Sailor Trident 360 Degree Steel Fountain Pen

Sailor Trident 360 Degree Steel Fountain Pen

These pens are very popular and also rare. I try to auction them as I find them, but have great difficulty finding them these days. The Sailor Trident was introduced in 1983. It has three nibs entirely covering the tip. These nibs come together so that their common edges also function as tines, giving you six slits instead of the traditional one slit. The ink is fed from three channels.

This fountain pen will allow you to write at any angle or rotation, and also press down to make multiple copies. But it does not require pressure just to make a mark; it will produce a line with only the pressure from its own weight, so there is no stress on the hands and wrist. The line is consistent and flowing, but not too wet. Sailor advertised that this was also the perfect pen for left handed writers.

For more information on these pens including some history, please see the article, The Amazing All-angle Sailor Trident. (This version of the article exists solely for the purpose of supplementing the information in this auction description, and contains no links or sales references.)

According to Sailor's nib craftsmen, you should use the Trident often to prevent ink from drying inside the channels. If you don't plan to use it for a week or so, clean and flush the ink out.

This pen body is stainless steel.

This pen is new old stock and comes with its original triangle price tag and a sticker that says to use Sailor ink. Lots of pen companies would like you to buy their ink as well, but it really makes no difference.

This pen takes standard Sailor ink cartridges or a piston ink converter for those who prefer bottled ink. I will include an ink cartridge with this pen.

Optional Ink converter
I can include a Sailor piston converter for an additional charge. Just add $7.00 to your Paypal payment in the "Seller Discounts (-) or Charges (+)" area, and include a note to remind me what the extra money is for. (Some people have said their invoice will not allow them to add an extra amount; If you have trouble, you can always initiate a new Paypal payment for the amount of the converter alone or for both the pen and converter together). If you want to find a vendor who sells ink or converters, click on the "ME" icon near my name to begin your search.

Sailor was started in 1911 by Kyugoro Sakata, an engineer from Hiroshima. Mr. Sakata was first introduced to fountain pens when a British Sailor gave him one as a gift. He immediately decided to create and market fountain pens in Japan. The factory is still in Hiroshima although the head office is now in Tokyo, in my own neighborhood as a matter of fact. Sailor is older than the other two big Japanese pen companies, Pilot (Namiki) and Platinum.

Length capped: 13.1 centimeters
Length posted: 14.8 centimeters

Don't forget to take a look at my new listings!
As this auction closes, a new one begins. I will give multiple shipping discounts for pens bought during separate weeks but sent together by EMS (the second and third pens ship for free this way). So be sure to check my newest listings for the upcoming week before you log out!

Beware! Some bidders have received bogus second chance offers or alternate payment instructions with a different payee address! If you have any doubt about a message that claims to have come from me, just contact me directly through ebay. Please forward any bogus messages to spoof@ebay.com to help fight this problem.

The ebay shipping calculator does not always give correct rates for items sent from Japan, and my multiple shipping discounts are also not shown. Please use the shipping costs indicated in the chart below if it differs from what ebay tells you. There is no need to contact me about shipping costs, the information is all here in the chart.

EMS (Express Mail Service) Asia N. America Australasia Europe Middle East S. America Africa 1 - 3 items $11.00 $14.00 $17.00 $20.00 4 - 6 items $14.00 $17.00 $20.00 $22.00 This will be designated as Standard Flat Rate Shipping on your invoice. EMS is handled as high priority mail, includes tracking number, is insured, and usually takes less than a week from Japan, depending on your location (please don't hold me responsible for delays caused by customs inspectors in your country). Remember this package will have to travel around the globe to reach you, and that reality is reflected in the shipping fee. If you think this shipping price is too high, then please choose the cheaper standard air mail option. Some buyers have opted for EMS shipping and then have left me a poor star rating for shipping and handling fees when they had a cheaper option. This is a mystery to me. Multiple Item Shipping Discounts: Your ebay generated invoice may not show the multiple item shipping discount. In that case, just type in the correct shipping amount on your Paypal payment before paying. If you want to combine items won during different weeks for the multiple item shipping discount, please contact me as soon as possible. If you simply withhold payment, I'll have to assume it is an unpaid item.

Payment methods:

I accept Paypal payments. If you have any questions, please contact me before you bid.

Returns:

No returns unless I misrepresented the item. If I have found any flaws in the item, I will mention them in the description (so please read the description).

International buyers please note:

Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up - do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.

Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

Shipping timing:

My work schedule is arranged to favor those who pay for their items quickly. Those who pay within 24 hours of the end of the auction are usually serious about receiving their items quickly, and their items will be sent out within 24 hours of payment. If you wait a few days to pay, I will send the item the next time I have a chance to get to the post office during business hours, which is usually no more than a day's delay unless it's a weekend; the local post office is closed on weekends. Bottom Line: If you want to receive the item quickly, then please pay quickly.

Communication:

I am often away from my computer doing other work. Also, you and I probably live on opposite sides of the globe, so I may be sleeping when you are at your computer. Please understand this if I don't respond to your messages immediately. This goes especially for Sunday (which is probably your Saturday) when I stay away from the computer all day. With every transaction I always send an invoice, a message to acknowledge receipt of payment, and a notification that the item has been sent. I also answer all questions. Sometimes e-mail from me ends up in spam folders, apparently because my domain is "dot CC" and not "dot COM". Please check your spam folder if you haven't received a reply.

Mistakes and feedback:

We all make mistakes. If you discover a problem with your order, please contact me, and let's work it out. No seller wants to first hear about a problem by reading a feedback comment. And there is no need for threats or rude language. Most of my buyers are great people who come back again and again, but I have also had buyers who were unreasonable and vindictive who didn't understand fountain pens, and thought there was a problem with the pen when there was no problem at all. But some buyers would rather give negative feedback than work it out with the seller, so some unwarranted negative feedback is unavoidable. They are like battle scars. Every scar has a story. Go ahead and check the feedback comments to discover the story behind the scars.

English spoken here

English is my first language, so you can be assured of smooth communication. People have asked me to help them with problems they had with pens bought from Japanese ebay sellers because they could not communicate. Please have a heart! I am not the customer service department for Japanese rival sellers. Rule of the thumb: If the item description which presumably had the benefit of proofreading and editing is incomprehensible, don't expect things to get any better in direct communication.