# Montblanc Discounts and Grey Market



## Nessun Dorma

Hey all .... I would like to get a couple of Montblanc pens, but since I don't know much about them, I thought I would ask here. Are there any "grey market" outfits that also sell pens? I tried Jomashop already but they didn't have much that appealed to me, so are there any others like there are for watches? Also, if I end up buying from a Montblanc Boutique, can I expect any discount at all? Thanks!


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## gangrel

Try Jomashop. And try a google search on something narrow like "montblanc 149" to find online sellers.

No, you probably won't get any discount from an MB boutique.


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## jar

get on the list at a boutique for annual sales.


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## Rivarama

I would recommend going to an authorized dealer rather than a boutique if you want a discount. If you buy from a place like Fountain Pen Hospital you will have the full warranty. I would just make sure they stamp the warranty booklet. MB doesn't allow ADs to display prices on line so you will have to either call or ask for a price via email.

MB offers free nibs swaps too. I bought a 146 Solitaire with a medium nib at an airport in Poland and had the nib swapped out to an OB over night at the MB boutique in Berlin. 

I've bought MBs from Jomashop too. They are authentic but you wont get the warranty or the ability to swap nibs for free.


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## Bert Reynolds

Rivarama said:


> I would recommend going to an authorized dealer rather than a boutique if you want a discount. If you buy from a place like Fountain Pen Hospital you will have the full warranty. I would just make sure they stamp the warranty booklet. MB doesn't allow ADs to display prices on line so you will have to either call or ask for a price via email.
> 
> MB offers free nibs swaps too. I bought a 146 Solitaire with a medium nib at an airport in Poland and had the nib swapped out to an OB over night at the MB boutique in Berlin.
> 
> I've bought MBs from Jomashop too. They are authentic but you wont get the warranty or the ability to swap nibs for free.


+100 for Jomashop.


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## Rescue

Glad you asked, been debating on picking up a MB myself, now in the market but tricky with so many fakes. Thanks for the input.


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## Peterroehrich

I echo going to an AD. The warranty and service from MB is great. And make sure the warranty card is filled out, it's at the back of the manual.

-- Peter


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## Luckisanart

Just want to ask - are you a pen enthusiast already and want to branch into montblanc or is this a new area of exploration? I think you might find that there are far better options than Montblanc - especially as you’re cost conscious.


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## Nessun Dorma

Luckisanart said:


> Just want to ask - are you a pen enthusiast already and want to branch into montblanc or is this a new area of exploration? I think you might find that there are far better options than Montblanc - especially as you're cost conscious.


Actually, I am just now getting into fountain pens for the first time. I have always found them to be very interesting, but my watch hobby and my finances meant that I could only indulge one expensive hobby.
I suppose Montblanc came to mind because they are so well known. Since I originally posted my question to the forum, I did buy a Montblanc rollerball pen from Joma and I ordered a Pelikan Souveran M805 Stresemann Anthracite and a Sailor 1911 Full Size Stormy Sea from Classic Fountain Pens. Supposedly they will ship in the next week or so.


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## gangrel

Nessun Dorma said:


> I suppose Montblanc came to mind because they are so well known. Since I originally posted my question to the forum, I did buy a Montblanc rollerball pen from Joma and I ordered a Pelikan Souveran M805 Stresemann Anthracite and a Sailor 1911 Full Size Stormy Sea from Classic Fountain Pens. Supposedly they will ship in the next week or so.


2 solid choices. Bigger than I like but I have small hands.


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## pamfan

I was going to buy one on ebay soon. I'll have to be more careful


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## gangrel

pamfan said:


> I was going to buy one on ebay soon. I'll have to be more careful


Oh yeah. The rate of fakes on eBay, on such a market-leading item? HIGH, relatively speaking.

And a separate thread noted that eBay has made feedback checking much more of a pain. Buy the seller first...our mantra. That means, look at the feedback. What's he selling, what are the comments? It's not just percentages, as fakers may offer dozens or hundreds of CHEAP items to get high feedback numbers. So first step is, is the seller experienced with pens (or watches, or whatever)? Then, I like to review his older listings. This is where a recent eBay change makes life a PAIN.

eBay in its nigh-infinite greed, is redirecting you from that listing, which has ended (by definition), to a "here's something similar!" live auction.

NO!!!!

There IS a link to the original auction, but it's pretty damn annoying to wait for 2 loads to do this. Plus, going back to the feedback listing is more difficult.

At this point, my feeling is...forget eBay for anything serious. Odds on actually getting a good deal on a *legit* MB? Too small to measure, IMO. Not with a brand that everyone knows, and therefore would be searching on. I'm sure there's still bargains to be found, but primarily on smaller or secondary brands. If you want to go used, that's fine...but go somewhere like Pen Collectors of America and look through their advertisers/listed vintage dealers.


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## jar

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And pictures tell you nothing.

Let me repeat, pictures tell you nothing. It's amazing how many of my fountain pens, watches, custom knives and even handguns I have found shown in sales listings on the internet. And they are all still sitting in the safe.


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## pamfan

Following this as well. I'd like to know too


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## MLJinAK

A Montblanc boutique may give a discount... 

Was looking at watches there a couple years ago, and the salesman was telling me he could get me 30% off of the watches. 

Never looked at the pens in a store before.


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## ChrisVan

I got a 30% discount on my pen from the boutique, so it is possible. keep an eye out on boxing day sales if you can wait that long


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## fracture.

Interesting. From what I understood, MB doesn’t allow discounts.


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## jar

fracture. said:


> Interesting. From what I understood, MB doesn't allow discounts.


MB does not allow authorized dealers to advertise discounted prices.


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## Pastorsam

I regularly use Jomashop for MontBlanc pens. No quality issues that I've ever had. No warranty either but so far I've not needed a warranty on the MontBlanc pen. When I bought my MB watch I went through their boutique.


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## Texas82

Plus 1 on jomashop they Typically have good variation of Mont Blanc pens @ very fair prices


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## mpatton4re

I used to use Montblanc pens almost exclusively, but I just kept losing them! Clients would take them or I'd manage to lose them somehow... it just got too expensive to replace them all the time. That said, if you're great at keeping track of them... they are great pens. I used both the ballpoint and rollerball. I think I like the roller ball better. I'm not aware of THE place to go for pens though. I am aware of Colorado Pen, but whether or not they have the best prices? I'm not sure. Maybe just do a google search and see what comes up. Just make sure the seller is reputable. I've seen them on eBay, but there always seems to be a lot of knock offs there so be careful.


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## Kmcmichael

I am contemplating a 149 but want an OBB or OBBB nib. Jomashop only offers medium when in stock. I am bad about tinkering with nibs and regularly modify Chinese pens. I never or rarely get the ink flow and smoothness of a MB. I am on the fence about getting one from the boutique which I would have engraved and sent away for a nib. If I got 30% off I would jump on it.


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## VulcanVulcanVulcan

Not sure if anyone has commented about this before, but I got an excellent price on a 146 from Appelboom in the Netherlands, significantly below the list price. Fountain Pen Hospital also has good prices. There is a lot more choice at those two places than Jomashop, which has a very limited selection.


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## wdrazek

As was said earlier, MB boutiques rarely if ever discount. AD's are not permitted to advertise off MSRP but some will discount. Jomashop discounts deeply but is not an AD and their selection is pretty limited. 

eBay is a minefield. There are fakes everywhere! One pen's serial# didn't match the warranty card, lol. I was about to buy a Starwalker from Joma but they were backordered. I bought from eBay from a well established seller who specializes in MB. It's legit.

If you buy a Ballpoint, be sure to try broad refills. The difference is huge.


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## smmoskowitz

+1,000,000 for JOMA. I actually referred a co-worker there today for a gift for her husband. 

-1,000,000,000,000 for Poshmark (authenticity not platform or dispute resolution - both of those were great). Received a 100% fake MB from a seller. Booklet had text printed off the pages, the logo font on the inside of the box was super blurry... 

If you ever hear "I bought it at auction in Germany" and believe them, I'm a Nigerian prince and can give you 1000x your money if you send me $5k.


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## Cost&Found

ive seen some mb product at world of watches and other online retailers. any alternatives other than joma recommended to scout for sales?


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## Crate410

Nessun Dorma said:


> Actually, I am just now getting into fountain pens for the first time. I have always found them to be very interesting, but my watch hobby and my finances meant that I could only indulge one expensive hobby.
> I suppose Montblanc came to mind because they are so well known. Since I originally posted my question to the forum, I did buy a Montblanc rollerball pen from Joma and I ordered a Pelikan Souveran M805 Stresemann Anthracite and a Sailor 1911 Full Size Stormy Sea from Classic Fountain Pens. Supposedly they will ship in the next week or so.


I have that exact 1911! I have it in MF and its great for daily writing. I recently bought a 146 from the AD with a 10% discount and truthfully not worth the price. The 1911 writes almost as well (I know, subjective) for. Third of the price. Just a great pen.

Issue is with how often MB products are faked, I would only buy from an AD.

I have a progear slim with M nib on its way. Will compare to the MF that is my 1911.

I find that sailor nibs are more wet. And so the ink (colored) is more 3D.

Good tastes in FPs!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ccl127

Hard to decide whether to go gray market, but I got a real Mont Blanc on ebay for like $50. R


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