What’s the point of a filament membership if 80% of the filaments are out of stock? I’ve been waiting 3 weeks to order more pla basic beige in Canada and for 3 weeks they’ve been pushing the ETA further and further. So my question is, whats the incentive to buy another printer for a filament membership when 80% of the PLA you’re offering is out of stock and the stuff you really need or depend on for your business is pushed back week after week? I’m only ‘allowed’ to buy 8 rolls a month that takes 2 weeks to get here by FedEx ground, the cheapest free shipping available, and I cant order that filament 'till the 10th? Now the 18th? Next the 26th? And then wait two weeks for those rolls to get here and hope you have another 8 rolls in stock at the start if the next month? Answer the question, whats the incentive?
Sh!t happens. Stuff sells out.
Sh!t happens. That’s what can happen with mass production, shipping, importing and limited stock.
Go buy it somewhere else if you depend on it. Nothing BL can do. You rely on BL for your filament, BL relies on the factory for their filament.
You are allowed to order as many rolls as you want. 8 of them you get discounted just for being an owner of their printer.
Sh!t happens, see the first 2 points.
You are free to order filament from wherever you want. You don’t need to buy BL filament.
I’m not sure what part of Canada you live in but I consistently get orders from Bambu in 2-3 business days and I live in-between the two shipping depots of Toronto and Vancouver.
The filament shortages are unfortunate but when anything is popular enough it’s always hard to get. Lucky for my ABS isn’t that popular and so I’ve got a good stock pile now as a result of the membership program.
you’re talking about PLA filament … just buy another brand elsewhere - it will work fine. SUNLU, extrudr, eryone worked very well in my printers
Eryone cardboard spools are terrible and don’t work in the AMS. SUNLU will until they start to run low, at which point you need spool rings (edit: or weights). SUNLU has also caused me some jams during auto-reloading as the roll runs out because the filament is attached to the spool too tightly. So there are issues with other filament brands. Now it’s not too hard to re-spool, but that adds a cost in time.
Still, you’re right in that any filament brand will work with enough time and effort.
@Eponymus
you have to print and use spool-adapter rings to use cardboardspools in the AMS.
things like this:
https://www.printables.com/de/model/528650-eryone-cardboard-ams-spool-adapter/files
i printed about 25 extrudr, 6 eryone (withe printed spool adapters) and 30 spools of sunlu meta PLA with the AMS - never had a problem.
The quality of the filament itself is equal or even better than bambu. So if you need PLA and bambu-PLA ist out of stock, don’t complain and try. A few minutes of respooling (if needed) aren’t worth mentioning
Theyve been short on filaments since the beginning. Your best bet is to print a respooler and buy something like overture. Dont listen to the trolls. If someone says they got a 2 day shipment from bambu, ask for proof. Sorry to jump in but these people are getting a bit out of hand.
A shipment most likely wont even leave the warehouse for 2 or more days. Ive made 22 orders in the last year. Im in the U.S.
I did not think Eryone spools are savable with rings, as the cardboard was too soft, and I re-spool those. Rings/adapters work fine for Sunlu though.
I know people who have personally experienced 2-3 day shipments from Bambu filaments, but they are in the UK. Printer took 10 days though. EDIT Here in Singapore I don’t know anyone who uses Bambu filament probably because it’s quite easy to order direct from the PRC.
Whats the point?
If your business is suffering due to stock issues the smarter move would be to just find a Supplier that fulfils your requirements rather than butt your head against the same old post in hope its going to change. In all honesty, there’s no point.
Thats transport time. nice try.
Print an Adapter. Thats it
The cardboard is too soft, or maybe all the spools i had were defective or damaged. I just re-spooled them.,
I share the OP’s point of view: the decision to buy the printer may take into account the discount for filaments, as well as being able to buy stuff which has been tested and validated by the manufacturer.
This is the whole point of BL marketing approach: making life easier with products that work from the first time, with a single point of sale.
Advertising something that the customer won’t be able to benefit from is clearly a problem.
Everybody understands a temporary shortage but If the situation lasts for weeks or months, it is becoming a major issue that has to be dealt with, especially if you continue to advertise a “filament membership” while there is no filament to sell and that the membership is limited in time.
I placed an order yesterday and as the OP, I was frustrated with the impossibility to order what I was supposed to be able to order. At the very least the membership duration should be extended until supply difficulties have been fixed.
So yes, there is a point.
I stand by the no point argument. If OP’s business is suffering because of this inconsistent supply, ranting or even low level negotiations are unlikely to bear fruit. There are other Filament Brands who are better/faster/cheaper out there they could jump ship to. The longer they resist change over, the more frustrating it will be and for the sake of six months “membership”?
BL filament quality is great, the rfid tags are convenient, the AMS compatibility is ok. For a regular user it’s not a bad deal while the discount is maxed out. But once the deal expires I don’t understand the big deal in shopping around.
I disagree with the “sh!t happens” type of replies. When you purchase a membership like this it is sort of implied that they will have the items in stock for you. Now, if something goes out of stock occasionally I am sure we can all understand that. But month after month we find tons of their normal PLA colors out of stock and it seems a little ridiculous.
I also agree that only 8 discounted roles is a little stingy. I’d prefer something like a 20% discount on all filaments over a 40% discount (or whatever it is) on 8 spools. Not a complaint there, just a thought.
I placed a $500+ order of PLA last night and several are still out of stock as they always are. On a positive note the site DID say “will ship tomorrow” and today I woke up to tracking numbers. So maybe things are turning around? Hey, I’m trying to be positive here!
Yes I agree and also the Membership discount is not working for me this month and it is only month 2 as i ordered my Printer in January. I even follow the link through my account and click on memberships then buy filament. nothing when i add to my cart. No reply from support on the matter either. I am also in Canada
@GenericUser: the problem isn’t that there are solutions to work around BL filament shortage.
The problem is that you buy an advertised service and you can’t get it. As soon as the membership is included in the price you pay for the printer, then the filament membership becomes a part of the sale.
I don’t call ‘ranting’ asking to benefit from what has been sold to me.
However I really appreciate BL products.
Extending the membership a few months would not solve the shortage but make it more acceptable.
Welcome to the forum.
The discount won’t show until you are about to check out. Make sure you also have the correct discountable filament in your cart (PLA Basic/Matte, ABS, PETG) and on the .CA store. You also so have to have 2 or more spools in your cart.