Perceptol lives! [And more news from Ilford representative!]

[Aggie]

My hubby takes home a nice fat paycheck from companies that do sell direct. IE Williams sonoma, and soon Nissan, via his work at IBM. He has worked in the field of retail sales both store front and catalog using mailorder and internet for well over 25 years now. The headaches and infastructure it would take to make Ilford equipped to deal direct and online would far outweigh the few like antielectrons that think they are only in business to supply you the way you want to be supplied. Ilford would have to send from the UK. What is wrong with any other EU company selling Ilford online? As to searching for Ilford, easy to do. Me the old lady can find lots of online suppliers in mere seconds doing a google search. It's not difficult or time consuming. You would have to type in Ilford no matter how you go at finding either them direct or doing a google.

 

[Andy K]

Andy, if Ilfrod were equipped to deal direct we wouldn't be having this conversation. I think you may be a bit out of touch, many companies now sell direct through the web. If the discussion has no point to it in your opinion then don't participate. No sourness here, just healthy debate. This is the product availability forum and we are discussing how to make Ilford products more available in a thread that has news from and discussion with the Ilford representative. Exactly how is this "off topic".

Go buy film, paper and chemicals online from Agfa, Kodak or Fuji. Try buying online from Nikon or Canon.

 

[antielectrons]

Go buy film, paper and chemicals online from Agfa, Kodak or Fuji. Try buying online from Nikon or Canon.

Andy, I have obviously hit on a nerve.

Agfa are dead. Nikon and Canon are doing fine as they are.... plenty of outlets sell their products. Kodak and Fuji would also benefit from an online presence.

Antonio

 

[Andy K]

You have not hit a nerve. I'm simply pointing out that companies selling online direct from their factories, without a third party reseller, are the exception and not the rule.

To paraphrase a fruit company's ads, the man from Ilford, he say no.

 

[Nige]

Antonio,

Your individual circumstances of not having a local supply are blinding you to the overall complications of what you suggest. If Ilford supplied direct, would you expect it to be cheaper than a Mum & Pop store? Before or after postage?

At the moment that local store might sell enough to warrant keeping some basic supplies instore. They should still be able to order anything you want. you may need to plan ahead a bit better so you don't run out of something and not be able to get it instantly, although ordering from another country won't be immediate either. If Ilford start selling direct and that stores sales (and profits) drop because a few of their customers decide to get their supplies direct, the store might decide to hell with it and use the display and storage space, not to mention the capital they have invested in the stock, to stock something that makes them a decent profit. Their other customers now have to source their supplies from somewhere else, and they may not have the means or inclination to buy online.

There will be places you can order online. Can't help you with a recommendation as I live a long way away.

Regards, Nige

 

[antielectrons]

Antonio,

Your individual circumstances of not having a local supply are blinding you to the overall complications of what you suggest. If Ilford supplied direct, would you expect it to be cheaper than a Mum & Pop store? Before or after postage?

At the moment that local store might sell enough to warrant keeping some basic supplies instore. They should still be able to order anything you want. you may need to plan ahead a bit better so you don't run out of something and not be able to get it instantly, although ordering from another country won't be immediate either. If Ilford start selling direct and that stores sales (and profits) drop because a few of their customers decide to get their supplies direct, the store might decide to hell with it and use the display and storage space, not to mention the capital they have invested in the stock, to stock something that makes them a decent profit. Their other customers now have to source their supplies from somewhere else, and they may not have the means or inclination to buy online.

There will be places you can order online. Can't help you with a recommendation as I live a long way away.

Regards, Nige

Nigel,

If you can call an entire country "local" then I guess you may be right. It is not just my experience that it is near impossible to get Ilford products, many have had similar experiences. I would not recommend that Ilford undercut local stores, in fact I believe I suggested it should be a bit more expensive, and that traditional stores be given discounts... I do not believe it will harm traditional stores. If there are any out there that depend on Ilford for their survival then I doubt they are very stable anyway. I believe there is a place for both online and traditional sales. At the end of the day if there is money to be made then stores will cary Ilford products.

 

[haris]

I only know I would hate to lose my seller of Ilford products. In my country nobody sells Ilford products, so I am buying Ilford from abroad. Since I don't use credit card I am buying like this: I ask for proforma invoice for products I need, and then pay in bank acording to proforma invoice. If Ilford products would be restricted only to online selling, I don't know if I would be able to continue to buy them. So, I would like to stay with traditional way of buying.

 

[Simon R Galley]

A Reply Re This Theme From ILFORD Photo

Dear all,

First a big thank you for my new postcards from Mr.Goldfarb, lovely image, very nicely printed I may add, Mr.Libersky, again nice image and a very festive one from Andy K, thanks one and all, I may join the postcard exchange next year ( its easier if you have a 2150 RC processor ! ) but I need to sort a decent image of my own!

On postcards, I am delighted to say our US, German and Swiss distributors have placed super orders, we are chasing the rest. So you should all be able to buy come late February 06 time. ULF project continues, should go to the management board for approval before Christmas.

Very interesting thread on routes to market ....I have replied on this before, but please be assured we listen to what you say, we want our products to be widely available, and we frequently review this issue at a very senior level, you may not be aware but we have over 2,000 SKU's, now not many distributors, never mind resellers are going to stock that many lines.

We have a Worldwide business, with distributor partners so its not easy to find the correct solutions to country specific requirements, some Web resellers are fantastic but not many Web based resellers move liquid Chemistry easily !!!. I will continue to report on progress. I can assure you ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited are a dynamic company with many ideas for the future across all the activities of our business, we will do all we can to ensure end user satisfaction, a major part of that has to be end user access to all our products in a timely and cost effective manor.

Keep your suggestions coming...

Simon.

ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited


( or at a price end users would pay )

 

[Simon R Galley]

The post has been again !!!!

Aggie...I thought they were never going to arrive but 3 of the 4 have just been delivered to me. The wheels in the shed is my particular favourite, it also brings
back memories for me, I spent a little time in Montana back in 1984 on a ranch and they had a shed just like it...it also had various decaying 50's and 60's American motors in it, I never see a US film from the 50's or 60's without thinking of that shed
and Montana...ah youth, it speeds by in a haze of experiences that you are not old enough to appreciate...

Thanks again

Simon

 

[Aggie]

Ty Simon. That particular shot was taken in an urban area near San Francisco. I doubt that place will survive much longer. As to the age thing, I cover my white roots (many have seen them) regularly with a nice selenium rich toner.

 

[antielectrons]

Hi Simon,

Nice to hear from you and that you are listening. The fact that you are wiling to participate in a forum such as this speaks volumes about your attitude. Very postive. Interesting times ahead.

Regards,
Antonio

 

[Simon R Galley]

Dear All,

Just a quick thank you for todays postcards, Aggie's final one arrived and a picture from David Goldfarb of Asburg Park NJ Why is that building delelict ? it is fabulous....

Thanks again

Simon.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Thanks Simon. That is Asbury Park, which was a resort town in the 1930s that fell into decay in the 1960s and would become the subject of many songs by Bruce Springsteen (who incidentally is an avid photographer, shoots 4x5"), so there are many grand-but-derelict structures to be found there. We had an APUG outing there one day this past summer, and were lucky to have great light and fabulous clouds.

The auditorium on the beach is really fabulous, but we were told that its days are numbered. They've waited so long to act on any interest in preserving it, that it would be too expensive to rebuild, as I understand it. You can read about the outing in this thread--

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

and for those who aren't on the postcard list, the first shot that Simon is talking about is this one--

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

and the auditorium is this one--

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

 

[fpjohn]

Shen Hao 6x12

I've seen this with one brand of 120-film (not Ilford). I had a couple of rolls partly ruined that way and I wasn't using a red window camera. So "wrapper offset" , that's what it's called... Another reason choosing Ilford!

I've found that I cannot see the backing nos for 120 HP5+ through the red window of a Shen Hao back. Can Ilford make them more legible?

yours
Frank

 

[leeturner]

Thanks Simon. That is Asbury Park, which was a resort town in the 1930s that fell into decay in the 1960s and would become the subject of many songs by Bruce Springsteen (who incidentally is an avid photographer, shoots 4x5")

Wow, I never knew that. OT but are there any examples of my favourite musicians work?

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Ask Jim, who goes by "aj-images" on APUG. He's from Asbury Park, led the outing, and does some of Springsteen's printing.

 

[Simon R Galley]

Dear Frank,

We know this is an issue, we are currently looking for a solution.

Simon.

 

[ajuk]

OT but is it true Ilford make Fuji B&W film?

 

[markbb]

Just a quick note, I admire your advertising campaign on London buses:

 

[kunihiko]

our US, German and Swiss distributors have placed super orders

Chugai of Japan hasn't ? ...Ummm

 

[Chazzy]

Just a quick note, I admire your advertising campaign on London buses:

I didn't know that Ilford 25 was already available!

 

[ongarine]

Dear Simon,
many thanks for your efforts to keep all the Ilford users informed.
Here in Italy the situation of distribution of Ilford products is weird (as many others for B&W).
My question is simple: it will be possible to buy directly from you via web?
If so I will be pleased to know terms of business.
That's all for now.
Bye

 

[Fintan]

Dear Simon,
many thanks for your efforts to keep all the Ilford users informed.
Here in Italy the situation of distribution of Ilford products is weird (as many others for B&W).
My question is simple: it will be possible to buy directly from you via web?
If so I will be pleased to know terms of business.
That's all for now.
Bye

Simon has answered that question in this thread. Basically it is not possible to buy directly from Ilford at the moment.

Are you having trouble finding some Ilford products online?

 

[ongarine]

I have no problems to find Ilford products online.
The weird question about distribution is the lack of availability of some B&W products. The prices also become sometimes too pricey in consequence of this.

 

[Simon R Galley]

Dear Mark B

Thanks very much for the picture of the bus, it did make me chuckle, who knows if you wait long enough perhaps all the 25's will come along at once....

Simon.