Price cut on Star Trek: TNG? (1 Viewer)

Darren Haycock · Mar 31, 2003

Hey guys,
I was wondering if they're ever gonna cut the price on those Star Trek: TNG season box sets. The best price I can find is around $80 from northamericandvd.com and ebay, but ebay is usually about that same price. Am I just gonna have to shell out the cash, or do you guys think that the price will go down a bit in the future? Thanks.

Charlie Essmeier · Mar 31, 2003

They're already pretty cheap, especially compared to laserdisc, where the series cost $20 per episode.

$80 per season is a bargain, and I'd shell out the cash and be grateful.

Charlie

Jack Briggs · Mar 31, 2003

The sets are bargains to begin with.

David Lambert · Mar 31, 2003

Darren, I strongly doubt you will see price cuts on those sets any time soon. Anything's possible...but note that the prices of the original TOS 2-eps-per-disc DVDs have not dropped in price yet, and the earlier releases have been out for years.

In fact, the SRP has stayed steady and the street prices on TOS discs have increased!

The good news is that you can probably find some used copies around, both locally and on-line...if you can't afford the sets brand new. Jack's right...they're bargains as they are!

Charlie: I really hate the DVD-to-LD price comparison. For guys like me who never participated in that format, the whole metaphor is lost. I never - forgive the pun - "bought into" the paradigm of the LD price-per-feature structure.

In any case, the prices of LD's are definately yesterday's news. It's like you complaining about paying $80-$100 for a 56K modem that goes for $30-$50 usually, and I reply, "I used to pay $300 for a 300 baud Zoom modem back on my Apple ][+, so you should be happy to get one so cheap as $80-$100!" The argument doesn't apply, because - thanks to Moore's Law - technology has marched on and prices have come down.

Tony Whalen · Mar 31, 2003

80 bucks sounds like a good price. I bought all seven seasons from Future Shop here in Canada, and paid about 79 (USD) per season. Worth every penny.

Mark Kalzer · Mar 31, 2003

Well I expect to complete my collection by the end of April, getting Season seven. Likely, the price cut will come shortly after that!

Andrew Bunk · Mar 31, 2003

I was able to get all seven sets for $520 ($74 per) with no tax from one EBay seller, so the deals are out there. And they were well worth it. I'm already in the middle of Season 5, and I just got them in February! I'd seen most of them before, but it's really great to see them in order and with the 5.1 sound. The documentaries are nice too. Plus they look really cool all togther on my shelf!

Even if they do drop the price I'll never regret buying it when I did.

Rob Gardiner · Mar 31, 2003

Used copies (sometimes still sealed, however) of all these sets (including DS9 season 1) are available in Seattle in the $50-75 price range. Sometimes with the bonus disc attached.

CaptDS9E · Mar 31, 2003

The trek sets are a excellent bargain. The TNG sets were excellent and since its my fav show DS9 sets are even better for the $$

capt

Will_B · Mar 31, 2003

I respectfully disagree that there's anything "bargain" about the TNG sets.

Bargains are Buffy's season sets at $45, or Angel season sets at $45, or "24" at about the same.

Reasonable, though still getting pricey, would be Xena Warrior Princess at $65, or Highlander Season One at about the same. Higher price maybe because they've been remixed to 5.1 - unlike Buffy or Angel.

Ultra-expensive would be Next Generation's $75-$100. Hard to guess why they're that much more (the other sets have documentary features and commentaries too, even the Buffy and Angel, so its not that). There's no bargain here.

Darren Haycock · Mar 31, 2003

I agree Will_B. If most tv shows were the price of TNG, I'd probably be fine with it. But yeah, I got simpsons for $35, although it is just a half hour show. But yeah, 24, Buffy, all that is quite a bit cheaper. Oh well, I'll just Ebay it. Thanks for the responses guys.

Jonny P · Mar 31, 2003

I like ST:TNG...especially the last two seasons (in its final season, it was nominated for the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series).

I have 300 movies in my collection, and own "Friends Season 1 and 2", "24 Season 1", "Sports Night the Complete Series", "Futurama", and both of the Simpsons sets.

I love having complete season sets on DVD and have enjoyed the fact that prices are pretty reasonable.

I personally feel that the Trek sets are premium priced simply because of the Trek name. That aggravates me. I understand all of the value and entertainment the show has to offer, but I also understand that their are complete season sets of hour-long dramas for half the price at most retail outlets.

I usually shop retail, so I suppose it is my problem, but on average these sets sold for $99.95 retail on the day of release. That is a lot of money for anyones collection, and it can buy a lot of movies.

I understand the fact that most probably think that once a fan buys these sets they will never need to buy them again. Fair enough...and I also understand they are cheaper than the days when we bought 1or 2 episodes per VHS tape.

I just feel that the price could be lower. Were these sets around $60, I would have purchased all seasons as they came out.

I have the same feelings about the release of some of the HBO shows. Compare their price for 13 episodes with "The Shield" season 1 set...and compare the extras on both. "The Shield" set comes out way ahead -- better price and better extras.

I am sure that with many of these shows, there is a feeling that a certain core audience will buy them no matter what. Subsequently, they price them higher or lower depending on that.

"Star Trek" has always been priced in a premium manner. Paramount, in general, charges more for their movies and various video product.

I think $350 to $420 would be more than adequate a total price range to ask consumers for 7 seasons of a TV series.

David Lambert · Apr 1, 2003

I personally feel that the Trek sets are premium priced simply because of the Trek name. That aggravates me. I understand all of the value and entertainment the show has to offer, but I also understand that their are complete season sets of hour-long dramas for half the price at most retail outlets.

..."Star Trek" has always been priced in a premium manner. Paramount, in general, charges more for their movies and various video product.

Jonny, it's hard to argue with the logic of the last part I quoted...which essentially boils down to : "Paramount's 'barebones' movie DVDs tend to be overpriced compared to any other studios barebones movie DVDs, so therefore TNG must be overpriced, too."

Especially when you compare the prices of a 6-7 discs TNG set of 22-26 episodes for about $100 to, say, NYPD Blue where there are 6 discs of 22 episodes for street prices of under $50.

But, as Jeff Kleist pointed out elsewhere, there are over 35 years of residuals to pay to people or families of creators, producers, designers, composers, actors and actresses, writers, directors, etc. etc. etc. Ah, forget the "35 years" part, because X-Files is in the same boat without the longevity.

It's not that Paramount said to themselves, "Hey we can charge more for a Star Trek than we can for a Spongebob Squarepants, so let's do it!" It's that there are more hidden and intangible costs associated with Trek, due to the fact that the INDIVIDUALS behind the show have charged more for their services and licenses, due to the popularity of the property. I'm sure Paramount is getting their cut, but it's not all them, and it's not as much as you think.

(And I'll share a thought I've had on and off: that perhaps Paramount's "rush" to get the modern three Star Trek series out so fast is perhaps due to someone's escalating payment clause in a contract after a certain date. I am just theorizing here, but I have wondered if the quick-ish pace is to keep costs down somewhere/somehow. I have no knowledge one way or the other, and its the type of thing we'd never get to know either way; it's just something to consider.)

Any way you shake a phaser at it, Star Trek looks like the price is going to be what it is for a while. Each consumer will have to consider whether it's worth the money. On the other hand, if Paramount managed to lower the street price tomorrow by about $20-$25 each set, I can immediately think of a half dozen friends who would instantaneously start purchasing them!

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Tony Scello · Apr 1, 2003

As David indicated, I wouldn't expect a price cut anytime soon.

Consider yourself lucky if your collecting Star Trek:TNG episodes and not Star Trek:The Original Series like myself. Most B&M's are selling the DVD's for $17.99 or higher for only 2 episodes with virtually no bonus material. I have about 12 discs but at these high prices I've given up on collecting them. I've waited for years for at least a price drop on TOS discs but I've decided to spend my money elsewhere or wait for seasonal box sets(if they ever come).

nicholas_g · Apr 1, 2003

The star trek boxsets are excellent value for money. The recommended retail price in R2 is £85 but most online stores will sell it for about £60.

I was paying over £160 per season for the VHS versions of DS9 and Voyager. They only had 2 episodes per tape and most seasons were 13 tapes.

Richard Gilmore · Apr 1, 2003

It's not that Paramount said to themselves, "Hey we can charge more for a Star Trek than we can for a Spongebob Squarepants, so let's do it!"

Actually if they are a smart company, that's exactly what they did do. They calculate what is most profitable to them- X number of sets at $99 versus Y number of sets at, say, $69. Whatever is higher, (counting rights, production, and other costs, also) wins out. And people will pay more for Trek products, without a doubt. It's simply the cost the market will bear. They are selling their stock holders short if they don't do this.

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Tony Whalen · Apr 1, 2003

It's that there are more hidden and intangible costs associated with Trek, due to the fact that the INDIVIDUALS behind the show have charged more for their services and licenses, due to the popularity of the property.

Hmmm.. never thought of it that way. Certainly sounds plausible.

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David Rogers · Apr 1, 2003

The TNG sets are too expensive. I haven't seen many, if any?, season sets coming in at their price point. They're charging that much because they can, period.

Jeff Bamberger · Apr 1, 2003

Agreed. I could see asking my wife if I could get one or two sets, but to ask "Hey, do you mind if instead of a new dishwasher or fridge I take the money and put it towards all 7 sets of TNG?"

Yeah, right.

Once a price drop comes, if it does, then I'll consider it. And I don't even have TNN to tide me over......I miss the days when TNG was on locally.

Malcolm R · Apr 1, 2003

The TNG sets are too expensive. I haven't seen many, if any?, season sets coming in at their price point. They're charging that much because they can, period.

The X-Files $149.98

The Sopranos $99.98

Queer as Folk $119.98

Six Feet Under $99.98

There are a few...and the HBO sets are for only about 1/2 the number of episodes.

The funny thing about ST:TNG, if I recall correctly, is that there was no MSRP set by Paramount. Retailers could choose their price point. They all chose to set them high.

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