# Leather Pen Case Group Buy



## Daniel

Closed

Single Pen Case with Large Pocket has been added for $2.50 ea
This is supposed to be the same pouch as the single or double pen case but the pocket will hold a pen up to 20mm (3/4") in Diameter. this is large enough to hold the cap end of the Havana even if you make it bulge a little. Statesman's, Gents and all the others of that breed should have no trouble fitting nicely in these cases.
I will work my way back up the list and add these for those that mentioned they wanted them. it will take a while and for those that payed it will require sending another payment. this complicates things for me just a bit so bear with me. IT now requires that I be able to tell when just a portion of an order has been payed for or not. I gotta figure out how to do that.


1 pen case $2.00 ea.
2 pen case $3.75 ea.
24 pen case $14.00ea.

PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE POSTAGE

Payments will be accepted by pay pal only.
Please no exceptions, money passing through my personal bank account can
no longer happen. Thank you.

PLEASE READ IF YOU ARE PLACING AN ORDER.
There are several issues I am concerned about in this buy.

1. This is a new, untested supplier from India. So far response from this
supplier has been slow but has gotten done.

2. I am concerned that delivery of this order will be slow. I have been
told to expect 30 days for an order of 500 cases. A larger order will take
even longer.

3. Measures are being taken to insure that payment will pass through a
third party to help guard against being completely ripped off. Final
payment will not be made until proof that goods have been shipped. 50%
payment will be made up front. In short both sides are a little leery
about how the money passes hands.

4. All quotes have been made to me in Rupees which fluctuate often. Real
final cost cannot be known until the moment payment is actually made.

5. Quality of the final product is a bit of a question and I make no
guarantees concerning it. This is a first time (trial) buy please keep
this in mind when deciding just how large an order you want to make.

6, It is known that at least one other member of this group has
successfully placed an order for these cases. We are not certain that it
is the same company and there where issues with quality. This member is
also getting involved in this buy. Just some F.Y.I. use it to make your
own decisions.

Although I have gotten samples and posted photos of them. I make no
guarantee concerning the final product.

At this time I am discussing the larger pocket pen case with the supplier.
If the details do get worked out I will be adding that item to the list.
At this time the above are the only cases I am prepared to offer in this
buy.

Above prices include:

Actual cost of case
Estimated shipping per case
All pay pal fees (total of 7%) 3% when you pay me 4% when I pay supplier.

Not included in above prices

Actual postage (will be figured per order)
Any postage related costs such as printing labels or envelopes
Pay pal fee on cost of postage and pay pal’s $0.31 transaction fee per order.

At this time nothing is added for any costs such as customs, duties or
higher than expected shipping costs. I am estimating shipping costs based
on $10.00 per kg or about $5.00 per lb. this would be consistent with.
other purchases I have made from overseas from two different suppliers.

PLEASE BE WARNED THAT IF THE ACTUAL FINAL COST DOES CHANGE FOR ANY REASON
I WILL NOTIFY THE GROUP AND YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO PAY ANY DIFFERENCE.


This should only apply to any large changes as I do have the group buy set
up now to handle small problems.

Final note: basically this is a give it a try and see how it goes
situation. I have done all I can to gather as much info as I can. This is
still no guarantee. I urge caution, and remember if we are satisfied with
the final outcome, other buys can be done at another time.

Post orders here or you can e-mail me through my profile info. Due to the
huge response to the feeler I will not be trying to keep a running list
here on this thread.

If you make an order and do not get a total with payment info in return.
It means I did not see your order. I am very good about keeping up with
the orders so expect a reply in no more than 24 hours. Otherwise start
pestering me until you do get one.

Thank You all

The list just so people can confirm i either got their roder or their payment.

OKLAHOMAN    
brez    
sbell111    
igran7    
bruce119    
aggromere    
rstought    
arw01    
Douglas 
Feehan    
sam    
DonHo    
exoticwood    
BRobbins629    
MikeMcM1956    
jwtrumbo    
1080Wayne    
BLLEHMAN    
dogcatcher     
nava1uni    
SteveH    
jason_r    
KiltedGunn    
rlofton    
Monty    
RDH79    
ken69912001    
Jim15    
jbpaul    
jimofsanston    
Rchan63    
tim self    
killer-beez    
Manny    
dennisg    
BruceK    
mick    
gketell    
scotian12    
penhead    
leehljp    
altaciii    
mikemac    
heinedan    
mbroberg    
Rudy Vey     
bradbn4    
Munsterlander    
wolftat
bitshird
warreng8170  Not Paid
Bigdaddy Paid


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## OKLAHOMAN

If Jrs. will fit I'll take 40 singles, if you do get the larger single I'll add 50 larger ones to this.


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## brez

Daniel,

I would like 10 of the single pen cases. I would also be interested in the large pen case if it becomes avaiable.

Thanks
Mike


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## sbell111

I'm in for 40 singles.


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## igran7

I'm in for 10 single pen cases and 10 of the larger single pen cases if it works out.


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## bruce119

I'll go for 50 singles

Thanks
Bruce


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## aggromere

I'll take 25 of the singles and 2 of the 24 pen cases.  I will also be interested in single cases that will hold the big pens like emperor, etc, when you have them available.

Thanks.


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## rstought

Daniel...

I'll go for 20 of the singles, 5 of the 2-pen cases, and 1 of the 24-pen cases.

I, too, will be interested in the larger single cases when/if they become available.


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## arw01

6 singles and 1 24 pen case please.


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## Douglas Feehan

I would like 20 singles and 2 of the 24 pen cases


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## sam

I would also like 20 singles & 2 0f the 24's. Thanks


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## DonHo

I'd like 10 of the single pen cases and 1 of the 24 pen cases.
  DonHo


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## exoticwo

Daniel,
  I would also like 40 singles & 2 0f the 24's. 

Thanks


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## BRobbins629

10 singles for me please.


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## MikeMcM1956

Daniel,
Thanks for taking this on, I'm in for 20 singles and ten doubles....

Mike


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## jwtrumbo

I will take 20 Singles and 1 of the 24 pen holders.

James W Trumbo
jwtrumbo


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## 1080Wayne

Daniel

     10 singles , 5 doubles , 4 of the 24`s please .

                                                Wayne


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## Daniel

Just a note, I will be running late on sending order verifications. I am having to rethink postage costs a bit as most of the orders will not fit in the boxes I am used to using. gotta get some rates together for larger boxes.


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## BLLEHMAN

Daniel,
I would like 10 singles please.

Thanks,


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## dennisg

Daniel, is there a cut off date for this buy? thanks


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## Daniel

Dennis, I do not have an exact date set. I will take orders until there are not enough new ones to justify delaying the buy any further. I then usually spend a week trying to round up all the payments etc. For now I will say that there is at least two weeks to get an order in from now.


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## dogcatcher

I want 3 of the 24's and 30 of the singles.


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## bitshird

Daniel, I would like 20 singles 10 large singles, and 5 doubles if you get them


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## nava1uni

Daniel,
  I would like 10 of the single cases, and 1 24 pen case.  If the bigger case works out then I would be interested in a few of those.


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## Daniel

Everyone up to this point should have gotten a PM with the total for your order. Sorry it tool so long I had to go do some box shopping. It caused any order that has a 24 pen case to take a hit in the postage department of about $2.00 just for a box. sorry it was the best I could do. Most of the orders also are being bumped out of the flat rate anything price range. this means that straight priority rates where applied. the 24 pen cases will not fit in any of the flat rate boxes. I spent two days trying to figure a way to get these packages into the lower priced flat rate but it simply is not going to happen.
In a nut shell the smaller orders are being pounded on shipping due to some hard set extra costs. mainly the cost of a box to mail the larger cases in and the fact they will not qualify for flat rate postage.


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## sam

PayPal sent, Thanks


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## SteveH

Daniel

If it is not too late, I would like to order 10 singles and 5 doulbles

Thanks


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## louisbry

Daniel, I would like 10 of the singles please.

Thanks,


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## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, thanks for doing this your Pay pal has been sent!


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## sbell111

Payment made

Thanks


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## Douglas Feehan

Paypal sent Thank you


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## Daniel

22 orders so far 10 have been payed and I have been able to figure out what payment goes to what order so far.
Although orders are slow right now I am not ready to even think about closing this buy.
there are still 42 people on my Feeler thread list that I have not gotten a final confirmed order from. I am aware that changing threads and new info is not always seen by many. rather than try and send out 42 PM's right now I am just letting it set for a bit. I will make sure that everyone that posted in the feeler thread is told about the buy being on though. 
I also suspect that some are waiting to hear more about the larger cases. I will plan accordingly and give plenty of notice concerning them before closing this buy.


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## Jim15

Thanks for the update Daniel. I'm waiting on the larger cases, will order a few then.


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## igran7

Daniel I I didn't receive a PM for the total.  I would like 10 single and if you can get the larger singles I would like 10 of those as well.  Thanks,
Joe



Daniel said:


> Everyone up to this point should have gotten a PM with the total for your order. Sorry it tool so long I had to go do some box shopping. It caused any order that has a 24 pen case to take a hit in the postage department of about $2.00 just for a box. sorry it was the best I could do. Most of the orders also are being bumped out of the flat rate anything price range. this means that straight priority rates where applied. the 24 pen cases will not fit in any of the flat rate boxes. I spent two days trying to figure a way to get these packages into the lower priced flat rate but it simply is not going to happen.
> In a nut shell the smaller orders are being pounded on shipping due to some hard set extra costs. mainly the cost of a box to mail the larger cases in and the fact they will not qualify for flat rate postage.


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## jason_r

I'd like to get:
15 of the singles
10 of the larger singles (if they get added)
4 of the 24 pen cases

Thanks- you've put a lot of work in on this one.


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## Daniel

Joe, sent you another PM. Thanks for having your head up on the buy. it really helps when others are watching for the mistakes as well.


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## scotian12

Daniel....I am interested in the larger cases so I will wait until that is resolved.   Thanks   Darrell Eisner


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## Daniel

Here is my worst suspicion concerning the larger cases. It took me a couple of months to get the samples. My spider sense is telling me that the cart has not gotten a faster horse. So I will give everyone my word that I will conduct a separate group buy for the other cases when and if they become available. This is not a perfect solution but it is the best I can think of. I really think that the answer on the larger cases will come sometime well after this buy is done and over.


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## KiltedGunn

Daniel, thanks for taking this one!  It doesn't sound like you've had alot of fun! 

I'd like 10 singles, 5 doubles and 1 of the 24 pen cases please.

Thx, Lee


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## rlofton

Daniel;

I would like 40 singles, 20 doubles and 1 - 24 pen case.

Thanks!


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## Daniel

Nothing better than posting that you won't get the price soon to get it immediately.
SO here it is. the price for a the large single pen case is $2.50 ea.
I will back track on this list and send totals for anyone that mentioned they wanted them.


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## Monty

Daniel,
Put me down for 10 of the large singles and 5 double cases.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, I see you've now a price on the large single. Great, now are they going to be able to ship them along with the sm single an 24 cases?


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## RDH79

Hi Daniel, I will take 12 of the large singles. PM the total PayPal info   Thanks Rich H.


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## ken69912001

Daniel,
I just saw this thread and would like to confirm that I want 10 of the large singles and 1 of the 24 pen cases. Thanks for doing this and I am waiting on your PayPal address and total.


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## rstought

Daniel...

Now that you have a price on the large singles, I would like to add 20 of these to my order as well.  Since I have already paid for the other items I ordered, let me know how much more I owe you for these and I'll get a PayPal payment right out to you...


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## bruce119

Daniel

I think I will take 20 of the larger ones also added to my order.

Thanks
Bruce


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## wolftat

Daniel, how long will this buy be open for?


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## bitshird

Any Idea of when the cases will be in the USA?


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## DonHo

My name on the first page has not been updated to paid, I sent the paypal payment a couple of days ago.  If you have not received it please let me know so I can check on the problem.

  Thanks,
     DonHo


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## Daniel

Whew, slew of questions. I will do my best to answer them all. If I miss yours please just repeat it.
I was told to expect 30 days manufacturing time for an order of 500 cases. we are at the 500 mark right now and I expect it to go higher.
I will keep the buy open until a week from Friday. I am figuring in my head but I think that is the 22nd.
all cases will be ordered together and should ship together.
Even the supplier in India is starting to mention that we might want to keep this first order on the small side just to make sure everyone is going to be happy.

Don I have your payment no problem just not keeping up with that list very well. every time something changes I have three or four places to track it in. the most important being my master list. if it is not on that list it didn't happen. or that  is the way it is supposed to work. I will send more notices to anyone that has not payed but so far everyone is paid except two or three orders.

I know I am dragging this one slowly, but it started out that way and I simply do not want a slow moving buy to suddenly turn into a sprint and leave a lot of people off guard. I have some reason to believe that as many as 40 people still do not realize the buy is actually happening. please help spread the word around. Although I do think many people are interested in these cases, after two months of dinking around it is not likely to be in the forefront of their minds. I am not sure about anyone else but I do not think I would be logging in every day looking to see if the leather cases where going anywhere yet.

ok I will have to do a little more work but will start sending out second payment notices for all those that want large cases added.


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## sbell111

I'm sure that you have addresssed this, but I can't find the post that makes it clear to me.

The smaller single pen case is large enough for cigars and Jr Gents, correct?


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## Daniel

OK anyone that listed a number or large pen ceases in there post should have gotten a new bill. the amount of the bill is just the difference in your total and is the amount you need to pay. If you posted that you are interested in them only you will need to let me know how many.
As far as I know everyone is either payed or has gotten notice what to pay and how. if this is not the case for you make some noise.


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## Daniel

Steve, The regular single or double case will hold a pen up to the Jr. sizes.
The large pocket single case is one I have asked be made (it does not actually exist at this moment) to hold a pen as large as 20mm in diameter. this should hold any of the larger pens we make except maybe the Panache. 
saying that, remember this is a bit like buying gloves. exactly how well any pen fits is going to have a lot to do with how you shaped it. I make a jr. style pen with a bit of a bulge in the cap. this causes it to be a fairly snug fit in the reg size pen case. a bushing to bushing shape is going to fit very nicely. 

so 
reg single or double case for anything up to jr size pens.
Large single for anything larger than jr. size pens.
the 24 pen case holds the pen with elastic straps so it holds all of them the way it is now.

Do not order a 24 pen case thinking you can pack 24 Emperor pens in it. it ain't gonna work.


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## sbell111

Thanks for the clarification.


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## Jim15

Daniel, I would like 5 of the larghe and 5 of the smaller cases, please. Thanke for going to all this trouble for us, here's to you.:beer:


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## jbpaul

Daniel,

Please put me in for 20 of the smaller single cases.

Thanks,
JB


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## sbell111

Please add two 24-pen cases to my order.

Thanks


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## jimofsanston

*2- 24 pen case*

Daniel i would like 2 of the 24 pen case. let me know total please. ASAp i am leaving Saturday for VACATion.:biggrin:


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## Rchan63

Hi Daniel

Please put me down for 1 x 24 pen case and 20 x single pen cases. I'll PP you sa soon as I have the total

Thanks you for going to all this trouble.

Richard


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## tim self

15 single cases please,  Thanks


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## Daniel

I got an e-mail this morning that mentioned there is a 100 pc min order for any of the cases. This is the first mention I have gotten about any sort of min order. I did send a reply to that effect.

so far a 100 min is not a problem with any of the cases except the 24 pen cases.
at this time I have orders for 32 and most of those orders are paid. I planned on order some myself but at best that would add anouther 25 to the tally. So at this time we are only at 57 24 pen cases. I am waiting on as many as 30 more orders to come in. if they all actually place orders there is a good chance we will meet that 100 pc min order. if not we may have a serious problem.


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## Manny

Daniel,

I will take 
1 - 24 pen case
5 - Large single cases
10 - Regular single cases

Thanks,
Manny


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## Daniel

Everyone to this point should have received a total for there order and where to pay.

The good news of the day is that the supplier dropped the 100 case min order requirement as they now agree that I was not told of this up front. This actually makes me happy for a couple of reasons. One I really do not think the buy is going to reach 100 cases on the 24 pen cases, and two it is an action on their part that shows they will do the right thing.


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## Daniel

I still have 31 people on my list from the feeler thread that I have not heard from as far as a final confirmed order. I did not send out notices for payment on the feeler thread posts for a couple of reasons. one the final price was not listed in that thread. and two the large pocket cases where not available when those posts where made.
please let me know one way or the other so I can start clearing that list. Even if you have decided to not get in on the buy. let me know so I can remove your name from that list.


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## BruceK

Daniel,
I've been dragging my feet waiting for confirmation on the large cases.  Since that is done,  I'll take 20 regular singles and 20 large singles.

Thanks!


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## mitchm

Daniel, please take me off the feeler list. Not able to take part at this time.

Thanks and apologies for any trouble!


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## Daniel

No problem Mike, thanks for letting me know. Hope all is well.


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## MikeMcM1956

Daniel,

Payment sent, thanks....

Mike


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## 1080Wayne

Daniel  
          Please add 20 of the large single cases to my order . Thanks .

                                                                          Wayne


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## aggromere

you mentioned something about postage being more than you thought.  Are you going to let us know how much more we owe now or wait till you start mailing them?


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## mick

Daniel,
 I'd like 3 of the 24 case. Send me a total and I'll get payment to you.
Mike


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## Daniel

It is not an issue of not having charged enough for postage. As it is now postage on just one 24 pen case would be about $9.00. pretty high in my opinion. I am looking for ways to get that down.
Postage on 4- 24 pen cases is about $16.00 much more acceptable. It is all a balance between weight of an order and all the little extra costs that get added on. the one case order is paying $2.00 for a box the 4 case order is paying that same $2.00 because the box will hold up to 6 or 8 of the cases.
The issue is that in my opinion postage is really high on the smaller orders. But it is what it is. So far I have been billing for the correct amount though. But I am still looking for a lower cost way to get the smaller orders shipped. not having much luck though.




aggromere said:


> you mentioned something about postage being more than you thought.  Are you going to let us know how much more we owe now or wait till you start mailing them?


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## Monty

Daniel said:


> ..... But I am still looking for a lower cost way to get the smaller orders shipped. not having much luck though.


Have you thought about taking a vacation and visiting everyone that has placed an order?:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## gketell

Daniel, 

If it isn't too late I'd like to get in on this with 25 small single, 15 large single and one 24 pen.

Thanks.
GK


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## Bigdaddy

I must have been on the feeler thread and didn't get a PM, can I have 2 24 cases please.

Steve in Ottawa


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## Daniel

Mannie, they way it looks right now I could do that with a couple of weeks running around Texas. somebody must be out there convincing all the penturners to move there.


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## Daniel

Still a couple of days before the buy officially closes. I already have one person working on a small group buy of their own. Since I have a soft spot for what someone goes through when dealing with a group of orders i will be holding the order for them. 
I have also decided to sneak an order for 100 single cases in before I actually place this order. I just want to make sure there are not nasty surprises before I spend all of your money. this 100 case order is only risking a portion of the group buy nest egg. if it goes bad nothing serious is lost. this will delay the larger group buy order a little but I think it is well worth it to have some assurances. Basically I am doing this int eh best interest of everyone involved. I know it is a pain to think about waiting even longer but when I think of how everyone woudl feel in a worst case situation. I think I prefer to be the bad guy and delay yet a little more.
stand buy for further updates.


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## scotian12

Daniel...i would like 30 of the single and 16 of the large pen cases. Darrell Eisner Canada


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## penhead

Daniel,
I would like:
10-Single (regular size)
10-Single (larger size)
5-Double

Thanks for all your time and effort put into this..!


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## Daniel

Group Buy is closed,
Thank You


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## leehljp

I missed your request to send payment during my travels. Seems like there was a flurry of posts on my travel days back to Japan and home (here).

IF you did include me, I will send payment but I don't know how much to send (for USA delivery for 24 singles) . If you did not include me because I didn't respond, that will be OK.

Hank


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## penhead

Paypal sent...

Thanks again Daniel..!!!..




penhead said:


> Daniel,
> I would like:
> 10-Single (regular size)
> 10-Single (larger size)
> 5-Double
> 
> Thanks for all your time and effort put into this..!


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## leehljp

Daniel said:


> Everyone to this point should have received a total for there order and where to pay.
> 
> The good news of the day is that the supplier dropped the 100 case min order requirement as they now agree that I was not told of this up front. This actually makes me happy for a couple of reasons. One I really do not think the buy is going to reach 100 cases on the 24 pen cases, and two it is an action on their part that shows they will do the right thing.



Daniel,

I did not get any notification. Please let me know.

I signed up for 25 back on April 7:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=45251&highlight=leather+pen+case&page=2

Thanks

Hank


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## Daniel

Hank, PM sent
I know there are others that got lost in the switching of threads etc. I do have a list of anyone that posted an order on the feeler thread. att his time any of those orders are considered as being in the group buy.

when the group buy switched to this new thread new info was added and the price of the cases increased. For these reasons I do not take any order placed in the feeler thread as the final word.
At this time I have about 20 people that posted in the feeler thread that have not verified those orders after the final prices and conditions where set in this thread. i will be trying to contact those people by PM and E-mail this week.

The final word on whether you order is in or not is if I have you payment when I place the order. at this time I am not sure just how long that will be. I tried placing an order of my own last week and so far have not gotten any reply of any kind concerning it. I am a bit baffled as to what to make of that. could be my contact with the company went on vacation or is traveling. At this time I hate to even try to guess what could be going on. at this point everyone's money is safe and secure in my pay pal account so nothing to get seriously worried about.


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## bradbn4

If possible could you update the topic to say closed or the first message?

It would help out others from trying to search thru the postings to see if a group buy is still active.

Thanks

   Bradbn -- having some fun in Colorado - 




Daniel said:


> Hank, PM sent
> I know there are others that got lost in the switching of threads etc. I do have a list of anyone that posted an order on the feeler thread. att his time any of those orders are considered as being in the group buy.
> 
> .....  .


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## Daniel

Bradley,
I did add closed to the first thread
We are no longer able to edit the subject of a thread.


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## bradbn4

Drat -- I thought it was possible and such - maybe the difference between the old setup vs the new one.

Is it possible to edit the first message in the thread - just looking for some way to make it easier for folks to determine the current status of a group buy.

Brad -- oh the rain - it is use nice to hear it rain -- having fun in Colorado


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## jimofsanston

*Daniel*

sent the paypal. sorry for the delay i lost my father and have been tied up taking care of things. hope i paid in time? let me know.


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## Daniel

Jim. Payment has been received. Sorry to hear about your father. my prayers and condolences.


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## Manny

Manny said:


> Daniel,
> 
> I will take
> 1 - 24 pen case
> 5 - Large single cases
> 10 - Regular single cases
> 
> Thanks,
> Manny




Payment sent thanks Daniel


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## Daniel

All orders are payed for except two. Translation the buys is an unquestionable go on the money collection part.
I placed a small 100 case order about a week and a half ago. I did this in order to work out any bugs in the system as far as getting payment made etc.
well considering I am still working on the final details of actually paying for the order. You can imagine there are a few bugs. the good news is that the supplier is working with me to be able to pay directly from my pay pal account. Very nice of them to go to so much effort over a 100 case order.
I expect to have that trial order in my possession in the next week or so.
I also have about 20 people from the feeler thread that I did not hear from again on this thread. I am going to send them a bill and give them that week to get payments in.


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## Munsterlander

Daniel,

Sorry, been offline for a couple weeks.  I posted in the feeler thread - if I can still make the payment let me know and I will.  I'll have to go back to the other thread to see what I said.  Alternatively I'd be happy to go with 1 24-pen case and 10 single cases ($34 I think?).

Thanks,


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## Daniel

Mike, PM sent.
For anyone else from the feeler  thread. I consider you in the buy and am still trying to collect payment. I still have 11 people on the feeler thread (down from about 25) list that I have not heard from. I even took a chance of posting in Casual conversation to get peoples attention.

I am not sure what else I can try other than list the user names and see if anyone out there knows how to get in contact with them.

for the most part I ended the buy to any new orders to limit it's size. I will still be collecting payments for orders that did get in on time until the order is actually placed.

I received an e-mail this morning that My trial order should be ready to ship in a couple of days so time is starting to run short. 

At this time I only have two unpaid orders one of those I refunded due to not having shipping info included with it. I am thinking that person does not even realize the payment was refunded.

well anyway I have done everything I can to wave flags at people. Jeff did change editing ability for thread titles so maybe I can stop this thread changing stuff. it has really caused some bad hic ups in the process.


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## jimofsanston

Hey Daniel if those people don't answer up why don't you put a list up of what you had ordered already and maybe some of us may increase our orders. Atleast that will make up the difference so you don't have to eat it as hard.


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## Daniel

Jim, I don't need any more volume in the order. I just hate for people to get left out.
I went from a feeler thread that is not locked to this thread. Price changed from $1.30 per case to $2.00 per case on just the single cases. I am simply trying to find out if all the people that posted interest in the feeler thread are still interested in placing that order. so far the responses have been mixed. some have dropped out for various reasons, others have reduced there order. and others still want the same items, and others have actually increased their order. 

Changes are nearly impossible to pass on with forums being the main form of communication. even with all the posts I have written detailing what is going on and an expected time frame I still get e-mails asking how long it will take for the cases to arrive. The general habit is that once someone has their order in they do not read the thread again. basically communication is cut off unless I send each person an e-mail. with over 50 people involved in the buy, that is not likely to happen unless it is very serious. as it is I have sent PM's three times. 
At this time all I am waiting for is the trial order to reach me. once that is done and all problems have been worked out. I will place the group order.

Just some general interest
at this time the buy has 52 orders (still waiting on 2)
these orders total
808 single cases
66 double cases
53 24 pen cases
318 single large cases

At this time I have one person that made payment but did not include their address so I refunded the payment and Pm'd them to resend with address. so far I have gotten no responce.
I also have one order that was increased but the difference in payment has not been made.
I also have one person working on putting an order together that is large.
I also have to add the extras I want to have in stock to the order.
The buy just in single cases could be as high as 1500 cases when it is done.

Each time this thread gets bumped it seems to attract the attention of one or two more of the feeler thread people.


----------



## Daniel

I received an E-mail this morning that my trial order has been shipped. It is Sunday their time so I will not get tracking info until tomorrow. They are about 12 hours ahead of me time wise so at the time of me writing this it is about 4:00 P.M. on Sunday there.
These will be the first large pocket pen cases. I will be able to verify that they work well for the larger pens. I will update on this thread once I have had a hands on inspection.


----------



## Daniel

Hello All,
I got the e-mail that my trial order of 100 cases shipped yesterday. It was waiting for me at home when I got home from work today. that was fast.
It turned out to be a good idea to do the trial though as lots of little details got worked out. Including that the large pocket cases fit the big pens even better than I expected.

I just sent for a total on the group buy order and expect to have it paid for and under way in the next day or two. I was told to expect 30 days to manufacture an order of 500 cases. our order was 1000 of the single pen cases alone. and 1900 cases in total.
At this time I have no idea how long to expect them to be made but if shipping remains the same that will pretty much all the wait there is.

I do have one partially paid orders and two unpaid orders. the list on the first page is not up to date. I sitll ordered the unpaid items so everything can get straightened out later.

thanks everyone this has been a long long group buy.


----------



## jason_r

Thanks for all the work you've put into this Daniel.


----------



## brez

Daniel,

Is it possible to add some large single cases to my order?

Thanks
Mike


----------



## altaciii

Daniel,
Thanks for the massive effort you have put forth and also for the updates.  Am I to understand that our wait for the orders will be upwards of 30 to 45 days?  Thats alright, just asking so I can mark the approx date.
Thanks again,
Alex


----------



## Daniel

Alex, you are at least in the ball park on the length of wait.
I was told to expect 30 days for 500 cases. a larger order would require more time. that is exactly how it was told to me. our order is about 4 times that size. I pray it does not mean 4 times the wait.
my trial order took less time than was quoted to complete.


----------



## Daniel

Mike PM sent.


----------



## Jim15

Thanks Daniel.


----------



## Daniel

I updated the list on the first page of this thread.
I also put the three orders I have a payment problem with at the very bottom so it is easy to find. if your name is not one of the last three people your order is paid for and I have your address.
If you are one of the three please know that I did order your items and will continue to get into contact with you. I do realize that when a buy drags on this long most people do not see changes or check back for updates etc. I really worry when I completely loose track of people though as it usually means they have not so good things happening in their lives. Above all I hope all is well with everyone and the details of the buy will be taken care of when you contact me wondering where your order is.


----------



## Daniel

For those just seeing this thread or otherwise realizing they just missed it.

1. I did order a very few extras so go ahead and pm me.
2. I did this buy with a lot of comments about caution etc. Due to this I suspect there will still be considerable interest in these cases when this buy is complete. I expect to turn around and conduct another buy very quickly after this buy is complete.


----------



## Daniel

I have gotten a couple of e-mails from people concerned their name is on the list.
for the moment I am posting this to let them know there is no problem. the list is still not complete. I will fix it asap.

I will reply to you through PM as soon as it starts responding. 

I am going to replace the entire list. if there is nothing next to your name then you are paid and all is well. if there is a note you need to contact me.


----------



## Daniel

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ.
I received an e-mail this morning that in short said there is a 12% increase to the cost of the entire order. it asked if I could help cover half of this cost.

I placed a small 100 case order for the express purpose of allowing the supplier and myself to discovered any unexpected costs. nothing was mentioned at that time about any additional costs.

I have had concerns about the integrity of this company, given there origins, from the start. and to be honest if there was going to be any such "Price Increase" this is exactly the point I would have expected to see it come up. 

The e-mail claimed that the 4% pay pal fee was not added to the quote. they claimed they did not expect for me to pay for the order via pay pal even though i have repeatedly said I will make payment by pay pal only.

They also claim that they are charged 12% in taxes if i pay through pay pal rather than a bank transfer. I can see the chance that this might be true only it does not make since that it is taxes. I suspect they may incurred currency conversion costs since pay pal does not support INR. still they had every opportunity to descover this cost during my trial order.

  Personally I am of the opinion that either they are trying to jack the price of the order or are suffering the costs of sloppy business practices. 

I replied to the e-mail that I am wiling to pay the additional 4% pay pal fees but will not pay any part fo the 12%. i spent over $200 to afford them avery opportunity to discover any such costs. that is more than I should have been expected to do.

I am expecting to receive a payment request in the next 24 hours for the quoted amoutn plus 4%. Ifnot this buy will most likely be canceled. I will update when i know more.

Please let me know if you have any comments or opinions you would like to add. i do not know it all, I can only go with what I do know. at this moment I am very angry and making any decisions including posting this is probably not wise. My time right now is limited as I have a very busy weekend.

On a good note, I took my son fishing this morning. Caught 7 trout in about 4 hours. we are getting ready to go out for the evening feeding frenzy. I added that jsut so you all know my world does not come to a complete stand still over this stuff.


----------



## mikemac

I'm willing to pay the extra 4% as needed... theres no reason YOU should have to eat that cost.  Send paypal request as needed


----------



## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, me too. Send pay pal info and I'll shoot you the money...





mikemac said:


> I'm willing to pay the extra 4% as needed... theres no reason YOU should have to eat that cost. Send paypal request as needed


----------



## Monty

Add me to the list willing to help with the unexpected expense.


----------



## bruce119

I too am willing to pay the extra.

It sounds to me that this mite be a small mom & pop business (We all know about them) and they mite not be set up for a large quantity run that you are doing and maybe increasing prices to cover the added work of a large order. Just a thought.

But what ever the case as long as you like the sample run and the quality is there I would like to see the buy go on.

.


----------



## BRobbins629

Daniel - Count me in for more money. Just let me know.  I just hope you receive the goods before you pay them any more.


----------



## brez

Daniel,

Any way you chose is fine with me.

Thanks
Mike


----------



## aggromere

Whatever my share of the additional costs will be, let me know, I will gladly pay.  Also, if there are any extra's or we can add to the order without messing things up I could use one or two of the 24 pen cases or whatever the large cases were.  If not, no big deal, heck, I may have ordered some and don't remember, lol


----------



## altaciii

Daniel, What a headache this is turning out to be for you.  I'm in for whatever you need to complete my order.  Good luck.


----------



## Daniel

Thanks everyone, At this time it looks like no extra will be needed. I received an e-mail this morning saying that they will send me an payment requests for the order as quoted plus the 4% pay pal fees. they just wanted to make sure I agreed to that. At any rate it looks like they are going to stand by their quote on this order. I don't expect we will be getting this price again though.


----------



## Jim15

I also will pay extra, don't think you should assume the extra cost.


----------



## Daniel

I just made the payment for 50% of the order. Quoted cost plus 4% for pay pal fees which I expected to have to pay. so the buy is back on track.
I will have to come up with some other way to pay that works better for them. convincing them to work through pay pal is just not working for them. via the bank does not work for me. I already new i am in a bad way when it comes to being able to pay for orders anyway. I am starting to think that I need to just go set up a business checking account for all of this. It would be nice to keep group buy money separate from any other funds. as it is my pen turning money floats in and out.. So far it has not been a problem keeping track since I don't have a whole lot of pen turning money.


----------



## arw01

*An extra squeeze*

I'm ok with the 4%, and I would like to add a few more singles to my order too.

Alan


----------



## Daniel

Just so everyone knows, the 4% is not an increase in what you have already paid. it is one of the many things I have already added to the cost of the cases. The only issue for me was the 12% Taxes that they where asking me to pay half of. They have agreed to fill the order at the quoted price and basically agree with my statement that I have given them more than enough opportunity to discover any such costs. 
I will not be asking for any additional payment from anyone at this time. I also have no reason to think I will need to.

The order is going to be processed in two parts. not sure why but am pretty sure it has to do with just how large it is. I will not be completely at ease until the order is in my possession. at this moment I am suspicious that they will try to short the number of cases in the order. We will see.


----------



## Rchan63

Hi Daniel

Let us know if you need a few extra bucks for our orders. Thanks for doing all this work.

Richard


----------



## sbell111

Jim15 said:


> I also will pay extra, don't think you should assume the extra cost.


Me, too.


----------



## bruce119

Daniel said:


> The only issue for me was the 12% Taxes that they where asking me to pay half of. They have agreed to fill the order at the quoted price and basically agree with my statement that I have given them more than enough opportunity to discover any such costs.
> quote]
> 
> Well that seems to be good news. It looks like a show of good faith. I know how scary it is dealing over seas for a first time unknown dealer and I commend you for taking this on. Try not to stress it too much I know that pucker feeling when the cash leaves your hands and till you get the product back in your hands. Have faith it will all work out.
> 
> Go have a beer and catch a few fish for me. I used to do a trout fishing when I lived in Colorado. So go do some fishing catch that big rainbow and post a pict.:beer::wink:
> 
> Thanks for all your hard work


----------



## Daniel

Just an update that is mostly just general interest in the process. I received an e-mail over the weekend that said the Leather for our order has been made. They will start cutting out the patterns as of today.

Just so you all know the leather making did not take nearly as long as it may seem. there was a huge delay in getting the money sent to India. We tried Pay Pal no go, We tried sending directly from bank to bank but with my limited mobility that was not happening. I then tried to send it online via Western Union...No go. I finally took the money to a Western Union office and got the order paid for. Well half of it anyway.

I have always said when a group buy goes well it goes really well, when they go bad they are really really bad. this one is not playing nice at all. I sort of get an attitude of revenge when that happens and just get more determined to pull it off.

By the way just some personal info. Since the group buy really has not taken up much of my time this last week. I strayed far off the path and built myself a custom fishing rod. My home computer died but when I get it fixed I will post a picture of it. I am pretty proud of it for a first time attempt. Think pens are expensive. try $100 for a fishing pole that you have to put together.

hope you all have a great 4th. Say hello to all your friends and family. I'll be thinking of you all.


----------



## Daniel

For those wondering how long til the cases get here. (I've gotten several e-mails the last couple of days)

I have posted before that I was told to expect 30 days to make an order of 500 cases. longer for a larger order. Our order was 1000 cases (expect as much as 2 months) This clock starts from the time payment was made which was the last few days of June. This means that the cases are not expected to be shipped to me until mid August at best, most likely late August.

Some additional info is that the 2 pen cases and most of the large pocket single cases are finished as of an e-mail I received last Saturday. That e-mail also stated that these cases would be shipped to me in one or two shipments this week but I have not heard anything further on them. Evidently the manufacturer is planning to ship the cases in batches as they are completed. Don't ask me why this is just as unusual to me as it would be to anyone else. At any rate the production is in the process and it is way to early to be wondering if cases are being sent out yet.


----------



## Rchan63

Thanks for the update.


----------



## altaciii

I'm getting excited......!!!!
thank you, *Daniel*

*Sorry, i'm at work and trying to sneak a peak now and then......*


----------



## Monty

altaciii said:


> I'm getting excited......!!!!
> thank you, David


DAVID


----------



## Manny

Daniel,

Thanks again for running this super job communicating. Did you recieve the 100 case trial order?  If so how were they?

Thanks, Manny 
(NOT Monty/Mannie/CA guy) :biggrin:


----------



## bitshird

Now we just wait for Yak and Yettie courier and cartage to cross the Himalayas and then to get the cases loaded on to a replica of the Kon Tiki (minus the Late Thor Heyerdahl) and a strong tradewinds to blow the raft here and were all set.:wink::wink::wink:


----------



## Daniel

Oh Lord Ken, that brought tears to my eyes. It is good to know that I am accurately conveying what I am dealing with though.
By the way, Yes the large pocket cases came in and they are perfect for the large pens.
I am not selling them yet or sending them out. I didn't think it was right since all the orders cannot be filled.
I got an e-mail this last weekend that sounded like all cases will be here in the next couple of weeks. I will be much more at ease when I actually start seeing some of them though.
I always seem to learn something new or be challenged by something with every new buy, but this one takes the prize. I have lost track of how long it has taken but I seem to remember snow outside at some point. I want to thank everyone for there trust. this sort of delay could have gotten real ugly on any other group.


----------



## bitshird

Daniel said:


> Oh Lord Ken, that brought tears to my eyes. It is good to know that I am accurately conveying what I am dealing with though.



I hope the trade winds don't blow the raft through Somali coastal waters.


----------



## leehljp

bitshird said:


> I hope the trade winds don't blow the raft through Somali coastal waters.



You and me both! :biggrin: But you fellows just think about this one - I still don't get mine until next spring when I get back to the States.


----------



## jimofsanston

*That stinks Hank*

You spend all that money and you can't even play with it. That reminds me of an old saying my father always use to say " #@^%&@@##$" not politicly correct to say in mix company though he was from the old school.


----------



## Daniel

One more update. I received all of the 2 pen cases last Friday. so far all is well. The package with half of the single large pocket cases is out for delivery according to India. They did not provide me with the tracking number. The other half of the order is just now starting to be made. They expect it to take 15 days to complete it. I still don't expect to have all of them until mid August though. There is simply way to much delay for this and delay for that stuff going on. 

Daniel


----------



## Daniel

Hello Everyone, It has been a while since I posted an update. Mainly I have been holding my breath and trying to figure out just how to write everything and not get long winded.
In anut shell it is going anything but good.
The supplier has decided to ship everything 1/2 at a time. that means half the single cases, half the 24 pen cases etc. so far I have received 2 of a total of 6 packages. the third is being held by TNT and I have not been able to find out why yet. could be that they cannot read the address could be that we will be hit with customs and duties. no idea at this time.

Also shipping the packages this way has caused the shipping to cost nearly 3 times what I had expected.

I am also starting to get worried that the supplier may not even fill the second half of the order. (it has not been paid for yet either) Bu tthat does not help alot when it comes to trying to sort this whole mess out.

Anyway, about all I can say for the moment is there are problems and not many answers at the moment. that will change and i will let you all know what I know when I know it. 
It is looking like mid August is not going to be long enough to get this buy finished. 

Thanks


----------



## Daniel

Is there anyone out there that is a liscensed importer that can receive the second half of this entire order?
please PM me if you can help out. basically the supplier will ship the entire second half of the order in one shipment if it is to a liscensed importer that can pay for it by bank transfer. this has to do with government credits they get in India and not legality of getting the cases into the US. I guess they pay penalties if they do not have the proper paper work to show the officials.

thanks


----------



## Daniel

As far as I know the 500 single pen cases are still in New York. I get a letter from the shipper that I owed them $30 in custom fees and thought that woudl settle it. I paid that $30 last Monday but tracking still shows that cases in New York. At this time I am considering those 500 cases as lost.

At this point I am pretty much certain I am going to cancel this buy and refund everyone their money. but there are a few problems.

First of all is how do I know everyone that is in the buy even sees this post. Not very likely.

second is that I am $1800 short of being able to refund all the money that was paid to me.

third is that I am past the grace period for making pay pal refunds. this means everyone either looses 3% of what they paid me or, I have to come up with that 3%. At this time I am planning to refund with the 3% so that you get a complete refund. keep in mind that this is only about $120. 

Trust me even if those seem like big problems, they are a relief compared to what I am trying to solve. yes I am taking the easy way out...finally.

as for how to make sure eveyone knows what is going on. I can't fix that. people will simply get refunds with a note as to why.

Second, how to come up with the extra $1800 plus all the extra money I have thrown in to this buy. I have about 450 cases at this time that I will put up for sale to recover that $1800 plus nearly $1000 of my money that I put towards extra shipping.

I have already thought about allowing those that have orders int eh group buy to go ahead and get there orders but it simply becomes far to complicated. I cannot fill any of the roders completely except maybe one or two so it becomes a situation of partial roder partial refund. way to much tracking to do. 

I do not think it will take a long time to get the money but some refunds will not be made until the cases do sell. at this time I have no idea what the prices on the cases will be.

I am also going to use any mooney from sales of Pen Mills and Pen stands toward refunds.

Just a side note that is not in regard to jsut this buy. I am in the process of closing all the buys I have been doing. It has nothign to do with this buy. Simply that conditions have changed in regard to being able to manage them in several ways this last year and I am no longer able to do it the way I used to.

The alternative to the above plan is to complete the second half of the order (provided the first half actually gets to me). this means I have all the cases to fill all the orders, But do not have the money to mail them. I have already used up any extra money I have and will come up about $800 or so, I am not really sure. how to devide that extra costs is a huge problem I am not sure I am willing to take on. I will not have items to sell to generate more money etc. basically to go forward with the order means I am walking knowingly into a dead end with no way to get myself out. without being ablet to get every persons agreement to pay a little more for there order (on average $16). The proibelms in even trying to get into contact with every person in the buy is beyond reasonable. 

So far I have not really heard anything from anyone. Not sure if people jsut have not seen these posts or have nothing to say. but for th emoment I am not doing anything one way or the other. I am waiting for the other 500 cases to reach me.


----------



## bruce119

Well I know I am getting the updates. I think most are and like me are holding there breath hoping this will work and feeling your pain.

What a pain maybe the cases mite still show. Not sure what shipping you used but USPS stinks especially international. Tracking isn't worth a darn. Now UPS that's a another story.

What ever you decide I am with you. I say go do some fishing for a week and hope there's a package when you back.

Bruce


----------



## BRobbins629

I for one would be happy with a partial order, no refund if that's simple.  Calculate the actual cost per unit with all your costs, shippng to me (can be lowest cost method) and send me whatever number of cases qualify - even if it is only one.  If its less than one, don't worry.


----------



## jimofsanston

I would not mine paying a little more to get the cases i ordered. Just try to get a reply from everyone i am sure everyone understands your pain. You have been a trooper in trying to pull this off. :bananen_smilies104:


----------



## Manny

Dude whatever is easier for you. I don't mind forking over some more green if needed. Just let me know. 

Manny


----------



## igran7

I'm in for anything that works best for you Daniel.  I can take a refund, partial refund or pay a little more for the order.  Whatever works best.


----------



## tim self

Daniel, I am glad I am not in your shoes.  I do not mind paying more for shipping on a partial.  But then again if it is completely canceled, I've thrown a lot more than this away.  You deserve a HUGE pat on the back for bearing al this mess.


----------



## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, I for one applaud your efforts. I think I might have one of the bigger orders and am not in the least bid concerned as you told us from the beginning that there might be problems. If you decide to refund make mine one of the last, if you decide to go ahead with the ND half what the hell is another $16-$30. Do what you think is best and I think most would be OK with that .


----------



## heinedan

Dan,

I would be happy with what you have and would not expect a refund!!!! You have been through enough.

Dan Heine


----------



## 1080Wayne

Agree with the others . Don`t sweat asking for additional postage if needed , had figured on that anyway . Take Bruce`s advice and go fishing for a week - the shipment will probably show up .  Also have zero problem with waiting another month or two for order completion if you want to go that route .


----------



## Daniel

GONE FISHIN!

Well, at least a fairly decent return in comments is indicating to move forward (if i am up to it) which I am. I am sort of at the point I can salvage everyone's money and stop risking it. let me see what happens with the 500 case order. if at least a majority of people are willing to take a small hit for additional postage. i will carry on with the buy. 
I have been contacted by the supplier as of today that they have a person on New York that will acts as a go between and solve there problems. I need to find out more details because so far every problem they needed solved has cost me more money. I prefer to keep my word to everyone including the supplier and do not take backing out lightly.


----------



## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, Only you know what your going through so in going ahead with the buy might cost us a few more $,.......big deal ........Guess we'll see you in a padded room after this is over.


----------



## DonHo

My 2 cents worth.  I'd rather pay a little more and get the order but     it seems  it may be a gamble that the rest of the order even makes it to you.  My order wasn't big enough to make a huge difference either way so do what you think best( best for you as well best for the buy ) and I'll be good with it.   I'd rather have a partial refund than have you be big bucks out of pocket to make total refunds.  
DonHo


----------



## brez

Daniel,

The essence of a group buy is shared gain, or on rare occasions, shared loss. I don't think you should be left with a loss. Please do as you think best and ship me what you can. If there is money left send me a refund. If more money is needed, let me know my share.

Thanks
Mike


----------



## dogcatcher

I am with the group for the long haul, it is only money.  Bill me or whatever when the time comes.


----------



## Jim15

I don't mind paying a little extra or geting a partial order. What ever works bet for you.


----------



## Douglas Feehan

Daniel-
  Im ok with added shipping cost or what ever extra costs come up. let me know what I owe.  I dont think you should be left holding the bag for all the extras


----------



## ken69912001

Paying additional postage is fine with me. I have waited this long,whats a little more time. I sure do applaud you for putting up with this massive headache of an order.


----------



## rstought

Daniel...

I, too, am in for whatever additional funds are required, and also greatly appreciate your perseverance...


----------



## SteveH

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

"I am a man of principles, and one of my principles is flexibility"

So do what ever works best for you...

and thanks for keeping at this on our behalf


----------



## jason_r

Daniel-

I've not been replying because I didn't feel it was necessary- you seemed
to be dealing with the issues better than I could.

As to continuing or scrapping the buy.  Either's fine with me.  

You've done a superb job trying to pull this together.
From day 1 you told everyone this could fall apart or run into hidden costs,
so it's not like you're springing anything on us.  The updates have been
frequent and I'm sure only shown a glimmer of the frustration this has caused you.

If we do scrap the buy, would you write up / copy your notes and put it
in the library so others could learn from your experience?

Thank You for all your effort- no matter how it turns out.


----------



## Daniel

I want people to know, this is not so much work on my part, as it is worry. Your comments are very helpful and encouraging. Basically I am in a spot that my next decision could be the wrong one. I know you all want pen cases, and would not want your money lost. So basically my call at this point is do I take the risk for one more round?
The supplier is going to send the second half of the order in one shipment to an agent in New York (provided I choose to go on) this eliminates any other problems but increases the chance of Customs fees. Customs is very complicated and even I do not come close to understanding it. but basically the higher the value of the shipment the greater chance it will get charged. But it is still a random thing. Certain things stand out and will cause them to open your package, such as undervaluing the package. that is what happend with the 500 pen case shipment I am trying to get now. they had it valued at 150 and it's value according to Customs is $400. all this did was cause customs to hold it and require that it be signed for to be released. well with the package in New York and me in Reno signing for it has been a little tricky. I did it though and hopefully the package is on the way.

In short if you all are willing for me to roll the dice on your money one more time, I am game. The bottom line is this would all be a lot easier on me if it was only my money at risk. I know all of you have been in some situation simular to that. Otherwise it is more a matter of being a stearn heartless jerk and that comes naturally to me, lol


----------



## Rchan63

Daniel 

I'll leave it up to you as others have mention, you'll do whats best for us. Either way is a go for me. Just don't forget my pen mills when you send the pen cases if you choose to go thet route. 

BTW everyone he sells pen mills.

Righard


----------



## arw01

I say hang in there a while longer.  International shipping and customs is an issue.

An avenue for information that can cut all the BS is your Senators office.  An email or a phone call could possibly get you a real person to talk to about customs and the hang ups.

Remember the State Department also has contacts in the countries for helping american business's do business in those countries, so perhaps an inquiry to the Senate office about whom to contact on doing business in India.


----------



## mick

Daniel...I've been keeping up , just chose not to burden you with any unnecessary comments, Whatever you decide is fine with me just keep us updated.
Mike


----------



## bruce119

Daniel said:


> I want people to know, this is not so much work on my part, as it is worry. Your comments are very helpful and encouraging. Basically I am in a spot that my next decision could be the wrong one. I know you all want pen cases, and would not want your money lost. So basically my call at this point is do I take the risk for one more round?
> The supplier is going to send the second half of the order in one shipment to an agent in New York (provided I choose to go on) this eliminates any other problems but increases the chance of Customs fees. Customs is very complicated and even I do not come close to understanding it. but basically the higher the value of the shipment the greater chance it will get charged. But it is still a random thing. Certain things stand out and will cause them to open your package, such as undervaluing the package. that is what happend with the 500 pen case shipment I am trying to get now. they had it valued at 150 and it's value according to Customs is $400. all this did was cause customs to hold it and require that it be signed for to be released. well with the package in New York and me in Reno signing for it has been a little tricky. I did it though and hopefully the package is on the way.
> 
> In short if you all are willing for me to roll the dice on your money one more time, I am game. The bottom line is this would all be a lot easier on me if it was only my money at risk. I know all of you have been in some situation simular to that. Otherwise it is more a matter of being a stearn heartless jerk and that comes naturally to me, lol


 
Well my thoughts it sounds like the first shipment my be OK. I wouldn't hold my breath on a speedy departure from customs once released. I say give it 2 weeks from time of signature. You know government quick to take your money slow to get results (or something like that) 

Any way once first half is received it sounding like you are fairly confident the suppler has the second and final batch ready and has worked out some of the bugs. Then go ahead with the buy.

I know that is easy to say and I realize some of the logistics. You most likely will incur more cost. I think that most if not not of us would pick up our share. I say divie up the extra cost in proportion to what participants ordered. Hold the orders till you received the extra funds. Any one that doesn't pay ie. you don't hear from someone or someone backs out. Sell there cases to recover the cost.

I know it's not as easy as that. But don't burn your bridge just yet. It seems like this supplier mite have a quality product at a good price. Once these first time bugs are worked out it my be a good thing for future orders. So when your frustrated and mad not not sure what to do the best thing is usually to do nothing.

It's the weekend you should be out fishing anyway. I want to see a nice big stinger of 5 lb trout :biggrin:

Bruce


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## Monty

You got my email so you know I"ll support whatever decision you make. I say let's wait it out a little longer, and if cost increases, so be it. Let me know my part.


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## Daniel

Bruce, You have a pretty accurate view of the situation. Sort of like giving up just after having solved all the problems. I have been in this spot several times on this buy. Thinking well we got that sorted out, only to face a whole new list of problems with the next round. I will say that my Intuition (which is good by the way) is telling me that the supplier is finally listening and getting the bigger picture.

I want to add a comment here also. I do group buys primarily to carve the way for others to have access to these products. I have no problem giving the name of the supplier to anyone (privately). I do not share the companies name publically to protect them from unfair bad press so to speak. The Supplier is learning thiings as much as I am and problems are geting fixed. In this case it just seems fixing one set of problems is causing another. and so for this looks never ending. in truth it is not.

I have now heard from well over 50% of the people in this buy on this thread alone. i have heard from even more privately. I have had two opt out, and neither of those had to do with problems with the buy. By far everyone is saying they are willing to do what I choose, and that they are also wiling to take the risk. as I said in my last post. If you are willing so am I.

I will have to find out just how using an agent changes things etc. I am also still waiting for those 500 cases to be released from JFK. Both the supplier and I agree not to ship the second half of the order until those cases are safely in my hands.

I will not know what increase in cost are until the entire order is here. I will be in contact with everyone personally at that time.

As for now I am still looking at going forward with the second half of the order.

By the way, Mid August is out. new expected date for completion of this buy is unknown at this time. as Bruce pointed out. It could take weeks just to get that one package out of JFK.


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## jimofsanston

*No problems*

Hey I am just hanging out no rush. However long it takes man. Working with a new vendor there are always new problems to work thru. Unfortunily It is a foriegn vendor which makes it more stressful. Hang in there and try to solve one problem at a time and don't let it get to you. We all knew that these problems may happen when we bought into this group buy.


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## RDH79

*OK with me*

Daniel,What ever you decide to do is fine with me. If you need more for shipping let me know. Like alot have said I think waiting for a couple more weeks  might be a good idea. Thanks  Rich H.


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## Daniel

Hi folks, I have been getting some e-mails etc the last few days. I just wanted to put this info somewhere. My youngest Daughter is in labor, they just took her to the hospital and I am waiting to hear if they are going to keep her. I will be a little busy the next day or two becoming a grandpa. so if you messages go unanswered they are not being ignored.


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## altaciii

Thanks for the update, daniel


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## bruce119

Daniel said:


> Hi folks, I have been getting some e-mails etc the last few days. I just wanted to put this info somewhere. My youngest Daughter is in labor, they just took her to the hospital and I am waiting to hear if they are going to keep her. I will be a little busy the next day or two becoming a grandpa. so if you messages go unanswered they are not being ignored.


 
Your mind should be with her. 

Get your cigars ready!!!!

Did you get any fishing in I want here about the big one.

.


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## scotian12

Daniel...Thanks for your continued updates. We appreciated the difficulties you have encountered and support your decision to continue with the buy.  Darrell


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## bitshird

Another 16 or 18 bucks at this point isn't going to break me any way, and I'd rather have the cases.


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## Daniel

Baby Boy. Born this morning at 10:26 Pacific time. 5lbs 13 oz. There are photos on my camera but have not loaded them on my computer yet.
Main thing is I got to meet him. only thing he had to say though was a funny face, stuck out his tongue. and started crying. I'm not sure but I think I'm his favorite.
The Momma and baby are both doing great but needed some sleep. So I am home taking a break for a few hours and will go back to see them again this evening.


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## bitshird

Congratulations Daniel., Don't worry about spoiling him they all smell like that.


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## heinedan

Congratulations. Is this your first one? I'm taking my son to college three weeks from today, and it's going to be a very empty house without him here!!! He's going to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. He's majoring in Civil Engineering. Can't tell I'm a proud father, I'll bet!!!!!

Dan


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## Daniel

Yep Dan, First Grand Baby, Four children. It is amazing just how much I remember about taking care of them. It's been 17 years since I had a tiny one but it all came back to me just like it was yesterday. It is so cool to know what you are doing with them for once. The Momma is breast feeding and that whole battle is going on. I am getting worried sick about whether he is getting enough to eat. other than that he got to see his first sunrise this morning with me. I snuk home from work (2 min driving time for me) just to get him and take him to see it. Yeah I am a sicky mooshy type.
I'm not sure Momma and Daddy where real hapy with me taking Jr. out in that nasty morning stuff. but we sure enjoyed it. They still think he is fragile and all that.


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## jimofsanston

*Always will think he is fragile*

You have not stop with your kids right! Things never change.


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## Daniel

I am actually surprising myself with my reaction over my grandson. I am not merely excited that he is here. I am pretty strongly infatuated with him. He is living in my house so i hear him when he is awake at those 2 am moments. i will be awake just hoping my daughter will need my help. the last couple of nights he has gotten pretty upset when my little girls New Mother skills don't quite cut the mustard. And Grandpa is proving to have a touch with the urchin that Grandma is in danger of being jealous of. 

With that I will point out that my mind is not always as clear s it usually is, with the disruption of sleep etc that is going on. But I have some great news. With a huge sigh of relief I can now say that half the single pen cases are now in the possession of one of the groups members. they are still on the other side of the country from me but  no longer have any concern about them as I am sure they are as safe as if they where in my hands. I am extremely grateful for the many true friends that I have in this community, and today my gratitude is given to one specific person. Neil (Wolftat) thank you, and sorry but I just had to give you credit. Neil took it upon himself of his on initiative to step in and decide enough is enough. He personally went to JFK Airport and took on the headache of dealing with customs and such, which is no small task, and paid out of his pocket to get the package released. I will reimburse him, but to take such measures is well above and beyond. Neil, you are alright, I don't care what they say. and from our conversations I am pretty sure you don't care what they say either. Thank You is not nearly enough.

OK. in total this package cost an additional $177 in custom fees alone. that was for 500 pen cases (Honestly not nearly as bad I worried it coudl be) . I have not yet figured out how much the shipping charges are going to be on a per case basis.
I will get this figured out and post an actual price per case increase for this buy. so far I expect it to not be huge. With the numbers above the customs fees come to $35.4 cents per case. for an order of 20 cases this is an increased cost of $7.08.  more of a pain in the butt than it is worth collecting except I am starting to get into real danger of flat out running out of money. 

The entire second half of the order is to be shipped in one piece through customs through an agent that the supplier needs for legitimacy in India. I guess they never did understand that I was looking to try and get worse case scenario with my trial order and they did everyting they could to avoid extra costs. somehow telling them I needed to find out what all costs where going to be including customs fees and shipping did not compute with them. Not sure I could have said it any clearer but evidently that was not clear enough. they seem to have read, avoid any extra costs at all costs I guess.

well anyway I am feeling much relieved at this point and still have every intention of moving forward on the other half of the order.


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## nava1uni

Daniel,
Congratulations on being a Grandpa.


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## scotian12

In addition to Daniel, I would like to thank Neil for stepping up to the plate and helping with the custom procedures at JFK. The face to face meetings do help to resolve these communication problems in short order. Thanks to both of you.  Darrell


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## bitshird

Daniel and Neil, Thanks, now maybe I'll have some cases for my big show the end of September, if not then for a Local 1 or 2 pen max sale at a local show in October.


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## bruce119

Yea Niel is one of the good guys. We all along with Daniel THANK YOU !!!


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## bitshird

[size=+6]Wolftat For President!!​[/size]


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## HSTurning

bitshird said:


> [SIZE=+6]Wolftat For President!![/SIZE]​


 
He is. Well of are chapter anyway.  I must say I think he is the best local chapter president.  I may be biased. :biggrin:


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## bradbn4

Well, I figure ya let us all know one way or another about any additional fees, etc - I have a good supply of real cheap cases, etc - so I will be more than happy if they show up by the new year.

Pls let me know the final hit in price, etc when you have it.  I figure it won't be until the final part of the order clears customs and is in your hands will you figure that one out.


Welcome to the wide world of international orders, etc -- always an adventure.


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## Daniel

Just for those biting their nails,(mine ran out by the way). I got the 500 single pen cases yesterday.
So far I have all the double cases, half the single cases, half the single large cases, and no 24 pen cases.
I got an e-mail this morning from India that says the rest of the cases are ready to be sent. these will be shipped to New York to an licensed importer. We are also working on doing this at no additional cost other than what customs charges will be. So far customs fees have not been huge so we will see what happens.


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## bruce119

Sounds like the bumps in road are being pounded out. Keep relations on a good note it mite have possibilities as a future source.

Daniel I would like to personally THANK YOU for all the hard head ache work you put into this. It sounds like the worst is in the past.

Thank you
Bruce


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## Jim15

Thanks for the update Daniel.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Your persistence seems to have paid off, I thank you for all the effort you've put into this.


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## altaciii

WOO, HOO!! Thanks for the update, Daniel.  I had the order in the back of my mind and at a very few times wondered how it was going.  Glad to see its finally coming to the end of you looonnnnggg hhhhaaaarrrd rrrrrooooaaaadddd.


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## Rchan63

Thank you for all your work you,ve put in and wolftat too.


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## bitshird

Great News Daniel thanks for the update.


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## nava1uni

Yea!!!!!!! Thank you for all of your time, energy and perseverance.  How is the new baby doing?


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## Daniel

Thanks everyone, that nobody is trying to break down my front door speaks loudly at how much trust there is among this group. I am grateful for all the headaches I have not gone through, such as very unhappy participants. that fact is not at all lost on me.
with any luck we are one round away from having this one done.

Cindy, the little guy is doing great, He is more fun than a truck load of puppies. It is so nice to have him close so i can get daily grandpa time. They change so fast and I am pretty big on keeping up with his daily accomplishments. I think he likes grandpa because he is usually awake when I leave for work and again when I get home. so we get good visits with each other.

Back to the cases. I do have enough cases to start filling some of the orders. In order to reduce the all at once load on me, and just reduce the number of boxes I have stacked in my shop, I am going to start filling what orders I can this weekend. I just want to mention this because I don't want anyone to think they got left out when they start seeing reports of cases received. I am pretty sure everyone is aware that this buy is a mess by now. So expect the unexpected. I am still working to get "your" cases, just no guarantee of when they will be here.


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## Daniel

More info this morning. I received an e-mail this morning that said they expect to have the 2nd half of the order in New York on Monday.
Say some prayers that I can get the cases all the way to Reno with the money I have in my pay pal account. If not I will have to make a last minute plea for bail out money. anyone got Barracks e-mail address?


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## mbroberg

Daniel,

You just let me know if you need any more money and it will be on the way.  You are super, A-1, the best for doing this for us.  Thank you!!:smile-big::smile-big::smile-big:


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## Douglas Feehan

Daniel-  let me know if more money is needed i have no problem chipping in some extra


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## bitshird

Daniel, same goes for me, you've been through a lot on this valiant effort, "normal people" would have bailed long ago.


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## Daniel

With just a glimmer of optimism (hey nobody claimed I am sane) I want to make a comment about future orders. I realize that this buy looks like such a disaster that anyone in their right mind would never consider doing another one. I am not just anyone and definitely not in my right mind. Provided that a couple of requirements are met with this second half of the order, I do plan on doing more of these. Many Many problems have been solved in the past months. Actually many more than I thought could even effect a group buy. There are many things that I and the supplier did not know going in. this is a young company and I am not an importer. But we both managed to keep ourselves pushing forward to solve the problems. If this next shipment indicates that at least the majority of those problems have in fact been solved. I will be working up a new price on cases and doing further buys. I really believe this is a product that will improve on everyone's bottom line impression when they deliver their pens to their customers. My personal feeling about it is that these cases could be the biggest contribution I have made to all of your efforts next to the CA group buy. Actually that belief alone has motivated me to persist with this buy. Although personal circumstances will not allow me to continue doing buys for the long term. I can develop this one into a workable one and am already taking steps to pass it on to someone else once all the kinks are worked out. I think these cases are well worth the effort, All of you are more than worth the effort.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Just wanted to be the 1st and 200th. reply to this post!:biggrin::wink:​


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## nava1uni

I will also send extra money if needed.


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## OKLAHOMAN

I think without exception we all would pay any extra thats needed and totally appreciate your outstanding efforts...


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## jason_r

From Daniel's original post:



> At this time nothing is added for any costs such as customs, duties or
> higher than expected shipping costs. I am estimating shipping costs based
> on $10.00 per kg or about $5.00 per lb. this would be consistent with.
> other purchases I have made from overseas from two different suppliers.
> 
> PLEASE BE WARNED THAT IF THE ACTUAL FINAL COST DOES CHANGE FOR ANY REASON
> I WILL NOTIFY THE GROUP AND YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO PAY ANY DIFFERENCE.



It's not like such charges would have been unexpected.  There's no reason for Daniel to eat these expenses.

Let me know what the difference will be Daniel.


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## arw01

Your perseverance is quite commendable in this purchase.  Personally, I've only purchased a few items on ebay from HongKong and a few dozen IT8 calibration targets from Faust in Germany.  Not sure I would have had the cohonas to deal with an Indian company!

When you are all finished, you just might know enough you get your importers license and have a new side career!

Alan


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## sbell111

arw01 said:


> Your perseverance is quite commendable in this purchase.  Personally, I've only purchased a few items on ebay from HongKong and a few dozen IT8 calibration targets from Faust in Germany.  Not sure I would have had the cohonas to deal with an Indian company!


It is definitely a different world.

I just completed a buy for buffalo horn from an Indian company.  There were two or three moments when I had the sinking suspicion that I had just gotten totally screwed, but it all worked out in the end.

Like Daniel posted, the initial buy worked out a bunch of little hickups that I wouldn't even have imagined, but now that those have been resolved, future orders will not be that big of a deal.


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## bitshird

sbell111 said:


> It is definitely a different world.
> 
> I just completed a buy for buffalo horn from an Indian company.  There were two or three moments when I had the sinking suspicion that I had just gotten totally screwed, but it all worked out in the end.
> 
> Like Daniel posted, the initial buy worked out a bunch of little hickups that I wouldn't even have imagined, but now that those have been resolved, future orders will not be that big of a deal.



Steve, you should try buying Diamond and Precious stones from India, only one time did I get hosed but not that bad, I had one customer think India was a better place to get silver charms cast, but they found out that the company wouldn't take back any rejects, and there were a lot of them, I got the account back.


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## Daniel

Well here is the latest.
I am not sure I can explane this clearly but will give it a shot. From the beginning I have told the supplier that I can make payment by Pay Pal or Western Union, and that I prefer Pay Pal as it secures both the payment and the delivery of the cases.
The supplier has continually tried to get me to make payment by bank transfer. I have not been comfortable with making payment this way for several reasons. One I do nto know if I have any recourse if I do not receive the cases. Two I have never done it before, and three I do not like group buy money going into my personal bank account.
The suppler supposidly located an importer in New York that I can serve as a go between. I was supposed to be able to make payment to the importer and they would take delivery of the cases in New York and then ship them on to me. As it turns out this so called "Importer" is anything but. I received an e-mail from sansari100(A)gmail.com that is a simple list of the items being shipped with a total owed and a bank account to transfer the money to in New York. I am not sure just what makes them think i will suddenly do a Bank transfer just because the bank is in a different place. and the importer is not likely to even be a business owner much less a liscensed importer. 
If anyone has any suggestions about how to go about making payment through bank transfer and still keep the payment tied to delivery of the goods please speak up. I have always relied on pay pal for this part fo the transaction so I am a bit lost as to options. thanks


----------



## wolftat

Daniel said:


> Well here is the latest.
> I am not sure I can explane this clearly but will give it a shot. From the beginning I have told the supplier that I can make payment by Pay Pal or Western Union, and that I prefer Pay Pal as it secures both the payment and the delivery of the cases.
> The supplier has continually tried to get me to make payment by bank transfer. I have not been comfortable with making payment this way for several reasons. One I do nto know if I have any recourse if I do not receive the cases. Two I have never done it before, and three I do not like group buy money going into my personal bank account.
> The suppler supposidly located an importer in New York that I can serve as a go between. I was supposed to be able to make payment to the importer and they would take delivery of the cases in New York and then ship them on to me. As it turns out this so called "Importer" is anything but. I received an e-mail from sansari100(A)gmail.com that is a simple list of the items being shipped with a total owed and a bank account to transfer the money to in New York. I am not sure just what makes them think i will suddenly do a Bank transfer just because the bank is in a different place. and the importer is not likely to even be a business owner much less a liscensed importer.
> If anyone has any suggestions about how to go about making payment through bank transfer and still keep the payment tied to delivery of the goods please speak up. I have always relied on pay pal for this part fo the transaction so I am a bit lost as to options. thanks


 Email all the info to me and I will see what I can find out about them for you. As I have said before, a personal visit can make all the difference in the world sometimes.


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## wood-of-1kind

wolftat said:


> Email all the info to me and I will see what I can find out about them for you. As I have said before, a personal visit can make all the difference in the world sometimes.




Neil, what are your hourly rates? I may have a "visit" that you can make on my behalf. :wink:


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## Daniel

Neil, At this time I don't have enough info on the New York person to give you. All I really have is the address of the bank they want me to send the money to and an e-mail address that could have been created in 30 seconds and a false name. 
I don't want anyone thinking they are trying to be shady, there really are legitimate problems in getting payments made and keeping the transaction secure for both ends. Pay Pal is not working we tried it. Western union causes problems for the supplier and Bank transfer causes problems for me. Honestly the answer to all the problems seems to be making a bank transfer but that is set up that the bank overseas both delivery of the payment and the delivery of the products. Pay Pal actually does this if you pay and ship through them so it has never been an issue before. Obviously the supplier has no intention of working out a method of payment other than bank transfer and I will not continue to put group buy money in my bank account. Anyway it will get worked out one way or the other, just another round of the same old crap.


----------



## Daniel

Hello again, I just sent an e-mail to the supplier canceling the second half of the order. IN short this is the same old problem we have gone around and around about with every shipment. i took the payment info from the e-mail to my bank today and they strongly recommended I not make payment in that manner, which is what I expected.

I ordered quite a few extra cases so I hope to be able to fill most of the orders for single and double cases. I did not get any of the 24 pen cases at all.

I will post updates on what I can do as I get it all sorted out.


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## jimofsanston

Daniel I know you tried your best. That's all we could ask for. Infact you went above. If you find another vendor for cases i would more than likely order from you again. Thanks again for trying.


----------



## arw01

I suspect, facing the loss of a decent sized order, that a little more flexibility on their part will arise shortly.

Is their bank willing to issue some sort of guarantee that goods will be supplied?

Normally an exporter gets a letter of credit from the buyer that they will be paid WHEN the goods arrive, or if the freight is FOB shipper, then when proper bills of lading have been issued that show the goods delivered to the port.

Daniel, post the email address of the "broker" and there will be several members here technical enough to do some background checks.
Alan


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## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, your work in this has been WAY beyond the norm, and I'm sure all of us thank you for your efforts......Thank you!


----------



## Daniel

Fade in: a dark and foggy forrest in an unknown location. the distant sound of horse hooves running fast. and through the mist appears a white knight in full armour. sorry guys but I had to let that off my chest. I am in the process of turning Neil loose on these poor souls. He may once again be able to come to the rescue. I asked him if he will pay for the cases in person to the contact in New York. I am waiting to here back from the contact that this is acceptable but Neil has already agreed. I don't require that Neil bond the shipment once he has it in his possesion. IAP memebrs get special trust exemptions with me.


----------



## Daniel

As of today the supplier is going to ship the cases form India to New York. Keep in mind that I was also told the cases where going to be shipped to New york two weeks ago. So what I am told and what actually happens are not the same things.
Neil has agreed to pick the packages up in person and pay for them. I expect at least a week for them to get through customs and all that and that is if customs does not cause any delays of their own.

Neil will then ship the cases to me in Reno. at that point I will have the entire known cost of the cases. With no added costs I should end up with the cases and about $400 to mail all orders with. I am doing everything I can to eliminate casts such as scrounging up boxes to mail cases in etc. I might come very close to making it. It would be a sweet suprise to actually get this done and nobody has to pay any extra, just keep your fingers crossed and a prayer or two would not hurt.


----------



## Monty

Daniel said:


> ...I am doing everything I can to eliminate casts such as scrounging up boxes to mail cases in etc. ...


Why not just use the free Priority Mail boxes from the PO?


----------



## jason_r

Daniel-

Again, *THANK YOU*.  You've done an insane amount of work on this.

And Thanks to Neil for helping push past the final hurdles.

I do think this one will hold the record of "Longest Group Buy" for quite a while.


----------



## altaciii

Daniel,
I, for one, am amazed at your patience and happy that you have so much. I know if it were me, money would have been refunded at the first sign of trouble. I'm also sure all of us are grateful for your on going persistance and will join hands in thanking you for your efforts.


----------



## arw01

The big cases don't fit in them, and Daniel's PO is not convenient.


----------



## TomW

arw01 said:


> The big cases don't fit in them, and Daniel's PO is not convenient.


 
USPS has a variety of free boxes, including large ones, that they will deliver to your door. USPS will also pick up from the household for free. Your governement at work!

Tom


----------



## bitshird

TomW said:


> USPS has a variety of free boxes, including large ones, that they will deliver to your door. USPS will also pick up from the household for free. Your governement at work!
> 
> Tom



Cost factor is involved, why spend 15.00 when you can mail them for 7.50. the Post Office will still pick them up since he'll use click and ship


----------



## Monty

bitshird said:


> Cost factor is involved, why spend 15.00 when you can mail them for 7.50. the Post Office will still pick them up since he'll use click and ship


It doesn't have to be a FR box. There are several Priority boxes available that postage depends on weight and distance mailed. And, as already pointed out, you can go online at https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/st...p_category=10000002&langId=-1&catalogId=10001
and they will deliver them directly to your door. It may take 10-14 days, but we've waited this long, a few more days won't kill any of us. But whatever works best for Daniel, it's his show.


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## Daniel

The problem with boxes is only for the 24 pen cases. they do not want to fit in anything. I found a bunch of Keyboard boxes at work and they should work just about right. I think it was one of those things where even God is starting to take pity on me. I do not have a huge number of them to get mailed. otherwise the flat rate boxes are going to work great for most orders. so when you get a box that looks like a Dell keyboard, it's not.


----------



## jimofsanston

Well if you happen to send one with the cases you would make brand new friend ( my son would gladly accept it). My wife would problaly run up and down my back ask why i bought that and she would not believe it came freeee with the cases.


----------



## Daniel

As of this morning the cases are in New York and have made it through customs. I am waiting on word from Neil that he has possession of them. Once He has them they are safe as they can be. At any rate we are just a step and a half from having the supplier and his agent out of the picture. I am still a bit reluctant to say it but I do think this buy will actually get completed. And that will be with all orders filled in full. i will actually fill weigh and figure postage on all the orders and will let you all know how much I come up short if any at all. It will be very close at best.


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## penhead

Patriots lost...Washington won...we may actually get all of the pen cases shortly....
this has been a vewy stawnge week  8>)


----------



## Daniel

I just check my first post in this thread and realized it has only been 5 months since this buy began. Feels a lot longer than that.

Thank you all for your trust and patience. i am happy to say that it has not been for nothing. Neil now has the rest of the pen cases in his possession. He needs to repack them to ship them on to Reno but as far as I am concerned the worst is over for this buy.  I know Neil will do his best but he is also a busy fella. I am expecting at least a week for the cases to get to me and that is if Neil is able to find boxes without much problem. I hope my next update is to say that the orders have been shipped.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel said:


> I just check my first post in this thread and realized it has only been 5 months since this buy began. Feels a lot longer than that.
> 
> Thank you all for your trust and patience. i am happy to say that it has not been for nothing. Neil now has the rest of the pen cases in his possession. He needs to repack them to ship them on to Reno but as far as I am concerned the worst is over for this buy. I know Neil will do his best but he is also a busy fella. I am expecting at least a week for the cases to get to me and that is if Neil is able to find boxes without much problem. I hope my next update is to say that the orders have been shipped.


 

No we thank you for yours!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## nava1uni

All things come to those who wait.  Guess that means all of us.  Thank you for all of your energy, effort and perseverance.


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## penhead

So Daniel, now that this group buy is all but in the box, what are you going to do next to keep your stress level maxed out..?? 

Just joking of course...fully greatfull and appreciative of that all that you have conquered to bring this thing to fruition..!!


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## Daniel

one more update. Three packages are on there way to me via UPS. Due for delivery on friday. Neil personally traveled to New York and paid for the cases in person. Thanks again Neil, Not sure how I would have pulled this one off without your help.


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## bruce119

This has been a real adventure.

and *Niel is defiantly one of the good guys*

Looks like we're getting closer to the end of the tunnel

Thanks guys for all your hard work.



Now I'm thinking I mite need another 500 cases  when do we start the next buy :biggrin:  come on laugh just joking :foot-in-mouth: :umbrella:


thanks


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## bitshird

Great News Daniel, now I'll have them for my last three shows for the year, provided they don't get rained out like the first three did. Thank you for all of the trouble and sweat you've put into this massive effort Three thumbs up


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## Greg O'Sherwood

Is it too late to get in on this???:redface:

Just kidding! I've been following all the trevails and trials this group buy has gone through, sure makes for good reading. Kinda like a soap opera for dudes. Almost inspirational. :biggrin:

I wish I would have seen it a bit earlier. Perhaps if there are any extras or someone decides they don't want theirs, they can drop me a line.

Congrats all!


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## nava1uni

Glad to see that this adventure will be coming to an end.  Thank you Neil for helping Daniel with this major group buy.  I, like everyone else really appreciate all the effort that has gone into this one.  I look forward to having the cases for my last show of the year prior to Christmas.


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## Jim15

Thanks Daniel and Neil.


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## altaciii

Thank you daniel for the update and thanks Niel for the help.  Just let me know if I owe any extra and I will pay pal straight away.

Post # 240 on this thread.


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## Rchan63

Thank you gentlemen for going the EXTRA MILES. The end is near.


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## Daniel

I now have all the cases and started filling orders today. I have 20 of 47 orders all boxed up. yesterday was a long day and I am running out of gas for tday but plan to have all orders boxed up by the end of the weekend.

The order ended up being short on every item. but this should not effect group buy orders. i will be mailing them lowest price possible in order to avoid having to charge anything extra.

I also have about 4 orders i will have to find boxes large enough to fit them in so if you had an order with more than 2 24 pen cases your order may be a little later in coming.

I don't think I will know what to do with myself once all the orders are mailed. this has sort of become a part of my life now lol. Guess I'll have to go and teach myself how to make pens again.


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## keithkarl2007

Actually, would there be any of these left over :beat-up::beat-up:


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## tim self

This is great news!  But I have mixed emotions.  Have to leave for a show wed. and they'll come while I'm gone.  Thanks for all the hard work you have put into this for the benefit of so many.


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## penhead

Time for another buy then... 8>)





Daniel said:


> .....
> I don't think I will know what to do with myself once all the orders are mailed. this has sort of become a part of my life now lol. Guess I'll have to go and teach myself how to make pens again.


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## Daniel

KEITH, yes there should be quite a few extras. I will be posting a notice about them after I get all the group buy orders taken care of.




keithkarl2007 said:


> Actually, would there be any of these left over :beat-up::beat-up:


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## leehljp

Daniel said:


> KEITH, yes there should be quite a few extras. I will be posting a notice about them after I get all the group buy orders taken care of.



Daniel,

Are you going to send us a notice of extra postage or a notice of shipment? I will need to notify my daughter to be looking for a package.


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## keithkarl2007

Excellent!!


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## Daniel

Hank, I will make a post here that packages have been mailed. Since US mail is off tomorrow it gives me an extra day to get everything together. But let you daughter know to look for it next week or early the following week.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Me too,,,,,,,,,,will be gone but happy it's soon to be over...



tim self said:


> This is great news! But I have mixed emotions. Have to leave for a show wed. and they'll come while I'm gone. Thanks for all the hard work you have put into this for the benefit of so many.


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## bitshird

Good I'll have them in time for my first good show of the season, so far 3 rained out and 1 where you couldn't sell a dollar bill for fifty cents, (no body had two quarters to rub together) and it was COLD!! Glad this is winding down for you Daniel, and thanks to Neil as well [size=-4]not a bad guy for a Marine[/size]


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## johncrane

Daniel l would also be interested if there's any single case's left over.


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## Daniel

For everyone that are staring at their mail boxes. I have had a lot of family stuff come up this last week. Nothing bad, fixing leaks for my niece, winterizing irrigation systems for family members that sort of stuff. So I am a bit pokey about getting this stuff to the post office.

It has been so long since payments where made I think Pay Pal's shipping option expired, We have to hand write all the mailing labels now. My wife and I have all the orders packaged up and are setting down for our first round of writing labels now. Our plan is to take the first of two or three loads of packages to the post office on monday or tuesday, I have to wait for a transfer from pay pal to be credited to my bank account. Yeah I know I don't want group buy money in my bank account but I also want this buy over. so yous gotta do what yous gotta do.


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## Monty

If you have the money in PP, you can go to the Multi-order Shipping on the right, then it opens, click on "File" and "Create new Orders" from the drop down and then you can cut & past the addresses in and pay through PP.


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## Daniel

Thanks Mannie, We already have them labled. I will have to make myself a note to remind of that trick for the future though. It has been a pain since I lost my PP Debit card to pay for anything.


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## Manny

Yeah baby thanks Daniel!


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## Daniel

Best news I have been able to post in this entire buy. all order (except three to Canada) are now in the hands of the US Postal service. nearly everyone should have their cases in 3 to 4 days. No additional charges are necessary. damn I am good (JK)
Please Please Please let me know in one way or another that they where received. I never really rest until I know you got your order. I am holding any extras Until I know there are no lost , stolen or otherwise messed up orders.

Thank you does not nearly express my feelings about how good all of you have been through all this. it has been a nightmare but all of your patience understanding and encouragement has meant a lot to me. I am on cloud nine right now knowing I did not fail all of you.

Canadian orders will be in the mail tomorrow I just have extra paper work to do that I did not have until I went to the post office today.


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## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, your patience with this has been amazing to say the least,all of our thanks is not enough but thats all we have to give and I'm sure I speak for all involved.


THANK YOU!​


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## jason_r

Daniel said:


> Thank you does not nearly express my feelings about how good all of you have been through all this. it has been a nightmare but all of your patience understanding and encouragement has meant a lot to me. I am on cloud nine right now knowing I did not fail all of you.



You're thanking us?

You put in a huge effort here, most of us just sat back and watched the show.

Thank YOU 

And Thanks to Neil as well for the last push to put this over the top.

I dare say there are very few forums on the net that could pull this off.


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## bitshird

Thanks Daniel, and thanks to Neil as well,


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## BRobbins629

You expect us to remember what we ordered?

Thanks!


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## Rchan63

A big THANK YOU to you and Neil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## mick

Daniel, a big, BIG Thanks to you and Neil!


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## Jim15

I would like to also thank you and Neil for all you guys have done to make this happen.


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## bruce119

Hey I want to say​ 
*THANKS *​ 
I know what it feels like to stick your head out there​ 
.


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## altaciii

*thanks *from s. Texas.  I'm sure it feels good to get rid of that big thorn in your side.


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## RDH79

Got my cases today They look great  Thanks for all the trouble.


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## Manny

Wow already! Nice!


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## bruce119

just got mine also

I only had a chance to take a quick look.

They look great the 2 samples I pulled out looked good the stitching looked good the leather is a good quality. They fit the pens just fine. 

That's all I had time for. My quick opinion great pouches for the price with a little breaking in they will get better. 

Only thing I wish I could get is a way to put them on a belt. My neighbor is a leather seamstress I will ask him what he thinks.

*GREAT JOB *
*THANK YOU*
*DANIEL & NEIL*​ 
.


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## BLLEHMAN

Got mine today and they look great!!!!!! 

Thank you very much for all your time and effort it is greatly appreciated!

Also Thank you Neil for pitching in and helping this become a reality instead of a disaster!


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## OKLAHOMAN

Daniel, today the postman delivered my 80 pouches, the work that you and Neil have put into this was well worth it for the quilaty pouch we received for just a few pennies over $3.00, they are well made an even have that nice leather smell, now wish, I'd ordered more and had a tan or brown leather.......So when is the next buy.....said as I duck and run for cover.


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## bitshird

Daniel The Yak and Yettie Caravan arrived today, tell Neil thanks for herding them over the Himalayas. The cases look great, Thanks a bunch for all the hair pulling and sweat you put on on this great buy!!!!!


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## tim self

*Awesome*

As well as THANK YOU.  All I can say is wow
!.  These cases are great!  AS you said, good quality and great feel.  

Your patience and determination to see this to completion is very admirable.  Also THANKS to NEIL.  Now I wish I had ordered a lot more.


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## Manny

I feel another group by coming!  (ducks out of the way!)


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## brez

*Thanks*

Daniel,

The cases arrived today. Thanks

Mike


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## BRobbins629

One happy pen case owner here as well.  Thanks Daniel and Neil!


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## penhead

Daniel,
Recieved mine today...thanks for your perseverance..!!!


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## Daniel

It is such a great feeling to see all the posts about the cases arriving. Glad you like them. I appreciate the humor as well.
On a serious note. I truly hoped to get this set up for an ongoing item. But this supplier is simply not the quality of people this group needs to be dealing with. I will continue to look for a source of comparable cases. It took me a long time to find these though so don't expect anything soon.

Thanks all for letting me know your packages arrived. it is that last final gasp of letting the air out for me.


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## bradbn4

Well, the post man only rang once - but there was a box of pen cases waiting for me last night.

Thanks for all the fun - I think my pen case stock - is back up to over flowing.


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## Jim15

Daniel, my cases arrived also, thank you for hanging in there with the buy.


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## Daniel

Almost forgot to post this. The Canadian orders did get mailed yesterday. The fire in the shop got in the way of mailing them when I intended to.

I also have quite a few people e-mailing me with interest in more cases. I am not ready to take orders or payments just yet but I am sort of making a list of people that are interested. There will be lots of 24 pen cases left, quite a few large single cases. but there will not be lot of reg single cases. I have not even thought about how many I want to buy and there are only a hand full left anyway. The good news is that any pen will fit in a large single case, not true for the smaller ones. well enough babbling, mainly for now I am taking a bit of a break and will post the prices of cases when I am ready to go another round with all the shipping and such.


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## nava1uni

Daniel, thanks for all of the work.  I am looking forward to receiving my cases.  I have a show is early December and they will be a nice addition.


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## Monty

I received mine today and I must say they were definitely worth the wait.
Thanks for putting up with all the $**T you had  go through on this buy Daniel.


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## Druid

Hi Daniel,

I would like 20 of the singles, 2 doubles and 2 twenty fours.
Please PM me with TTL

Thanks,

Jim


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## Manny

Got mine yesterday. Quality is excellent. 

Was worth the wait. 

Thanks again everyone

Manny


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## jason_r

Mine showed up today.  Very nice.

Thanks for all your work.

Thanks Neil for putting it over the top.


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## rlofton

*Pen Cases*

My pen cases arrived yesterday.  I must say that I am pleasantly surprised by the quality.  Thaanks for all your efforts to pull this off.


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## Daniel

Just my marker so I know I have read posts this far.

Just a note to anyone that order 24 pen cases. Those order where mailed parcel post. basically that is the service that give snail mail it's name. sorry bout that but they will get there. so far 4 have made it so there is still hope for yours.


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## mick

Daniel said:


> Just my marker so I know I have read posts this far.
> 
> Just a note to anyone that order 24 pen cases. Those order where mailed parcel post. basically that is the service that give snail mail it's name. sorry bout that but they will get there. so far 4 have made it so there is still hope for yours.



I was wondering why mine hadn't shown up yet, but that explains it! :wink:


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## rstought

*Parcel Post has reached the East Coast!*

My package arrived in today's mail, and the cases look great!  Thanks again, Daniel, for all your hard work and perseverance...


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## nava1uni

Received my cases today.  They are great.  Thanks again for all of the work.  Are you sure that you don't need money for the extra postage?


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## mick

Got mine today.....they look great!
Thanks again Daniel!


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## Daniel

Thank You Cindy (and everyone else that has offered) But no additional payments are going to be necessary. I will sell the extra cases to cover any extra costs so the buy ended up holding it's own. so far all orders are filled, postage has been paid and a good portion of them have arrived. So it is looking good that there will not be any more costs.

The only really bad thing about this buy is that the supplier is never going to be a reliable trustworthy source. I already have others asking about getting more. other than the extras I have (which is not a lot) I do not know what to do about future demand. Basically the supplier ripped me off for about 200 cases and he knows it. so far he is ignoring my e-mails. There is a huge part of me that wants to get about 25000 cases requested just to e-mail him and let him know he will not get the order. problem is I don't have another source for them. ah well such is life.


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## dennisg

Daniel, our cases arrived this morning. Thanks for your efforts, a lesser man would have given up.


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## dogcatcher

I got mine yesterday, thanks.


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## altaciii

Underpromised and over delivered.  I got mine last night and am thrilled to see the quality is so good.  I had mine sent parcel post so it took a little longer to arrive, but as they say good things come to those who wait.  Great job on the effort you put into this group buy, Daniel, and thank you for your effort.  UM..... When is the next one?


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## Rchan63

Thank you again Daniel and Neil for stepping up. I finally received them today.

Richard


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## Douglas Feehan

Got mine today thay look great  Thanks


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## wolftat

Daniel said:


> . problem is I don't have another source for them. ah well such is life.


 I am working on that and have been for a while, no promises, but there may be hope.


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## arw01

My Dell box arrived yesterday!


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## Daniel

All my best to you Neil. A reliable source would be a god send. the cases have a strong demand. I am still getting requests for any extras. SO many that I am pretty sure another group buy could be held right now.


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## bruce119

Hey just something to think about.

First I love these cases. But if we need to look for another source I would love to see these with a belt loop so you could wear your pen on your belt. I think that would be a big hit.

Just a thought

.


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## jimofsanston

Got mine today also Daniel. My wife told me but i am out of town till Friday night.


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## Daniel

Bruce, That suggestion is at the top of the list when it comes to getting these custom made. It was about a day short of making it on the large single cases that we have now.


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## Munsterlander

Mine arrived, nice stuff!  Thanks for taking on and following through on such an ordeal.  You da man!


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## 1080Wayne

Received mine today . Excellent quality . Thanks very much Daniel .

                Wayne


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## jttheclockman

Daniel

Not sure where this fits in but I would be interested in a new group buy if it does come around. I followed this post from the begginning and I honestly did not think it would get off the ground. I do have to compliment you on your persistance and you did prevail. I would have thrown the towel in about 20 pages ago with your very first problems. You are truely an inspiration to this site. Job well done and you deserve a round of applause and also a well deserved rest. Now go make some pens.:drink::bananen_smilies046:


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## DonHo

I had been out of town all week but the package was there when I got home.  The cases were very nice and well worth the price ( but not the trouble you had to go thru ).  Thanks again for your efforts.
 DonHo


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## W3DRM

Daniel,

I have been following this thread since it started months ago and would like to add a comment that it is great to be associated with such a great bunch of folks all over the country who actually can work together. The determination and cooperation shown by everyone is a mark of quality rarely seen these days. My hat is off to you and to Neil for the teamwork in seeing a difficult job through to the end - BRAVO!!!

And finally, should you have any leftovers of the large size singles or decide to take on another order, I would be interested in ordering 10 to 20 of them at that time.

Thanks again and enjoy that new grandbaby!!


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## scotian12

Daniel....I received my case this morning. Good quality. Many thanks to you and Neil for seeing this through to completion.    Darrell Eisner


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## Daniel

As of now all but 19 participants have confirmed there cases have arrived. In my experience those other 19 are most likely just to busy to write and tell me. I am sure if packages did not arrive I would hear about it. It has been just over three weeks since all the packages where mailed so if any have not arrived it should have been reported by now.
I have 24 pen, lg single and double pen cases left over. watch the individual classifieds for my post there.

Thank you everyone, this was the mother of all group buys but I am glad it ended with you all getting what you paid for. I did not expect we could factor in inflation to calculate the savings.


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