Tetenal C-41 Kits - why won't B&H ship them?

[TheFlyingCamera]

I find it incredibly ironic that B&H lists the Tetenal C-41 kit as "in-store pickup only" yet in their own description, describe it as safe for air travel:

This Tetenal C-41 Press Kit consists of just one bag of powder each for color developer and bleach/fix. The Tetenal C-41 Press Kit for Color Negative Film is perfect for the traveling photographer or anyone who needs long shelf life, fast mixing and quick processing with consistently excellent results.

This kit is specially designed for the traveling journalist; this chemistry is compact and safe for air travel. Equally well suited for processing with hand inversion tanks and in rotary processors.

Two plastic bags contain the crystals which when stirred in warm water dissolve in seconds, not minutes. There is also a paper envelope with stabilizer in crystal form.

Henry Posner, what gives? It's safe for air travel, yet you won't even put it on a truck to Washington DC?

 

[Sirius Glass]

It will be interesting to see how long it takes for B&H to respond.

 

[ignatiu5]

A representative on their Live Chat told me recently that their cost structure/accessibility for some things that _might_ have hazmat ratings, including things that had previously shipped (I was looking to buy more Adonal which I had purchased from them before), had changed. As a result, more items have recently moved to a "store only" status.

Have there been recent hazmat changes for the tunnels out of Manhattan? Tunnels often have more restrictive limits regarding chemical transport than aircraft. It was the only reason off the top of my head that made sense to me as to why Freestyle would ground ship it, but B&H couldn't or wouldn't.

 

[mrred]

My last job entailed writing software to deal with paperwork for cross border shipments. There is no issue with shipping the goods. There are issues with the willingness of the vendor with actually completing the paperwork. Often it is just an excuse and a reason for the carriers to jack up the cost of shipping.

 

[Trainmaster]

Rumor has it that B&H got caught shipping on the plane a long time ago. Therefore they have never shipped a hazmat again. Adorama shipped plenty of chemsitry, albiet they always used ground!

 

[Roger Cole]

The only explanation I ever heard that made sense to me (the "official" one from B&H does NOT make sense and just to be blunt, I don't believe it) is that B&H is so huge, and their shipping department so correspondingly large, that it's cost prohibitive to train everyone in the needed hazmat procedures, or to separate out such shipments into a smaller sub group. That makes sense to me, and if they said that I'd say "ok, I get it, I'll need to order such items from smaller companies but I understand." But that stuff about it not being allowed after ValueJet seems to me to be nonsense. Too many other places are readily willing to ship the same items, advertise that they do so, and are not getting shut down or in any kind of trouble at all.

 

[Jon Buffington]

This must be a new change as I have bought this press kit from them in this year.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Jon- it is. I bought from them earlier this year as well. I had a "live chat" with a representative who gave me the party line about why they couldn't be shipped. I also got an email response from them citing the MSDS for the stabilizer as the reason they can't ship it. I think they're failing to take into account the quantity of stabilizer - it's a couple grams at most. I still find it ironic that they can't ship it, but they will still buy it from a distributor who ships it to them.

 

[RobC]

in the UK I have been told years ago that the reason the supplier wouldn't ship some products (liquids in 5 litre bottles usually) is that the courier companies have rules about what they will and won't carry. Acids being a big no no. The much more expensive couriers will sometimes do it. So the problem is the supplier needs to use specific carriers for specific products which is a PITA for them to manage so they don't do it.
This makes sense to me. The cheaper couriers who are often subcontracting to individuals who deliver in specific areas means you really have no idea who is going to be moving this stuff around or how well it will be treated on route. Its a pain I know, but I can understand it.

 

[mrred]

Good to be Canadian eh? http://www.argentix.ca/index01.php has it and ships across Canada.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Yes, they have E6 as well, nice. I just talk about them with Montreal APUG member yesterday.
And for ECN2 as Russian Canadian I ordered kit from Russia. No problems with shipping recieving. All ingredients were listed in English by my request to get it through without issues.

 

[mrred]

I gave them a "wish list" a while back and they now stock much of it. I caught them as they were taking the chemical side a bit more seriously. I can even get CD-4 and catechol now.