Film Supply Club

[Duceman]

Note: >>underlined<< indicates hyperlink to web page.

Anyone here a member of >>FSC<<?

Late last year, I joined FSC with their >>lowest member ship tier<< ($5/month or $60/yr) which allows >>member pricing/discount<< on up to 20 rolls of 35mm or 4 Propacks of 120 per month. While I have not yet max'd out my monthly purchase limit, I do believe I have recouped the cost of membership in the number of rolls I have purchased.

One example is I recently purchased 10 rolls of 36-exposure >>35mm Kodak TMX<< for $6.80/roll, a Propack of >>Kodak TMY<< for $36.25 and a Propack of >>Kodak TMX<< for $37.51. Shipping was $5 USPS Priority Mail. I should note that every time I have placed an order, it was shipped either that day or the next, with the only holdup being that of USPS.

I haven't sat down and compared this to specials/deals other places offer, but I have so far been satisfied with FSC. My annual membership is coming due in December, and I'm thinking I will most likely renew it.

 

[BrianShaw]

I had not heard of Film Supply Club before. Generally I’m not a fan of subscription services, especially when all that is offered for that money is an opportunity to buy stuff. Costco being the exception because I buy a lot there.

Looking at just a couple of examples of film I generally use, I didn’t see discounted prices, though. Maybe convenience is what’s being offered. Glad that it has worked for you.

 

[Duceman]

Looking at just a couple of examples of film I generally use, I didn’t see discounted prices, though. Maybe convenience is what’s being offered. Glad that it has worked for you.

So... I thought I'd do some comparison shopping.... my total order above came to $149.31 shipped.

Same order as above at:

Freestyle: (Though TMX-36 currently out of stock) ==> $199.83 shipped.
Adorama: (Though TMX-120 currently out of stock) ==> $189.69 shipped.
B&H Photo: (Free shipping but charges tax) ==> $198.32 shipped.
Unique Photo (required me to create an account to calculate tax/shipping) ==> $189.35 plus tax/shipping.

I suppose I could go on, maybe there's a cheaper source, but from the appearance, my order above saved me between $40-$50. That's just one order. Just one more order (per year... not that hard to do) and the yearly membership clearly paid for itself.

 

[Duceman]

I keep checking them every few months, and their prices are always higher than my usual places (uniquephoto.com or my local shop in SF) even before membership fees, so I don't see the point.

I just showed above that my order would've cost >$30 more at Unique Photo, so I guess I'm not understanding how you think Unique Photo is lower, unless you're looking at different film stocks.

 

[flavio81]

I am considering suscribing. However i find the variety of films a bit limited.

 

[BrianShaw]

@Duceman actually, I didn't read their pricing properly! I didn't realize there are discounts after paying membership fees. will take a closer look now, thanks!

Oh… well that’s a horse of a different color. I didn’t know that. So the actual discounted price is a mystery unless you subscribe? I was expecting the discounted price to be stated up-front.

 

[Donald Qualls]

I was expecting the discounted price to be stated up-front.

Wouldn't that be too much like letting potential subscribers make an informed decision?

 

[Duceman]

This page shows the difference (in the top menu -> film -> price list)
https://filmsupply.club/pages/shop-price-list

My original post contained a hyper-link to that page. Sorry if I wasn't that clear about it.

ETA: I've updated my original post to identify the hyperlinks with >><< markings.

 

[BrianShaw]

I had not heard of Film Supply Club before. Generally I’m not a fan of subscription services, especially when all that is offered for that money is an opportunity to buy stuff. Costco being the exception because I buy a lot there.

Looking at just a couple of examples of film I generally use, I didn’t see discounted prices, though. Maybe convenience is what’s being offered. Glad that it has worked for you.

I stand corrected. Looking at my favorite and most used film... the discount is $9 on the product itself. For me, shipping might drive that over the price I pay when I drive to the camera store. But I see the appeal now for folks shooting a lot of film. Thanks for bringing up this topic!

 

[Duceman]

I am considering suscribing. However i find the variety of films a bit limited.

I shoot Kodak in 35mm or 120 almost exclusively, and Ilford to a less extent, so they've got just about all I am looking for.

Out of curiosity, I just checked my account, and I've placed seven orders since last December, all Kodak film. Definitely covered the membership fee in savings.

 

[Duceman]

Yeah, quite strange that they don't show these prices on film pages by default. I've been coming to their site for over a year, and never even noticed the other page. I think it's safe to assume I wasn't the only potential customer they lost.

Another thing I forgot to mention... once you become a member and are logged-in, the "membership" pricing will show on each product page. This took me a while to figure out. And sometimes I think there is an error as the membership pricing doesn't appear until you place a product in your cart.