Journalsay
I recently went on a bit of an online shopping spree with Journalsay, which from the evidence I’ve found is a distribution partner for Jianwu stationery. The online shop includes numerous other brands, and specializes in decorative sticker products.
The site had a huge selection of exactly the kinds of stickers I love to decorate my journals and letters with. The prices are beyond reasonable, to a similar extent of Stationery Pal, spoiling me for typical prices I’ve been accustomed to even from Amazon and Ebay sellers.
I was somewhat disappointed at the packing job. Several of the sticker boxes were crushed in the shipment, which had no rigid container and instead everything was just wrapped in one sheet of tissue paper then a plastic shipping envelope.
Most of the stickers themselves were unbent and seemed fine, but the lack of a rigid packing box and the consequent shipping damage was somewhat ironic considering that Stationery Pal just announced their own line of specialized shipping boxes.
Perhaps this is one of the prices we pay for the rock-bottom prices of these products. But like other companies that ship direct from mainland China, there is also a considerable wait, and orders transit through a domestic distributor.
Also like other producers of printed stationery products, both in mainland China and elsewhere, and including some of my favourite independent makers, a lot of the content comes from unpaid stock image art, both public domain classic artists (Monet and Van Gogh are especially popular) and unnamed art culled from internet image searches.
Journalsay’s website addresses potential intellectual property concerns, but I’d be curious whether there have been any enquiries in that area and what sort of responses and results follow.
Similar to that line of discussion was the familiarity I found in the Jinhao Morandi fountain pen, which was obviously inspired by the Pilot Kaküno. The Kaküno writes a bit better and is the more attractive pen to me in all the ways that differ, but I did prefer the fact that the Morandi includes a clip, whereas the Kaküno has only a rollstop. Jinhao is known for flaunting its “inspirations” from other producers, many of whom likely use the same suppliers in China. Honestly, I’m a bit iffy on the value of branding in this era of outsourcing, so I say more power to them.
Jornalsay is a great source if you enjoy lovely stickers and rock-bottom prices. I recommend them.
