How do you make postcards nowadays? (for postcard exchange)

I am a sucker for punishment so can't resist asking this question. What are you in the U.S. paying for a 100 sheet box of Ilford Postcard Paper?

I get the impression, trying to read between the lines in your posts that the price may be somewhat more reasonable than we in the U.K. are paying

Thanks

pentaxuser

Here's a link for one of many on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Photographers...ds-Adhesive/dp/B00CRNY4MS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_ac_5
Just search for postcard labels.

Here in Canada I've been told the postcard paper is no longer available.

pentaxuser said:

I am a sucker for punishment so can't resist asking this question. What are you in the U.S. paying for a 100 sheet box of Ilford Postcard Paper?

I get the impression, trying to read between the lines in your posts that the price may be somewhat more reasonable than we in the U.K. are paying

Thanks

pentaxuser

Click to expand...

$40.99 at Freestyle,

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/83484...V-RC-Portfolio-Postcard-Double-weight-4x6-100

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/85608...-RC-S44K-Portfolio-Postcard-Double-weight-4x6

Cheaper at $33.95 for Pearl and $38.50 for glossy at B&H:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/122815-REG/Ilford_1856084_Multigrade_4_RC_Portfolio.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/122814-REG/Ilford_1834846_Multigrade_4_RC_Portfolio.html

B&H shipping is generally less for those of us in the eastern side of the country, maybe the other way round for westerners.

Roger Cole said:

Cheaper at $33.95 for Pearl and $38.50 for glossy at B&H:

[

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Thanks Roger that's about the equivalent of 21.50 GBP. We now pay over twice as much in dollar terms. I knew that the answer would depress me but this is just ridiculous. Somebody in the form of retailers or Ilford is truly taking us for a ride in the U.K. I am now surprised that any postcard paper is sold in the U.K. I imagine that very little is. As the volume declines I wonder what they will do? Increase the price even more? Eventually there might just be a handful left in the U.K. willing to pay $1000 per box to make up for the loss of volume

pentaxuser

pentaxuser said:

Thanks Roger that's about the equivalent of 21.50 GBP. We now pay over twice as much in dollar terms. I knew that the answer would depress me but this is just ridiculous. Somebody in the form of retailers or Ilford is truly taking us for a ride in the U.K. I am now surprised that any postcard paper is sold in the U.K. I imagine that very little is. As the volume declines I wonder what they will do? Increase the price even more? Eventually there might just be a handful left in the U.K. willing to pay $1000 per box to make up for the loss of volume

pentaxuser

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I understand. I've hung out on FADU from time to time (should get back over there) and read the (justified in my view) complaints. I've also read the justifications in terms of markets, but sheesh, I'd be incensed too.

I know film and other paper is also more, but maybe not so much more. This one is extreme.

Roger Cole said:

I understand. I've hung out on FADU from time to time (should get back over there) and read the (justified in my view) complaints. I've also read the justifications in terms of markets, but sheesh, I'd be incensed too.

I know film and other paper is also more, but maybe not so much more. This one is extreme.

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Roger, any chance you might emigrate to the U.K. and secure a job at Ilford where your empathy with us U.K customers might work wonders? Even if it isn't Ilford which is the prime culprit you might be able to explain to the "guilty retailers" in your position at Ilford that overcharging isn't good policy.

No wait. That won't work - in the U.K. even the government has hinted at unfair pricing to the power companies but it has achieved" diddlysquat".

One day someone in charge at some company we complain about, will respond honestly to the question: "Why do you charge so much?" by saying: "Because we can"

pentaxuser

pentaxuser said:

Roger, any chance you might emigrate to the U.K. and secure a job at Ilford where your empathy with us U.K customers might work wonders? Even if it isn't Ilford which is the prime culprit you might be able to explain to the "guilty retailers" in your position at Ilford that overcharging isn't good policy.

No wait. That won't work - in the U.K. even the government has hinted at unfair pricing to the power companies but it has achieved" diddlysquat".

One day someone in charge at some company we complain about, will respond honestly to the question: "Why do you charge so much?" by saying: "Because we can"

pentaxuser

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Sorry but while I'd love to visit I don't think I'll be emigrating, and certainly not to work at Harman, great place though I'm sure it is, since my professional area is network engineering (ISP.)

I suspect "because we can" is indeed some of it. With North America being a much bigger market and several competing big mail order shops plus local ones in places this probably pushes prices down some. Freestyle is almost always more than B&H on paper and film, but they carry such a wide selection of products and are such strong supporters of analog photography I try to buy from them when I can, especially to consolidate shipping if I'm putting in a large order that will include some items I can only get from them, or that I can only get "the entire order" from them. For small orders of paper and film I'll go to B&H. But though Freestyle can charge SOME more, they can't go too far. They'd never sell any of that postcard paper at UK-equivalent prices, for example, because everyone would just order it from B&H or Adorama or somewhere else.

I've not heard this mentioned but I wonder about labor costs too, not necessarily wages but particularly things like taxes and benefits paid by employers. We do have lower taxes by and large, and far less in the way of mandated benefits (in some cases I'd give up the taxes for those, but never mind.) Almost everything other than health care seems to be less expensive here than in the UK and Europe, but we do seem to pay for that in other ways.

I ordered from macodirect.de :
Ilford Multigrade MGIV RC Portfolio Postcard Double-weight 4x6/100 sheets Glossy for €39.
So I will be making some postcards from images I'm going to shoot this summer during my vacation in Denmark. That will give me some time to think about what camera to take with me and what B&W film to use ...
to be continued.

TheToadMen said:

I ordered from macodirect.de :
Ilford Multigrade MGIV RC Portfolio Postcard Double-weight 4x6/100 sheets Glossy for €39.
.

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I made my point to Simon Galley yesterday about this stuff on a thread started by Ian Grant. My suspicions were already fuelled about U.K. retailers' profit margin on this. How can Macodirect afford to sell it at about £15 cheaper and still make a profit if the U.K. retailers are only making reasonable profits on it?

I rest my case on the ridiculous profit made on this stuff by U.K. retailers

pentaxuser