Gosh. If fresh tulips from Holland get sold on the streets of SF, and Greek restaurants around here get ingredients shipped from another continent, what's the big
deal about shipping something a little further within the US? If you have a gripe with B&H, take it up with them. Yeah, I'm a bit disappointed that I can't just drive five minutes down the street and buy a full range of darkroom chemicals from a specialty supplier anymore. I can drive five minutes the other direction and get a lot of common darkroom chemicals. But I have had specialty products shipped in not only from Formulary in Montana but various chem suppliers in NYC itself. If that is what they do, they'll do it. B&H has apparently spread its wings more and more into electronics. Chemical distribution has its own headaches. For example, you'd be amazed at what people are willing to smoke or inject, like chromium or vanadium salts. That means special paperwork. If you want to poison yourself, that's one thing; but the DEA wants to stop it, and might demand shipping documentation. B&H is still a good source for many traditional photo supplies like film,paper, and filters, even if film camera and enlargers themselves have dramatically thinned out due to overwhelming competition from the used market.
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