AIBU to wonder if Watermans on Amazon are fake?

[WhyAmINotCleaning]

. I'd love one of these fountain pens with my Christmas money, but don't know if they would be an inferior product. What do you think?

I believe they're the real thing, but if you're unsure Waterman FPs can be found on Cult Pens or Pure Pens (not helpful if you only have amazon vouchers, I know).

I've bought a Lamy Safari and Diamine ink on amazon and they were both legit, with no flaws

Thanks - I've noticed Cult Pens have a sale, but Amazon is still cheaper.

If you click through to the pages for individual pens you can see who the seller is, check their ratings and contact them directly.

That looks legit to me.

I’ve bought Lamy pens on Amazon and they’ve all been genuine. Fake sellers usually have a shonkier looking seller page and suspiciously massive discounts.

However, Cult Pens or a high street pen shop would be fail-safe so if the price difference is only small, I’d use Cult Pens just in case.

I read somewhere that fakes get mixed with genuine items because of the way Amazon stores stock and returns, ie all chucked in the same place and impossible to know/trace which order is fulfilled with which item. This has stopped me from buying anything that can be faked from there. I know there's a lot of fake branded shoes on there and they never get removed, very frustrating.

Even though these are sold through a dedicated Waterman outlet on there?

This can't be true. I'm a seller on Amazon and we have our own special barcoded labels, so if you order from me, you get the items I've sent in.

I can't speak if you order directly from Amazon though, but most Amazon sales are 3rd party, whether you realise it or not.

If I click on individual pens from the link I posted, they are sold by amazon. Is this how your items appear too?

I have a couple of Waterman fountain pens – they write beautifully – glide over the paper and are well made – my advice is to choose a broadish nib – not a thin one (too scratchy) – most important though is to use Waterman ink (I use cartridges) – I find Quink dries in the pen too quickly and then you have to sort that out whereas I’ve had no probs with Waterman ink.
Have a look on eBay – though I recommend you buy from a dealer.

Thanks so much, that is so interesting and may be why my existing Waterman isn't great. Maybe I don't need a new pen after all.

Update for anyone interested- I think they were genuine - ordered one from Amazon and compared to a shop bought one.