Our Story

When we had a home …

We've been collecting fountain pens for a long time, longer than we would like to admit in fact! Long enough at least to remember when our hobby had a home.

For a lot of us that home was a pen forum. You'd start as a newbie asking either "is it real" or "can you identify this pen?" Within a few moments you were flooded with answers and you ended up getting hooked on pens because of the warmth, friendliness and passion of the community. That's how many of us started and then we'd end acquiring a few more pens and posting some photos of something you'd bought but weren't quite sure about. You could count on someone identifying it, dating it, noticing that replacement feed or the repair to a cracked cap lip you didn't notice. You'd start to learn and eventually end up sharing your own experiences and becoming part of the community helping others.

You could also count mentioning a the pen you'd been after and then receiving a few private messages saying "I know a collector friend who has one, do you want me to message them and see if they want to sell it?"

People posted their handwriting, their ink swatches, the restorations that went well and the ones that very much didn't. A few members knew more about vintage Pelikans or Parker filling systems than any book could tell you or more than anyone working at those companies. They still took the time to answer the same repetitive beginner question for the hundredth time without any hint of impatience.

We had a place where we grew in the hobby, where we made friends, where we ended up meeting them in real life at pen shows or meet ups. Some of these people we first met online are those that we still talk to and even buy and sell to 20 years on!

However, this is not the case anymore. It didn't end with a bang or for any set reason. Its was a slow goodbye as people drifted to Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook and Discord. Don't get me wrong, we're on most of those ourselves, and there's plenty of good there but the conversations, the people and the community have fragemented and splintered.

The knowledge that was once searchable and accessible now scrolls past us on our feeds never to be found or seen again. That helpful answer to a question you asked now sits in a comment thread from three years ago that nobody can find. Buying a pen from someone you'd never heard of became a bit of a gamble as there was no community that policed itself anymore

The shame is that everyone is still around, we just aren't in the same place anymore.

That's really why Nibfolio exists. We missed having a home, a place, and the community.

Built by collectors for collectors.

We're collectors first and foremost. We've kept track of our pens on spreadsheets that got out of hand, in notebooks, and in our heads (not recommended!). We've bought from strangers crossing our fingers and hoping for the best. We've sold pens we were fond of but had to let go and hoped they'd be looked after.

So we built a platform for ourselves. We built somewhere to keep track and organise our collections, somewhere to find other collectors who understand and share our passion, somewhere to share our collections (or keep them private) and somewhere where could easily pass a pen on when the time came.

Our core principles

As collectors we have had our fair share of both good and bad experiences. Therefore we agreed that there are a few things we weren't willing to compromise on when building Nibfolio. Some basic core principles which we would expect ourselves and which are enshrined in what we have built.

Firstly, your collection is yours, and you decide what anyone else sees of it (if anything). We respect privacy and Nibfolio is built with privacy and discretion as a top priority. No one (and we mean no one, not even our admins) can see what you've got or any details unless you chose to share them.

Secondly, community is worth more to us than any transaction. We built our marketplace so that Collectors could buy and sell. We don't ask for any fees, commissions or payments. That means that if something goes wrong with a transaction we can help resolve it and remain entirely neutral. We believe trust starts with transparency and we ask for basic KYC documents from our professional Vendors who sell here, because trust shouldn't be left to luck and you should know who you buy from.

Finally, we didn't want to build somewhere that left people out. If your whole collection is one Lamy Safari and an old Parker 51 your grandfather gave you when you were in school, you belong here just as much as someone with a drawer full of High Artistry Montblancs. Honestly, you probably have more in common than either would guess.

Nibfolio is young, and we'd rather grow and develop around the people who use it. We are hear to listen and learn, to adapt and improve around you and around the community. We are totally self-funded, we won't sell your data, or try to make a quick buck. We are here for the long run because we want to bring back that community. A Journal and a forum of our own are both in the works, to give the good stuff somewhere to live again and to have a platform to share knowledge. We have lots of great new features and ideas that we cant wait to build for you and for us!

If, in a few years, someone new to pens asks where the community hangs out and somebody says "Nibfolio", we'll have done what we set out to do and we'd be happy to have given our community a new home.

So as we used to say, pull up a chair and stay for a while!