Collector's Lessons

The writer was fixated on Montblanc pens for a long time. Before locating a legitimate source, the search focused on an online flea market. A common mistake among new collectors is paying too little and buying from unreliable sellers. In this case, the pen was purchased from an Asian source and turned out to be counterfeit when it arrived. In hindsight, the writer would have benefited from someone warning, “Don’t buy from a Asian source for a low price.” Nevertheless, the writer learned the lesson and raised the issue with the online marketplace—the flea market, as the writer calls it. The platform intervened, and the writer recovered the money.

Today, the writer tried to obtain a replacement part for a 20th‑century gold Cross fountain pen. The seller claimed they didn’t know what they were selling. Initially, after the writer requested an inspection, the seller said the pen had been lost from their collection and that the transaction would have to be canceled. When the writer argued that the seller should provide a refund if they could not supply the product, the seller refused to cancel the sale on their own. Eventually, the seller admitted there was a defect in the gold pen that had been purchased and, after making threats, forced the writer to request a cancellation. At that point, the seller finally issued a refund.

The writer recognized the pen’s flaw because a similar issue had occurred with a previous purchase. Although the gold pen was reasonably priced and appeared well‑maintained externally, it arrived with an old ink cartridge jammed inside the barrel, rendering a converter unusable. Sometimes sellers lack the expertise or resources to properly inspect antique items, leading to mistakes. However, when a major defect is discovered, the seller should promptly acknowledge the error and issue a refund. Since the pen was faulty but still usable to some extent, and the price was modest, the writer chose not to involve the marketplace moderator and simply accepted the defective pen.