M. F. Evans wrote in message <01bd5306$21a1c140$799370d1@humpy>...

>I know there's a short supply of miniDV cassettes. Any suggestions for a
>supplier that carries Sony or the others?
>tapes.


Gee, funny you should ask...;-) Recently, after not receiving Sony
DVM60EX tape from Audio Video Data Media that had been ordered in
early December (having heard people were having trouble getting
it...), I called many dealers a few weeks ago (including some
suggested here...) to no avail. I even called Sony without results.
I then wrote a friend in Japan to see if I could buy the Sony EX there.
Nope. I was about to decide on how much of the Sony "PR" tape to buy
instead, when the 'phone rang, and AVD informed me that they could
ship 29 of the 30 (then 10 more in January) I had ordered, so I said
"YES!", and ordered 50 more (expecting them to take another 6-8
months to be supplied...). Figuring that since AVD had received some
of their tape, and that maybe others had also received some, I called
B&H, who informed me that yes, it had just arrived, but that orders
were being limited to 5 tapes (though I could place multiple orders
and pay the shipping and COD on each, if I wanted...). I placed two
orders, but had the second transfered to the photo supply area for more
items. There they let me up the one order to 20 tapes (54, so far...;-).
Later in the day I tried Camera World of Oregon, who just asked how
many I wanted (with a price break at 10 pieces!), so I ordered 30 more.
I figured that 84 tapes would be fine for a while, especially when
added to the 15 or so I had left (mixed "EX" and "PR" 60's), and my
finances were a tad pinched from all this - when I got a call from
AVD telling me they had just shipped me 61 more!!! (They usually call
me before shipping...) So this morning I accepted 11 more, and refused
50 (normally I wouldn't refuse an order, but they said it was OK with
them...). So, I could sell 10, and AVD should soon have 50 on hand.
BTW, AVD's number is 1-800-422-8866, and they are nice folks to deal
with, too. Also BTW, all 95 tapes I bought, from three different
sources (plus one at a later time) had the same batch number...