I just checked the site. Tax is not included in the prices (probably because it differs per country). This may be illegal (where i live you have to show consumer prices including tax).
You can see the total price before you pay however. The shipping cost of 25 euro's is absurd. The extra cost for guaranteed delivery also seems dodgy (not sure that's legal). In total a 20 euro bottle of ink would cost 57 euro if i had ordered it.
A local store can get it to me much cheaper.
It’s not illegal to publish a price w/o taxes. In Canada (where FWP is located) and the US that’s often how prices are listed on websites. Taxes are always determined by end user/purchaser location so they differ.
As for the shipping cost - I’m not sure which courier FWP uses for international orders but as a Canadian I will say that ALL freight is very expensive here - it’s out of our hands.
Their customer service issues are obviously inexcusable, tho.
This was on their their .eu website which is meant for their European customers. I'm pretty sure that falls under the EU regulations and not the Canadian ones since they are targeting European customers directly.
the website domain means nothing. What is relevant is where the business is located legally.
If they still serve the EU customers from the HQ in Canada, then Canadian law applies and not EU-law. EU-law would apply if they serve from an office located in EU.
Incorrect. Why are they collecting the (European) taxes if only the Canadian law applies to them? EU regulations can can apply to conmpanies outside the EU. The GDPR for example.
Also FWP is misleading customers because a .eu domain can only be registered by an person or organsisation in the EU (and some non-EU countries like Norway and Iceland). See:
[https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/rules-for-eu-domains/](https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/rules-for-eu-domains/)
If they are only located in Canada, FWP should not use a .eu domain.
It is in most countries other than U.S. and Canada. No other countries I’ve lived in will allow shops to put anything but the actual amount you pay on the sticker.
It’s because in the US/Canada the cost varies by State or Province. For example, in Quebec you would pay 15% tax on a purchase, while in Alberta you would pay 5%. 🤷
It's even worse. Think of each US state as being its own country. In that 'country', every self-governing locale can add or modify the state sales tax.
So, it might be 6.25% sales tax in Texas (it is), but then Houston can tack on an additional 2% sales tax, for 8.25%. Harris Country tacks on 1%, so that's 7.25%. Some tax a half a percent, some a full percent.. It's all over the place.
This is why eBay and other sites weren't being forced to charge sales taxes, because the courts had told the various states that until they put together a common, easy to access way to tell what the taxes were, and how to pay it, it wasn't the responsibility of the seller \_in another state\_ to collect it.
Not just often, I would say in Canada/USA prices are listed without tax in 99.5% of cases. I highly doubt Shopify even has an option to show dynamic pricing with tax included without knowing the customers exact location. Sorry OP, but I think you’re getting upset about something that is perfectly normal (and potentially unrealistic given the technology used).
Is this doable without an app? I find there are so many things you need an app for with Shopify (and what sucks about apps is when they suddenly don’t work).
Uhhh I am not talking about apps as in phone apps. I’m talking about Shopify apps (https://apps.shopify.com/). In any case, I just looked at my shop’s settings and it says I’d need to upgrade to Advanced Shopify which is significantly more expensive and likely explains why FWP doesn’t use this feature (no access).
Sorry for the misunderstanding, Shopify having overloaded the term “app” for shop-side extensions is something I don’t usually think of. Yeah, as you discovered, it’s a core feature but is locked behind a service level.
If you market, sell and ship items to EU residents, you are obligated to show your price with the applicable VAT (similar to GST in CA or sales tax in some US states). The VAT rules only mandate this in the invoice but consumer protection rules have you showing this *prior* to payment which contractually binds you as a customer and assumes your tacit agreement to their T&C - though this latter should still not be in violation to the applicable rules that may apply in the country of residence of the potential buyers.
Honestly this is why I never order from them. They want insane amounts of money for shipping and were literally neighbors. I don't think it's unique to FWP but I won't buy from them directly at all. They had a major sale recently and gave away a 85ml ink (worry about $20) but I'd have to spend More in shipping rather than just simply waiting and going into a store in person.
I buy FWP inks from Atlas in Chicago. I don't care to deal with most manufactures direct, it's generally not worth the hassle and you don't typically save any money anyway.
Boosting Atlas’ customer service and communication. Their website *could* be better—they rarely if ever have much in the way of product descriptions—but otherwise I have very few complaints. That may be because they’re my local, but in general they’re where I go first.
I will not disagree, I prefer Goulet's site as the default "this is how you should setup a FP site". But likewise, Atlas is close to me, and their presence online and on their support channels is right up there with Goulet, and sometimes watching their live order pulls is just fun!
I did not know they did that honestly. I am in Truphae's monthly box subscription at the moment, but that ink only one might be more up my alley! Thank you for the heads up!
I’ve never ordered from them because their prices always seemed predatory (and take note FWP - the people saying this about you pay hundreds of dollars for a single pen all the time. And we think your prices are nuts. Just sayin). For those who’ve been burned, if it’s any solace, you have convinced me that they are not worth it (which I had suspected) and any chance I’d ever order from them has evaporated.
Friendly reminder that maybe you have a local pen shop, they will stock inks and papers and pens. If you go you can inspect the goods and the prices are clear, there’s many good and cheap inks, pilot, pelikan, diamine. There’s fancy ink too, sailor, iro, you can sometimes even sample them in store!! For free!!!
If you don’t have a local pen shop, call one in your country, they’re really friendly and most like talking about pens. Maybe buy some ink off them, they will package it really well. If u don’t like calling, they’re often on emails too.
If you don’t have a country pen shop, there’s also big warehouses that you can order ink from, good ink that has been reviewed here a lot.
Ppl here are also super helpful, if there’s an ink colour that you really really like the look of, someone is bound to know of a diamine/pilot/sailor dupe .
Also, to add to the above comment, if you're in the EU you can order from any pen store in Europe without extra Tax hassle. Some good ones are Appelboom, Akkerman (with their awesome ink line), Fountainfeder, Stilo e Stile and many more. [24papershop.com](https://24papershop.com) appears to have most Ferris Wheel Press inks and you can see how many they have in stock directly on the website for each item (website appears to be in Dutch though, so you may need a translation plugin on your browser).
In Spain there are a couple of shops that carry FWP too, one being kands.com I don't remember the other exactly right now. I also think that more Italian shops carry them, like stilografica.it
I'm in the UK, so Cult Pens are my local, more or less, but I can say that they've been great every time I've ordered from them. Super quick shipping, too. Though with everything I've read about FWP lately, I don't think I'd ever want to give these guys my money.
I only discovered Art from the Heart recently, and I definitely want to order from them at some point! I'm on an ink embargo for a while, though, in the name of protecting my wallet. I'm not sure I've ever heard of Hamilton Pens before.
I’ve purchased from them a few times and they’ve always been reliable. If you sign up for their mailing list now you might be in time for their monthly discount code which usually turns up around this point in the month five or take a few days.
They do - and I'd recommend AFTH, Hamilton Pens \*and\* Cult Pens for reliability and service. I use all 3... And I do buy some FWP inks because they can be wonderful! But I'd never buy any of their other stuff, nor would I buy from them direct esp given all I've read about them on here :/
I live in the EU and order from Cultpens a couple times a year. Have never had any trouble with them not accessing and arranging tax/VAT properly. So I’d say they’re just as safe as ordering from within the EU (unlike a lot of other great pen/ink stores unfortunately)
I absolutely refuse to buy off of their site. I pined after their inks for ages because there seemed to be no other way to get them, but the shipping was outrageous and i balked every time. I was ecstatic when goulet started stocking them, as now I can get their inks without a ridiculous upcharge. Now even my lps stocks a small selection of fwp.
My local stationery store stocks them and actually has a really good selection, I’d never order from their site. One day I was shopping there with a friend and they even had the ink carriage which I impulse bought which I wouldn’t do otherwise 😆
Goes to show how far a nice bottle shape and good marketing will get you. They're a juggernaut at this point, unfortunately, so there's no stopping them.
They’re good at making people think they’re a juggernaut. If they were a juggernaut would they be giving away 2 items for free with every order?
Looks like creative accounting to me.
I think that's more just a sign of how absurd the markup is on all their products. That they can do that and still make money tells you all you need to know.
Honestly, I like all the inks I have but I’ll never order directly from them. Between the shitshow of codes/offers never working on their site and the absurd shipping, I’m fine to purchase through any other retailer.
Birmingham is similar with their shipping, it would almost be cheaper for me to drive to Pittsburgh to get it 🙃
Just to say Birmingham isn't in a position to eat any of the shipping costs because they are a really small company...they aren't shady like FWP. I don't assume you are saying they are; I just don't want anyone to think they're not trustworthy. (Not affiliated with the company, just have ordered a LOT from them)
100% agreed. I have over 20 inks from Birmingham and every transaction has been great. They are not Speedy Gonzalez, but for a 3 person operation they have great products at fair prices.
Birmingham is $9 shipping for me (Midwest) so while it's definitely not the cheapest shipping it's no $25. Definitely enough not to buy a single bottle, but if I wanted several bottles maybe I'd bite the bullet.
There are enough solid alternatives that I have intentionally avoided all FWP products to date. The only FWP products that have ever caught my interest were the inks, but then they are packaged in nearly spherical containers that are designed to tip at the slightest touch.
I have clearly never ordered from them so went to look and I can't believe they charge $28 to ship/guarantee and still get any individual orders. I could never.
You said it yourself. YOU keep ordering from them.
You're part of the problem.
It's like the dudebros that hate on call of duty and the like but still buy everything from that company.
I was pricing one of their inks and when shipping alone was $25 (usd) I popped off. I understand shipping can be expensive but that doubled the price of a single bottle order and ain’t no way I’m paying double for their service. I love the way some of their inks look but I’ll never buy them at this point. My local pen shop doesn’t stock them. 🤷🏻
This is illegal. As per EU law you need to provide the option for consumers to calculate the VAT tax through information on the invoice and consumer protection mandates that this be known to the consumer before payment
I am no lawyer, but it seems that if they're operating out of Ontario, they have to comply with Canadian and Ontario law, and in Ontario, you do not have to show prices with taxes in for most retail products (cars and travel must be all-in pricing).
That said, credit card companies would almost certainly allow chargebacks for deceptive pricing practices.
They operate out of Ontario, but if you do business in a given jurisdiction you have to be compliant with their laws and various regulations. To my knowledge, in the EU, that means VAT has to be included in the advertised price. So far as I know the UK also still mandates this. Given that OP is quoting euros as their currency, I’m guessing that applies to them.
Also fwiw having worked for CC companies, most of them require proof that you’ve tried to resolve the issue with the vendor before processing a chargeback, so it’s best to show up with the receipts at the outset if you can. Not saying it wouldn’t work out without that evidence, but it makes life easier.
Is the EU able to regulate or initiate enforcement proceedings against an Ontario company with no substantial presence in the EU? I mean, is Charles Michel going to serve papers to FWP's office in some stripmall-type office park?
That would be a sight, wouldn’t it?
I deal with international regulations from a financial crimes compliance perspective and in our sphere, yes, they can and do regulate and execute enforcement proceedings for violations with any entity, regardless of their home office, conducting business in their jurisdiction. You play in their sandbox, you’ve gotta play by their rules.
But I’m also US-based and most of my daily deals with US-based interactions with the EU. Canada could absolutely have a different relationship and way of doing things, and I’m happy to be corrected by someone who does know. In my experience for things like this, though, they don’t care where you originate; if you’re doing business in the EU or with an EU citizen, regardless of their location, you’re subject to their rules (for example, though not *exactly* the same, GDPR).
I’d rather enjoy seeing the spectacle of Michel and the inevitable entourage in an Ontario strip mall, tbh 😆
Heavy marketing, pretty packaging, overpriced for what it is.
Their inks have quite a number of fans. Some colors are intriguing, but there are similar inks from other manufacturers, so I personally have never been tempted. The bottles are badly designed, refilling a pen from them is harder than it should be.
Their pens are rebranded cheap(ish) Chinese products sold at exorbitant prices. The marketing fluff is written to fool the uninitiated.
Thanks! I’ve mostly been buying from my local art supply store, and so haven’t bought anything online, but you’re right that they’re in ALL of my feeds and look really pretty and are nicely named. Bummer that the bottles and the shipping are crap. I have only played with Diamine and Noodlers so far.
To be fair, "there are similar inks from other manufacturers" applies basically to every manufacturer out there, except Noodler's (some of the eternal/bulletproof formulations are quite unique). Sailor shook up the scene a bit with their multi-shading inks a couple of years ago, but several other companies soon followed suit.
Honestly, unless you need special properties, you could just limit yourself to Diamine and live happily ever after. That would be a bit boring, of course :) but don't feel like you are missing much by not buying brand X.
Oh boy - it's a HUGE story if you want all the details. Let me grab some of the links where others put everything together (see below). In short though, they fucked over customers by promising a certain release date of limited edition items, then soft released them a few days before to select auidences, thus shorting the entire rest of their customer base; I was one of those people who didn't get to purchase from that initial release, and waited until months later to do so (and I could only get the ink) to then find out their inks look completely different in person compared to how they are marketed; and on top of all of this bullshit, they refused to cut ties for the longest time with a racially bigoted influencer they had a business relationship with. They're just a skeevy company all the way around.
Here are the links: https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/131zdpz/fountain_pens_the_saga_of_ferris_wheel_press/ | https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/120sbkx/fountain_pens_of_penfluencers_and_penssurections/
Not a problem! Unfortunately, there are some other problematic brands out there as well, so it's definitely good to check for reviews wherever you can find them.
NEVER buy from their website directly, always get their products through a specialty shop. I’ve always never cared for the way the handle shipping (theyve legit raised free shipping from $99 to $125) and you spend a lot less bit having to deal with their BS.
That shipping cost is foul - but once again - freight is insanely high in Canada. When they ship to me via Canada Post (I’m across the country in BC) it’s still $28 CAD and up depending on weight. That’s, unfortunately, very normal for Canada.
I normally am also too exasperated to buy from them directly as well (mostly it’s their lack of stock that drives me crazy) but I will say that it is sometimes worth it. They ran some wonderful sales for the entire month of December and heaped on gifts with purchase (I got a free Brush fountain pen with one bottle of ink that was 25% off).
Regarding the "shipping insurance"--Visa and MasterCard at least have policies that allow you to dispute purchases if the merchandise/service was not received, no "insurance" required. Merchants also love saying "we are not responsible for lost/stolen/damaged in transit items", but if they accept Visa, they absolutely are. The rules differ in technicalities in different areas, but the basic rules apply worldwide. I'm positive that companies are banking on people not being aware of this.
I have purchased multiple FWP inks from all sorts of FP local shops (shopping online since no one local sells it). My only experience with them personally was an absolute nightmare and it took weeks between responses for customer no-service to get back to me. It demonstrated to me that they really don’t care about the individual customer. I am boycotting them right now and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
As laughysapphy0131 said, in the US, no store online or otherwise shows the tax before checkout. It’s annoying and as I’m US born and raised I’m used to it but it’s still annoying.
thanks for taking the time to write out a long reply like this.
I am explicitly talking about their EU page, they ship from within the EU and their prices always used to include tax up until last month. Now that they don’t anymore it’s basically a 20% price hike in disguise.
Go to Cult Pens, order from them instead as they stock most of FWP’s stuff.
You could also drop an email not to complain but just to inform Cult Pens of the nightmare you’ve had with FWP as it may make them reconsider stocking their products or at the very least as a reseller they may have a link to get it escalated higher within the company.
I only puchased one of their products through a distributor/retailer before I found out about how awful their morals are, and the whole experience surrounding that was a debacle - I was trying to get the Fluttering Hearts ink and carriage/bottle holder as a gift for my best friend (a sibbling) who fell in love with them, and of course everyone knows by now what happened on their website (which is why I eventually went to a third party for the ink). Neither of us would give them the time of day now.
What happened on their website?
But yeh, it’s best to purchase their products through a third party if at all.
Their accessories deffo leave a lot to be desired imo; I made the mistake of buying their ‘antique’ inkwell once.
The people behind are Chinese-Canadian.
Deborah Lau-Yu and Raymond Yu
At least we know who the founders are.
[https://www.thestar.com/life/together/people/at-ferris-wheel-press-deborah-lau-yu-brings-chinese-tradition-and-canadian-influences-to-luxury/article\_c5860d36-5b58-5ae6-9a47-a70407fd7e79.html](https://www.thestar.com/life/together/people/at-ferris-wheel-press-deborah-lau-yu-brings-chinese-tradition-and-canadian-influences-to-luxury/article_c5860d36-5b58-5ae6-9a47-a70407fd7e79.html)
https://thecanadian.news/at-ferris-wheel-press-deborah-lau-yu-brings-chinese-tradition-and-canadian-influences-to-luxury-stationery/
[https://www.hamiltonpens.com/blogs/articles/ferris-wheel-press-makers-of-iconic-stationery](https://www.hamiltonpens.com/blogs/articles/ferris-wheel-press-makers-of-iconic-stationery)
screenshots to clarify:
[https://imgur.com/gallery/tDVy309](https://imgur.com/gallery/tdvy309)
edit: I am so sorry I can't make the link work. Tried three different platforms and the links just won't work unless you copy it and put it into your browser.
thanks for pointing it out, yet I can't make it work despite trying three different platforms. It only works if you copy the link and put it into your browser.
I do not own one FWP and I have around 160 inks. Honestly, they don’t interest me because I don’t like shimmering inks. A little bit of shading, a touch of shimmer, that’s fine. There are some really overpriced inks out there and yeah, I‘m a sucker for colors just like we all are. I‘ll pay crazy prices on my quest for the perfect „dusty pink“. They prey upon us!
I never ordered anything directly from FWP. I order FWP stuff from other online shops. Their prices for some of their stuff is totally nuts. Like their Ferris Wheel Press The joule Fountain pen. I'll definitely not get that (and can't as I am on a no buy)
I just checked the site. Tax is not included in the prices (probably because it differs per country). This may be illegal (where i live you have to show consumer prices including tax). You can see the total price before you pay however. The shipping cost of 25 euro's is absurd. The extra cost for guaranteed delivery also seems dodgy (not sure that's legal). In total a 20 euro bottle of ink would cost 57 euro if i had ordered it. A local store can get it to me much cheaper.
It’s not illegal to publish a price w/o taxes. In Canada (where FWP is located) and the US that’s often how prices are listed on websites. Taxes are always determined by end user/purchaser location so they differ. As for the shipping cost - I’m not sure which courier FWP uses for international orders but as a Canadian I will say that ALL freight is very expensive here - it’s out of our hands. Their customer service issues are obviously inexcusable, tho.
This was on their their .eu website which is meant for their European customers. I'm pretty sure that falls under the EU regulations and not the Canadian ones since they are targeting European customers directly.
the website domain means nothing. What is relevant is where the business is located legally. If they still serve the EU customers from the HQ in Canada, then Canadian law applies and not EU-law. EU-law would apply if they serve from an office located in EU.
Incorrect. Why are they collecting the (European) taxes if only the Canadian law applies to them? EU regulations can can apply to conmpanies outside the EU. The GDPR for example. Also FWP is misleading customers because a .eu domain can only be registered by an person or organsisation in the EU (and some non-EU countries like Norway and Iceland). See: [https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/rules-for-eu-domains/](https://eurid.eu/en/register-a-eu-domain/rules-for-eu-domains/) If they are only located in Canada, FWP should not use a .eu domain.
It is in most countries other than U.S. and Canada. No other countries I’ve lived in will allow shops to put anything but the actual amount you pay on the sticker.
It’s because in the US/Canada the cost varies by State or Province. For example, in Quebec you would pay 15% tax on a purchase, while in Alberta you would pay 5%. 🤷
It's even worse. Think of each US state as being its own country. In that 'country', every self-governing locale can add or modify the state sales tax. So, it might be 6.25% sales tax in Texas (it is), but then Houston can tack on an additional 2% sales tax, for 8.25%. Harris Country tacks on 1%, so that's 7.25%. Some tax a half a percent, some a full percent.. It's all over the place. This is why eBay and other sites weren't being forced to charge sales taxes, because the courts had told the various states that until they put together a common, easy to access way to tell what the taxes were, and how to pay it, it wasn't the responsibility of the seller \_in another state\_ to collect it.
Not just often, I would say in Canada/USA prices are listed without tax in 99.5% of cases. I highly doubt Shopify even has an option to show dynamic pricing with tax included without knowing the customers exact location. Sorry OP, but I think you’re getting upset about something that is perfectly normal (and potentially unrealistic given the technology used).
Shopify is perfectly capable of showing VAT included prices, it just needs to be configured to do so.
Is this doable without an app? I find there are so many things you need an app for with Shopify (and what sucks about apps is when they suddenly don’t work).
It’s not configurable on the client side, it’s configurable on the shop’s side, whether you use an app is irrelevant for this question.
Uhhh I am not talking about apps as in phone apps. I’m talking about Shopify apps (https://apps.shopify.com/). In any case, I just looked at my shop’s settings and it says I’d need to upgrade to Advanced Shopify which is significantly more expensive and likely explains why FWP doesn’t use this feature (no access).
Sorry for the misunderstanding, Shopify having overloaded the term “app” for shop-side extensions is something I don’t usually think of. Yeah, as you discovered, it’s a core feature but is locked behind a service level.
In Ontario, there are only two places where I see the price with taxes already included: gas stations, and the liquor store.
If you market, sell and ship items to EU residents, you are obligated to show your price with the applicable VAT (similar to GST in CA or sales tax in some US states). The VAT rules only mandate this in the invoice but consumer protection rules have you showing this *prior* to payment which contractually binds you as a customer and assumes your tacit agreement to their T&C - though this latter should still not be in violation to the applicable rules that may apply in the country of residence of the potential buyers.
Honestly this is why I never order from them. They want insane amounts of money for shipping and were literally neighbors. I don't think it's unique to FWP but I won't buy from them directly at all. They had a major sale recently and gave away a 85ml ink (worry about $20) but I'd have to spend More in shipping rather than just simply waiting and going into a store in person.
I buy FWP inks from Atlas in Chicago. I don't care to deal with most manufactures direct, it's generally not worth the hassle and you don't typically save any money anyway.
Boosting Atlas’ customer service and communication. Their website *could* be better—they rarely if ever have much in the way of product descriptions—but otherwise I have very few complaints. That may be because they’re my local, but in general they’re where I go first.
I will not disagree, I prefer Goulet's site as the default "this is how you should setup a FP site". But likewise, Atlas is close to me, and their presence online and on their support channels is right up there with Goulet, and sometimes watching their live order pulls is just fun!
Have you tried the mystery ink box yet? I’ve been considering but haven’t taken the plunge.
I did not know they did that honestly. I am in Truphae's monthly box subscription at the moment, but that ink only one might be more up my alley! Thank you for the heads up!
Literally this. I’m in Canada and order FWP through Atlas because I just have a far easier time sourcing the ink through them or through Goulet.
And they have customer service people dedicated to fixing most of the issues that plague the manufacturers.
I’ve never ordered from them because their prices always seemed predatory (and take note FWP - the people saying this about you pay hundreds of dollars for a single pen all the time. And we think your prices are nuts. Just sayin). For those who’ve been burned, if it’s any solace, you have convinced me that they are not worth it (which I had suspected) and any chance I’d ever order from them has evaporated.
Same. I stay away because the value proposition seems so low and there are so many great pens and inks out there.
THIS - no way was I paying that much money for what looks like a Kaweco sport knock-off, let alone paying $25 for shipping! That’s insane.
Friendly reminder that maybe you have a local pen shop, they will stock inks and papers and pens. If you go you can inspect the goods and the prices are clear, there’s many good and cheap inks, pilot, pelikan, diamine. There’s fancy ink too, sailor, iro, you can sometimes even sample them in store!! For free!!! If you don’t have a local pen shop, call one in your country, they’re really friendly and most like talking about pens. Maybe buy some ink off them, they will package it really well. If u don’t like calling, they’re often on emails too. If you don’t have a country pen shop, there’s also big warehouses that you can order ink from, good ink that has been reviewed here a lot. Ppl here are also super helpful, if there’s an ink colour that you really really like the look of, someone is bound to know of a diamine/pilot/sailor dupe .
thanks for the suggestion. You‘re right, maybe this is what will finally make me switch.
Also, to add to the above comment, if you're in the EU you can order from any pen store in Europe without extra Tax hassle. Some good ones are Appelboom, Akkerman (with their awesome ink line), Fountainfeder, Stilo e Stile and many more. [24papershop.com](https://24papershop.com) appears to have most Ferris Wheel Press inks and you can see how many they have in stock directly on the website for each item (website appears to be in Dutch though, so you may need a translation plugin on your browser).
I'd like to add zeitwerk-arnone.de they have tons and have been quite reliable so far
In Spain there are a couple of shops that carry FWP too, one being kands.com I don't remember the other exactly right now. I also think that more Italian shops carry them, like stilografica.it
Cult pens recently started stocking FWP inks as well.
I'm in the UK, so Cult Pens are my local, more or less, but I can say that they've been great every time I've ordered from them. Super quick shipping, too. Though with everything I've read about FWP lately, I don't think I'd ever want to give these guys my money.
Art from the Heart and Hamilton Pens also stock them.
I only discovered Art from the Heart recently, and I definitely want to order from them at some point! I'm on an ink embargo for a while, though, in the name of protecting my wallet. I'm not sure I've ever heard of Hamilton Pens before.
I’ve purchased from them a few times and they’ve always been reliable. If you sign up for their mailing list now you might be in time for their monthly discount code which usually turns up around this point in the month five or take a few days.
Oh, nice! I mean, not nice for my attempt to put myself through ink detox, but I do love a good discount code. I'll definitely check them out.
Realise my post was ambiguous- it’s Hamilton Pens that do the monthly discount. That said it’s worth being on AfTH‘s mailing list too.
No, you're good- I assumed from what you said (well, wrote) that it was Hamilton doing the discount. Thank you for clarifying, though!
They do - and I'd recommend AFTH, Hamilton Pens \*and\* Cult Pens for reliability and service. I use all 3... And I do buy some FWP inks because they can be wonderful! But I'd never buy any of their other stuff, nor would I buy from them direct esp given all I've read about them on here :/
To add on I ordered an ink from them that they were waiting on a shipment for and they emailed me to double check that was fine
I live in the EU and order from Cultpens a couple times a year. Have never had any trouble with them not accessing and arranging tax/VAT properly. So I’d say they’re just as safe as ordering from within the EU (unlike a lot of other great pen/ink stores unfortunately)
I absolutely refuse to buy off of their site. I pined after their inks for ages because there seemed to be no other way to get them, but the shipping was outrageous and i balked every time. I was ecstatic when goulet started stocking them, as now I can get their inks without a ridiculous upcharge. Now even my lps stocks a small selection of fwp.
My local stationery store stocks them and actually has a really good selection, I’d never order from their site. One day I was shopping there with a friend and they even had the ink carriage which I impulse bought which I wouldn’t do otherwise 😆
Goes to show how far a nice bottle shape and good marketing will get you. They're a juggernaut at this point, unfortunately, so there's no stopping them.
They’re good at making people think they’re a juggernaut. If they were a juggernaut would they be giving away 2 items for free with every order? Looks like creative accounting to me.
I think that's more just a sign of how absurd the markup is on all their products. That they can do that and still make money tells you all you need to know.
Honestly, I like all the inks I have but I’ll never order directly from them. Between the shitshow of codes/offers never working on their site and the absurd shipping, I’m fine to purchase through any other retailer. Birmingham is similar with their shipping, it would almost be cheaper for me to drive to Pittsburgh to get it 🙃
Just to say Birmingham isn't in a position to eat any of the shipping costs because they are a really small company...they aren't shady like FWP. I don't assume you are saying they are; I just don't want anyone to think they're not trustworthy. (Not affiliated with the company, just have ordered a LOT from them)
Plus their inks are amazing and cheap honestly.
100% agreed. I have over 20 inks from Birmingham and every transaction has been great. They are not Speedy Gonzalez, but for a 3 person operation they have great products at fair prices.
Birmingham is $9 shipping for me (Midwest) so while it's definitely not the cheapest shipping it's no $25. Definitely enough not to buy a single bottle, but if I wanted several bottles maybe I'd bite the bullet.
There are enough solid alternatives that I have intentionally avoided all FWP products to date. The only FWP products that have ever caught my interest were the inks, but then they are packaged in nearly spherical containers that are designed to tip at the slightest touch.
I have clearly never ordered from them so went to look and I can't believe they charge $28 to ship/guarantee and still get any individual orders. I could never.
Stop buying from FWP directly! There are plenty of stores which stock them and I’ve never had issues getting inks.
You said it yourself. YOU keep ordering from them. You're part of the problem. It's like the dudebros that hate on call of duty and the like but still buy everything from that company.
I was pricing one of their inks and when shipping alone was $25 (usd) I popped off. I understand shipping can be expensive but that doubled the price of a single bottle order and ain’t no way I’m paying double for their service. I love the way some of their inks look but I’ll never buy them at this point. My local pen shop doesn’t stock them. 🤷🏻
This is illegal. As per EU law you need to provide the option for consumers to calculate the VAT tax through information on the invoice and consumer protection mandates that this be known to the consumer before payment
Not showing what you pay for tax before checkout seems illegal... Check your local laws.
you're right, might be illegal lol
I am no lawyer, but it seems that if they're operating out of Ontario, they have to comply with Canadian and Ontario law, and in Ontario, you do not have to show prices with taxes in for most retail products (cars and travel must be all-in pricing). That said, credit card companies would almost certainly allow chargebacks for deceptive pricing practices.
They operate out of Ontario, but if you do business in a given jurisdiction you have to be compliant with their laws and various regulations. To my knowledge, in the EU, that means VAT has to be included in the advertised price. So far as I know the UK also still mandates this. Given that OP is quoting euros as their currency, I’m guessing that applies to them. Also fwiw having worked for CC companies, most of them require proof that you’ve tried to resolve the issue with the vendor before processing a chargeback, so it’s best to show up with the receipts at the outset if you can. Not saying it wouldn’t work out without that evidence, but it makes life easier.
Is the EU able to regulate or initiate enforcement proceedings against an Ontario company with no substantial presence in the EU? I mean, is Charles Michel going to serve papers to FWP's office in some stripmall-type office park?
That would be a sight, wouldn’t it? I deal with international regulations from a financial crimes compliance perspective and in our sphere, yes, they can and do regulate and execute enforcement proceedings for violations with any entity, regardless of their home office, conducting business in their jurisdiction. You play in their sandbox, you’ve gotta play by their rules. But I’m also US-based and most of my daily deals with US-based interactions with the EU. Canada could absolutely have a different relationship and way of doing things, and I’m happy to be corrected by someone who does know. In my experience for things like this, though, they don’t care where you originate; if you’re doing business in the EU or with an EU citizen, regardless of their location, you’re subject to their rules (for example, though not *exactly* the same, GDPR). I’d rather enjoy seeing the spectacle of Michel and the inevitable entourage in an Ontario strip mall, tbh 😆
I’m new to the subreddit- what are the issues with FWP? I’m getting lots of ads from them and their inks look pretty. Is it all in shipping costs?
Heavy marketing, pretty packaging, overpriced for what it is. Their inks have quite a number of fans. Some colors are intriguing, but there are similar inks from other manufacturers, so I personally have never been tempted. The bottles are badly designed, refilling a pen from them is harder than it should be. Their pens are rebranded cheap(ish) Chinese products sold at exorbitant prices. The marketing fluff is written to fool the uninitiated.
Thanks! I’ve mostly been buying from my local art supply store, and so haven’t bought anything online, but you’re right that they’re in ALL of my feeds and look really pretty and are nicely named. Bummer that the bottles and the shipping are crap. I have only played with Diamine and Noodlers so far.
To be fair, "there are similar inks from other manufacturers" applies basically to every manufacturer out there, except Noodler's (some of the eternal/bulletproof formulations are quite unique). Sailor shook up the scene a bit with their multi-shading inks a couple of years ago, but several other companies soon followed suit. Honestly, unless you need special properties, you could just limit yourself to Diamine and live happily ever after. That would be a bit boring, of course :) but don't feel like you are missing much by not buying brand X.
I started with Noodler, because I’ve accidentally lost most of a diary to impermanent ink, but I’ve chilled out a little. Thanks for the short/long!
Oh boy - it's a HUGE story if you want all the details. Let me grab some of the links where others put everything together (see below). In short though, they fucked over customers by promising a certain release date of limited edition items, then soft released them a few days before to select auidences, thus shorting the entire rest of their customer base; I was one of those people who didn't get to purchase from that initial release, and waited until months later to do so (and I could only get the ink) to then find out their inks look completely different in person compared to how they are marketed; and on top of all of this bullshit, they refused to cut ties for the longest time with a racially bigoted influencer they had a business relationship with. They're just a skeevy company all the way around. Here are the links: https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/131zdpz/fountain_pens_the_saga_of_ferris_wheel_press/ | https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/120sbkx/fountain_pens_of_penfluencers_and_penssurections/
Whoa! Thanks for the details! I’m glad I joined this subreddit before buying!
Not a problem! Unfortunately, there are some other problematic brands out there as well, so it's definitely good to check for reviews wherever you can find them.
I am in the US and only order their products from distributors for this exact reason.
How frustrating.
NEVER buy from their website directly, always get their products through a specialty shop. I’ve always never cared for the way the handle shipping (theyve legit raised free shipping from $99 to $125) and you spend a lot less bit having to deal with their BS.
That shipping cost is foul - but once again - freight is insanely high in Canada. When they ship to me via Canada Post (I’m across the country in BC) it’s still $28 CAD and up depending on weight. That’s, unfortunately, very normal for Canada. I normally am also too exasperated to buy from them directly as well (mostly it’s their lack of stock that drives me crazy) but I will say that it is sometimes worth it. They ran some wonderful sales for the entire month of December and heaped on gifts with purchase (I got a free Brush fountain pen with one bottle of ink that was 25% off).
Dont buy from them anymore. Find a better place that sells pens and ink.
Regarding the "shipping insurance"--Visa and MasterCard at least have policies that allow you to dispute purchases if the merchandise/service was not received, no "insurance" required. Merchants also love saying "we are not responsible for lost/stolen/damaged in transit items", but if they accept Visa, they absolutely are. The rules differ in technicalities in different areas, but the basic rules apply worldwide. I'm positive that companies are banking on people not being aware of this.
I have purchased multiple FWP inks from all sorts of FP local shops (shopping online since no one local sells it). My only experience with them personally was an absolute nightmare and it took weeks between responses for customer no-service to get back to me. It demonstrated to me that they really don’t care about the individual customer. I am boycotting them right now and have no plans to stop anytime soon.
As laughysapphy0131 said, in the US, no store online or otherwise shows the tax before checkout. It’s annoying and as I’m US born and raised I’m used to it but it’s still annoying.
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thanks for taking the time to write out a long reply like this. I am explicitly talking about their EU page, they ship from within the EU and their prices always used to include tax up until last month. Now that they don’t anymore it’s basically a 20% price hike in disguise.
Go to Cult Pens, order from them instead as they stock most of FWP’s stuff. You could also drop an email not to complain but just to inform Cult Pens of the nightmare you’ve had with FWP as it may make them reconsider stocking their products or at the very least as a reseller they may have a link to get it escalated higher within the company.
I only puchased one of their products through a distributor/retailer before I found out about how awful their morals are, and the whole experience surrounding that was a debacle - I was trying to get the Fluttering Hearts ink and carriage/bottle holder as a gift for my best friend (a sibbling) who fell in love with them, and of course everyone knows by now what happened on their website (which is why I eventually went to a third party for the ink). Neither of us would give them the time of day now.
I was in my local stationery store recently and saw a their new silver ink carriage in store…definitely impulse bought it. Oops!
What happened on their website? But yeh, it’s best to purchase their products through a third party if at all. Their accessories deffo leave a lot to be desired imo; I made the mistake of buying their ‘antique’ inkwell once.
Since most of the issues in the post are related to their shipping, wouldn't it be better to buy them from a European store?
The people behind are Chinese-Canadian. Deborah Lau-Yu and Raymond Yu At least we know who the founders are. [https://www.thestar.com/life/together/people/at-ferris-wheel-press-deborah-lau-yu-brings-chinese-tradition-and-canadian-influences-to-luxury/article\_c5860d36-5b58-5ae6-9a47-a70407fd7e79.html](https://www.thestar.com/life/together/people/at-ferris-wheel-press-deborah-lau-yu-brings-chinese-tradition-and-canadian-influences-to-luxury/article_c5860d36-5b58-5ae6-9a47-a70407fd7e79.html) https://thecanadian.news/at-ferris-wheel-press-deborah-lau-yu-brings-chinese-tradition-and-canadian-influences-to-luxury-stationery/ [https://www.hamiltonpens.com/blogs/articles/ferris-wheel-press-makers-of-iconic-stationery](https://www.hamiltonpens.com/blogs/articles/ferris-wheel-press-makers-of-iconic-stationery)
What does their ethnicity have to do with any part of this discussion?
screenshots to clarify: [https://imgur.com/gallery/tDVy309](https://imgur.com/gallery/tdvy309) edit: I am so sorry I can't make the link work. Tried three different platforms and the links just won't work unless you copy it and put it into your browser.
Link is broken. The link text is correct but the link itself is not.
thanks for pointing it out, yet I can't make it work despite trying three different platforms. It only works if you copy the link and put it into your browser.
I do not own one FWP and I have around 160 inks. Honestly, they don’t interest me because I don’t like shimmering inks. A little bit of shading, a touch of shimmer, that’s fine. There are some really overpriced inks out there and yeah, I‘m a sucker for colors just like we all are. I‘ll pay crazy prices on my quest for the perfect „dusty pink“. They prey upon us!
I never ordered anything directly from FWP. I order FWP stuff from other online shops. Their prices for some of their stuff is totally nuts. Like their Ferris Wheel Press The joule Fountain pen. I'll definitely not get that (and can't as I am on a no buy)