New Year's Resolutions from YOU

Please comment on this post. We value all of your feedback, positive or negative. -- There's a new commercial that Domino's Pizza is airing on TV that features executives observing less-than-flattering customer feedback and digesting harsh Tweets. Domino's even released a video on YouTube called "The Pizza Turnaround," that expands on the commercial, explaining that they've heard the call for better quality and answered it. Now, although Goldspot has never received the complaint that their pens taste like cardboard or that the ink is basically ketchup, we know that there are always actions we can take to better service our customers. This applies for all customers : past, present and future. The Question is : What would you like to see from Goldspot.com in 2010? Just like the test tasters in the Domino's commercial, be blunt, yet constructive with your criticism. We are going to base our company's New Year's Resolutions around your thoughts and opinions. On a Side note : our offices will be on vacation from Thursday, December 31st to Sunday, January 3rd. Please be patient with our responses to e-mail and voicemails. Have a safe and happy New Year!

Season's Greetings from Goldspot Pens

A big thanks goes out to all of our customers, vendors, followers, fans, and subscribers. With your support, we hope to continue providing the finest of fine-writing products in 2010 and beyond. We wish you a safe and happy holidays. In observance of the Christmas and New Year's, our office will be closed from December 24th to 27th and from December 31st to January 3rd, 2010. Please be patient when waiting for a response via e-mail or if you leave a message on our voicemail.

Last Minute Pen Gift Ideas

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. The Holidays have made us all busy elves in the fine-writing department of Santa's workshop. We're picking, packing, taking orders and making sure that everyone gets a great gift for their loved ones. With that in mind, there is only 4 business days left before Christmas Eve, but it still is not too late to find that last-minute gift. Our best suggestion is to order this weekend and select from thousands of pens, leather organizers and accessories that have the "Snowflake Tag" (see graphic on right). Since we take orders from the internet and by phone, sometimes the inventory does not update quick enough to show that the item has run out-of-stock for the moment. The good news is, we will be making personal phone calls to people who may have ordered an out-of-stock pen to see if there are any alternative color choice or point sizes you would not mind switching for. Many of our diligent customers have called us ahead of time to ask if the item is in-stock for immediate shipping before placing their order. Here are a few last-minute gift suggestions that we have plenty of units in-stock: Waterford Arista Cranberry Polished ballpoint pens The Cranberry color is a great Holiday hue. Sold with a presentable Waterford blue gift box. Other colors may be found on the Waterford Arista Page. Pelikan Technixx Fountain Pen Pelikan is well-known for their high-quality fountain pens, and here is your chance to own or gift one at a special closeout price. The solid aluminum body gives the pen a quality of "heft" that is seen in higher priced models. Few available colors and modes at the Pelikan Technixx page. Parker Insignia Pencils & Ballpoint Pens An oldie but goodie, the Parker Insignia compacts Parker writing quality into a slim, sturdy frame. Fan of mechanical pencils? We have several colors of the Insignia .5mm mechanical pencils at closeout prices. $19.95 for a pencil or ballpoint, $39.95 for selected sets, all styles available on our Parker Insignia page. Plus, we have hundreds of the hottest styles available for immediate shipping. On a sidenote : Many folks have been eagerly awaiting the Lamy Dialog 3. Last word from Lamy is that they are shipping our first batch of backorders starting Monday, the 21st. Hopefully, we will be able to receive the shipment before Christmas so we can send them out to those who have been patiently waiting.

The 5th Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper

Image courtesy of Zani

Ladies and Gentlemen, step right up! The holidays are upon us. Santa is gassing up his sleigh and what better way to celebrate than a carnival! Welcome to the fifth Carnival of Pen, Pencil and Paper! No tickets necessary for these rides. Editor's Picks Inkyjournal has a unique Moleskine-compatible ink-rating system and featured a German fountain pen ink made of wine at De Atramentis Spatburgunder Ink Review. There is a new Retailer Spotlight on Journaling Arts (the next host of the Carnival) over at Rhodia Drive. To offer some thoughts on 2010 planners, Inkophile asks, "What Works for you?" Pen Reviews Brad offers an in-depth and insightful analysis of why you should own a Lamy Safari : A closer look at the Lamy Safari posted at Miscellany & Cacophony. Julie (Okami) writes about a classic, Featured Pen - The Parker 51 posted at Whatever. Notebook Reviews Tom Overfield presents an unconventional, photographic review, Habana in my Cabana posted at Bleubug. Eric gives a photo guide through the Exaclair Madness Reviews and Quo Vadis Habana Giveaway!!! posted at Mr. Sir's Blog. Another happy Field Notes customer, Superpooky presents Field Notes posted at Trains, pens and planners. The Office Supply Geek is eager to spread the word of these Ecosystem Environmentally Friendly Notebooks and save our planet, one notebook at a time. User Collections Sam shows off one of the largest, most complete Scripto collections in the UK : Scripto posted at Future; Nostalgic. Julie resurrects a 70-year old fountain pen : Bringing a Wahl Back to a Proper Life posted at Peaceable Writer. Taylor ponders the aesthetics and utility of her notebook collection. A Notebook Post: Addict Side v. Writer Side and Notebook Systems posted at I'm Not a Book Nerd, but I Play One on TV. --- That concludes December's Carnival. Big thanks to the Carnival ringmaster, Notebook Stories. The next Carnival, the first of 2010, is hosted by Journaling Arts. It has been a pleasure reading all of the posts and I hope that everyone has a safe and healthy Holiday Season.

Goldspot Shipping Information for the Holiday Season

Hey Pen Lovers, Shopping online during the holiday season usually means nervously waiting by the front door for your package to arrive. We here at Goldspot Pens know that everyone has a deadline in the month of December. Whether you need your order to arrive on Christmas Eve or a week before for your company's holiday party, here is some helpful information on our shipping schedule this month. First, and most importantly, if you have a rush order that needs to be delivered, engraved and/or giftwrapped ASAP, please give us a quick call at 1-800-963-7367 once you have placed your order to make us aware of your timetable. We will be able to check stock and verify a more accurate delivery date than the website estimates. We offer UPS Next Day, 2-Day Air and 3-day (business days) shipping, which are available at an additional cost. Cut-Off Dates for delivery by December 25th These dates vary by shipping speed. Each delivery service varies in price. More information regarding our shipping prices can be found on our shipping & services information page. We take into consideration the US Postal Service Holiday Shipping Cut-Off Dates to provide these deadlines for customers shipping by US First Class, Priority and Express Mail Service.

• US Domestic First Class Mail orders should be made by Friday, December 18th to ensure delivery by the 25th.
• US Domestic Priority Mail orders should be made by Friday, December 18th to ensure delivery by the 25th.
• Priority Mail order for Military addresses (except for zip 093) should be made by Thursday, December 10th.
• International Express Mail Service orders to most countries (except in Africa and Central & South America) should be made by December 16th.
• International Priority Mail orders to most countries (except in Africa and Central & South America) should be made by December 10th.

With UPS service (domestic US only), you can afford to "cut it closer" to your deadline, but please keep in mind that most of our orders are processed and shipped within 48 hours of confirmation. We do need time to process and pack every order. If you need a rush order, always call before or right after placing your order.

• UPS Ground orders for delivery addresses on the West Coast should be placed by Wednesday, December 16th.
• UPS Ground orders for delivery addresses in the Mid-West should be placed by Friday, December 18th.
• UPS Ground orders for delivery addresses East of the Mississippi should be placed by Sunday, December 20th.
• UPS 3-Day orders (anywhere in US, except AK & HI) should be placed by Sunday, December 20th.
• UPS 2-Day orders (anywhere in US, except AK & HI) should be placed by Monday, December 21st.
• UPS Next Day Overnight orders (anywhere in US, except AK & HI) should be placed by Tuesday, December 22nd.

If your order has engraving, please expect an extended delay of 2 to 3 business days extra due to high volume. The Goldspot Elves are working overtime to get your order shipped correctly and on-time. Our best recommendation is to make things easier for all of us and place your mission critical orders now.