I made a purchase of two pens due to availability and price listed on the website. It turned out that one of the pen nibs was not available and wouldn't be for a couple of weeks, but I contacted Appel... See more
While we don't verify specific claims because reviewers' opinions are their own, we may label reviews as "Verified" when we can confirm a business interaction took place. Read more
To protect platform integrity, every review on our platform—verified or not—is screened by our 24/7 automated software. This technology is designed to identify and remove content that breaches our guidelines, including reviews that are not based on a genuine experience. We recognise we may not catch everything, and you can flag anything you think we may have missed. Read more
Review summary
Based on reviews, created with AI
What people talk about most
Based on these reviews
Wow. Simply wow!!
Wow. Simply wow! This is how you do well by your customers. The shipment was prompt. It was carefully and expertly packaged. There were even a couple of small treats included. How thoughtful! The products themselves were great and at a nice value. The only downside was the new import fees. Oh well. Not their fault.
Top tier retailer. Good customer service!
I made a purchase of two pens due to availability and price listed on the website. It turned out that one of the pen nibs was not available and wouldn't be for a couple of weeks, but I contacted Appelboom and they quickly responded, providing other options. Then, once a decision was made, they packaged everything up and shipped it immediately. The pens arrived in secure packaging and quickly. I will happily buy from Appelboom again.
Great overall experience
Great overall experience! Nice and professional, would recommend to anyone and will buy again, thank you.
Great Customer Service
Fast Delivery with DHL. Great customer service. Joost and his team really go the extra mile. Can't commend them highly enough.
First time ordering from Appelboom
This was my first time ordering a pen from Appelboom and I have to say that the service exceeded my expectations. Delivery was within the timeframe established, the gift wrapping on the box was a delightful surprise but the best thing of all was the peace-of-mind that comes with the complimentary tuning and smoothing that the company provides. It made me confident that the pen I would receive would perform beautifully from Day 1.
Unbelievably Efficient and Quick Order Fulfillment
After a catastrophically bad experience with Montblanc buying the most expensive pen I'd ever purchased -- from them or anyone else -- Appelboom was a breath of fresh air. The website just *works*, I ordered the pen from Appelboom well after the Montblanc order, and received it before the Montblanc was even *supposed* to arrive...despite being in stock at the store I visited in person. So, never buying Montblanc...going to my Dutch friends across an ocean very happily from now on.
Good dealer and quick response
I ordered a fountain pen with nib checking service and some other inks and accessories.
After placing the order I have been contact by Jost in 1-2 hours that one pen pouch for 3 pens is not available, to order it takes time, instead if I would take the other one for 2 pens. After I accepted it, due to the nib check my order will be sent a week after.
One week later, I hadn’t seen any delivery notice, and so I wrote to Jost again asking about the delivery. The specialist was sick. Few days later, the order was dispatched. Delivered by DHL.
It was packed properly. The pen was perfect. Very smooth writing experience.
After waiting a few days, I wrote to ask about the price difference of the alternative pen pouch, Jost processed the refund quickly.
The communication with Jost is transparent. Although sometimes I had to take initiative, the massages were replied within same day or next day.
With my experience, I would trust Appelboom for advance fountain pens.
Appelboom is the best place to buy pens and accessories!
They have great products and services. The nib-tuning service is fantastic for fountain pens. They ship products promptly and have good prices. Great customer communication too!
excellent experience shopping…
I had an excellent experience shopping with Appelboom. Their customer service is responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable, making the entire process smooth from start to finish. I highly recommend Appelboom for anyone looking for quality pens and exceptional support.
Service is great! Wonderful experience!
I bought from Appelboom my Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age with the Stub 18 ct Gold Nib, it arrived well, I tested it and already inked it: it writes beautifully, I am very happy with it!!! Thanks. The Robert Oster Tranquility ink I bought from them at the same time also arrived well.
I appreciate very much what they did in order for me to receive this Visconti pen the way I wanted it and in a fast way.
Their service is great! Wonderful experience!
Great service, great in-person store, great online dealer
Wow, looking at the reviews they hardly need my help. However, here goes: I have bought from Appleboom a number of times (online) and it has always been a great experience. Everything is always well-packed and delivered in a timely way. Communication keeps you up to date if there is some delay. Add to this the pricing is pretty competitive, including amongst the other online dealers, you won't go wrong.
On a recent stay in Amsterdam I visited the store in Laren and would recommend that anyone interested in fountain pens do the same. This is the heart of the enterprise: it is a small shop but the whole online business is run out of there. Lots to see and touch. Joost is very engaging and easy to talk to about pens or anything else.
I used public transit (a train and a bus) to get myself to the store, about 40min total each way from Amsterdam Centraal and it drops you about 2 blocks from his door. And the village of Laren is also worth a look while you're there. Just how many bells does that church have anyway???
I bought a Pencil Pouch
I bought a Pencil Pouch. I’ve had some concerns before buying it, but the customer service was great and very reassuring. The item arrived quite quickly, and you could also tell that they put some effort in packaging it. I’m very pleased.
My go to shop for everything European
Appelboom and Joost are amazing! They have everything that you want and sometimes a discount coupon too. Very helpful and kind. Answer every question extremely fast! I love all the amazing pens they have! This time I got an Esterbrook Dutch Show and they sent it super fast! Excellent quality and amazing packaging. Provide an accurate tracking. Bought it on Tuesday and was here Friday same week! Thank you Appelboom
there is no second chance for first impression
I ordered two items on Sunday. On Monday, I received an email informing me that one of the items was currently out of stock and would re reordered for me. After one week, I asked customer services for an update. They told me that they were still awaiting a restock. Two more weeks later, so three weeks after placing my order, I asked again for an update. While still awaiting the restock, the shop offered to ship the order without the particular item. I accepted and the next day I received a refund. The order was shipped the next day, but of course DHL ran into some issues. I finally received the package four days after it was shipped. The package included two typical Dutch snacks, and the main item was hand-packed in gift paper. This is a very nice touch, which I really appreciate. Fortunately, the item works as expected.
In summary, my experience was:
Stock: 3/5 > items shown as available on the website should actually be available
Payment methods: 3/5 > using PayPal is only possible via smartphone and PayPal charges a fee (4%)
Shipping prices: 4/5 > good selection for Europe
Customer service: 4/5 > answers within a few hours and tries to find solutions > does not answer all questions asked and could be more proactive > does very fast refunds
(Delivery: 4/5 > DHL had an issue with delivering to Germany (there was nothing wrong with the address on the package))
Package: 5/5 > the package arrived safely and was well packed > hand-packed item and some sweets as a nice touch
I am satisfied so I recommend this store
I ordered Ferris Wheel Press fountain pen "After hours" to be delivered to Poland. Box came quickly and nicely packed.
Nib F is really fine and maybe I should've chosen M but this is a different topic.
Excellent service
Joost provided excellent and courteous service. I ordered a pen which wasn't currently in stock. He procured it quite quickly and sent it right out. Wonderful. It has been a pleasure. Thank you, Joost.
I received my Y-O-L Grand Viceroy…
I received my Y-O-L Grand Viceroy Barley - what can I say!
Thank you for the courtesy and speed of dispatch of my order.
You have become my retailer-of-choice for my pens and accessories.
The pen is beautiful it writes so…
The pen is beautiful it writes so smoothly, I’m glad I chose EF nib and had it tuned for the final finish. Very pleased with my pen . And would recommend.
Great and efficient service.
Dear Appelboom team,
I received the Pilot 823 together with the inks I ordered yesterday. Today I had the chance to ink the pen and write a bit with it and it feels amazing. The writing experience is really good - no wonder there are so good reviews around this pen. The aesthetics together with the finish on the pen are awesome and the transparency is intriguing.
Many thanks for the awesome and efficient service. Packaging was very secure and items were received in perfect condition.
The Trustpilot Experience
Anyone can write a Trustpilot review. People who write reviews have ownership to edit or delete them at any time, and they’ll be displayed as long as an account is active.
Companies can ask for reviews via automatic invitations. Labeled Verified, they’re about genuine experiences.
Learn more about other kinds of reviews.
We use dedicated people and clever technology to safeguard our platform. Find out how we combat fake reviews.
Learn about Trustpilot’s review process.
Here are 8 tips for writing great reviews.
Verification can help ensure real people are writing the reviews you read on Trustpilot.
Offering incentives for reviews or asking for them selectively can bias the TrustScore, which goes against our guidelines.








