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Goulet Ink Drop

I just signed up for the monthly ink drop from Goulet. Has anyone else had any experience with this? I've always said, "Nahhhh, that's a waste. I'll never use that much." I probably still feel that way, but I wanted to give it a try. I signed up for six months' worth.

If you aren't familiar with it, for $10 a month, you get five 2 ml ink samples. Each month seems to have a theme.

If nothing else, I should be able to give a right good amount of ink reviews.
 
I had it for a while and then stopped getting it. I ended up with a lot of samples that I didn't have much interest in, or samples that were half used because the color didn't do anything for me. There was a span of about three months that had inks that just never hit any of my pens because I was just underwhelmed by the selections. They ended up being donated to a 10 year old who got his first fountain pen for Christmas. I hope he's getting better use out of the samples than I did.
 
I had subscribed for a few months, but decided to cancel, as for me, they arrived quicker than I could use them all.

Overall, it's a great service that allows you to try different inks, without committing to an entire bottle of each ink.
 
I'm a subscriber. You do end up with more inks than you can use, so I end up giving many samples away. But that's okay because I get to try things without having to buy a whole bottle.
 

nortac

"Can't Raise an Eyebrow"
I had considered it, but I would rather select samples of inks I'm really interested in trying rather than get random samples. I just recently ordered 10 different ink samples of my own choosing, I think that works much better for me, YMMV. Goulet provides many good services and I try to support them when possible, but I will say I'm a bit underwhelmed with the amount of ink they send in each sample. I think that they would still make a HUGE profit even if they sent another ml of ink.
 
+1

Looking at the samples this month, there would be only 2 I would be interested in. It is a nice service though and I was considering it too. You basically save the shipping... I also like Goulet offerings. Good company. Great people.
 
I love the company, but I find it hard to believe I would get use out of that many samples. I got a random sampler of 8 at one point and to this point I think only 2 have been in pens. The rest have been used with a dip pen just to test the colors.

I think it's a great the way they have samples, and I love the option of random samples to present some good ink that I may have otherwise not considered. I also have a great amount of respect for the thoughtfulness they put into their selections when considering themes. I just cant see myself getting the use out of that many inks.
 
The biggest reason I decided to give it a ride was the random selection of inks. I like selecting my own samples and have more than I can shake a stick at, but here's how my brain works: I will always default to a particular brand or two and a particular color family or two; I know this and accept it, so I figured if I want to branch out, someone else needs to make that decision for me.

I suspect that most of the inks I will give away or toss in my ink box, but if over the six months I signed up for, I am introduced to a half dozens inks I otherwise wouldn't have tried, it's worth it.
 
After occasionally looking into threads on The Nib, since I used to be an every day fountain pen guy. Seeing all the talk about Noodler's I couldn't resist trying it out with a pen/ink combo on Amazon. After so enjoying the writing experience with this cheap Noodler's, I started poking around the web for more, which led me to Goulet, which has entirely too much good stuff. Now I'm going overboard. I've ordered a Noodler's Konrad piston fill rollerball pen, some paper, an ink syringe and silicone grease.

It's turning into another Acquisiton Disorder. But that ink drop deal is too much. Not that I didn't look at it.
 
After occasionally looking into threads on The Nib, since I used to be an every day fountain pen guy. Seeing all the talk about Noodler's I couldn't resist trying it out with a pen/ink combo on Amazon. After so enjoying the writing experience with this cheap Noodler's, I started poking around the web for more, which led me to Goulet, which has entirely too much good stuff. Now I'm going overboard. I've ordered a Noodler's Konrad piston fill rollerball pen, some paper, an ink syringe and silicone grease.

It's turning into another Acquisiton Disorder. But that ink drop deal is too much. Not that I didn't look at it.

and down the rabbit hole he goes too...lol:thumbup:
 
I have been a member of the ink drop for over a year, I love getting new inks that I normally would not have even tried.
I do have a lot of inks I probably wont use, but I have a bunch more that I just need to try in my pens.

So many inks - so little time!
 
I got the March ink drop in the mail today. There were several nice colors: Diamine Imperial Purple, Diamine Majestic Blue, Diamine Regency Blue, Diamine Tyrian Purple, and Noodler's Kung Te-Cheng. I most likely would have never tried any of these colors on my own, so I guess it was a good get the first time out.
 
Well, apparently, I killed the Goulet Ink Drop. I just signed up for it last month, and today they announced it is shutting down.
 
No surprise really. Although I never subscribed to it, I imagine it was a logistical nightmare every month. The video they posted explaining it is pretty much what I thought. While it's a wonder that they kept it going this long, it was always going to get unwieldy and not turn them a profit. And I think that as the Goulet Pen Co. gets larger, they'll start to focus more and more on that bottom line. I hope it doesn't kill their signature "personal touch", though.

I haven't bought anything from them since 2014, but I still consider myself a loyal customer since they're in Virginia and I remember them from when they were just Brian and Rachel selling Clairefontaine and J. Herbin out of their kitchen. In fact, the handle I have for wax seals was one of the originals Brian made back when he still had time for woodworking.
 
Oh, I don't blame them at all. It's just funny about my timing.
Financials aside, I can imagine with a few thousand subscribers, it would be a logistical nightmare.
I consider Goulet my go-to for nib related merchandise. I love the personal touch. I emailed Brian directly once with a question, and he got right back to me. One time when I was forced to purchase from an online competitor, I felt a touch of guilt. I am intrigued by how many employees they have and wonder how big of a facility they have. Although selling world wide on the internet would open the doors to a lot of customers, is the market really that big (especially considering all the other companies competing for customers)? There are undoubtedly millions of us who use fountain pens and bottled ink a daily basis, they still aren't like clothes or shoes where the demand could never be saturated.
 
Check out the "behind the scenes" video on Goulet's Youtube channel. I was surprised how many employees they had--it looked like several dozen. (edit: the video is called "Goulet Q&A Episode 100, Goulet Shop Tour!")

I wasn't an Ink Drop subscriber, but I can definitely see how it would be highly unprofitable. If they were shipping 1300 packages valued at less than $10, that's a ton of manual labor for very little return. I've read the Maggards say that samples are not a lucrative part of the business. I'm sure Maggard Razors and Goulet rely on people adding on less-profitable samples with more expensive and higher-margin items in order to make the economics of sampling work.
 
I understand why they decided to give up the InkDrop... In the end, it just doesn't make sence financially. I do hope they keep the samples though. How many of us have gotten samples of either some soaps or an inks to try them out and ended up liking something you would have never considered otherwise... Its a great selling tool that lets you try something out you might never consider otherwise. I know I would not have considered buying a good number of things, both shaving and ink related, if I hadn't had the sample. You tend to play it safe when buying online... stick to what you know. The samples let you commit to a small dollar amount before spending your hard earned dollar... so there is some business sence to the whole thing. I really hope that the Goulets don't loose their "family" business touch... thats what keeps me coming back to them. I could always get stuff on amazon and such... but I like the feel of giving them my few dollars that I can, because they are who they are. Hope that makes sence somehow. BTW... the Andersons are also a family business that I do like doing business with... Its that certain "Store around the Corner" - Feel they all have and I appreciate that.... I really hope the Goulets don't loose touch... wouldn't be the first ones that do. Just my $0.02...
 
I obviously don't know the Goulets personally, but I agree that I hope their company doesn't grow beyond the personal touch; I hope they building a long lasting, booming business. Both Brian and Rachel seem like good people.

Also, my one month in the Ink Drop introduced me to an ink I love but would have never tried without it. I would have never in a million years ordered a sample of Diamine Imperial Purple. I got it in the Ink Drop and absolutely love it. It is a beautiful ink.

A month ago, I decided to bite the bullet and do the Ink Drop. I looked at their past selections and figured I'd give it a go. Now, I might go back through their monthly history and order certain selections that I think I might enjoy.
 
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