Freestyle Named Exclusive USA Distributor of EFKE Films and VARYCON Papers!

[Mike A]

I've e-mailed them mnany times and recieved polite return corispondence offering me a different product. I echo Donalds thoughts as far as customer loyalty.

Mike

Out of curiousity will you all offer additional sheet film sizes? especially 7x17, and also other sizes such as 5x12, 12x20, 8x20?

JandC seems to be the only seller of such "odder" sizes and would love if another seller were out there to provide sheet film in these sizes.

[Claire Senft]

When I buy on line from Freestyle I am offered several different shipping options which include ground UPS.

[SteveH]

I have ordered from both J&C and Freestyle, and have found them both to be EXCELLENT places. However, I am hoping that Freestyle will be keeping their films in stock better than J&C can.

[Dave Wooten]

I have ordered from both J&C and Freestyle, and have found them both to be EXCELLENT places. However, I am hoping that Freestyle will be keeping their films in stock better than J&C can.

J and C offers the hard to get sizes and the ulf sizes, the problem with stocking is probably not with J and C but with Efke production schedule of these size films... I must say that I do not agree with "exclusivity" of a product...what does this really mean...traditionally it would mean that a distributor was under contract to move an agreed amount of product and for that would be the only distributor allowed to sell in an area.....exclusivity for all of USA does not ring well with me! This is no reflection on the fine company that Freestyle is and that J and C is.....

Exclusive = exclude---I will not be a happy child if this is the case...could Freestyle clarify their relationship with Efke....will Freestyle be the only retail outlet in the USA selling the EFKE product line?

[Dave Wooten]

J and C offers the hard to get sizes and the ulf sizes, the problem with stocking is probably not with J and C but with Efke production schedule of these size films... I must say that I do not agree with "exclusivity" of a product...what does this really mean...traditionally it would mean that a distributor was under contract to move an agreed amount of product and for that would be the only distributor allowed to sell in an area.....exclusivity for all of USA does not ring well with me! This is no reflection on the fine company that Freestyle is and that J and C is.....

Exclusive = exclude---I will not be a happy child if this is the case...could Freestyle clarify their relationship with Efke....will Freestyle be the only retail outlet in the USA selling the EFKE product line?

To continue the thought: and maybe best to start a new thread?

Distributors are "usually" suppliers to retail outlets who provide the product to the end user, they purchase directly from the manufacturer and distribute to retail outlets-keeping the product in constant supply. This is the main upside to the Manufacturer -distributor -retail -end user relationship.....the distributor stocks and purchases in such an abundant supply that price points can be lowered and product is readily available, upon order to the retail network....

Today, however, for many products, a brick and mortar store is not essential-product is sold over the internet and delivered via several agencies....therefore a "distributor" also becomes the retail seller, in the past this was not common in the manufacturer, distributor, retail relationship chain, today we are seeing it is more and more the case...

So it would seem if Freestyle has arranged an exclusive contract for a certain product or number of products for a specfic area, USA, they are then also a "distributor to other retail outlets as well as their own retail sales division, competing with those outlets whose customer base uses the product? That is a question.
I guess a a small upside might be, a person on the east coast could more readily get their Efke products via B and H, but only if B and H would have ordered thro FreeStyle and had arranged for the products to be dropped shipped? In these cases the agency with the exclusive agreement gets a percentage of all products sold in their exclusive area! I do not see how this arrangement is helpful in bottom line price to the end user? Am I all alone and out in the woods on this?

[gbenaim]

I second the call for cheaper int'l shipping. I'd buy all my supplies from them if they did.

[MattCarey]

I like Freestyle and JandC both.

JandC have that "we are a small group working on our passion (analogue photography)" attitude. I really like that. They also have the difficulty of a small group--sometimes running out of stock, sometimes not responding really fast to an email. This is not to say that Freestyle doesn't have the same problems sometimes.

However, Freestyle could learn from JandC's playbook--JandC doesn't typically make an announcement and then leave the forum. They tend to watch the thread and respond. It has only been a day, but I would have expected a response (or more ) by JandC if this were their thread.

I.e. John is a part of the community. That means a lot to me.

Matt

[copake_ham]

I also wish Freestyle would offer another shipping choice than FedEx. Maybe UPS or USPS Priority Mail?

Don't like "Brown" but ditto on your second suggestion. Perhaps the folks at Freestyle do not realize that USPS Priority Mail is out-sourced to FedEx for carriage?

Yep, you ship USPS Priority it goes via FedEx.

[Dave Wooten]

You can open your own UPS account and have them pick up for you...I use this arrangement both in the US and in China...

[Jim Chinn]

Don't like "Brown" but ditto on your second suggestion. Perhaps the folks at Freestyle do not realize that USPS Priority Mail is out-sourced to FedEx for carriage?

Yep, you ship USPS Priority it goes via FedEx.

If you don't like brown you will not be happy to learn that UPS recently signed an agreement with the USPS to carry USPS volume between 90 major cities on UPS aircraft.