Ilford Postcard Paper _ U.S. Prices

[pentaxuser]

I am trying to get a feel for the range of prices for a 100 sheet box of Ilford Postcard Paper in the U.S.

I note that there is a postcard exchange round which seems well subscribed by U.S. members and given that such exchanges can use quite a lot of postcards it struck me that maybe Postcard paper is still reasonably priced in the U.S.

Prices seem to have gone crazy in the U.K. with some dealers asking the equivalent of $65 per box

Thanks in anticipation of your responses

pentaxuser

 

[mike c]

Freestyle has it listed for 35.99 for a 100 sht box,odd that it is priced so high in England.

Mike

 

[Moopheus]

I just bought a box yesterday at the local Calumet for $30. But I don't think they have rapid turnover at that store; they still had some Zone VI paper on the shelf.

 

[Tim Gray]

Last time I bought it from B&H it was $30. That was last summer. Now I see they list it for $34 for the 100 sheet boxes.

 

[pentaxuser]

Freestyle has it listed for 35.99 for a 100 sht box,odd that it is priced so high in England.

Mike

Well no, Mike, it is not so odd when you look at the U.K. contributions about the Ilford price rise and specifically the price difference between the U.K. and often the rest of Europe as well compared to the U.S.

Of course Ilford do not have control over retail prices in the U.K. anymore than it does in the U.S. but it is very strange that retailers in the U.K seem to be able to sell at prices that would create a "consumer firestorm" in the U.S and in all probability cause Ilford's market to collapse.

I wonder why market forces do not seem to operate as well on this side of the Atlantic?

pentaxuser

 

[Carl V]

It certainly pays to shop around here in the UK. Take for example a roll of Ilford FP4 35mm (36 exp) - Mathers Of Lancashire sell it at £3.49; buying direct from Harman would cost you £5 but works out cheaper if bought in packs of 10; and Jessops sell it for a mighty £5.95!

 

[Vonder]

I just wish it was real postcard stiffness. What Ilford essentially sells is regular photo paper with some "postcard" markings on the back.

 

[Tim Gray]

The Ilford postcard paper is actually thicker than their regular RC paper. It's the same thickness as their Portfolio RC paper if I understand correctly. That might still not be thick enough for some though.

 

[graywolf]

I know nothing about this postcard rounds stuff, but I can point out that here in the USA the Post Office now allows 4x6 inch post cards, in the old days it was 3.5x5.5, so you can send a 1-hour print or a 4x6 digital print. It does not need to have specific printing on the back. I just stick labels and a stamp on them. I saw someone somewhere once, suggest just cutting 5x7 paper in half.

An interesting aside, in doing a very limited google search on this subject I saw that you could have 500 color post cards printed for $19.95. Seems like one could start a low budget local business with those kinds of prices.

 

[mike c]

Pentaxter,don't know to much about market forces,but it seems like a rip off for you guys over there when they can ship stuff here and sell it cheaper.

Mike

 

[Mick Fagan]

We cannot even purchase Ilford Postcard paper in Australia, the importer told me directly to purchase it from overseas, they are just not interested.

I have been purchasing Ilford's postcard paper from Germany and now the USA.

I also purchase Ilford film from the USA, literally 50% the cost of the exact same film and delivered to my door.

At least I can still purchase it, one just has to organise oneself in advance.

Mick.

 

[pentaxuser]

Despite being concerned about the U.S./U.K. price differential and not knowing where a logical explanation for it might lie or who is to blame I have to say that Postcard paper is definitely Portfolio and is heavier.So no issue there as far as I am concerned

Whether it is better or cheaper than regular 6x4 with a postcard backing that you can stick on is another matter.

I have to say that given the price in the U.K. it may well be better to apply a postcard stick-on backing to regular medium weight RCVC. Whether it is Ilford or U.K. retailers or a combination thereof there comes a price point where it works against both retailer and manufacturer as consumers stop buying.

Of course if postcard paper stops selling in the U.K. it may be that U.S. sales will be enough to sustain Ilford's production. Otherwise if enough U.K/ European consumers stop buying Postcard paper and this reduces the volume of sales below Ilford's viable minimum production levels then somebody(ies)' greed in the U.K. market affects the U.S. supply of Postcard paper.


We might be more interconnected than we think.

pentaxuser

 

[Moopheus]

I just wish it was real postcard stiffness.

What is "real" postcard thickness? It meets USPS standards, and I've certainly encountered thinner postcards. No, it's not super-stiff, but it does go through the mail okay.

 

[hpulley]

Ilford Postcard is Ilford Portfolio so it is the only doubleweight RC they sell I think, still not quite as stiff as double weight fiber. I bought some for the first time this round in the postcard exchange and it is nice paper but I think I may switch to 5x7" Ilford MG Fiber once my 100 box is gone as I'd like to tone them though I hope they'd survive as well as the RC through the mail 'naked' without an envelope.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

For those wondering, I have always had good luck sending single weight paper cut to size through the post. Much less expensive.

 

[Tim Gray]

The postage is always the biggest expense for me in the Postcard exchange, so I don't really mind the paper cost. I use about half a box per exchange, i.e. $15. The postage is usually $35-40. It'd be a lot higher if I used 5x7 paper since I wouldn't get the postcard rate here in the US.

 

[hpulley]

Indeed with postage to international destinations at $1.75 each the paper is the not the most expensive part at all sadly.

 

[Tim Gray]

$1.75? Canadian I assume? That's still rough considering the exchange rate.

4x6" postcards are $0.27 domestic, $0.75 to Canada and Mexico, and I think $0.98 elsewhere in the world. If it's larger than that, you have to use normal letter rates. $0.44 domestic, not sure what the other prices are.

 

[hpulley]

$1.03 to US, in Canadian dollars, above US dollars today...

 

[MattKing]

I live 20 minutes from the border with Washington State.

US and international destinations receive a card with US postage on it.

 

[cmacd123]

$1.75? Canadian
4x6" postcards are $0.27 domestic, $0.75 to Canada and Mexico, and I think $0.98 elsewhere in the world. If it's larger than that, you have to use normal letter rates. $.

Canada Post no longer offers a "postcard rate". A postcard costs the same as a 30g envelope, as long is it is small enough to fit through the template at the counter.