film from Ebay?

[jlemire]

Just wondering if anyone has had either good or bad experiences with

buying film from ebay.

 

I'm looking at some 35mm slide film that expires September 2005. They

claim it had been in cold storage when they got it and that it is now

being stored in a "cool dry place".

 

Any recommendations one way or the other about film from ebay?

[cooper8168]

I buy from *bay user Film Club frequently. With the exception of one botched order (he

actually sent me a much better film than what I had ordered and let me keep it at no extra

charge), I've had no

problems. I've also bought 50-pack boxes of HP5+ from a few different users with no

problems.

[ken dennis]

I have personally purchased at least 5 batches of rolls of 35mm film "at least 10 rolls to a batch" from sellers on ebay, 2 batches was for 20 rolls, and have had no problems, there like always you have to be careful and do your research on the person you are buying from!

 

I am posting a pic taken with a roll from one of those batches, it was Agfa vista ISO 400.<div></div>

[bueh]

I buy about all film I shoot from private sellers that are selling their expired or about to expire film stashes. I am mostly photographing as a hobby, so saving a couple of bucks per roll comes quite handy when you shoot 100+ rolls per year. I still use some of that Astia 100 that expired in 2000 from time to time, although not for assignments or important pictures, but for testing purposes (I often use classic cameras). It still looks good to me and when everything fails I can use it for cross-processing experiments. Slide film about to expire will still look good at least one or two years from now, especially if you keep it in the freezer. Thanks to that auction site I have about 50 rolls of film in all flavors readily available at my home for about 1/2 to 1/3 of the cost at my local pro store which is still a minor journey away, has unfriendly staff and inconvenient business hours.

[steve_levine]

If you buy a batch, random test a roll. Chances are all of it is as good as your test roll.

[alvin_wong]

<p>Ultimately, the most important factors are the film itself, and how expired it is. Slower films tend to last longer, faster films go bad sooner. I would avoid any 400/800 speed film that is more than a year out of date. Any reputable film seller on Ebay (i.e. collect888 or filmclub) should be considered a safe source of film.</p>

 

<p>For example, I've gotten many rolls of 2003-dated Sensia 100 that looks as good as new. On the other hand, I bought some 2001-dated Ektapress 800 that was unusable unless I overexposed it by a stop and a half. I also got some 2001-dated Ekatchrome that had really nasty color shifting. Thankly, I didn't pay too much for it...</p>

[25asa]

Sellers often make the claim the film was cold stored which makes me wonder if its true or not. I have bought a lot of film off Ebay and had no problems. Its the only place to get hard to find films these days, but be prepared to pay for it.

[BernardMiller]

I'm another whose had very good luck buying film on eBay, except for one batch of 220 NPH that was a little hinky.

 

Do your research, buy only from sellers with plenty of good feedback (I, too, have been happy with purchases from collect888 and The Film Club), and you should do well most of the time.

 

It's really a pretty good deal all around--folks who are going digital can dump their film and get a little something back for it, and those of us who still use film can get some really good deals.

[edgreene]

I buy 10 and 20 roll lots (same expiration dates) from ebay all the time. You can even find "frozen" Kodak Supra on ebay. Send it straight to the freezer when it arrives. <p>Thaw it for at least 21/2 to 3 hours before planned use and you'll do fine.

[bill_thorlin]

If it is anything like fleabay in the UK you should not have a problem. BUT do your research and check the listing in detail including checking feedback.

[daniel_dufour]

Without Ebay, I would've never had the opportunity to get my hands on and use Kodak's Panatomic-x, Recording Film, Royal Gold 25, Agfa's Ultra 50, RSX 1000, just to name a few. All my experiences have been good. Just make sure the seller has a decent amount of positive feedback, and don't expect too much.