Stationery Pal
Discovered by Instagram ad, like many recent stationery resources, Stationery Pal initially attracted me because I was looking for some new fine-tipped fountain pens and some journaling and letter-writing ephemera, and when I initially surfed over to them I was shocked at the prices. Items that lodged steeper values even on The Evil Amazon. Stationery Pal likely does this amazing feat by being The Source.
Stationery Pal ships directly from mainland China, and although their site provides minimal corporate branding info, they are likely one of the most direct sources for many of these products that are produced in China. Whilst I did grab some items originating from Japan, almost all other goods they sell are produced by the bespoke manufacturers that supply all the big global brands. I was glad to see that some Chinese brands were on obvious display here, though. The trend of Western brands offshoring their production whilst still skimming a profit just on the remaining value of their name really ticks me off, and I look forward to a day when Chinese brands pull their own weight on the global stage next to the likes of Lamy and Sailor.
Of course, one reason people shop from Amazon is their obscenely fast delivery, now largely provided by their own logistics organizations from their own local and regional warehouses, and thus not subject to the whims of the global supply chain, postal services, and border delays. Even in my small rural village, I can order from Amazon on a Saturday morning and have my widget on Sunday afternoon. Stationery Pal, on the other hand, requires a bit more patience. Having now received two orders, the wait time one should expect is likely on the order of 3-4 weeks.
But if blessed with such a patient heart, you are well rewarded. Not only do you get better prices (on some items this was less than half the Amazon price), you definitely get some excellent variety. In the case of their pens, you also have the option of buying pens individually if you’re a big fan of specific colours (or if you just want to replace a lost or used one from your pack).
Of course, one item in my second purchase showed how some Chinese vendors are able to get their prices so low, and why non-Chinese brands are often more desirable: the tendency of these discount brands to produce knock-offs. However, unlike that fake Prada bag your aunt fools her friends with, there’s no real fooling anyone with the lazy attempts I witnessed here, where the Chinese-produced Sikib (aka Jianwu) took a very poor shot at Lamy.
If you had no ability to open or examine the boxes, you might be slightly misled. One box is obviously inspired by the other, and the resemblance could in no way be an accident. But the pens inside are impossible to mix up.
The Lamy Safari is likely one of the most recognizable pens on the market. The very basic fountain pen in the Sikib box, on the other hand, was a clear plastic pen with a few included accessories: a gasket-equipped filling chamber if you want to use the included dropper to entirely fill the pen body with ink, or you can make use of the included standard international converter. A very utilitarian pen that I found worked quite well. And at $3 each, only mother earth will judge you for buying a handful and considering them disposable.
Of couse, my bigger appreciation of Stationery Pal is their incredibly large selection of gel and rollerball pens, all from global brands like Pentel, Zebra and Pilot. I stocked up on these and have really been enjoying all the amazing colours that are on the market these days - far beyond my wildest dreams as a kid. And now that the riches of China are only a click away, I’m sure I’ll be using this source again.
