Why the Fear Over Buying Used DVDs? (1 Viewer)

[Larry Talbot]

I see this crop up here from time to time and it was just mentioned in another thread I started, and it puzzles me.

Having maybe purchased roughly half my 100+ collection of DVDs used, I don't understand the negative reaction some people have to buying used. Is it because you got burned with some bad discs?

Of all the discs I've bought, only one was bad. Memento Special Edition had a really off color scheme with very washed out scenes and purplish skin tones. Fortunately I already owned the regular edition and had a pretty good idea this was NOT how the disc was supposed to look. Close inspection of the disc revealed a myriad of tiny criss-crossed scratches in one area. It almost looked like someone had deliberately taken a pin and scratched up the disc.

I bought it from The Warehouse and was innitially afraid they wouldn't give me my money back ("I don't see anything wrong with it: the picture looks fine,") because after all it didn't skip or break up or anything. But they did give me my money back and said they had occasionally seen this before.

Anyway, the point is, that was my ONE bad experience vs. maybe FIFTY good experiences that saved me a ton of money...

So do the rest of you know something I don't? What's the supposed drawback to buying used?

 

[MartinTeller]

No fear at all. I've bought hundreds of used discs and only had 2 or 3 bad ones, for which I was easily able to obtain a refund.

 

[Brian W.]

I don't know. I have bought a couple used titles and, well, I just don't like them sitting next to my new ones. Totally irrational, I know, and I have no problem with used CDs -- own tons of them. But for some reason I want my DVDs to be new. The used ones seem... dirty.

 

[Larry Talbot]

You're joking, right? That's what the laughing smile face indicates, yes? "Dirty DVDs?"

 

[Jason Hughes]

I hate the fact that a lot of places (namely Blockbuster) don't give you the booklet or insert that may have come with the DVD originally. Granted a lot of new releases don't have these any more, but still...

 

[Larry Talbot]

Well, I hate to sound contrarian, but (I am contrarian) that's another thing I don't get: the insert. On the DVDs I own it is usually just a card with the same image as the DVD cover and maybe a few chapter listings...why would you care about owning that? An actual booklet, with more detailed information (like the kind that comes with some CDs,) that I could maybe understand...

 

[MarkHastings]

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[Larry Talbot]

"I know, I'm being anal, but I just don't trust anyone enough to know that they treated the DVD (or CD) with the best of care."

Here's my question for you then: Is this strictly a psychological thing? You just don't like the idea that someone owned the DVD before you? Or does it have some physical manifestation in reality? Meaning do you notice any decrease in picture/sound quality with used DVDs?

 

[MarkHastings]

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[Casey Trowbridg]

If a brand new copy of a film on DVD was sitting right next to a used copy of the same DVD, I'm almost always going to buy the new one. Part of the fun is opening the DVD for the first time.

However, I have bought a few used DVDs in the time I've been collecting. So far, I've had no problems with any of the ones I bought. I am also more likely to buy a used DVD of a movie I haven't seen before, for instance the last used DVD I bought was Spider-Man and I hadn't seen that one yet. If its a movie I have seen before, 95 percent of the time, I'll buy it new.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don't mind buying used DVDs from reliable sources (like HTF members, or any store that offers a money-back guarantee with no questions asked), nor do I mind trading with reliable people (like HTF members).

Though I've had to return a couple new DVDs because of defects, I've never had a problem with a used DVD. Granted, I don't have that many, and those I've gotten I've bought where I knew I was covered by warranty if there was a problem.

The problem I've found with used DVDs is that it's often hard to find them in a B&M store at a decent price - like at Blockbuster, for instance, I remember wanting to buy Catch Me If You Can, and I saw it new for $20, and I figured they'd have a used copy that I could save some money on - the used disc was $14.99. Big deal. In those cases, I'll stick with the new disc. But when you can get DVDs that go for $20 or $25 for $5 to $10, that's worth looking at.

 

[Brian W.]

Is this strictly a psychological thing? You just don't like the idea that someone owned the DVD before you?

Yes. But also, it seems like the artwork is never in as nice condition on the used DVDs... the plastic on the case dulls, etc. It's just not as "shiny" when it's used. But, again, I don't know why I feel that way about DVDs and not CDs. (But I know people who will not buy used CDs, either.)

It's the same reason I usually won't take the front item off the shelf in the grocery store... a whole bunch of people might have picked it up, looked at it, carried it around, put it back. I don't want something a million people have touched. I take the second or third one back because they just seem newer and cleaner. And, no, I'm not joking.

I know it's completely irrational, but oh, well. It's not like I wear a surgical mask over my face when I go out in public or refuse to shake people's hands.

When I put the laughing face next to "it seems dirty" before, that didn't mean I was joking, it meant I was laughing at how ridiculous I am.

Now, if it's a DVD that I just can't get new, like a screener or something, then, no, I don't care if it's used.

 

[Larry Talbot]

"I take the second or third one back because they just seem newer and cleaner."

I guess I can understand this part at least. When I buy a paper, I almost always buy the copy UNDER the top copy, because, I guess, like you said, it seems "newer" or less exposed somehow, even though there's really no difference between it and the top copy, which was - after all - the copy UNDER the top copy just a little while ago.
But would I do that if the "newer" copy cost three or four times as much as the top copy? Nope.

 

[Todd Robertson]

1,300 titles....and not one bought used. I might...MIGHT consider used if it's a title I cant live without and it's oop. I'm sure soiled dvds are fine. new dvds are just as prone to problems as used ones....so it's a personal choice. I only invest expendable tips into my film library....which is fed a steady stream of snacks. new snacks....not previously chewed ones.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Used keepcases are usually in good shape. Snappers on the other hand...

 

[Nicholas Vargo]

I have 145 DVDs in my collection as of this post, and I'll tell you now, about a little less than half of them I bought used, and only 2 of them were bad. "Snow Day" was one movie that I liked that I bought from The Wherehouse about a month ago. The disc was scratched, but I didn't read into it until I started watching it, and it was skipping all over the place. This was a shock because The Wherehouse is known for their thorough checks on CDs and DVDs. They completely didn't look. I've made a plan that once I can buy a brand new copy of that movie that I will take the original copy and throw it out, case and all. The only other title I bought, but didn't skip as bad, was the special edition of "Die Hard 2: Die Harder." It only skipped on part of one chapter (Chapter 11 I think), but I don't think I'll replace it though because it's only a minor glitch. I can't return any of these two title back to The Wherehouse now because it is now going out of business, and I'm now buying everything I can with what money I've got. By mid-December, The Wherehouse that I've been going to for six years will be gone, and DVD buying will not be as normal for me.

For those of you who wonder why I shopped there in the first place was because it was in walking distance from where I lived, and the employees were always friendly. About 3/4 of my collection was bought in that store; take that into consideration and you'll see that I prefered to shop there, even though their prices weren't so hot, I payed them, and to this day, I have no regrets about paying a little much.

 

[Mitch Stevens]

Oh my!

I have never nor will ever buy used DVDs. I absolutely hate scratches (even tiny ones that you need a microscope to see) or fingerprints.

It's bad enough that when you buy a multi-disc set like Buffy or Angel, most of the discs come with lots of little scratches (and they are purchased BRAND NEW from Best Buy or Walmart) it would be a lot worse if other people handled the DVDs before they get to your hands.

 

[Greg Black]

Jeez, Todd. I look at your DVD collection and I see just about every movie I have... plus almost 1,000 more. I'm humbled.

 

[Jim_K]

I've never bought a used DVD & I probably never will.

There's just something unwholesome about it.

I've had rentals with scratches, greasy fingerprints & sometimes it looked like someone blew their nose on it.

Just the thought of buying a used DVD & I feel compelled to go take a very hot shower with a wire brush.

 

[Nick T Robot]

1,300 titles....

Holy