Price of New TV on DVD (1 Viewer)

[Joe*A]

I know most of you on this thread are probably going to blast me for this but I actually cancelled my order with Amazon for Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 6. Not because I don't love the old Warner Bros. cartoon but because of the price of the unit. Amazon is selling it up here in Canada for $56 (over $63 after tax). The problem I had with this price is that I just went to a Costco where all volumes 1 - 5 are selling for $24, less the half the price.

Considering that I purchase tons of TV on DVD and I haven't even touched volume 4 of the Golden Collection series, I figured I have time to wait until the price shoots down to a more reasonable price.

The question or observation I have is "does price make a difference?" Are there other factors invovled other than price. For instance, I've been waiting for Night Gallery 2 to come out for 4 years. I watched the 1st season probably as soon as I bought it (and I did the same for the 1st Golden Collection, btw). I can't wait until Season 2 is released and will probably buy it immediately regardless of the price or will I? Will I wait until this unit also drops in price, as they all do?

What are your thoughts? Anyone else share the same thoughts?

The problem I have with my changed purchasing pattern is that it may impact the release of future titles or volumes because Warner will not open it's price at $24 for a new release. They'll lose money on the title (I think?). When I first started buying these shows, I was forking out $100 for titles like Twilight Zone. And since then, prices have been dropping. I really hate when I walk into a store and see a title I bought a year or 2 ago selling for a fraction of what I paid for. Especially, since I haven't even had time to watch the show yet. It made me think of how much to pay for my next purchase.

Peace
Joe

 

[Ockeghem]

Joe,

For me, there are other factors. Price isn't as much a consideration as is expediency. Your post caught my eye, though, because this past week, I too canceled an order with Amazon.com--the first time I have ever done so. But I did it because their shipment date changed by about a week to ten days. Usually, they are very quick. But something seems to be holding them up lately, at least for delivery to my neck of the woods. I thought it might be because we ordered multiple formats, but I scratched that, since we ordered only DVDs this time around.

 

[Tory]

Looney Tunes Golden Collection is one of those things that really needs your support, Jerry Beck says so and his word is the gospel, but I do think you could probably find a better deal for it if you shopped around.

 

[David Lambert]

As the DVD industry has matured, it began copying the book industry's habits.

What are those? Well, my first-ever full-time job was with B. Dalton Bookseller (for those of you who don't know the name, it's a book chain that is owned by Barnes & Noble these days; I think some locations are still around with the old name, but many of them were changed to B&N, or Bookstop, or one of the other names that the organization owns).

I quickly noticed that the bargain table(s) in the store I worked at had a couple of hardcover books on it for $5 that I had paid $15-$20-ish for when they first came out a year or two earlier (some fantasy series continuations that I loved and couldn't wait for the latest installment).

My manager explained to me how it worked (and this is pretty common knowldege these days, of course): a hardback comes out, and almost exactly a year later the mass market paperback version comes out. About six months after that the hardback gets marked down to roughly half price, then six months later it usually goes to the clearance table for $5-ish. So, two years after release, it's el cheapo.

Now, I've noticed that these days the pattern generally holds, but there are different amounts of time involved. Since I'm long out of the retail book biz, I don't know what the exact deal is, but I see some hardbacks get a paperback in 6 months, but others take 18. And the timetable and pricing for markdowns is similarly a bit different. Also, it seems that there are smaller runs of hardbacks these days, so there's less product to clear out at low low prices. But generally speaking, the concept is still around.

And now DVDs do it, too, in their own fashion. I always looked to find that pattern for CDs and videogames, but those industries seem to handle the whole thing differently. Anyway, yeah...if you can wait a couple of years, you'll often get your book or DVD release cheaper. And it may not take that long. The question is, can you wait? And if the price DOESN'T go down (and for many products it won't; no telling why not!), then won't you be kicking yourself for having waiting that long for nothing?

 

[John*Wells]

Dave

The Scenario you are talking about is exactly why I finally just sucked it up and bought all the Star Trek Series'. The price came down for some and not others. On top of that, I was afraid Paramount would pull them from production becaause when I bought TOS I looked at the back of each season set packaging and it said to the effect of available while supplies last

I dont remember exactly what the wording was because I dont have them with me here in Tampa yet (the product of a move and they are in storage in SC at my parents' house LOL)

I buy everything at its initial release because of that. I mean Now if I go into a best Buy or some other place, Silk Stalkings Seasons 1-5 for example are nowhere to be found so I wonder if Anchor Bay stopping producing them. I bought each of them at initial release I'd like the other three seasons to complete it but We all know thats a small to nil chance

 

[nikkif99uk]

I live in the UK so I try and buy R1 dvds when they cost less than £18.00 or $34 because customs charges like an extra $20 to pick it up but thats the only reason I wait for them to get cheaper

 

[Joe*A]

Tory: "Looney Tunes Golden Collection is one of those things that really needs your support, Jerry Beck says so and his word is the gospel, but I do think you could probably find a better deal for it if you shopped around."

Tory, you're absolutely right on this one. I've been supporting "the cause" for so long now and my observations were intended to see if others feel the way I do. I'll end up buying volume 6 sooner rather than later just because these are absolutely great and have never been duplicated by any other animator.

David Lambert: "The question is, can you wait? And if the price DOESN'T go down (and for many products it won't; no telling why not!), then won't you be kicking yourself for having waiting that long for nothing?

David, for some titles, you're absolutely right - there are those that for some reason just don't come down. I've been waiting to finish off my collection of Sponge Bob (I'm an animation kook) for so long now and Seasons 4 and 5 just don't go down in price. Also, thanks for your perspective on the book industry - it seems consistent.

Like most of you, I presume, there are those titles that you'd spend almost anything for and there are others that you could wait. I wonder if a good thread would be: What DVDs could you wait for bargain prices and what DVDs are a must have at full price. Wonder if it's been done.

Take care
Joe

 

[Rick Thompson]

My advice: Don't get wound up by prices you've seen after you bought it. I never look at the price of something I already have.

The question is, do you enjoy the show? Was the DVD set a well-produced product?

If it's something that I enjoy or, something that does what it's advertised to do, it's worth every penny no matter what I paid for it. If I don't like it, or it doesn't do the job, if I paid a dime then I paid too much.

 

[RichieMagoo]

Depemds on the show:

My absolute just-got-to-have-it favorites, like All In The Family and The Odd Couple, I buy on pre-order. I don't want to wait....I just want it as soon as it's released.

My 2nd-tier shows (Shows I really like and want...but which I do not have to have today), I simply wait for them to come on sale. If they are new releases, my wait may be long...but it's worth it for a hefty discount. I'm currently waiting for Seinfeld- The Complete Series to go on sale...and may have to wait for the fall or winter for it.

3rd-tier shows: Shows that I may not have seen in 30 years, and remember liking, but am not sure how I'll like them now. Or shows that I was not a huge fan of at the time, but now seem like they may have possibility- These I wait for either a huge sale on, or buy used. I generally like to get a good enough deal on them, so that I can re-sell them after watching them for close to what I paid for them- and use the proceeds to buy other shows.

Overall though, I am so disgusted by all the stalled series, that I have greatly curtailed my purchases. And I no longer buy recently-released first seasons. I wait and see if they are going to release subsequent seasons and if so, in a timely fashion.

 

[Joe*A]

You're so right, I have curtailed my purchases to see what happens next for a lot of series (more of your 2nd-tiered shows) but for the must haves, I just go for it and haven't stopped since. Until now.

And again, the reason for waiting for the sale is simply because I have so many DVD seasons still in their original cellophane that I'd might as well wait.

This thread seems to be evolving into multiple themes. Based on my last remark, how many of you people still have plenty of DVD seasons UNWATCHED?

 

[Tim Tucker]

*raises hand*

Tons of stuff. Off the top of my head... Buffy, Angel, X-Files, Babylon 5, Smallville, The Fugitive, Gomer Pyle, Brisco County, Mary Tyler Moore, Odd Couple, Bob Newhart, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Banacek, Hawaii Five-0, Adam Adamant Lives, Star Cops, Dangerous Assignment, Suspense, etc. etc. etc.

One reason why I'm in no hurry to pick up new releases.

Concerning prices, one of my rules of thumb is if a set works out to be $7 or less per disc, then it's a good buy.

 

[Regulus]

I usually do no purchase DVD Sets when they first come out. If you have the patience to wait awhile you often find that the price drops CONSIDERABLY.

Case in Point: Each year the latest Season of Smallville comes out with a Price Tag of $45-60, However a year later that season (and its Predecessers) are usually available for $15 to $20!

 

[Joe*A]

I'm not alone. I look at my collection and sigh because I'm not sure if I'll ever get thru them all in this lifetime. But then again, I'm still of the opinion that these DVD sets or movies, for that matter, are partially purchased as a souvenir of having watched such a treasured show. And if you actually watch it - bonus.

Regulus, I couldn't agree with you more. My ceiling on DVD seasons is more like $30 (give or take a buck or two). I figure at that price, how much could it actually go down? $20? Well, in that case, I'm out $10 bucks - big deal. It's those Sopranos sets that retail for $80!!! The price difference could be staggering after discount.

 

[RichieMagoo]

Not me! I don't have a one! As long as I have enough discs to watch at the moment, I won't buy new ones unless there is a sale that is just too good to pass up.

One thing that would bother me about having a stock-pile of unwatched sets, is that it is not all that uncommon for there to be a defective disc in a set- what happens if you don't discover it until long after the warranty period is up? You'd either have to live with it...or buy a whole new set! I consciously avoid being in that position for that reason.

I remember when I purchased the complete Little House On The Prairie series -I got at least 4 seasons that had at least one (if not two) defective discs in them....had I sat on the show and not watched it right away...I would have been up the creek...big time.

 

[Joe*A]

I so know what you mean. I finally cracked open volume 4 of Looney Tunes and as I was opening I hoped that there were no defects in the set. I watched disc 1 yesterday and all is well but who knows for the rest. I am taking a chance but I figure that these sets are so low in price right now, I'd probably dip again or live with it and wait for the next generation of DVD format to re-purchase it.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Good questions brought up in this thread.

I checked my TV/DVD list and found, to my surprise, that I only have 1 un-watched TV/DVD set not including miniseries'. I have many "in-progress" series with remaining season releases un-watched.

As far as the defect/return time window, I understand the concern there but I decided a few years ago when I started collecting TV/DVD, to watch my collection at my pace instead of completing one or a few sets. I've had to return a few defective sets for exchage but Amazon has never refused an exchange for me, regardless of the elapsed purchase time. That is one reason that I prefer Amazon to most other online stores. Plus, I really like their return-shipping setup vs some of the other stores.

As for TV/DVD prices, that's a tougher one as mentioned here previously. I have changed the way that I buy TV/DVD over the past year. I find myself waiting for more sales, etc, vs buying upon release. The $$'s savings is usually big enough for me to wait for online sales. That said....

have 3-4 shows where I'll buy at release, "Rawhide", "Mannix", "Bewitched", and a couple that if they get releases in Region-1, I'd get them the same day...."Bionic Woman" & "Six Million Dollar Man".

Richie, I like your categorized buying setup. I somewhat follow a similar purchasing scheme. I have a couple of "buy-at-release" shows but most of them are now in the "wait-for-sale" list. When I started collecting TV/DVD, I bought everything at release dates, but the savings are too much for me to pass up by waiting to buy.

It's a decision that we all have to make...."buy at release to support the show", or wait for, in many cases, substantial savings later. After buying many sets at release in my earlier collecting days, I wait now for a sale. I guess if my purchases had made a difference (ie "Big Valley", stalled shows), I'd buy at their release. But, I guess the fact is that the older shows just don't attract the buyers like the current shows. That's always been a puzzler to me, considering that the "Baby Boomers" out there represent a big % of the buying public. I guess they are content with the memories of the shows they watched years earlier.

 

[Bob Hug]

Jeff, my theory on this is simply that many of the "Baby Boomers" have no idea of the many vintage shows that have been released on DVD. With the exception of some advertising on places like TVLand, the marketing budgets for most vintage releases appear to be fairly minimal to non-existent. Frankly, my knowledge about most vintage TV-on-DVD releases comes almost entirely from the internet. If you don't have access to the internet, you simply don't know about most of these releases unless someone tells you about them.

The other issue is shelf space at brick & mortar stores which focus moreso on current and more recent releases. While vintage releases do get shelf space at places like Best Buy and, to a much lesser extent, Walmart, most of these releases are from the majors like Fox or CBS Paramount; vintage releases from the independents are less likely to get shelf space even at major retailers though, in fairness, I saw season 1 of Shout! Factory's "Father Knows Best" at, of all places, Target this past weekend. But it's a lot tougher to find releases from smaller companies like VCI Entertainment, Timeless Media, BCI Eclipse or S'more Entertainment, among others at B&M stores. For many of these releases, internet shopping is the only way to go.

So, if you don't have internet access or don't have a desire to shop online for whatever reasons (security, instant gratification, returns, etc.), you're pretty much stuck with whatever you can find at B&M stores, which is just a fraction of what is available. Couple that with limited advertising budgets, and it's sometimes difficult for the "average" boomer to know that his or her favorite vintage television show just might be available.

 

[DavidHAN]

For some reason I can only think of per episode price when buying TV product. Two bucks per episode is my limit. In my cheap mind I really like one buck per episode better. So, sales and price drops are greatly anticipated.
Must haves are few.

 

[Gary OS]

I agree with Bob about the advertising and lack of shelf space issues as it concerns vintage TVonDVD. I'm sure that's at least one piece of the puzzle. I imagine we would see better sales for classic series if some of the issues Bob raises were addressed, but ultimately I just think TVonDVD is a craze that's embraced by a younger demographic and even those that are around my age (early to mid 40's) generally prefer to buy the newer tv shows. I'm not really sure why, but that's definitely the way I see it. I know a lot of folks my age that will buy newer shows/movies but pass on the classics they grew up with. Perhaps "out of sight, out of mind" rules the day more than we realize when it comes to newer versus older show purchases. Just a guess.

I really find myself agreeing with Jeff about having to wait on sales. I've done my job over the last 6+ years and been a good little soldier when it came to buying vintage TV on the release date. I almost never waited for a sale. But my discretionary income simply will not allow me to continue doing that. And even if it did, I still feel like my "day of" purchasing did very little to keep the shows I wanted on the express line. I bought "Big Valley", "Leave it to Beaver", and many more shows on the day of release and it apparently did no good.

I will still buy a few shows on the release date. Things like "Rawhide", "Father Knows Best", and a couple of others. Certainly I'd buy "The Fugitive" if they fixed the music issues. But if the studios think they can try and entice me to buy a half season of "Perry Mason" (13 eps) for $35 on the street date they are truly crazy. I can't do that. I'll have to wait. And I love that show. But it's too much to pay for 13 eps. Not when I know if I wait a few months I can get it for $10 to $15 less at a sale. The studios just aren't thinking straight with some of their pricing, IMHO. Many of us are hurting, so turning up the heat on split-season pricing is stupid. Again, that's just my humble opinion.

Gary "the split-season thing is my number one pet peeve right now" O.

 

[Jeff Willis]

Gary, Ditto on the "Perry Mason" releases. Up to now I've been buying the S/S releases at release but I'm going to wait on the next one for either a sale or a "bundle" pack with the S3V1 & V2 sold as one unit. It seems like we agree with the recent editorial that Gord wrote at TSoD about pricing and S/S releases, etc. Maybe it's just some of us here but it seems sometimes like "we get no respect" from some of the studios for supporting the S/S releases. As we've posted here before, only they (ie CBS/Paramount) knows why some of the 60's shows are released in complete seasons (Mission:Impossible . Mannix) and others are S/S sets. My guess is that they perceive that the shows that get the complete-season releases are predicted to generate higher revenue vs the "Perry Mason's, Rawhides", etc.

Bob, you hit it on target about the B&M shelf space and the "awareness" angle. I know that when I've mentioned to some friends about...say....UNCLE getting released on DVD, they all say "Really?" But the ones that I've talked to about TV/DVD don't, as a rule, buy the sets. I posted a theory of mne about this on another thread but I can't help but think that TV/DVD is looked at by the DVD consumer somewhat differently than movie releases on DVD. Maybe it's just a $$ issue with TV/DVD sets being more expensive than a Std Movie DVD.

Bob, I've also seen the same thing about "I watched that show years ago on free TV. Why would I buy the TV/DVD set?"

I guess someone would need to be a 50's-60's collector to understand

[edit] Bob, your reason is why I buy 99% of my DVD's online along with several other things that I'd either never locate locally or it would take a lot of time and driving to find at B&M stores.

Jeff "with apologies to Steve O...I can't justify buying more S/S Perry Mason sets until a bundle-sale" W.