B&H not shipping chemicals anymore?

[brian steinberger]

I went to order some ID-11 as I normally do ever few months from B&H and got the alert that this item is available in store only. Assuming may be just an ID-11 thing I looked at D-76, nope not shipping that, ilford multigrade developer?, not shipping that, DDX? not shipping that, LPD (good lord don't take my LPD away!) NOT SHIPPING THAT!!!

What happened??? This is news to me.

 

[brofkand]

I noticed that too. Must be a new policy for them. Adorama and Freestyle still ship chemicals so there are options.

 

[Helinophoto]

LPD can be had as powder, no? At least the little tin-can I have was bought from B&H.
I also bought pyro, albeit as powder.

Was shipped to Europe with no problems.

I can understand that they may not ship liquids abroad, but not shipping within the US??

 

[brian steinberger]

Correct, they are not shipping in the US, and I prefer my LPD in a can and they won't ship that!

 

[pentaxuser]

Both ID11 and D76 are powders, neither of which contains deadly powdered material as far as I know. In the unlikely event of accidental spillage while in transit no serious hazard arises, does it?

I wonder why they can't be shipped?

Nothing to do with DT is it?

pentaxuser

 

[brian steinberger]

I noticed that too. Must be a new policy for them. Adorama and Freestyle still ship chemicals so there are options.

Agree, I'm thankful they can still be had though freestyle is pricier than B&H. I'm not sure about adorama. Has their business improved? I used to hear a lot of not so good things about them. But their prices are similar to B&H.

 

[brian steinberger]

Both ID11 and D76 are powders, neither of which contains deadly powdered material as far as I know. In the unlikely event of accidental spillage while in transit no serious hazard arises, does it?

I wonder why they can't be shipped?

Nothing to do with DT is it?

pentaxuser

Exactly, makes no sense to me either. I have had quite a few crushed ID-11 boxes and dented LPD cans but none were ever broken completely open as to where powder chems had leaked. I'm wondering if that hasn't happened one too many times recently and the company decided to just not ship at all.

 

[brian steinberger]

Btw, I have send an email to B&H about this. I will await response.

 

[brofkand]

Agree, I'm thankful they can still be had though freestyle is pricier than B&H. I'm not sure about adorama. Has their business improved? I used to hear a lot of not so good things about them. But their prices are similar to B&H.

I have had just as many issues with Adorama as I have with B&H - zero. I haven't ordered from either a great deal, but they both seem equal to me personally. I do love Freestyle, but their prices aren't the best as they once were, and living across the country it's a pain to wait a week for FedEx ground shipping so I don't order from them as much anymore.

The thing I do not like about B&H's new policy is they sell Freestyle's house-brand films and chemistry. Apparently now I won't be able to get LegacyPro L-76 or Xtol equivalent shipped from the East Coast for free anymore .

I think B&H has (or used to have) a presence on this forum - hopefully they'll chime in and give their side of this story. I know they have a presence on Pentax Forums. I'll cross-post there and see if I can get a response from them.

 

[TSSPro]

I about had a coronary! ;-) I just checked B&H and saw that they were still shipping (as of 0936 MTN) for the chemistry that I looked up. Ilford and Kodak are coming up on the online catalogue for me. I hope that this isn't a glitch of some kind.


amendment....I spoke too soon. Everything is now pick up in store only.....bugger.....

 

[Born2Late]

Too bad. I used to get most of my stuff from B&H. My kids used to give me B&H gift cards for Christmas and my birthday. No more. I'll have to go to Adorama and Freestyle. I really like the folks at Freestyle anyway, even if they are more expensive. This might be an opening for someone to get into an internet photo chemical business, or maybe Photographer's Formulary to start carrying brand name stuff to make it a one stop shop.

 

[bvy]

This went well...

Opening Question: I can't add Kodak XTOL to my cart. I just ordered some a few weeks ago. Please help.
Agent: Hello, my name is ___ I will be happy to assist you. Please give me a few moments to begin working on your inquiry.
Agent: I'm very sorry but this item is store pickup only.
Me: Since when? I just ordered some a few weeks ago.
Agent: Very sorry, but I don't know.
Agent: It is store pickup only at this time.
Agent: Is there anything else I may assist you with today?
Me: No thank you.
Agent: Thank you for choosing B&H.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I contacted them about this a while ago as it relates to C-41 chemistry. They insist it is because they are ORM-D materials that they can't ship it, even by truck or rail. I tried to point out the grand irony/hypocrisy of being able to have it shipped to their store, but them somehow being unable to ship it to their customers, but they were having none of it and cut me off. At this point, it is their policy to not ship chemistry of most sorts, and no amount of whining on our part is going to change their mind on it it seems. I solve the problem by ordering my C-41 from Freestyle with enough lead time it's not an issue, and ordering in enough volume that the shipping cost is spread over multiple items so it isn't so onerous coming from the opposite coast.

 

[brofkand]

I hate that this is their new policy. Their prices and shipping policies are second to none in my opinion, but if they won't sell me the chemistry I need, I'll have to go elsewhere obviously. I might as well switch over to Adorama as my default mail-order provider since I prefer to keep my credit card numbers on file with as few sites as possible.

 

[Born2Late]

If they don't mind losing the business, I certainly don't mind taking it elsewhere.

 

[Ai Print]

Looks like for now they are still shipping Dektol and Kodak Fixer but not Xtol, those three are the main chemistry I order from them.

But just out of curiosity I checked on pricing between them and Freestyle on these items and found almost no difference, just a few cents more at Freestyle although we all know the shipping is certainly higher.

Maybe Henry P can chime in at some point....

 

[brian steinberger]

If they don't mind losing the business, I certainly don't mind taking it elsewhere.

That's what I'm feeling as well.

 

[bdial]

They've been a little goofy for a while as to their chemical shipping, though apparently, they are even goofier now. I too bought some Xtol from them a few weeks ago.
Oh well, if they want to make it impossible to buy from them, I'm happy to oblige.

 

[brofkand]

Looks like for now they are still shipping Dektol and Kodak Fixer but not Xtol, those three are the main chemistry I order from them.

But just out of curiosity I checked on pricing between them and Freestyle on these items and found almost no difference, just a few cents more at Freestyle although we all know the shipping is certainly higher.

Maybe Henry P can chime in at some point....

As my chemical use has been declining somewhat thanks to efficient processors like the SP-445, I've taken to liquid concentrates as I can easily and more affordably mix 1L of stock solution at a time, particularly for fixer. But I do still use a lot of D-76 and Rodinal. Freestyle for film and chemistry and Adorama for other general supplies will earn my future business, even with the higher shipping costs. Freestyle, like Ilford, have made a clear commitment to traditional film photography and I like supporting those ideals.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

Is this the result of increased Big Brother interference?

 

[Ai Print]

As my chemical use has been declining somewhat thanks to efficient processors like the SP-445, I've taken to liquid concentrates as I can easily and more affordably mix 1L of stock solution at a time, particularly for fixer. But I do still use a lot of D-76 and Rodinal. Freestyle for film and chemistry and Adorama for other general supplies will earn my future business, even with the higher shipping costs. Freestyle, like Ilford, have made a clear commitment to traditional film photography and I like supporting those ideals.

To each his own I guess, but just having accounts at Freestyle and B&H makes book keeping / taxes much easier for me.

I might put in a $500 order for fixer and Dektol today just incase, it's been awhile anyway. The same order from Freestyle would be $29 in shipping added on so not a deal breaker really.

 

[henryp]

In the wake of the ValuJet Flight 592 crash on May 11, 1996, the federal government began cracking down on safety regulations for many different chemicals in airplane cargo holds. We don't ship ground so every order has to conform. We elected to observe the safety restrictions scrupulously and the result is a range of chemicals and similar items we cannot ship. Compressed air products like Beseler Duster fall under the same restrictions. More recently there have been similar issues with lithium batteries.

I am sorry this is new information for some of you and regret the inconvenience it causes.

 

[Vonder]

I..We don't ship ground..

Since this is the entire crux of the matter, perhaps you can state why?

 

[removed-user-1]

If they don't mind losing the business, I certainly don't mind taking it elsewhere.

Agreed. I'll be happy to give Freestyle more of my money.

 

[brian steinberger]

I appreciate the response Henry. But I'm looking at your shipping options at checkout and UPS ground is an option. Am I missing something?