Price increase along the way

[Alessandro Serrao]

Ilford will increase its prices +6% effective October 16th

 

[Lucid]

Could you share the link to your source for that announcement?

 

[Alessandro Serrao]

Could you share the link to your source for that announcement?

https://www.facebook.com/NTPhotoServices/posts/3563218713709311

 

[Lucid]

Thanks for that Alessandro. Maybe Ilford have given early notice to local distributors.

Hopefully Ilford will publish something on their website to confirm the planned increase.

If Ilford keep up with two price increases a year I may well switch to another brand.

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for that Alessandro. Maybe Ilford have given early notice to local distributors.

Hopefully Ilford will publish something on their website to confirm the planned increase.

If Ilford keep up with two price increases a year I may well switch to another brand.

A pity if it is the case. Yes given the low rate of inflation, low rate of pay increases and the very serious effects of COVID-19 on jobs and disposable incomes, two rises a year at anything like these rates is likely to cause users to re-think purchase volumes

pentaxuser

 

[pentaxuser]

I have had a look at the Facebook link provided and its a two liner announcement by a small retailer called Nik and Trick with one shop in Folkestone, Kent, England. In that announcement no reasons are given about the size of the increase nor whether it is across the board. In response to a question Nik and Trick say 6% but do not say if this is across the board or varying depending on product

It would seem that if this is a "direct from llford announcement" then so far only Nike and Trick has it or all the other retailers do as well but only Nik and Trick has chosen to tell is customers on Facebook as of now

I have had a look at N&T's site and there is nothing on there.

pentaxuser

 

[Deleted member 88956]

...

I have had a look at N&T's site and there is nothing on there.

pentaxuser

Well, they have Ilford\'s price increase announced, that ought to do it to run a business

 

[Alessandro Serrao]

Well, they have Ilford\'s price increase announced, that ought to do it to run a business

Unfortunately I've got an official answer directly from Ilford:

"Hi Alessandro. Yes, unfortunately we have had to implement a global price rise on film and paper to our distributors. This was due to a big increase in our costs, in particular raw material costs, resulting from the pandemic. We are absorbing as much of these costs as possible, but as difficult as we know it will be we have little choice but to increase prices at this time. We can't comment on how much of an increase our distributors and reseller will choose to pass on ."

 

[Alessandro Serrao]

I will continue to support Ilford even with this price increase, they deserve it.
I only felt it was right to pass this news on you all...

 

[foc]

I will continue to support Ilford even with this price increase, they deserve it.

+1

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for that, Alessandro. My interpretation of this announcement from Ilford that you have given us is: It's a 6% rise across the board on all Ilford products due to the pandemic which will be passed to all its retailers across the whole world. How much of this is passed on to customers is, as always, in the hands of its retailers. The only glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel is that given the reason for the increase it may be reduced when the raw material costs when conditions that result from the pandemic ease.

It would suggest that unless the other companies have managed to remain unaffected by the pandemic conditions that has caused the Ilford price increase to its retailers, we can expect to see some increase being passed on to retailers who stock other companies products such as Kodak, Fuji, Adox, and Foma

pentaxuser

 

[pentaxuser]

So its film and paper only which is something to be grateful for I wonder what it is about the pandemic that affects only film and paper and not the likes of chemistry? I suppose that it may be that any chemistry rises are of a sufficiently small nature that Ilford itself has been able to absorb them so has no need to pass them on to retailers

pentaxuser

 

[Alessandro Serrao]

So its film and paper only which is something to be grateful for I wonder what it is about the pandemic that affects only film and paper and not the likes of chemistry? I suppose that it may be that any chemistry rises are of a sufficiently small nature that Ilford itself has been able to absorb them so has no need to pass them on to retailers

pentaxuser

probably because film and paper is done in house while the chemistry is outsourced...

 

[logan2z]

So its film and paper only which is something to be grateful for I wonder what it is about the pandemic that affects only film and paper and not the likes of chemistry? I suppose that it may be that any chemistry rises are of a sufficiently small nature that Ilford itself has been able to absorb them so has no need to pass them on to retailers

pentaxuser

They just raised prices on chemistry a few months ago.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

It really sounds like the pandemic is being used the same way as 9/11 when airlines started charging first for extra bags, then eventually for all of them in some cases, then they have realized the gold mine and in spite of 9/11 effect long gone, things got only worse in all departments of passenger handling. Not saying pandemic hasn't been disastrous to a lot of industries (while being another gold mine for others), but I can't see how you increase prices only to increase them again in a short span.

I appreciate Ilford for being the last major film producer (it will be a while before I consider Kodak in the same level of commitment), but let's not hope too much over prices going down anytime soon after the world figures out how to adequately address this crapshoot disease.

 

[removedacct1]

I will continue to support Ilford even with this price increase, they deserve it.
I only felt it was right to pass this news on you all...

So will I. A 6% increase is nowhere near enough to discourage me from buying.

 

[Auer]

So will I. A 6% increase is nowhere near enough to discourage me from buying.

Me as well, a 50% increase might raise one eyebrow for a split second.
On an enthusiast level this is a pretty cheap hobby as is.

 

[logan2z]

On an enthusiast level this is a pretty cheap hobby as is.

We must be practicing it in a different way

 

[Auer]

We must be practicing it in a different way

Probably, I only shoot 2-4 rolls a week, and I don't collect cameras.

So it's peanuts at this stage for me.

 

[PhotoJim]

Probably, I only shoot 2-4 rolls a week, and I don't collect cameras.

So it's peanuts at this stage for me.

And compared to shooting colour film (particularly E6), black-and-white photography is pretty inexpensive if you develop your own film. (And everyone should.)

 

[Agulliver]

Of course any price increase is unfortunate but 6% is hardly going to bankrupt users. The chances are that raw material costs, transport costs and having to shut the factory for a few months have all contributed.

 

[Alessandro Serrao]

Of course any price increase is unfortunate but 6% is hardly going to bankrupt users. The chances are that raw material costs, transport costs and having to shut the factory for a few months have all contributed.

It's not only this price hike, but the sum of all price hikes in the past year and this year.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

Does anybody know if there was a management change at Ilford in last couple of years?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Already $216 Cdn here at Beau Photo (not including GST and PST) for an 8x10 HP5 here, which put 8x10 out on the edge for me. The 6% increase will push it to almost $230...then add on GST and PST. Once my meager stock is used up, that'll be the end of Ilford 8x10 for me. I'll still support Ilford, but it'll only be for 4x5, medium format, and their rapid fixer.

 

[Agulliver]

It's not only this price hike, but the sum of all price hikes in the past year and this year.

I don't see any other option....unless we wish to see Ilford produce their film, paper and chemicals at a loss?