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Topic: Filmguard sample

Sally Ann Burgess
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 120
From: Queenstown, New Zealand
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 08-30-2009 04:16 PM

Being a bit cheeky here, but is there anyone in Australia or here in little NZ who would be grand enough to send me over a small sample of FG? Of course I will cover all costs. I'm desperate to try it!

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Michael Hossen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Perth, Australia
Registered: Apr 2007

posted 09-01-2009 09:17 AM

Hi Sally,

I just purchased a bottle to try out over here... I thought there might have been a sample bottle that I could get to try, but in the end I just ended buying a bottle... For the amount of use you get out of a bottle the price isn't really that bad. Plus, you know it's gonna be good! [Smile]

Cheers

Michael

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Andy Bajew
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Bellaire, Texas
Registered: Jun 2009

posted 09-01-2009 10:29 AM

I agree completely with Michael, Sally. By the time you pay for all the costs required to get it shipped to you, you might as well just spend the $32 for the bottle. Even if you find you don't like it for cleaning your prints (a near impossible thought), there are tons of other uses for it within the projection booth.

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Michael Hossen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Perth, Australia
Registered: Apr 2007

posted 09-01-2009 11:15 AM

Unfortunately Andy, due to currency conversion and shipping Film Guard isn't as cheap over here. At around $80 per bottle it's still worth it though. Just gotta make it last as long as possible though.

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Andy Bajew
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Bellaire, Texas
Registered: Jun 2009

posted 09-01-2009 02:53 PM

Wow I completely forgot about that detail. Thanks for that reminder Michael. When I first started working with the cinema I am at now, they had half a bottle of FilmGuard and cleaned each print once a week. One year later we were ordering our next bottle of FilmGuard. Fortunately, if you have a good idea of how long the prints may be in your cinema, you can make one bottle last a very long time.

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Sally Ann Burgess
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 120
From: Queenstown, New Zealand
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 09-01-2009 03:39 PM

Thanks guys, I honestly thought no-one was going to reply!! One bottle of FG is pretty expensive once currency conversion/postage costs are taken into account hence me asking cap in hand for a wee dram. (I think it's about NZ$125)
It was worth asking, cheers anyway fellas.

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John Hawkinson
Film God

Posts: 2273
From: Cambridge, MA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-01-2009 05:57 PM

Could someone explain this to me?

A bottle of FG retails for around US$34. That's AU$42 (NZ$50).

As long as somebody is importing it by the case on a slow boat, shipping shouldn't be significant. So how does it get to be twice the price? Are import duties really that high?

--jhawk

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 09-01-2009 06:25 PM

Hmm, looks like New Zealand charges a 12.5% Goods & Services Tax (GST) on imports; and a $28.75-NZ "Import Entry Transaction Fee", which includes a biosecurity risk screening if required (presumably a bottled liquid of something called Film-Guard could fall in that category). I calculate the cost of someone in NZ buying 1 bottle of Film-Guard from a US retail supplier at perhaps as high as $85-NZ, not including shipping. So reselling it at retail for $125-NZ may not be wildly off the mark, for a single bottle.

However as jhawk pointed out, what cinema supplies dealer would import only a single bottle at a time? Wouldn't they order at least a case, thus amortizing the customs fees and making the per-bottle retail price much lower than $125-NZ?

Just saying. [Wink]

New Zealand Duties & Levies I confess I didn't parse the entire page word for word.

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John Koutsoumis
Master Film Handler

Posts: 261
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 09-01-2009 07:49 PM

We get Filmguard for $80 dollars here. I think it went up some time back due to the bad dollar exchange. Still it's worth it.
I always get with media pads and other consumables.

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Michael Hossen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Perth, Australia
Registered: Apr 2007

posted 09-01-2009 08:41 PM

quote: John Hawkinson
Could someone explain this to me?

A bottle of FG retails for around US$34. That's AU$42 (NZ$50).

As long as somebody is importing it by the case on a slow boat, shipping shouldn't be significant. So how does it get to be twice the price? Are import duties really that high?

--jhawk

Not too sure. As John said, the price went up when the dollar was weaker, but now, I would have thought, the price would have gone down a bit... Still worth it though.

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 09-01-2009 09:26 PM

Spiro at Intech Pacific makes next to nothing on FG. He still brings it in as he kept Raydek's customers supply going when Ray sold.

Don't even think he's ripping anyone off...he's not. It's not like there's an abundance of cinemas in Australia using it.

It is expensive for him to get it in the country. That's just a fact.

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Michael Hossen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Perth, Australia
Registered: Apr 2007

posted 09-01-2009 09:31 PM

quote: John Wilson
Spiro at Intech Pacific makes next to nothing on FG. He still brings it in as he kept Raydek's customers supply going when Ray sold.

Don't even think he's ripping anyone off...he's not. It's not like there's an abundance of cinemas in Australia using it.

It is expensive for him to get it in the country. That's just a fact.

That makes sense then... I never thought it was a rip off. Our owner over here has been dealing with Spiro for years with Panastereo equipment and we have great trust in him.

[ 09-01-2009, 10:42 PM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]

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Cameron Glendinning
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 845
From: West Ryde, Sydney, NSW Australia
Registered: Dec 2005

posted 09-02-2009 12:44 AM

As I do some importing here in Australia, there are plenty of hidden costs, taxes on imports over $1000, shipping has near $1000 extras, such as ports fees, shipping brokers and if you dont pick it up within the 3 day window, storage fees. I have heard of people buying samples from china of say michrophone leads worth less than $100, and the shipping is close to A$1000!

Often by air is actually cheaper for small quantities.

As for filmguard its cheap at double the price! Sally its worth the money, its even worth the $1000 plus for the kilmar cleaner to apply it properly. The clean wet gate look it creates is devine.

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Michael Hossen
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 136
From: Perth, Australia
Registered: Apr 2007

posted 09-02-2009 12:55 AM

quote: Cameron Glendinning
As I do some importing here in Australia, there are plenty of hidden costs, taxes on imports over $1000, shipping has near $1000 extras, such as ports fees, shipping brokers and if you dont pick it up within the 3 day window, storage fees. I have heard of people buying samples from china of say michrophone leads worth less than $100, and the shipping is close to A$1000!

Often by air is actually cheaper for small quantities.

As for filmguard its cheap at double the price! Sally its worth the money, its even worth the $1000 plus for the kilmar cleaner to apply it properly. The clean wet gate look it creates is devine.

I never realised the amount of fees associated with importing commercial goods. Although it's pretty obvious once you think about it.

I'm trying to convince the management to grab a Kelmar cleaner at the moment. Considering the small amount of expenses we have upstairs compared to everywhere else in the building I reckon I may be in with a chance!

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John Koutsoumis
Master Film Handler

Posts: 261
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003

posted 09-02-2009 01:48 AM

I too now buy Filmguard and the media pads through Spiro. Good bloke to do business with. I don't object to the prices. The stuff is well worth it. Just applying to the edge of the prints to stop shedding is enough but we also do have a Kelmar cleaner and now it's always in use. [thumbsup]

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