Buying direct from Overseas Suppliers

[SteveJD]

I was searching Esty and saw listings for pen kits directly from overseas suppliers. Prices looked very appealing but question the quality and customer service.
Since all the kits I have ordered so far are made overseas, I was wondering if anyone have any experience ordering from them?
Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnU]

I don't know which one your talking about but In my early years of turning i tried some of these lower priced over seas suppliers and found their platings to be very poor and not hold up. I've learned you get get what you pay for. Good luck!

 

[Crashmph]

It really depends on the supplier and sometimes the kits they are selling. Even from the same supplier, from one kit type/style to another, you can get great in one kit and crap in another. If you are really intersted, buy small quantity first to start to see if they are any good, and work from there.

 

[magpens]

Buyer BEWARE !!

I say stick with North American vendors. . That's not to say that all their products are made here ..... they are not, but at least you have a vendor with a vested interest in monitoring the quality of the goods they sell AND a vested interest in satisfying YOU, the buyer.

 

[jttheclockman]

When you say oversea vendors you would have to take in consideration shipping these days which are climbing seems everyday. Then if there are other tarrifs or vats. When you buy from local vendors you have a better chance of correcting errors more easily I would think. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Buy cheap kits is never a good thing because it can come back to cost you more in the long run. The price is in the platings and the better the plating than the better the kit. Just some things to think about. Support the local vendors and yes they do get their kits from overseas but let them deal with the problems. Just concentrate on making the best product you can control.

 

[BCnabe]

If you're talking about Rizheng (Penkitsmall.com) you might already be buying some of their kits from US suppliers. I've seen some of them being sold under different names by Craft Supplies and Woodturningz. I don't recall if Berea and Exotic Blanks are selling some but it wouldn't surprise me.

I've ordered direct from Rizheng 12-15 times and have been very pleased with their customer service. The quality of their kits however can be hit or miss. If a kit is new to me I will usually order 1 or 2 to see if I like them and then order more in the future if they're acceptable.

You do need to be selective with their rollerball and fountain pen kits. They have some that have fine threads on the cap and body. Some of these take 5+ revolutions to screw the cap onto the body. And on some of these kits the threaded portion is plastic and the threads get messed up easily. They also have some rollerball and fountain pen kits that have the larger (Acme?) threads. I've been happy with those kits.

Also some of their "theme" kits are not always very refined. For example, the golf pen kit has a golf ball on the top of the pen but there is a misalignment in their mold where the two halves come together. One of their dragon pen kits has the pocket clip stamped or welded(?) on to the part that is pressed into the tube. I had the clip break off quite easily.

As mentioned above, shipping needs to be accounted for. I have an order coming right now from Rizheng that cost $83 for DHL shipping. That might seem expensive but when you consider the cost of their kits being much lower it is usually less overall than purchasing from a US supplier. Keep in mind that most of the kits you purchase from a US supplier are coming from China anyway.

The DHL shipping option on the order I have coming is taking a little longer to get here but in the past it usually takes 3-5 days.

 

[SteveJD]

Thanks for your input and advise. For now, I will stay with US suppliers.

 

[JohnU]

Forgot to mention... they may call a pen kit by the same name of a kit you buy here in the USA from another vendor but often times the tubes inner or outer diameters, or parts are different and are not interchangeable with others of the same name so if you need to replace a part or tube you can only use their specific parts.