Pen Manufacturers Not Showing the Love in February

2012 - a New Year means a new set of price lists from many of our prestigious writing brands that we sell over at Goldspot.com. Possibly related to the aligning of the planets and the Mayan calendar proclaiming our inevitable end, 5 of our bigger brands have all decided to increase their prices starting February 1st. The manufacturers are Delta, Sheaffer, Montegrappa, Lamy & Yard-O-Led.

Old Punxsutawney Phil is going to emerge from his burrow and run back inside, fearful of these pen price hikes. Some of the increases are nominal, while others are very substantial. Sheaffer, we were informed, are making only very slight changes. Their biggest change was the move to make the minimum advertised price (MAP) up to full retail value. That means, a pen that was originally advertised for $39.95 retail on our site is now up to $50 with an estimated $5 - $10 increase on top of that at the end of the month. Yikes.

Lamy is another brand that should have fountain pen enthusiasts clutching their wallets in anxiety. Since the primary reason for these price increases is the rising market value of gold and other precious metals, many of the Lamy fountain pens with 14kt nibs have ballooned in price. Best example would be the Dialog 3, which is going from a $300 retail to $390 on February 1st. Double Yikes. However, Safaris and AL-Star pens will be spared. And the villagers rejoiced.


Slightly less noteworthy, but still significant would be the Delta, Yard-O-Led and Montegrappa increases. Here, you may see ballpoints and rollerballs stay the same, but gold-nibbed fountain pens to increase by $20 - $50 depending on the model. More details on the pricing will be available at the end of the month. If you had your eye on a pen made by these manufacturers, get clicking and snatch one up!