What's up with DVD pricing??

justpolkme

Does anyone know how the powers that be come up with their pricing schemes for DVDs? Is is totally based on popularity of the flick, on additional material/deleted scenes, format or what? You can get Terminator 1 at a reasonable price but T2 is still at 35 bucks in my location. Any thoughts?

juice21

if you are talking about t2-ultimate edition, that is so pricey because of all the extras that go into it. most criterion collections are also more expensive than the regular realease of the same film. it seems that the more that goes into making a dvd, the more goes into their poscket when it comes out on shelves. each company also has their own pricing considerations too, almost too many different variables to put a solid 'guide' to, but the extras and options definitely do add, especially if it's a duplicate version of the same release in a less glofified dvd. ie., t2-ultimate, any criterion collection, disney's colectors series 2-discs...

hope that helps some, not really great, but just my thoughts...

Micah Cohen

You're looking in the wrong places, that's what's wrong.

Try your local used CD store -- they'll have cheap used DVDs, too, most likely. Mine does, for as low as $10. (And I mean serious double disc sets -- like I just saw "Close Encounters" for $10!)

Also, try http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/

Free shipping makes the difference, and their prices are very good to start with.

Never ever pay retail.

MC

johnnyamerika

Originally posted by Micah

Never ever pay retail.

MC

true that!

trubluluc

....some photos of the used cd store owner in a compromising position.

Used dvd's here at tower, rasputin, etc. are seldom under $15. and usually $19.

-luc

Micah Cohen

Why buy retail at Tower "the most expensive record store around" Records?

Search out a used place, every semi-large town has one.

Or, go online.

Never pay $19 for a DVD. You know it costs em like less than a buck to duplicate these things? Add a buck for packaging (cause they're not paying their design talent much, you actually read a DVD box lately?), and you're still giving the movie studios way too much profit.

Buy cheap, you won't hate yourself in the morning.

MC

johnnyamerika

Well, actually, I work in a 'similar' field by comparison.. software. Sure it only costs us about $2.50 in raw materials per unit, but on a typical 19.99 product we sell in at 12.50. So that's 10 dollars left to us. Distribution and sales cost about a dollar. Then we of course pay a licensing fee to the development team/studio, usually about 2 dollars a unit. There's also advertising, artwork, promotion, and man hours. What we're actually left with after everything is a profit margin of anywhere from 2.50 - 5 dollars. That also usually means we have to sell through a substantial number of units just to break even. Large movie publishers may not have a huge problem with that, but consitering all the 'hands' in the pot, and how large of a production it is just to release a piece of software like a DVD or game, you really aren't left with much room to play around with costs. For my own buck, I find it expensive as well....but that's what it takes to get a product to market!

john

Micah Cohen

I'm not remoaning their profit. That's fine. If profit helps hollywood crank out meanful, life-affirming films like JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS, then more power to em.

I just want to save money. Never pay retail.

MC

johnnyamerika

Originally posted by Micah
If profit helps hollywood crank out meanful, life-affirming films like JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS, then more power to em.
MC

Don't forget SAVING SILVERMAN.

juice21

columbiahouse's dvd club, averages out to only around $10 per disc too! great way to get the more expensive discs...:D

hoosier21

I just want to save money. Never pay retail."

"Search out a used place, every semi-large town has one. "

" Or, go online. " MC

So should I buy my Polks from Circuit City or Brandnamez.com?

Russ

Micah Cohen

Touche.

Depends. You want service from your investment, or are you buying inexpensive software that can be replaced?

Hmmm.

I'm not saying STEAL DVDs. I'm saying buy them used. You can buy Polks used.

I have a head full of boogers today. Oh, here's one now!

Yum!

MC

AllenLongcor

WEll the first place I would recommend going is to Best Buy. I find that they are the only retail store I will go looking for DVD's. They usually have the best prices of anywhere in town (Fresno). I bout T2 Ultimate edition for $20 there. I also found many $10 DVD's like Space Balls, Resevoir Dogs, Pi, and some others I forget. The big name movies usually go at about $20 but there are plenty out there well under that price.

If you want the absolute lowest price then download dvdprofiler. It's a free program (unless you want to pay for high quality cover scans) that will catalogue your DVD's and has a price search feature. You can create a want list, use the price search feature, and it will search about 15 online retailers with their prices and it will highlight the cheapest one. I had eXistenZ shipped to me for around $13. Not too shabby. Hope this helps.

justpolkme

thanks for all the tips...

i saw that thread where you were all listing the # of dvds in your collections and i was thinkin either you guys are all crazy or have harnessed the power of discount pricing

trubluluc

Justpolkme-

Crazy? possibly
Cheap? definitely

-luc

Billm57

go to www.dvdpricesearch.com..they will give you a run down of most etailers prices..Best Buy is good on some..bad on others..like everything else you have to shop around..I would stay away from Tower & Suncoast..Join a forum such as DVDtalk.com..members post bargains on there all the time