B&H No Longer Shipping Chemistry.

sepiareverb

sepiareverb

genius and moron
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None of it.

Thread over on apug alerted me, I just ordered last night and threw in a pack of Microphen no problem. But today ALL Chemistry is 'Store Pickup Only'.

Sigh.
 
Freestyle doesn't have any new restrictions. So maybe it isn't a crazy new regulation for Uncle Sam. Freestyle will not ship chemical unless it is ground shipping. Possibly, B&H only uses air shipping now.
 
Maybe that starts tomorrow, because my order placed last night has shipped via UPS Ground today. Seems kinda dumb to ship from Queens to NJ or VT by air.
 
I guess I got real lucky, I had some Ilfosol 3 delivered last week and a box of perceptol I ordered yesterday is showing shipped.
 
Yep, 'cause it's all marked as "in store pick up only" now. I just emailed them to ask. Was about to order some T-Max film and chemistry.
 
That is the end of B&H as far as I am concerned. They are no longer a full service photography store in my case.
 
Well they started selling guitars, so likely a much more lucrative product line than Rodinal and Kodak Hypo-Clearing Agent.

It is really sad to think that they're putting analog out to dry. I shopped in the old non-super store on 17th St almost exclusively when I lived in the city, I bought some paper at that place in the NE corner of Union Square. Been getting 75% of my supplies mail-order from them since 1995 at least, back when you still called up and talked to someone. I do miss those accents, they always made me feel at home.

Someone on LFF said UPS changed their regulations, but I didn't see that mentioned anywhere on the UPS site, tho I didn't investigate deeply. Nothing I can do about it so I just placed a big order with Freestyle in case they follow suit tomorrow. I can get to NYC with only a 6 hour drive, so going to the store isn't out of the question, but the last time I went to the store they were out of something I was intending to get.

Ugh.
 
Just read on apug worry that there might be some wider fallout, considering the sizable proportion of some chemistry that B&H must move. If they are no longer moving anywhere near the proportion of something the smaller companies could be hurt.

Tho if it is shipping regulations are the true root of this then those companies are no more anyway.
 
B&H stopped shipping HC110 years ago. I assume the same applied to other ORM-D items as well.
If they stop shipping darkroom chemicals how long will it be before they stop carrying them at all?

I used to love shopping at B&H; I once went there every few weeks.
But there's little left there to interest film photographers anymore... :(

Chris
 
ChrisPlatt said:
...
I used to love shopping at B&H; I once went there every few weeks.
But there's little left there to interest film photographers anymore... :(

Chris
Click to expand...

Well, paper and film are still able to be shipped till silver becomes too hazardous to put in a box. I was a regular at the 17th St non-super store forever, and this is a big change to my way of working and keeping inventory. A week or ten days easy for anything to get here from Freestyle instead of two days from B&H.

This could likely be a turning point for analog, I suspect B&H mail order is a sizable proportion of many chemistry manufacturers bottom line. :bang::bang::bang:
 
I love reading that others frequented the 17th Street B&H store. I was there every Sunday morning for the years I lived in NYC. In the summer I'd rollerblade down there and sit on the curb, early Sunday mornings, waiting for all the young men to walk up in their long coats and hats. Such a joy.

I think they've stopped shipping the chemicals because of the restrictions on air shipments through UPS (and possibly FedEx). I'm not sure they even ship anything Ground anymore. I got KodaFix from them this past summer, but they wouldn't ship HC-110 and they stopped carrying Rodinal, so I've been buying from Freestyle now for quite a few years.

I do miss that 17th Street store though. And what's with the guitars???

Best,
-Tim
 
besk said:
I guess we will be mixing our own stuff sometime in the not too distant future.
Click to expand...

Folgers freeze dried coffee (developer), white vinegar (stop bath), I don't know about fixers from the market, but go to the beach and get sea water for hypo. Or get rid of crazy regulations from the government.
 
Freestyle looks OK for now. Hope it stays.

Although I occasionally mix up my own caffenol (and like it), I also love my HC-110 and rodinol. I also appreciate fixer! :) If things are turning for the worst, I might have to pose as a laboratory and order some basic ingredients from Fischer. Some chemistry (especially dry) can keep for a long, long time.
 
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