Cheap imprinted ball point pens:

This will be brief, but we are asked over and over if we can supply very cheap
writing pens.

Typically, someone has seen a pen advertised at 19-29 cents and they want us to
match that price.

We may be able to find a pen that cheap to suppy our clients, however, it will not
likely write well and by no means will come with a warranty.

We pride ourselves on preventing customers from ordering inferior products, unless they
beg to do so.

So here is the deal on the cheap pens.  Typically, really cheap pens are the price they are
for one or more of the following reasons

1. They are made with a cheap cartridge, that either has air bubbles or pourous
plastic that prevent ink from flowing properly.  Sometimes if you scribble you can get these
to write.  Sometimes, however people just throw these pens out at the first sign of not writing - after all your company gave them the pen for free, so why bother to get it to write.

2. Many cheap pens are actual what is called a hosptitality pen.  What that means, is the pen was made with the hosptitality industry in mind.  For example, a hotel chain needs to offer a pen for you to sign your registration.  They do not intend for the pens to be taken by clients.  Over time, it becomes obvious that most pens at the hotel desk are taken by guests.  The hotel now wants to order the cheapest pen they can.  Suppliers often only fill these pens with a tiny amount of ink.  It saves money, gets the signature needed, however when the ink runs out, no matter how hard you scribble the empty cartridge will not allow the pen to write again.

3. The old OLD pen scenario.  What happens here is usually an importing issue.  A company buys 100,000's of pens from Asia to get the lowest possible price.  This can be fine if you get a new pen, however here is what often happens.  The company orders 250,000 pens at .05 from China.  They have them shipped by sea because it is cheaper than air.  The manufacturer makes the pens, waits a month until they have a full container to ship and puts them on a boat.  3 months later they land in the US.  Supplier adds the pens to a website, and search engines start recognizing the "sale" one month later.  Now, you may still be in good shape if you order these pens if you are one of the first to order them.  Also, it is important the pens have always been stored tip down.  If the pens are stored tip up, the ink flows to the top of the pen, the pen will not write.  Ink is much denser than water.  You can not simply flip the pen over  and expect it to flow down the cartridge and into the tip.
With luck, and tapping the pen on a table and scribbling these pens may write again, or maybe they will not.

The worst scenario on the OLD pen situation is the salesman that fill 3 suitcases full of pens
while on a business trip to Asia.  He thinks he will corner the market, because he can get nearly free freight by checking them as luggage.  The problem here is, this guy selling the pens on his own is going to need TIME to sell his 100,000 pens.  Maybe it will take years.
Cheap pens are not intended to write years after they are made.

The moral of the story is:  If its seems to good to be true, it almost certainly is.

We can put you into a decent writing pen for somewhere around .49 cents and up.
At the low end the pen is likely to be pretty simple plastic.  If you want a metal pen
that writes well, feels substantial, and comes in its own case, Frankly you will not get
a pen like that printed with your logo for much under $1.19/each

Bottom line: ask what the warranty on the pen is.
Charge the order to a credit card so you have recourse.
And after all this if the pens do not write, do not throw them in the garbage.
Even the most credible supplier can not be expected to offer you a discount
or refund if you can not return the defective product.

If the supplier offer no warranty and does not accept credit cards BEWARE

you are welcome to use this information in any manner you wish IF
your note Collegiate Concepts Custom Decorated Products and our web site
www. imprintitems .com as the author or source.  Note we added extra spaces in our web address because I do not believe ebay allows them in Guides