How difficult it is to become films distributor

...all these talks about shutting the film business, it is none sense... I am

sure some hardcore people on the films business can and will take over, move

the production to low cost producing countries, and find the local distributors,

or sell it directly online

 

I am not in this business, but I can see it is opportunity to some...

 

cheers,

mervyn

Many people already do this, like J & C Photo and Freestyle.

Well even a private club coud start importing films if there was enough intrest and large enough orders.

 

You would need a controled temp storage space for about 1/2 million Dollars worth of film.. that would be the smallest you could start with... you need a distrobution system... the internet will do... Advertising.... and someone to run it..... A good source of film with regular supply as to not always be running out of film like.. well J&C and others....

 

Investors ...willing to take a loss for the first few years... I doubt you could do it for less than that.

 

Not impossable but not easy...

 

Larry

You want the truth, I'll give you the truth.

 

First of all, nobody *does*, everybody *talks* a good game. But they're quick to criticize and to say what is possible and what is not.

 

I got a business license, and I made contact with a Chinese film manufacturer, and I imported and paid duty on a crate of B&W film. As a one-man shop, my intent was to sell it online.

 

I had to more than triple the wholesale price of the film to cover international shipping, duties, and my costs - not including profit.

 

I was taken apart in online forums - how dare I charge so much for film that cost so little in China. I was a robber, no doubt about. And I sold some film, and some folks liked it, but even more often, when I advertised it online, others post right after that urging others not to buy it, because I was a 'crook' to charge so much.

 

I gave up. The punks won.

 

I did the investigations, I made the contacts, I made the investment, and I took the risks. What the backyard dreamers did was criticize, pull down, and destroy.

 

So go ahead, start a film importation business.

 

I'll bet you won't. Because nobody has the stones to do it except me. Everybody else just talks about how great they'd be at it, or how easy it is.

 

But if you do have the cojones, others will gather around to bet on your demise and wish you ill.

 

And that's how that game is played.

 

So good luck.

Mister Jones

 

I am sorry it did not work out for you ... You gave it a try.... I hope you were not my supplyer of ERA 100.

 

Want to try again?

 

I could almost feel the anger in that.... And that is good. Could you tell us more or email me I am intersted in what it took and who these people who were aginst you were.

 

I think though the origional poster was just putting out a wild question About the AGFA/Maco Blacklist post he would like more detail also.

 

Larry Dressler

Sorry about the confusion of my intent. I merely refer to the production of films, not mock the film distributors. Recent references of Kodak and others to shut their film business are not good news for the users. But I think some one will buy their existing portfolio and continue to produce films (may be no more R&D). After all, it is a hundred year old business.

I hope so, I like Kodak film.

Wiggy -- I enjoyed that ERA 100 film! Thanks for the opportunity to purchase some.

Yes, the Era 100 is great. I have used it too.

All of this adds to my interest in the survival of Adox.

 

After "shutdown" production being continued by Fotokemica in Croatia, which was at the time part of the Communist Jugoslavia. It continued to be available throughout Europe on both sides of the Iron Curtain, but was shunned by the Far West (my own term).

 

Only in recent years has it been gradually gaining ground (as EFKE) and now has further secured it's position in the market with the backing and marketing of Foto Impex in Berlin. They are no upstarts by the way. They are a respected company with a solid, well extablished client base, which is now spreading globally, filling some of the vacuum left by Agfa and will be with us to help many of the Kodak casualties. Fotokemica is focussed on B&W film photography. Kodak has not been for a very long time.

Michael,

 

JandC is out of business.

 

Wiggy,

 

Funny you should mention you imported ERA films for resale: I was looking to do just the same thing!