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Showing 1 of 2 conversations about:
mhorgan
28
Jun 6, 2015
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How is this not just a significantly worse deal than buying Clairefontaine notebooks on Goulet?
GonzoTGreat
756
Jun 8, 2015
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JonasHeinemanThe Gonzo Perspective:
As usual, a long post broken into numbered sections.
TOC: 1. What Massdrop does, 2. How I think #1 relates to this drop, 3. Questions I have about this drop, 4. Recommendations to the community and to MD from yours truly.
1. Massdrop offers products to enthusiasts.
1-A: If the item is widely available, thn Massdrop usually offers the item at a price that is as good as or better than the best online price (for CONUS, at least - I know there are lots of folks outside of ths USA to whom this does not apply). Quite honestly, this is why I use Massdrop. I'm on a very tight budget. Participating in occasional drops enables me access to items I would otherwise not be able to afford.
1-B: If the product is not widely available, then Massdrop takes advantage of its "group" buying power to offer a product generally not available to the masses. This could be something that is "custom made" or simply not generally available in the USA (primary market, I think). When possible, MD makes every attempt to offer the best price they can for these items.
2. In this case, this item - The 4-subject A4 Clairefontaine notebook - is not geneally available in the USA. As such, for fans of Clairefontain, this is a "catch". As this item would be considered under #1-B (in my understanding), a discount is not guaranteed. In this case, the mere fact that the item is being offered is "special" and unique, the price notwithstanding.
3. Questions about this drop: The specs don't specify if the number of sheets refers to what's included in each notebook, each section of the notebook or the drop (in total). My guess is that its 112 sheets per notebook, but no where is that specified. If this is the case, then should we assume 28 pages per section?
Also, there is no indication if this is associated with any poll or is somthing the folks at MD thought the community might be interested in. I don't think I poll should be "required" if demand for a product specific product clearly exists or is highly likely to exist.
Finally, the description page is both lacking and redundant. The first 2 paragraphs see like standard boilerplate for Clairefontaine and are somewhat redundant while, as mentioned above, the "specs" info seems confusing.
4. MD has been getting it "right" the vast majority of the time, especially recently - at least as far as the writing community goes. @JonasHeineman has been active in community discussions and responsive to questions where relevant. One just has to look at the recent Metropolitan drop to see that MD can and does respond to the the community. In particular, I was impressed with the "mid-drop" addition of the CON-50 option and the swift and clear accountability for the billing hiccup.
On this drop, however, I think Massdrop has missed the mark (IMO, obviously). Even at the lowest price, this doesn't feel like an especially great value. If you're particular about the color of the cover, etc, you can purchase single subject notebooks from Goulet (no affil.) or another retailer for the same or less (approx. price per sheet). While Goulet doesn't guarantee color choice, they make every effort to accommodate requests. If you're looking for a multi-subject notebook that's especially fountain pen friendly, Rhodia makes a widely available, color-coded notebook.
If you're looking for great quality paper (which this is) and want to the be the only one in your group with this scarce product, then this is probably a good drop for you. If you just need fountain pen friend paper in this style (multi-color/subject notebook) there are many other choices that, IMO, are a better value.
Again, this is just my opinion/perspective. If this is your cup of tea, then have at it. If my assessment is inaccurate or factually incorrect and someone can "set me straight", please do. If I'm missing something, tell me and I will amend this post. I have no quarrel with the quality or usefulness of this drop and I can see how it might jive with MD's mission, but it just seems like there are better, less expensive choices available for a very similar product.
As usual, I hope this helps anyone considering this drop.
Cheers.
The fine print: Periodically edited. Opinions are my own. Affiliations, if present, are clearly stated. Today looks like a nice day for a walk.
As usual, a long post broken into numbered sections.
TOC: 1. What Massdrop does, 2. How I think #1 relates to this drop, 3. Questions I have about this drop, 4. Recommendations to the community and to MD from yours truly.
1. Massdrop offers products to enthusiasts.
1-A: If the item is widely available, thn Massdrop usually offers the item at a price that is as good as or better than the best online price (for CONUS, at least - I know there are lots of folks outside of ths USA to whom this does not apply). Quite honestly, this is why I use Massdrop. I'm on a very tight budget. Participating in occasional drops enables me access to items I would otherwise not be able to afford.
1-B: If the product is not widely available, then Massdrop takes advantage of its "group" buying power to offer a product generally not available to the masses. This could be something that is "custom made" or simply not generally available in the USA (primary market, I think). When possible, MD makes every attempt to offer the best price they can for these items.
2. In this case, this item - The 4-subject A4 Clairefontaine notebook - is not geneally available in the USA. As such, for fans of Clairefontain, this is a "catch". As this item would be considered under #1-B (in my understanding), a discount is not guaranteed. In this case, the mere fact that the item is being offered is "special" and unique, the price notwithstanding.
3. Questions about this drop: The specs don't specify if the number of sheets refers to what's included in each notebook, each section of the notebook or the drop (in total). My guess is that its 112 sheets per notebook, but no where is that specified. If this is the case, then should we assume 28 pages per section?
Also, there is no indication if this is associated with any poll or is somthing the folks at MD thought the community might be interested in. I don't think I poll should be "required" if demand for a product specific product clearly exists or is highly likely to exist.
Finally, the description page is both lacking and redundant. The first 2 paragraphs see like standard boilerplate for Clairefontaine and are somewhat redundant while, as mentioned above, the "specs" info seems confusing.
4. MD has been getting it "right" the vast majority of the time, especially recently - at least as far as the writing community goes. @JonasHeineman has been active in community discussions and responsive to questions where relevant. One just has to look at the recent Metropolitan drop to see that MD can and does respond to the the community. In particular, I was impressed with the "mid-drop" addition of the CON-50 option and the swift and clear accountability for the billing hiccup.
On this drop, however, I think Massdrop has missed the mark (IMO, obviously). Even at the lowest price, this doesn't feel like an especially great value. If you're particular about the color of the cover, etc, you can purchase single subject notebooks from Goulet (no affil.) or another retailer for the same or less (approx. price per sheet). While Goulet doesn't guarantee color choice, they make every effort to accommodate requests. If you're looking for a multi-subject notebook that's especially fountain pen friendly, Rhodia makes a widely available, color-coded notebook.
If you're looking for great quality paper (which this is) and want to the be the only one in your group with this scarce product, then this is probably a good drop for you. If you just need fountain pen friend paper in this style (multi-color/subject notebook) there are many other choices that, IMO, are a better value.
Again, this is just my opinion/perspective. If this is your cup of tea, then have at it. If my assessment is inaccurate or factually incorrect and someone can "set me straight", please do. If I'm missing something, tell me and I will amend this post. I have no quarrel with the quality or usefulness of this drop and I can see how it might jive with MD's mission, but it just seems like there are better, less expensive choices available for a very similar product.
As usual, I hope this helps anyone considering this drop.
Cheers.
The fine print: Periodically edited. Opinions are my own. Affiliations, if present, are clearly stated. Today looks like a nice day for a walk.
mhorgan
28
Jun 9, 2015
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JonasHeinemanI didn't notice these were multi-subject, I was comparing to the single subject ones I usually use.
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