had been removed and the cheaper nib just stuck in, with no attempt to seat
it properly. I was pretty upset about this, but since it was late Friday
afternoon, there was little I could do about it then, except e-mail Howard
concerning my displeasure. The Crest, by the way was just fine, as was the
Targa, when I got it.
First thing on Monday morning, I called Sheaffer and spoke to a service
representative. I told her about the discrepancy. She told me that the nib in
the pen was one that was used in the first issue of the Nostalgia pen, but
agreed that the I had the presentation case for the newer, 18K nib model. Worst
come to worst, the upgrade price was just $30. This relaxed me a bit. I then
engaged her in a conversation about the circumstances of the transaction. I was
curious to know what Sheaffer's stand was on the kind of activity that Mr.
Friedman was engaging in. The bottom line was that what he is doing is not
uncommon (although his prices may be) and is perfectly acceptable to Sheaffer.
That is, it is not uncommon for an individual to buy out the remaining stock of
of distributor, who is dropping the line for whatever reason, and then turn
around and sell these pens, as long as they are not misrepresented. So Sheaffer
considers a pen bought from Howard as legitimate as one purchased retail from a
distributor. While I never had any concerns about the legality of Howard's
selling Sheaffers at 1/2-price, I did have some qualms about what Sheaffer
thought about this. Perhaps some of you out there shared the same question and
thus inhibited you from buying. Well, this is not a problem.
After getting off the phone with the Sheaffer representative, I called Howard
direct. He explained that this pen was an anomaly--that the rest of the stock
had the 18K nibs. I asked him if he could ship me a section containing the
correct nib by overnight express to offset my inconvenience, and he agreed. The
next day the expected parcel arrived. I have returned the old section to him
and he has recently informed me that he has received it.
My ride was a little bumpy, but we got there in the end. Moreover, Howard, who
is not an expert on the pens, is learning quickly and was extremely responsive
to the problems that arose. Would I recommend buying from him? If he has a pen
or pencil that you want, certainly. One of the biggest problems was that much
of this stock is long discontinued and Howard, himself doesn't have catalogs
that list a number of the pens. On these you can ask for a description. Many
others are still current in either the Sheaffer catalogs or pen catalogs like
the NY Pen Hospital or Joon. Some of these pens are even more of a bargain than
they appear as the are discounted 50% off their old price, before they were
discontinued and replaced with a more expensive style. Paying less than $50
(even a couple under $40) for a new Targa, which is a superb pen with a
classically stylish 14K inlaid nib is a real bargain.
Allan