B&H No Longer Shipping Chemistry

[Larry the Sailor]

Indeed!

Considering what a tiny part of B&H's business is our field, Henry might be be better off stating, "I'm sorry, but wet photography is so diminished that we cannot maintain the profit margin we require. Best of luck, and thank you for your former patronage."

B&H profits at such a tiny margin that I don't blame them one bit.
.

Hell, if he'd come out with that statement I'd have been OK with it and they would still get my business. The BS is what turned me off.

[Roger Cole]

And the plot thickens even further: I just called the hazardous materials department at UPS, and they said they have not changed their policies regarding photographic chemicals. Those changes come down from the government, and the woman on the line said that the government issues changes each quarter so a change in the last week isn't even possible.

B&H must have told it's people to blame UPS, but obviously it was an internal decision to shut this down.

They've been doing this for years, blaming shipping regulations for all the other stuff they wouldn't ship but everyone else would. I would be much less bothered if they just said it was too much hassle for a tiny part of a huge operation like theirs. Just be truthful. I mainly order from Freestyle because no one else really supports film and darkroom with the range of products they do, even though it means both longer times and higher shipping costs for me. I have bought film and paper from B&H at times due to substantial savings though.

[Roger Cole]

In the wake of the ValuJet Flight 592 crash on May 11, 1996, the federal government (and more recently our shipping vendors) began cracking down on safety regulations for many different chemicals in airplane cargo holds. We don't ship ground so every order has to conform. We elected to observe the safety restrictions scrupulously and the result is a range of chemicals and similar items we cannot ship. Compressed air products like Beseler Duster fall under the same restrictions.

More recently there have been similar issues with lithium batteries.

I was raised on film and shot film professionally for 20 years. This situation is personally disappointing (although I know I can avail myself of store pick-up) but unfortunately unavoidable.

"We don't ship ground" - well that adds some explanation that sounds more plausible.

[Roger Cole]

Freestyle charges more per product and charges more for shipping. This is a real downer. I've heard some good things about Central Camera in Chicago. They're an order-by-phone type dealer. I have yet to check their prices, but they ship FedEx Ground.

But they have a vast selection, they ship anything, and they've always been prompt, courteous, and honest with me and never tried to blow smoke up my ass or pee on my shoes and claim it's just raining.

Some things cost more because they're WORTH IT. Freestyle for me.

[Roger Cole]

Finished thread and agree - if they are back to shipping the stuff they always did then all is back as it was. I will buy film and paper from them if they have something I can't get elsewhere or I need it quickly or I am buying ONLY film and/or paper. Chemicals I will continue to get mainly from Freestyle, even the stuff BH would ship, because I'm almost always getting something in both categories and for stocking film and paper I'll likely get it from them too while I'm at it if they have it and I'm not in a hurry for it.

IOW same as I've done for years.

[Jim Michael]

"We don't ship ground" - well that adds some explanation that sounds more plausible.

That only seems plausible if it means "we can't guarantee the stuff we ship ground won't wind up in a flying machine at some point." Still, if that's true then I think any film you order is at risk from the high powered x-ray they use for air cargo.

[Drew Wiley]

The squeakly wheel gets the oil. A few years ago ago they got a lot of complaints about their diminished supplies of film and darkroom paper, especially by walk-in customers, and readdressed it. People like me complained about their diminishing selection of filters, and that has dramatically improved too, even if they don't need to overall quantities they once did. Chemicals are in a different category because they potentially require special handling at extra expense, overhead, and training, which obviously just doesn't dovetail with the way they want to promptly do business. Even special paperwork must be on hand and kept filed. I can't fault them for that. The tiniest accident happens with chemicals and all hell breaks loose. A sack of sugar spills on the freeway and it's shut down for hours until the analysis is done. Happened last week in this neighborhood with some kind of benign powder. Regulations prevent that from happening on cargo planes. They've already go shipments of lithium batteries to help them burn and crash.

[henryp]

Considering what a tiny part of B&H's business is our field, Henry might be be better off stating, "I'm sorry, but wet photography is so diminished that we cannot maintain the profit margin we require. Best of luck, and thank you for your former patronage."

I'd have said that if there was as much as an iota of truth there. But there isn't, which is why I didn't.

[henryp]

They've already go shipments of lithium batteries to help them burn and crash.

Come January, that may change too.
Effective January 1, 2017, UPS will change its requirements for shipping lithium batteries by air.
https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/ab...ry_update.html

[faberryman]

Come January, that may change too.
Effective January 1, 2017, UPS will change its requirements for shipping lithium batteries by air.
https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/ab...ry_update.html

Beginning January 1, 2017, are you going to ship lithium batteries without equipment by air under the new UPS regulation, ship them by ground, or not ship them at all?