Rip-off Britain?

[Peter Black]

Now I know that this is the sort of term that gets bandied about with little justification at times, but there are other occasions when it seems fully justified. A 36 exposure Ilford Delta 100 from Calumet in the US is $4.79, so at roughly $2 to the £ the UK price should be?

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/137-169C.html

 

[Bob F.]

Look elsewhere: 2.49 GBP - plus factor in a market 20% the size of the US, greater marketplace competition leading to lower retailer profits in the US, a higher cost of living index in the UK and VAT at 17.5%.

You can not do a 1:1 comparison across countries, especially ones of such disparate size: there is more to it than exchange rates. A better comparison would be with Germany or France.

Cheers, Bob.

 

[Peter Black]

Partly agree Bob, but their 36 exp Tri-x is £2.49 against $3.89 and they've got to ship it from the US to start with! Mathers are generally my first port of call for film and I had only gone to Calumet to look for 220 film when I came across the Ilford prices. (They still do Tri-X in 220 @ £3.92)

 

[pyrometol]

7 dayshop are selling Delta 36exp 100 ISO for £2 10p. What's wrong with that price? pyrometol

 

[Dave Miller]

Stop beefing, and buy it from the USA; if that will cheer you up.

 

[George Hart]

Location: Scotland

 

[Dave Miller]

Location: Scotland

I didn't know Calumet is a Scottish company!

 

[Peter Black]

Stop beefing, and buy it from the USA; if that will cheer you up.

Dave, I generally buy from Mathers as their prices are sufficient for them to make a profit and keep Ilford in business. I just find it surprising that the leading pro dealer in the UK & US should choose to load the price of a British product such as this, yet would appear to price it competitvely in their US stores.

In a similar vein, I was surprised to find Jessops selling 1 litre of D76 at £1.46 while ID-11 was over twice the price at £3.55. I'm not looking for a conspiracy here, but if the big suppliers start charging too much for Ilford then people may start buying alternatives and we really don't need any further problems for Ilford!

 

[Tom Stanworth]

I was amazed to find ilford products far cheaper (less than helf the UK retail price)in a tiny shop in Granada Spain. We cannot win this one. I just buy as a result of good price and good service (like when they say it is in stock this turns out to be true rather than a big fat porky pie). I do not use companies that bugger me about and leave me wondering which month my supplies will arrive in. I will pay a little more for that when time is a factor.

 

[Dave Miller]

Peter,
Ilford, like any other retailer or manufacturer has to live and compete in the open market place. As Bob said earlier there are many factors that influence the price structure in different areas, but it is a matter for the companies concerned. As purchasers we are free to spend our money with whoever we please, and if that means buying our stocks from abroad then so be it. At the moment the USA appears very cheap to us, even allowing for all the import additions, so I can see no reason for not buying from there until such time as the pounds sinks, or the dollar recovers. It must also be said that the people now running Ilford are a sensible bunch who recognise the need to turn in a healthy return if they are to stay in business. It is their job to walk the tightrope between turnover and profit, and not mine to worry about it.