Best price for Friends - The Complete 3rd Season? (1 Viewer)

[Peter Kim]

Doing a quick search on dvdpricesearch.com reveals that Overstock.com currently lists a preorder price of $20.69 ($22.09 w/USPS Media Mail shipping - time of delivery, 2 days to 3 weeks).

Bestbuy.com currently lists this box set for $29.99, which indicates this will also be the in-store price upon release next week.

So, Overstock.com appears to offer the best deal. Question is whether overstock.com is reputable. Can anyone offer experiences with this etailer?

EDIT: Prices have been changed to reflect the addition of 10% off coupon, which is linked further down in this thread.

 

[Carlo_M]

I have good luck w/ Overstock, but I've only ordered 4 times in the last year from them. But always timely delivery (considering media mail which is the slowest anyway, that's usually due to the Post Office and not Overstock) and never had a problem.

 

[Eric Walsh]

Peter there is a 10% off coupon floating around for overstock also. Check over at DVDTalk. I am going to order from Overstock for the first time on this set. I hope it works out in a timely fashion and if not there is always Dawson's Creek.

-Eric

 

[Peter Kim]

Many thanks for the reassurance, Carlo. Based on your positive experience, I've placed an order through overstock.com.

Even better, I was able to find a coupon for 10% off purchases:

10% off at overstock.com

So, the deal got better - $20.69 for the box set, or $22.09 final, with shipping.

To think that I paid ~$50 for season 1 a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Peter Kim]

Didn't see your post, Eric...thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, at this price, the risk is worth taking.

 

[DanC]

Thanks for the heads up guys...just ordered it myself.

 

[Peter Kim]

Also found the following at Amazon.com (deal doesn't appear to be exclusive to Amazon, found in all Season 3 sets):

Get $10.00 Back by Mail-In Rebate When You Buy Friends: The Complete Third Season

When you buy Friends: The Complete Third Season DVD boxed set and either the first or second season DVD boxed sets, you'll get $10.00 back by mail-in rebate. Find the mail-in coupon inside the third season boxed set.

Restrictions apply. Offer expires August 1, 2003. Not valid on DVDs shipped before March 25, 2003 or in combination with any other offer. All requests must be received by August 15, 2003. Limit one per individual, household, group, or address; the right is reserved to confirm identity. Offer good in the U.S. and Canada.

 

[Carlo_M]

I don't think that 10% Best buy coupon is good on April 1, I think it's this coming weekend and Friends S3 isn't out by then...

 

[Eric Walsh]

No the 10% off is for Overstock........not Best Buy. Unless I am the one who is confused.

-Eric

 

[Peter Kim]

The 10% off coupon is for Overstock.com...it is automatically applied once you click on the link.

 

[Eric Walsh]

When I placed my order I noticed that the VHS copy is more expensive than the DVD version. I sure hope the $22 price on the DVD version is not a mistake or they switched the two versions somehow and we all end up with the VHS version instead. I guess we will just wait and see at this point. It is still way too good of a price not to take the risk.

-Eric

 

[Carlo_M]

Nope, I was the one confused. I read too quickly right after Best Buy emailed me a 10% off coupon, so I confuzzled the two things.

Please return to your normally scheduled programming!

 

[Peter Kim]

Noticed the same, Eric. But in my (and I presume yours too) email order confirmation, it clearly states that the order is for Friends - The Complete Third Season (DVD).

So, if there is any trouble, we can confront them with their own invoice or file a dispute with the credit card company.

 

[David Lambert]

Bestbuy.com currently lists this box set for $29.99, which indicates this will also be the in-store price upon release next week.

Looks like y'all are pretty much talking about the Overstock.com deal by now, but the answer to the Best Buy question is in this post.

 

[Carlo_M]

Haven't had a pricing error w/ Overstock before, so I think the price is accurate. Also, remember that in the infancy of DVD, with few manufacturing and authoring facilities, cost of making DVDs were higher. I think now with the process and costs down, it actually is cheaper to produce DVDs than VHS (it definitely is materials-wise, but you do have to factor in authoring). Plus, DVD is now selling more than VHS so it makes sense that the DVD would/should cost less. Many B&Ms carry few if any VHS nowadays...

 

[Carlo_M]

Well I just took the plunge. I purchased Friends S3 and Red Dragon 2 disc version for $50 w/ shipping. I saved $12 from what would have been my in-store price at Best Buy including tax, and since neither are what I would call "immediate viewing required" I can wait the extra week it'll take overstock to get it to me.

The Beatles Anthology, on the other hand, will be mine on street date at Best Buy!

 

[Peter Kim]

Overstock has raised the price of Season 3 to $31.99 (without shipping). Short lived deal...or overstock quickly went to low or no stock.

Changes must be in store at Bestbuy.com - the 1st and 2nd seasons show a SRP of $39.98, yet the price listed (and once placed in cart) is $59.99.

I've got to guess that Best Buy will do some promotional pricing on Seasons 1&2 (perhaps $29.99?), plus the promotion for buying Season 3 along with either Season 1 or 2.

So, for those that missed out on the Overstock deal, I'd anticipate a pretty good bundle deal at Best Buy next week.

 

[Peter Kim]

again to Carlo...Overstock just notified me that they shipped Season 3 yesterday, the 28th. Or several days earlier than when they stated they would.

So, I might just see this box set at the end of next week.

 

[Eric Walsh]

Same here....shipped late Friday evening (the 28th)! And to top if off you can track your order through USPS. So far seems like a great company and an excellent deal.

-Eric

 

[Carlo_M]

Just want to warn you guys, though, Overstock does ship USPS Media Mail, so depending on where it was shipped from, it can (and mine often does) take 5-10 working days to get to you. And that's because of USPS! I had one shipment that arrived in downtown Los Angeles and sat in a USPS office for 4 days!!! before being shipped to me in West L.A.

So Overstock does a good job of shipping on time, but man that USPS does take its time...