September 24, 2024

Counterfeit pens

This is certainly by no means restricted to Lamy pens, though it is my experiences with them that awakened me to the issue.

First off, yes -- you can definitely buy a counterfeit pen on Amazon. The first clue is an amazing low price. Amazon is more and more becoming a middle-man and logistics company. Maybe this has always been true. When you buy from Amazon you should pay attention to the actual seller. Amazon is just a broker and the logistics agent that delivers the products.

About 5 years ago I bought a black Lamy Safari. I found it disappointing and set it aside. Then about 6 months ago I bought a yellow Lamy Safari. The yellow pen leaked at the base of the nib. It wrote OK, but there was no way to use it without getting ink all over my fingers. I relocated the black Safari and it has exactly the same issue.

This is in contrast to a Lamy AL-star that I have. That pen is perfect. It writes well, never leaks, never gets ink on my fingers. It was a gift to me and was purchased at a Lamy store in Stockholm, Sweden.

I contacted Lamy about my yellow pen. They have a 2 year warranty, so with my pen being purchased only 6 months ago, they should take care of it. The tell me: 

Amazon seller "A Bargain Now" is not an authorized Lamy retailer.
I never even paid attention to the seller, thinking that I was "buying the pen from Amazon. As they tell me, they have no way of knowing if the pen is fake, used, damaged, and so it is not covered by warranty.

The purchase price was only $27 on Amazon (up from $19 in 2015). It is $29.60 right now at Goulet pens. Goulet is an authorized retailer for Lamy, so why would you buy from Amazon to save $3? And risk getting a counterfeit!

In September of 2024, I ordered a Lamy AL-star on Amazon for $28 (note that the price at Goulet is $37.60 for one of these). It arrived in a bubble wrap envelope. No grey Lamy box. No warranty paper. It has a "ding" on the aluminum barrel. I sent it back. No more buying Lamy pens from Amazon for me.

Cardboard ring

Lamy pens ship with a carboard sleeve that prevents premature puncture of the included ink cartridge. Some claim that a genuine pen should have lettering both on the inside and outside of this sleeve. This is not true. I purchased an AL-star from an authorized retailer (Goulet pen). The sleeve was only lettered on the outside. The pen was fine. It also came in the dark grey Lamy carboard box with papers.

The Lamy 2000

These are selling on Amazon for $139. I ordered one. The price at an authorized seller like Goulet is $223. That is a difference of $84. This is both enticing and also a big red flag.
Feedback? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's Pen Info / [email protected]