TRI-X IN SHORT SUPPLY?

hdeyong · Oct 12, 2014

This is not a rumour or speculation, so I posted in this forum.
I'll be back in North America soon for a number of months, and was noodling around looking to see if I should buy my film supply here and bring it along, or buy it in North America.
I checked Amazon in the US, and they stated that there was a severe shortage of 100' lengths of Tri-X. A few minutes later, I was checking my regular supplier here in France, (Photostock), and they said that they were out of Tri-X in rolls of 36 and wouldn't have any more until the end of the month, (October).
I'm really thinking this is good news, and that demand is outstripping supply on both sides of the Atlantic.
Does anybody have any information, not speculation?

Roger Cole · Oct 12, 2014

Both B&H and Freestyle have it in stock. Those are the only places I buy film (unless they are both out of something I want that I can find elsewhere) but I also checked Adorama, who also seem to have it. No shortage here that I can detect.

snapguy · Oct 12, 2014

Loathe

Although I am rather loathe to suggest such a thing, it appears to this party that the notion that demand for Tri-X is outstripping supply might just be speculation on your part. Maybe the demand is so low the firms just don't bother to order the stuff and that is why they don't have it. You will play heck finding a fender for a 1957 Simca Versalles in this country but the mechanical beast was never popular in America. I had one. But that is one. Charles de Galle had one but that was in France. The wife of the owner of the Los Angeles Times had one but that's two over here.

hdeyong · Oct 12, 2014

I think comparing the sales of what is still supposed to be the best selling black and white film in the world to a car that sold 4 copies might be a little fanciful. (By the way, you spelled Versailles wrong).
All I'm saying is that two large retailers of this product said that they were either low or out of stock, and as for your idea of not ordering it, the supplier here gives a firm delivery date. Considering the popularity of the product, that seemed unusual and also it's the first time I've ever seen it. I thought maybe a employee of Kodak or a major distributor might have access to sales figures and comment on it. In my humble opinion, if a popular product is out of stock, it's because demand is bigger than supply.
I don't know, Roger. When I checked Amazon, who seems to use Ultrafine as a vendor, it said that the 100 foot rolls were in extremely short supply. Maybe they've received stock since then or bought some from another seller in the US to tide them over.

R.Gould · Oct 12, 2014

I use 3 suppliers in the UK for film, and they all have good stock of Tri x in all available formats so no problem here that I can see

Roger Cole · Oct 12, 2014

I didn't check for 100' rolls, granted, since I will never use up the already outdated 100' roll currently in bulk loader, partly due to the fact I rarely shoot 35mm B&W now other than Delta 3200 and my few remaining rolls of barely in date TMZ, and also because I concluded that the savings from bulk loading nowadays, being much less than they used to be, simply aren't worth the PITA factor to me. So I went back and checked it and Freestyle has it in stock - for $104.99. Assuming the oft quoted 18 rolls of 36x per 100' that makes it $5.83 per roll as opposed to their 36x price of $4.67 after instant rebate. They also have 24 for $4.24 which also explains why I seldom buy 24x rolls of films that are available in that length even though I often find 36 too many.

B&H also has it in stock with free expedited shipment for $99.95 or 36x for $4.99 with free expedited shipping for orders over $49 and 24x for $4.35, same deal on shipping.

After a bad experience a few years back I sincerely hope to never, ever buy anything from Ultrafine again for the rest of my life. I might, just maybe, consider it if they were the only source for something I really wanted.

rbultman · Oct 12, 2014

I just checked Freestyle, B&H, and Amazon. All show having 100' rolls in stock.

hdeyong · Oct 12, 2014

Hm, maybe it's just Ultrafine, and since they don't have it, they decided to say it was in short supply instead of just admitting they've run out.
Still funny about a major vendor here not having rolls of 36 until the end of the month, though.
I wasn't speculating as much as hoping this was a good sign that film sales were rising enough so that sellers were running out.
I remain hopeful.

David Brown · Oct 12, 2014

hdeyong said:
I think comparing the sales of what is still supposed to be the best selling black and white film in the world to a car that sold 4 copies might be a little fanciful.

If I may, I think the point he was trying to make is that 1 or 2 does not constitute a valid sample. Reporting that one secondary vendor (and Amazon would not be the best example of a film supplier) being out of one product, and a second vendor being low on a related product until their order comes in at the end of the month cannot then be extrapolated to demand is exceeding supply with any statistical validity.

mopar_guy · Oct 12, 2014

This is the time of year that educational programs require the purchase of photo related items. Just saying.

ic-racer · Oct 12, 2014

I checked Amazon in the US, and they stated that there was a severe shortage of 100' lengths of Tri-X

I checked your source and cannot verify your findings.

Xmas · Oct 12, 2014

There were 3 100 foot boxes in local shop last Friday.

No one is going to buy cause they are > twice price of HP5+.

But there was a shortage of yellow boxes in Ja during the summer...

Roger Cole · Oct 12, 2014

Xmas said:
There were 3 100 foot boxes in local shop last Friday.

No one is going to buy cause they are > twice price of HP5+.

But there was a shortage of yellow boxes in Ja during thr number...

Well no one is going to buy 100' when you can literally buy 36x rolls already loaded, shoot 90% of a roll, waste the rest, and come out ahead. In preloaded rolls HP5+ is close enough to the same price here as to make no difference.

But you're right, the price for 100' rolls is almost twice as much here too. This also means that bulk loading HP5+ will actually save you substantial money over pre-loaded, while Tri-X will not. This is also why I've pretty much decided to switch to HP5+ in 4x5 when my supply of TMY-2 is gone. This is a bit different because they are more different than TXT and HP5+ but for most of my purposes this will not matter; it would for some people.

Granted, even with Tri-X this does come out differently for shorter rolls, compared to buying 24 exposure rolls. And bulk does give me the option of loading, say, 12 exposure rolls or whatever. It wastes a bit more leader but a lot less film than only shooting half a 24x or, worse, 1/3 of a 36x roll and wasting the rest.

cmacd123 · Oct 12, 2014

The Higher price being charged for the bulk rolls these days would be a good excuse for many dealers to reduce the amount of stock that they keep on hand in that size. The price has crossed over to where it no longer makes sense to bother with bulk loading tri-x. At under 50 dollars US a roll, it makes some sense, but for twice that.....

Xmas · Oct 12, 2014

cmacd123 said:
The Higher price being charged for the bulk rolls these days would be a good excuse for many dealers to reduce the amount of stock that they keep on hand in that size. The price has crossed over to where it no longer makes sense to bother with bulk loading tri-x. At under 50 dollars US a roll, it makes some sense, but for twice that.....

Quite Alaris have goofed Polariods patents all over again

136 GBP >> 100 USD

Kodak manages disaster?

http://shop.silverprint.co.uk/Kodak-Tri-X/products/191/

RattyMouse · Oct 13, 2014

It just makes NO sense at all that bulk film costs more than packaged film. I mean what is going on here? In every other store if you buy bulk items, you get a substantial discount. How can Kodak not know this?

summicron1 · Oct 13, 2014

Xmas said:
There were 3 100 foot boxes in local shop last Friday.

No one is going to buy cause they are > twice price of HP5+.

But there was a shortage of yellow boxes in Ja during the summer...

yeah, am I the only one besides you who knows that Ilford is a LOT cheaper?

I mean, a lot?

Tri-x is nice. So is Ilford. Cheaper also very nice.

I really don't understand this, especially considering that they were selling tri-x as Arista for about $40 for 100 feet not even two years ago.

hdeyong · Oct 13, 2014

Well, it looks like Amazon/Ultrafine have now decided they do have it, and the major suppler here may simply have run out temporarily.
As I said, I was hoping that someone might have access to the actual sales figures, but it seems they're a closely guarded secret.
Oh well.

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 13, 2014

Xmas said:
Quite Alaris have goofed Polariods patents all over again

136 GBP >> 100 USD

Kodak manages disaster?

http://shop.silverprint.co.uk/Kodak-Tri-X/products/191/

Noel

136 GBP is 219 USD

It is worst!

I can get Ilford Pan 400 in bulk at 38.49 GBP, about 62 USD.

Xmas · Oct 13, 2014

I will haggle with silver print when it 'expires' they goofed when they bought it from wholesaler!

Ditto the wholesaler.

If you like Kodak film it is bad news?

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 13, 2014

For those that like Kodak film, things aren't good.
They haven't been nice for some years.

Roger Cole · Oct 13, 2014

Ilford is a lot cheaper in bulk rolls and sheets. In preloaded 35mm and 120 the price difference is insignificant. Use what you like.

Sent from my iPhone via Tapatalk using 100% recycled electrons. Because I care.

Richard S. (rich815) · Oct 13, 2014

Wow. It looks like I might need to defrost some of my frozen Kodak bulk rolls and sell them and buy individual packs! Gotta go check prices the bulk rolls are going for on eBay...

Xmas · Oct 13, 2014

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
Wow. It looks like I might need to defrost some of my frozen Kodak bulk rolls and sell them and buy individual packs! Gotta go check prices the bulk rolls are going for on eBay...

Naa Alaris will release a rumor (or even put up the price) hoping to start a feeding frenzy at an even higher price.

I can still get BW400CN at my local pharmacy. Plus-x from market traders, there is nostalgia but little demand.

TRI-X IN SHORT SUPPLY?

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