Pencil of the Month Club -- Volume II

Pencil of the Month Club, Vol. II, No. 1, will be mailed November 10th. to members enrolled by midnight, Wednesday, October 31st. (POST REVISED 9/12, 9/16, 9/26, 9/27,10/1)

Enroll now at Pencil of the Month Club.

Each monthly Pencil of the Month Club subscription package will contain 2 to 3 interesting pencils and sometimes a pencil accessory. The contents will be an eclectic mixture of pencils and related "things" that I find interesting and think you will, too. Even an item from the other side, like a pen, may wiggle in! As with Volume I, from time-to-time various manufacturers will contribute an item to be included with the mailing. And as before, I will include a letter with my comments about all included pencils and accessories.

The price will be $6.00 per month. Billing to your credit card will occur monthly for 12 months, or until you or I call a halt, which either of us may do at any time. For those subscribers who enroll during October, you will notice that your shopping cart lists your subscription, but at no charge. The charge to your credit card will occur on/about November 1st.

Subscribers who enroll in November and thereafter will be charged immediately upon checkout. The enrollment month's issue will be mail forthwith, with eleven more Issues to follow.

This subscription amount will cover postage and mailing costs and provide enough money to work with so that I can choose pencils and things from (A) a broad price range of products, and (B) which may be heavy, bulky or delicate, oftentimes requiring more costly packaging and postage. It will also help cover postage for items manufacturers give us for distribution to Club members. My wife is quick to point out that the subscription price does not cover labor costs. She knows. She is the Pencil of the Month Club labor!

KUM USA is giving the first 192 Pencil of the Month Club subscribers a CORREC-TRI pencil sharpener. This KUM sharpener features a precision-milled magnesium alloy metal sharpener with a high-carbon steel blade. There is a pencil hole cover to make sure that your pencil case stays clean. And the all-purpose translucent triangular eraser allows erasing without smearing and with little effort. KUM USA supported the first edition of Pencil of the Month Club by giving us the wonderful pearl Ellipse sharpener and now this! Thank you Lauriana and Otto!

Enroll now at Pencil of the Month Club.

We also will offer a Limited Edition for $9.00 per month. The Limited Editon will include all that is in the regular edition, plus a vintage pencil and/or a special pencil to see, to hold and to use! American Pencil Company's Venus Velvet is an example of a vintage pencil. Mitsubishi Pencil Company's Hi-Uni is an example of a special pencil. I characterize a pencil as "special" if it is unavailable to individuals living outside the pencil's country of manufacture, or it is unreasonably expensive to acquire. But PencilThings.com will purchase special pencils from other international retail pencil businesses and distribute one to each Limited Edition member -- a co-op purchase, in effect. Limited Edition enrollment may be limited to about 50 subscriptions, due to the great difficulty of obtaining vintage/special pencils in sufficient quantities to satisfy a larger group.

Don't even ask! We will not announce, hint at, or otherwise divulge what is to be in an upcoming Club mailing. About a week after mailing an issue we will publish our included letter on this BLOG. (Oh well, truth be told, any one of us involved in publishing the Pencil of the Month Club would blab everything for a Blackwing 602.)

What I now seek are your comments and suggestions. We all had a lot of fun with Volume I -- much of it due to your input. So, tell me what you think and what you want. Post your comments right here for all to see and to add to. Your comments and suggestions will certainly result in improvements to the Club.

Don Bell - Proprietor, PencilThings.com

POST REVISED 9/12, 9/16, 9/26, 9/27, 10/1

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FAQs

International Subscriptions: As always, we welcome International subscribers. The prices for International subscriptions will be an additional $2.00/month to cover additional postage, special handling and Customs Declaration (PS Form 2976).

Repeats from Volume I. There will be a few repeats from Volume I. Over time, we need to repeat some items so that new subscribers may experience the same thrill of discovery you old timers have had.

Product Availability. We intend to make sure that all pencils and accessories mailed to Pencil of the Month Club members will be available for purchase at PencilThings.com. Many pencils mailed to Limited Edition members will not be available for purchase, and the others will be available only in very limited quantities. We will extend to Limited Edition members a private invitation to purchase any extra stock of vintage and special pencils remaining after distribution to subscribers.

Back Issues. A limited quantity of back issues will be available as a regular product item at PencilThings.com. We are unlikely to have back issues available for the Limited Ediition because any extra pencil stock probably will be purchased by Limited Edition subscribers.

Gift Subscriptions. To purchase a gift subscription, simply choose a different "ship to" address than your own "ship to" or "bill to" address. PencilThings.com will not include an invoice or packing slip in Pencil of the Month Club packages, so no price will be shown -- but neither will comments you may make on your order. You can eMail support@pencilthings.com with a sentiment you would like included with the first gift issue. We'll type it out on a nice Clairefontaine card -- using our manual antique Corona portable typewriter -- and sign it on your behalf. Alternatively, you can send your own card for us to include in the first gift issue. Send it to: PencilThings.com - POMC, P.O. Box 2067, Santa Fe, NM 87504.

Club Stationery and Business Cards. As suggested by several members-to-be, we will publish comments on special Pencil of the Month Club letterhead. And, we will include a Pencil of the Month business card with each mailing.   

Refunds: If you are disappointed for any reason, please cancel your membership. We will cheerfully refund your money for the current issue's charge, and gleefully break your pencils.

Payment Options: Only credit card subscriptions can be accepted. PayPal does not yet have a method to support a pay-monthly subscription purchased via ProStores -- our eCommerce engine. That's an interesting irony, because the eBay/PayPal company owns ProStores! And sorry, but we cannot accept checks, purchase orders, money orders, cash or other forms of payment because they do not yet work with the ProStores subscription module.

Comments

[BillTheEditor]

Hey, Don! So glad to see this come back (I had about given up). Please send me a reminder on October 1.

[Diane]

POTM is great for those of us ignorant about pencils (relying on the nearby Office Depot or Staples). I learned about the Oxford Helix, Tombow, Staedtler Cadet, Musgave Natural, and others, all of which have become favorites. And the Lyra highlighting pencils, which go everywhere with me. And the Rhodia pencil. And many other things found nowhere else, at least in the U.S. As far as a marketing tool goes, it's brilliant; after finding out what I liked from POTM, I've spent untold dollars on pencilthings.com (as Don can attest ;). Now I just need another closet or two. :)

[Charles E. - Bevery Hills, California]

Please, please, please count me in on the Pencil of the Month Club - especially for the Limited Edition version.

What do I need to do? I believe you might have my credit card number already. And if not, I would be deliriously happy to give it to you - along with my first-born. That is, if I had one. ...

Glad to hear the POTMC has made a return. I'm looking forward to it with an anticipation you might only imagine.

[Kaizerin]

Hooray! You have made my day with the announcement that the POMC lives!!

I second Jack's request for a business-card to hand out/show around, and just in case you're counting heads, would happily sign up for a 6 months or a year right out of the gate, as well.

Thanks so much for bringing back this delightful and educational club!

[Brady A.]

Don,

Great to have the club back! I agree with Jack that a membership card or certificate would be a great addition. May I also suggest a change in the newsletter design/format. Something with a club letterhead or design would make it a little more official and enjoyable to show off. A simple one page template in which the text can be changed would be easy enough.

Thanks for the great service!

[Ed]

I've been using pencils all my life... but I feel like I've just discovered them. I love the whole idea, and I'd love to be a member of the Pencil of the Month Club.

[Glen Word]

Don,
My son and I are really excited to know that the POMC is coming back. We were really disappointed when we found out it was probably not going to continue. As I've probably told you, I joined the POMC on a lark mainly because it was unusual to me that pencils were the subject plus I knew I couldn't go wrong w/ the initial $12.95(?) that you charged us. Then the fun started; I used to save the monthly package you sent for my son to open when I picked him up from school whereupon he would read to me that months offerings and we'd discuss each. At first Tru thought it kind of "lame" but he warmed to it immediately and we anticipated every months arrival of POMC.
What you've chosen to send us each month is always a delight to become acquainted w/ as I believe these instruments are tremendously discounted/overlooked by our society.
Anyway, suffice to say "were in"! I'll be joining just as soon as I finish this post.
Best Regards,
Glen

[Andy]

This is a great idea, and unique, I think! I can't wait to see the goodies you have to send!

[Jack S. - Troutdale, Oregon]

Don,

Thank You .... I was so glad to hear you decided to start up the Pencil of the Month Club and already have friends who'll be interested as well. As for comments, well, I've very little to add to the excellent points you made on the blog. Being able to try a wide variety of 'quality' pencils is huge as is knowing where to find more when one stands out. My pencils get comments, theyre not the typical yelow. You've hooked me on orange Palimino HB, and Green Prospectors and this tends to get the discussion going about how hard it is to find pencils. Internet is great for variety but writing with one before you buy is a bonus to everyone I talk with.

I also don't think you should over look the 'gift' factor. Pay by the month is very practical but I would like to buy a year or six months as a gift. Being able to cancel might be of interest to some folk but I don't really worry about one or two of the selections not being ideal ... that is part of the fun of the membership. You could structure for levels of enrolement. A Basic 12 month is $60 for $75 you get, say three limited edition months, for 40 you get six month ... I'm not trying to price for you, rather explain what I mean by partial and limited edition membership.

Finally ... I would like a membership card, nothing fancy, basic business card would work. Something to show to those people who see the non-conventional pencil in my hand and want to know where I got it. I've had lots of fun with telling people I'm a member of "Pencil of the Month Club". I've no problem promoting PencilThings.com ... I also understand membership has it price and again think you have some head room on that $5 figure. perhaps people that want an easy out pay the most per month and a offer a small break on a locked in 12 or 6 month membership. anyway, my two cents ...

again thanks for starting the club back up .... I'll keep a watch on your blog and PencilThings.com to get in my order in. js

[A.E. Baxter]

Don,
I'm so thrilled you've decided to bring back Pencil of the Month Club. I'm ready to sign up!

My one question - does the Limited Edition subscription ($9) include the pencils from the regular subscription plus a special/vintage pencil, or does the $9 just get you the one special/vintage pencil per month? Do we need to subscribe to both (total $15/month)?
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Editor's Note: I changed the main posting and this comment to clarify that the $9.00 Limited Edition subscription price includes all that is sent in the regular edition, plus a special/vintage pencil.