Previously Viewed...Why Not? (1 Viewer)

[JeffPh]

I just checked out the new video store in my neighborhood, and was blown away by their selection of pre-viewed DVDs. They had a ton of titles I wanted, and they are all two for $20.

So the burning question is...Why should I not buy used DVDs?

I bought two just to see what I'd get, and here's the lowdown, They come in original box, 1 small sticker on front of box that is easily removed. The store offers 90 day return policy. The little booklet is missing from inside cover.

Are there any good reasons not to buy these things? I did a search and didn't find much, but was still wondering if there are things I need to be aware of before going and dropping 2 Bens on DVDs. Do these rentals have previews, while new ones would not?

 

[Dan Rudolph]

So long as it's guaranteed and they have the original box, go for it.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Be selective and ask if you can check the disc before buying.

I purchased used discs of the DVD-18 Terminator 2: Ultimate Edition and Shadow of the Vampire for $10 each. I got Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (which I ended up not liking...) for $6.

Unless it's a rare or out of print title, don't pay more than you want.

 

[Charles J P]

The last 10-15 DVDs I've bought were PV. I've never had a problem with a PV but I always buy from places that let you examine the disc before you buy. Even if they have a return policy, I'd like to know before I get it home and have to bring it back.

 

[Adam Brandner]

I've bought almost half of my collection used. There is a local store in my area (Cincinnati) that sells used DVDs that NEVER have a scratch on them. Just make sure that the store you buy from is picky about what they buy/sell.

A few tips:

1) Since this is a rental store, take the time to look at every disk you buy. People who rent them never take proper care of the disks.

2) If you care about having special editions, make sure that you know what is about to be released. For example, you wouldn't have wanted to buy The Usual Suspects last year only to find out that a better version was around the corner at the time.

3) If you buy something that is missing its insert, try dvdcoverart.com. You can download and print out a new copy if you have a decent printer.

4) Again, always know what's coming out. I try to jot down specific release dates when I see them, and then I show up at Best Buy the week a disk I wnat is released. They almost always have new titles on sale the first week, and as long as I can get something new for 3/4 of it's normal price, I usually jump on it. Important to note is that Best Buy usually has a really good sale on Tues, Wed, & Thur, and then ups the price a few dollars on Fri or Sat, which means that the weekend shoppers don't save as much on their sale as the weekday shoppers do.

I just graduated from college, and I worked part time and only made about 10 grand a year. Still, by purchasing everything new or on the date of release, I managed to obtain 300+ DVDs in the last few years without putting myself in the poor house. It's also more fun this way I think, because you never know what a good used store is going to have when you walk inside. One time I found the 3 disk Criterion verision of Brazil for $22! That was a hot deal...

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Why not? Because they're USED! Someone else has opened them and touched them!! You don't know where they've been! They may have come from an abusive environment! They're impure!!!

 

[Bryan]

"They're impure!!!"

That's great! Other than that and making sure they are not damaged, I can't think of why you shouldn't get them. I have a couple and had no issues at all.

 

[Sean Campbell]

I've bought several used DVDs and never had a problem. My favourite purchase was an ex rental copy of ET - it came in a keep case as opposed to the cardboard packaging for the retail edition. It was in perfect condition too

 

[Frank_Ber]

I usually wear gloves to handle the PV DVDs that I buy and sterilize the PV movies before watching them. Joking..

My sister mostly buys her DVD PV and most are so new, no scrathes at all. After watching her and inspecting the DVDs she bought, I started to buy my DVDs previously viewed too. I still buy new DVDs though, like superbit versions of some DVDs that I don't have.

 

[Paul>Wh]

One thing to look at that I noticed was that when you buy PVs from Blockbuster is that you do not usually get the original case, but the case that it was used for renting with the movie sleeve placed in it. The only differences I noticed was that the inner stuff is not there and I don't like their cases. Also, some of them have the annoying anti theft black stickers on the disk themselves. They are easy enough to get rid of though and other than that I have had no problems myself. Hope this helps everyone.
Paul

 

[Michael St. Clair]

My collection consists of 90% previously viewed movies. Most of them were previously viewed by me. As long as I can check for scratches and damange, why would I automatically write off all previously viewed DVDs. Many people who sell DVDs take as good of care of them as we do.

 

[Qui-Gon John]

Because you can get many of the same titles new, for less money, via Columbia House, deals as low as 6.80 or 7.16 per DVD. Enroll-Fulfill-Cancel-Repeat!

 

[Olly Dean]

There's no problem with pre-viewed DVDs as long as you get the original packaging, a guarantee, and can check the disc before you buy. I tend to avoid them because here our rental DVDs are bare bones to encourage you to buy, but you still get the odd bargain.

 

[Brent Hutto]

I've bought a couple of them. As long as you have a return guarantee it should be no big deal. The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon we bought used wasn't pristine but seemed to play OK so I didn't return it. Weeks or months later, we were watching some of the special features and it turns out there's a bad spot (scratch or something that won't clean off) on one of the interviews. A couple minutes of that feature are not viewable. Too late to return it, so I used it as an excuse to buy the Superbit edition. Kind of soured me on previewed a bit.

The main thing is, it needs to be cheap enough to make sense. I'm not sure I'd pay $10 for a DVD in non-original packaging and perhaps less-than-perfect condition if I could buy a new copy for under $20. OTOH, a clean-looking used one for $10 on a title that costs $22.99 or something is a great deal.

 

[Jerome Grate]

I made some great purchases from PVs. I like to catch the sales at BBs, sometimes you can get a PV for as little as six bucks based on what sale they are running. BB also guarantees them. If something's wrong, bring it back and they will replace them.

 

[ChuckDeLa]

I've bought hundreds of used DVDs. Two were bad. In both cases, I was easily able to return them for a full refund.

There's no reason not to buy PV unless you are totally uptight.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I hit the used stores all the time... most of them have a defective return policy (keep the receipt!)

My only complaint is you'll find a lot of DVD's that someone has apparently unloaded because there is a special edition available. (IE: Stargate), So you have to be careful not to get bagged with one of those.

 

[James E]

Might be a good idea to have a cheep player on hand for used disks so the PV daemons can't posses your good dvd player

james

 

[Craig S]

Nothing wrong with PV, but make sure you're up on the latest price reductions (Dave Lambert's Weekly Update is a good place to start). 2 for $20 is not a great deal for many MGM, Fox, & Warner releases which have been reduced and are easily available new for $10 (or less) apiece.

For example, you wouldn't want to buy PV copies of Inventing The Abbotts & Grand Canyon for $20, because both can be found in the Wal-Mart $5.88 bin!!

 

[JeffPh]

Here is a list of some of the titles that I found for 2/$20.

• Attack of the Clones (widescreen)
• Bourne Identity SE
• Ice Age
• Training Day

Just to name a few. These aren't old or obscure titles, they are some of the best movies that have come out in the last year or two. They come in original boxes. They are shrink wrapped, so I can't look at the disk before I buy...but with a 90 day return policy, and being only a few miles away, any returns would not be that inconvenient.