Editing The Pen Addict 542/transcript (section)

== Lamy 2000 price increase and market trends ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Lamy 2000 time, Myke. Guess what? Guess what? What? We're moving on up the charts here with the next price increase. So the 2000 has gone through some price increases over the last couple of years, unlike the Custom 74, which really didn't move over the past several years, which is why it was kind of like an obvious candidate. The Lamy 2000 only in the past two or three years, I think, had a price increase. So it's a $249 MSRP. And this is one where the company just allows for just like the straight 20% off street price. So like all retailers sell this, the Lamy 2000, the standard Lamy 2000, the Macrolon barrel for $199.20, right? So it's this magical price point. We're under $200. So I got to put it in my price pens from $150 to $200. It stays there. Not anymore. Like I literally just updated this list a month ago, put the Lamy 2000 in at number three. And now I'm going to have to remove it because the new MSRP is $279, which is about a 12% increase, which makes the new street price $223.20. What do I think of the Lamy 2000 at that price in relation to the conversation we just had about the Custom 74 and being okay with that price increase? It's around the same dollar amount, you know, that $20 to $25 to $20 to $30 more price increase. The Lamy is going up, you know, $24, $23. This makes it weird now, right? It's those numbers that shouldn't matter, you know, from a technical perspective do matter in a marketing and a visual perspective, right? The Lamy 2000 is now $223, right? Where the Pilot 74 stayed at $187. $187.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So my initial thoughts on this were that stinks. Like I don't like it at this price as much. My second thought was this is not going to make a dent whatsoever in Lamy 2000's market. So the way Lamy has been working their business over the last few years and we're seeing the proliferation of the pop-up retail stores, right? The little shops in the big city, San Francisco, New York. The way that they are increasing their brand awareness. I don't think they're going to have any problems selling it for this price. I just think where I fall in is that I think my first Lamy 2000 that I bought was $140. So I can't remove that information from my head, right? So I'm looking at it from a different perspective from a lot of people who may be going to buy their first Lamy Safari. And, oh, is it a good deal at $223?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It probably still is, right? Like I, yeah, I don't necessarily have a problem with it even though we're quickly encroaching, you know, $100 in the past decade price increase. And it does kind of change my thoughts on, hey, should this be your first gold nib upgrade pin? Where it was a pretty clear answer not that long ago. Yeah, like you should really consider this. And I was like, huh, I need to think about that a little bit more. Because it still offers something unique in this price point, right? It's a piston filler and it's an interesting material. And it's a classic, right? Like the style has not gone away. It's what, 50 years old now? Everyone loves the Lamy 2000. I love the Lamy 2000. So I don't, as much as it stinks, I don't think it's going to change the popularity or the recommendation of the Lamy 2000 all that much, right? Because everything's shifting this direction.

'''Myke Hurley:''' How much did you say you bought yours for 10 years ago?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' I want to say 140. I could be wrong. I couldn't find the exact information.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Adjusted for inflation, it's $173 in those 10 years. So it's still higher than inflation. Sure. But it's not just inflation, it's market. And I actually think that you're right. I think $223 is still a good price for the Lamy 2000.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Right. In today's market. Yeah. Like we just have, you know, if you take today's market in a vacuum, it's fine. But we have this information that we can't, you know, get rid of that we have been through, you know, all these price increases and still have this idea in our head of, hey, like I only paid this much for this. This is kind of ridiculous. But it's really kind of not, right? Like, I think it's okay. Right. As much as like, I don't want any of this stuff to go up. Right. It's inevitable. And if you're telling me the Lamy 2000, it's now $223, you know, right off the shelf.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's probably right. You know, like I want to eviscerate this, but like there's no reason to, like, it's a good pen. This is the, you know, the cost of materials, the cost of marketing, the cost of doing business in 2022 and 2023. And, God, it seems, yeah, it seems right as much as it just kind of stinks because this is always, you know, a harbinger of what's to come when we see these price increases. Like, it's like, well, this is just, you know, we haven't even started to rip the Band-Aid off yet. We're probably going to see more from all the brands. Like, Sailor, you know, they did that huge price increase, what, two or three years ago, two years ago? And then had, like, another small one, like, right after that. It's like, man, this is just, it's non-stop.

'''Myke Hurley:''' So everything's getting more expensive. Like, the resources are more expensive. People are more expensive. Like, everything's getting more expensive. And so I don't really know how much choice a lot of companies, these companies will have, but then to just move in that direction.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' What I keep looking for and what I always keep in the back of my head is just, is just like someone who follows the stationary industry is who is going to backfill some of these spots. Where we're just going to, we now have these huge gaps, these huge price gaps in the mainline pens, right? What are we going to get between, like, $75 and $175? You know, custom makers have filled a niche in there, you know, pretty well. But, like, we're probably never getting gold nib pens in that price point again, right? Like, when we used to. Which, I mean, that's the state of the world. Like, I get that. Like, I'm not complaining necessarily about that. But, like, I haven't seen anything that compelling, you know, outside of, you know, pens that are closer to $200 than that are closer to $100, right? Like, I really want to see, can someone make a difference for $125, right? And I'm not sure, you know, is it, like, is that just going to be a steel nib pen now? Like, that's it? Which is fine. Like, you know I love steel nibs. But, like, you know what I'm trying to say. It's, like, I think that era is gone where you could get a sweet gold nib pen for, like, $125, $150. Like, it's just not really an option anymore. Like, we used to be able to buy Pilot Custom 91s for, like, $70 to $90. So, it's getting to be a tough sell now when you're getting upwards of $200 for your entry-level gold nib pen. But, like, that's just the way this is going. So, I'm always looking in my mind for this backfill. And I don't see anything yet. So, we'll see. We'll see if someone can come up with something interesting that's compelling enough for people to spend $100 less. Then, like, a gold nib pen is, are they going to find something that's worth it to them? So, we'll see. Something I keep my eye on. It's something I think about a lot. Because there's, we're getting this real disparate price points now, right? For standard pens and then gold nib pens. And there's a huge, huge chasm in between them is the way it's tracking right now. That makes me love my Lamy Safaris even more, Myke. And I want to talk about this special edition.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's a fun one. And, you know, it's also from Lamy. And Lamy has really blown up in the Japanese market over the last five years or so. Maybe even longer. You have participated in Lamy Pokemon collaborations. You're still waiting for arrival. It's in the UK.

'''Myke Hurley:''' I think it might be at home today. It's just unfortunate that it arrived and I will collect it.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Nice, nice. So, this one is in collaboration with the biggest stationary retailer in Japan, Atoya. And it's called the Lamy Safari Atoya Copper 01. So, this was sent to me on Instagram.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' And when you look at this pen, do you, like, I had some initial thoughts when I saw this. Do you want to give it a go and tell me what you see when you see this pen?

'''Myke Hurley:''' It's boring.

'''Myke Hurley:''' It just doesn't do it for me.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Okay. So, what's weird about this? I didn't disagree with you. My initial thought was the exact thought that you had. But, as I looked at this more, what they've done is made some type of combination of the Lamy LX, the Lamy All-Star, and the Lamy Safari into one pen. And I am here for it. And here's why. This is a Safari barrel with almost a metallic finish to it. I want to see this in person. It might just be the lighting on these images. They might have, like, really highlighted the edges. Like, they turned up the lighting to make this look metallic-y. But one of the reasons I always prefer the Safari over the All-Star is the All-Star has that translucent section. So, there's, like, this visual discrepancy when you have this great, like, say, a magenta All-Star barrel, and you have this kind of, you know, gray translucent grip section. I thought this was an All-Star when I first saw it because it looks like it's an all-metal, and it has the copper-colored clip. I think it's just kind of they combined several of these pens into this pen, and they turned it into a Safari, which is my favorite, like, by a long shot. And I'm kind of into this, right? It's like a very modern-looking Safari instead of the traditional Safaris, where they've normally saved these colors and these ideas for the All-Star or, more specifically, the LX. So, this is more like an LX Safari, and I like it. I actually genuinely like this a lot. It's $40, so 5,500 yen. It's currently into $40, so is the current exchange rate. So, you know, it's a premium for a Safari, which are normally about $30, but, like, that seems right, right? I don't really see anything, you know, too out of line with that. And, yeah, I want to see someone get this in hand, Jacob, and take real pictures and see if this is more of a flat gray barrel. So, my opinion might change, right, if the real imagery of this is not as metallic-y looking.

'''Myke Hurley:''' That would be my question.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. I'm not sure. But, you know, it's a limited edition, but it's also at the biggest stationer in Japan, so I imagine people can get them if they want them. Like, I'm not going to go run and hunt this down. Like, it's – I don't care that much, but it's an interesting design choice and something I haven't seen in the Safari lineup before. When over here we're getting, hey, let's redo the black clip and white barrel from the 90s and the navy blue barrel and red clip from the 90s. Here you go. We went back to Lamy Safari Originals. Yay. Enjoy. It's like, that's so boring. Like, come on. Like, this is not boring to me, even though it's still, like, a combination of several other products that they're already making in style-wise, like, in appearance. So, I'll be interested to see this one in person. So, I was exactly the same thoughts that you had about this. I was like, what is this? Like, this – okay. Like, is this not the Lamy LX? I was like, oh, okay. The more I looked into it, yeah, I'm in. Count me in on the Lamy Safari Atoya Copper 01. I want it.

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