Mail order films from foreign countries
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I buy film from B&H in NY all the time & have never had any issues.
I've bought film directly from Astrum in Ukraine several times and had no issues whatsoever.
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I’ve imported film both directions across the Atlantic and within Europe and never had an issue.
I, on the other hand, have bought bulk film through eBay that was actually opened, in the light, by customs. So, that may be something to avoid.
But there are lots of sources for film in Canada. Argentix.ca, beau photo, Film Experience Camera, Henry's (if you're desperate), Amplis (if you want Ilford and Kentmere), Downtown Camera.
But there are lots of sources for film in Canada. Argentix.ca, beau photo, Film Experience Camera, Henry's (if you're desperate), Amplis (if you want Ilford and Kentmere), Downtown Camera.
It is very unlikely customs would open factory sealed film coming from an authentic retailer. Ebay is a different story.
Yes, you are right. The reason why I asked about ordering from foreign countries : my original thought was to try the Shanghai GP3 220 film , which is only available through the auction site , now I think about it , the cost of 1 roll 220 is about $27.00+ CAD, then why don't I shoot two rolls of HP5 120 instead and the cost is still cheaper than one roll of 220.
Much of the Shanghai film is too overpriced. I bought some 8x10 that was affordable, when I bought it a couple of years ago. Less affordable, now. I got it through AliExpress. There's no 220 on there at the moment.
B&H has a better selection, and free shipping....(over $99).... makes it the preferred choice in Western Canada.
I still occasionally buy film from the Camera Store in Calgary when i'm in a pinch & happen to be in Calgary.
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Do we know if Astrum is still operating?
They are. In fact, I just had correspondence with my contact at Astrum four days ago - he sent me the current price list for ordering.
All film which I have ordered from the USA and EU countries have arrived unscathed, including high ISO films like Delta 3200 and Tmax 3200. And please bear in mind that since I use the services of cargo forwarder companies, shipment goes through several scans until it reaches me.
With the currency exchange I often find The Camera Store is a better price than B&H. Plus I'd rather support a local store, then I can have film and chemistry in a 10 min drive.
Peter & Julian are good friends of mine. I've known them since the Nova Photo and Camtech days. But their stock is limited and I usually buy relatively large amounts at a time. It's been years since they had 5"x7" film in stock. & at the price of gas and the 1.5hrs each way I don't drive into Calgary for a couple of rolls of film. Great that it's convenient to you.
I did buy a bunch of Kentmere 120 & The Camera Store had it in stock quickly.
The Camera Store is my go-to ..... but as an analog photog, the stuff i need is limited there. Their paper selection is limited, old stock, and expensive.(they were buying Foma from Freestyle Photo along with Arista products). I do stock up on jugs of Ilford Hypam & MG Developer for the times I run out of Ansco 130 or T5 fixer.
I've also bought lots of 5x7" Kodak TMY-2 from Keith Canham and had no issues with it being opened or damaged.
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Good, that is good. I was wondering because Shostka isn’t far from the border with Moscovia.
Is there a minimum purchase quantity or can one order, say, a single 50-100ft bulk?
On eBay, they open the can, unwind the film, hold it up to the light and take a lot of photographys of it to show how good the film is.
MattKing
Moderator
I'm afraid you are showing your age when you refer to it as "mail order" 
I too have ordered film from the USA without issue - but only from well recognized retail sources.
I've also received replacement films shipped commercially from the US by Kodak Alaris - again without incident.
And I've privately sold a bunch of film here to a fairly large number of purchasers - both inside and outside Canada. I used Canada Post, and none of the shipments encountered any complications.
I too have ordered film from the USA without issue - but only from well recognized retail sources.
I've also received replacement films shipped commercially from the US by Kodak Alaris - again without incident.
And I've privately sold a bunch of film here to a fairly large number of purchasers - both inside and outside Canada. I used Canada Post, and none of the shipments encountered any complications.
I don't think there's a minimum order - I've typically ordered 20-40 rolls of 35mm from them at a time.
I've seen that on ebay listings. However, what happened to me is factory-sealed cans of film arrived with the tape removed and the film exposed to light by customs.
the ebay sellers are doing it..
you can go search for film on ilt right now and youll find a good number of people are opening cans up, and then taking a photo of the contents... and then demanding 350$ for that partial roll of Silvermax
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