New price rise announced for Ilford film, paper and chemicals

[logan2z]

Another price increase from Harman...

https://kosmofoto.com/2022/03/new-price-rise-announced-for-ilford-film-paper-and-chemicals/

 

[NB23]

Their papers have already significally risen over the past few months... a box of 100 8x0 went from 89 to 99 to 107 to 109 to 119 right now... all within less than a year.

 

[Arthurwg]

I must say I'm finding the price of supplies rather daunting. I do a lot of darkroom printing and shoot lots of film. It's starting to get too expensive for me.

 

[logan2z]

Their papers have already significally risen over the past few months... a box of 100 8x0 went from 89 to 99 to 107 to 109 to 119 right now... all within less than a year.

A box of 100 8x10 fiber glossy is $140 at BH right now. Already pricey and going up...

 

[flavio81]

Another price increase from Harman...

https://kosmofoto.com/2022/03/new-price-rise-announced-for-ilford-film-paper-and-chemicals/

I always wanted to know why price increases are, lately, only reported by "kosmophoto" and then everybody re-links the same kosmophoto news as if it was official.

"In a document sent to dealers this week", it says. No source.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I always wanted to know why price increases are, lately, only reported by "kosmophoto" and then everybody re-links the same kosmophoto news as if it was official.

- and Kosmophoto is the company that takes Fomapan and rebrands it into a higher priced package when the film is the same, a plain cynical marketing exercise.

 

[logan2z]

I always wanted to know why price increases are, lately, only reported by "kosmophoto" and then everybody re-links the same kosmophoto news as if it was official.

"In a document sent to dealers this week", it says. No source.

Have previous announcements of price increases by kosmophoto been inaccurate? Serious question, I don't know the answer.

 

[markjwyatt]

Ilford is the only company with a stable supply at this point (Kodak sort of also, but they are behind). Fortunately, I mainly shoot B&W anyway.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Their papers have already simnifically risen over the past few months... a box of 100 8x0 went from 89 to 99 to 107 to 109 to 119 right now... all within less than a year.

I'm just glad it's still available.

 

[logan2z]

I re-read the article and there is some pretty specific information in there about which film stocks are and are not affected by the alleged price hike, percentages of the hike per product, and a long quote from a 'Harman spokesperson'.

I don't know kosmophoto's past track record with respect to these announcements, but this one struck me as legit. And given the many other recent price hikes from Ilford and Kodak this one wouldn't surprise me (assuming it's real)

 

[miha]

Ilford is the only company with a stable supply at this point (Kodak sort of also, but they are behind). Fortunately, I mainly shoot B&W anyway.

Foma has had a stable supply on both sides of the pond as far as I remember.

 

[mshchem]

Inflation is going to be with us for a while.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

Good thing I got supply of my Ilford stapple for the rest of the year (a full 100ft roll of HP5 and a partial one of Delta 400). Most likely will last me till next year.

 

[MattKing]

With the exception of the UK, where Harman is its own distributor, price increase notifications usually come from distributors and are directed to retailers, not end users. The retailers than make their own, individual decisions about changes in the price that gets charged to us consumers.
It doesn’t surprise me that the first public knowledge of this sort of thing comes from a third party. It wouldn’t surprise me if we (consumers) never hear of this set of increases directly from Harman or even from their various distributors around the world, such as Amplis in Canada.
Manufacturers’ prices to their distributors are almost never released to the public, and distributors may actually be prohibited contractually from sharing their details.

 

[flavio81]

Have previous announcements of price increases by kosmophoto been inaccurate? Serious question, I don't know the answer.

The previous one ("kodak price increase") was announced with zero actual, visible, confirmable sources.

 

[flavio81]

I re-read the article and there is some pretty specific information in there about which film stocks are and are not affected by the alleged price hike, percentages of the hike per product, and a long quote from a 'Harman spokesperson'.

I can also make up figures, it's easy.

Sorry Logan, i find ridiculous to report an "official" price increase without showing an official document, yet claiming it exists.

Sadly everybody retweets Kosmophoto.

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

- and Kosmophoto is the company that takes Fomapan and rebrands it into a higher priced package when the film is the same, a plain cynical marketing exercise.

Probably unrelated to the post, but this has been on my head for a while. When I was working for a local hardware store chain, I was involved in the process of adquiring goods on China for our house brand. Chinese company will provide tools and goods with different quality level, depending on how much you wanted to expend.

Is there something similar on the film industry for these rebrands? Example, for Foma, can you ask for a "Premium" level film for your rebranded film? Probably what I'm wondering is that if these rebrands would have a different kind of quality level between the rebrands and the main brand. Say Fomapan film has a better quality control than Arista Edu or Kosmofoto rebrands (or the other way around) that may worth getting the rebrand over the main brand (or, again, the other way around). Or probably they are all the same?


Marcelo

 

[logan2z]

I can also make up figures, it's easy.

Sorry Logan, i find ridiculous to report an "official" price increase without showing an official document, yet claiming it exists.

Sadly everybody retweets Kosmophoto.

Should be easy to verify, let's see what happens to prices after March 14th. I'll be more than happy to see kosmophoto get this wrong.

 

[flavio81]

The retailers than make their own, individual decisions about changes in the price that gets charged to us consumers.
It doesn’t surprise me that the first public knowledge of this sort of thing comes from a third party. It wouldn’t surprise me if we (consumers) never hear of this set of increases directly from Harman or even from their various distributors around the world, such as Amplis in Canada.
Manufacturers’ prices to their distributors are almost never released to the public, and distributors may actually be prohibited contractually from sharing their details.

Yes, Matt, I understand what you say, a valid point.

However, suppose that i'm a distributor. I can also invent myself a supposed price increase, just so I justify my price increase, attributing to other factors.

This happens all the time and has happened many many times. At least in my city, with film retailers. With all sorts of made-up stories. Some years ago the classic excuse was "i need to raise my price because Kodak is not producing B/W film anymore". Also: "my distributor told me that Kodak is not producing <insert currently produced film here> anymore".

They told this to me (and other consumers) every year. The same lie even has been repeated year after year. Yeah, they have ACTUALLY told consumers that Kodak has stopped producing B/W film (or color film) more than once in a decade...

So, Kosmofoto shows NO source. It can be just as you say: a source that can't be disclosed. Or it can be just a fabrication. A win-win for retailers and distributors.

 

[flavio81]

Should be easy to verify, let's see what happens to prices after March 14th. I'll be more than happy to see kosmophoto get this wrong.

Kosmofoto has a lot of influence on social media. Most likely, the retailers will climb up their price to take advantage. It's a win-win for distributors and retailers.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Or probably they are all the same?

A more sophisticated company like Harman evidently does produce product to varying performance standards, although I assume at equivalent quality level. Kentmere and the 'Plus' line are not the same for example. To what extent this applies to Foma is another question, as they are operating at a lower level of technological development - Henning Serger has commented on this.

 

[radiant]

A roll of 135 HP5+ was 5.5 euros in September 2021. Now it is 7.09 euros (Fotoimpex prices). That is 29% price rise in 6 months.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Kosmofoto has a lot of influence on social media.

Photography as a "social media activity" seems to live in a parallel reality compared to all the years of discussion in this forum and others.

 

[logan2z]

Most likely, the retailers will climb up their price to take advantage.

Then they'll be right

 

[pentaxuser]

No mention of a rise in Ilford RC paper that I could see but maybe Kosmofoto haven't got all the information. Let's hope that RC paper is another of the price rise exemptions

Frankly 6-8% will only reflect the overall rate of inflation that we are close to suffering now and certainly will be suffering in the next few months but, yes, I fear it will have a detrimental effect on sales overall as disposal income this year falls in real terms.

It goes without saying that there will be the additional and inevitable adverse effect on our living standards of the economic warfare we are entering which I think is now an economic fact and needs to be factored-in to our living standards this disposable income as well

It is an additional cost that will affect us IMO hence my reference to it. I make no mention of it for any other reason.

pentaxuser