Is there an affordable way to catch up on X-Files seaons 1-7? (w/REPRICING INFO) (1 Viewer)

I have been in the mood for X-Files lately, and have decided I'd like to pick up seasons 1-7. However, I am currently in a one income household (that income being mine...and at 10.29 an hour it ain't much of one), and paying $100+ for each season is only an option if I decide
to abandon paying my bills. Is there any non-bootleg way to get these sets cheaper? My brother is a Buffy fanatic, and he enjoys paying no more than $45-50 for each season of that show, and I think that is a highly reasonable price. Is importing the sets easier? I've seen them dirt cheap on eBay, but I assume they are blatant Hong Kong bootlegs.

That being said, I'm a man of limited means, so I may be tempted by the dark side if a more fiscally sound, legitimate option cannot be found sooner or later.

On a similar note, I was able to get all seven Star Trek TNG sets at once from one seller (with a great rating) for $525, which came out to roughly $75 a set. This made it much easier. I assume there are similar deals happening for the X-Files.

Unlike TNG, I had been buying the X-Files sets as they come out, so I've paid the $99.99 Best Buy has them for every time. They've all been worth it though. I was hesitant about season 7, but after watching the first 2 discs I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I like the episodes. The Millennium crossover really made me wish I had Millennium on DVD right now! (Hint hint Fox). However, I have feeling that my X-files purchases will end with this set. Seasons 8 and 9 will have to be cheaper for me to buy them.

Nope. Sorry to say.

But Duchovny and Anderson need that extra cash. Its not all that bad, I just stopped buying them at Season 5, because everything after the movie went downhill in my opinion.

However, I am thinking of buying Season 6 next month, because there are still a few episodes there that I would like to own. Otherwise, I'm happy with the 800 off bucks I spent on the current sets.

Buy from Canada, I average $75 a set on the new ones, you can probably get them for under $85 right now

Otherwise, you can get them for $50/60 a set on Ebay used (you already know to watch the boots)

Michael, it wasn't intended as a threat. There's nobody to threaten, really, as I'm not under the impression anybody at Fox Home Video could do anything about the pricing, since there are tons of legal issues involved that I assume are beyond their control.

I was more or less just venting, and I doubt anybody here plans on turning this into a bootleg -related thread...have a little faith, man!

Why dont ya just put a $100 away a month and get one a month or something...

I've spent $800 on these sets so far! SOOOOOO worth it!

I'm like Jeff I've been getting mine from Canada. I've been using North American DVD. So far so good. My first set was beat up by UPS and one end was a little bent. Since then I've been asking for the sets to be bubble wrapped and all have arrived in excellent condition. They have been running about $78.00 each plus shipping and take about a week to get here. I found them using DVD price search also.
Good Luck.
Jim

How about a 10-20 hour a week job?
If you could find one at a decent wage you could get them all within a month and a half.
Just a thought bro!

Although this may sound a little crazy, why not just check out the series in syndication? Sure it won't be DVD quality, but you will have saved yourself hundreds of dollars otherwise. That way, you can pick which seasons you would actually like to own and skip the others.

As of now I only own 3 and 4 on disc. The first and second seasons are both $150 +, and with the lack of any decent extras I skipped over them. I found season 5's quality lacking, and I'm on the fence whether to pick up 6 or 7 right now (although I know for sure I won't be going after 8 or 9 either).

Next week Homicide hits DVD, but if none of my local retailers carry that set I may just pick up Season 7 and finally catch an episode in widescreen.

You could order from Canadian sources as suggested. The exchange rate will make them a bit cheaper.

You could also check used DVD stores, both brick-and-mortar as well as on-line. Secondspin.com currently has several seasons in stock for $75 each (search on X Files, no hyphen). I see them in stores around here once in a while.

You could ask for them as gifts (Christmas/birthday). I have Seasons 1-6 so far and haven't paid for a single one.

I love the X-Files, but I've refused to buy any of the sets because they're so damned expensive! My hope is that there will be a price drop some time after they've all been released. But if that doesn't happen, I'll probably never get them. (Unless of course I win the lottery or something)

What is FOX's reasoning behind the sky high prices?

MASH: $40 for a 3 disc set with 24 episodes.
The Simpsons: $50 for a 4 disc set with 22 episodes.
24: $60 for a 6 disc set with 24 episodes.
The X-Files: $150 for a seven disc set with 20-25 episodes.

Rent them.

I've also been wanting to get these sets, but being the completist that I am I will be in for the long haul once I buy the first season. I am not willing to pay $100/pop, so I am also hoping for possible pricedrops once all the sets are released. This may be a pipedream, though, since a second movie is supposedly in the works.

Oh, well, so it goes...I probably wouldn't watch each of them more than one or two times through anyway.

I have bought all of mine off of northamericandvd.com. They have a great customer service such as the time I accidentally order 2 season six sets. You can get each for about $80 which is a steal IMO.

It seems odd that they are this expensive. Fox releases most of their other shows for less. Buffy, for instance, includes the same number of high quality episodes per set, but the sets are usually sold for $45-60, depending on where you go. Does X-Files cost more to put on dvd or do they just think people will pay more? That said, I suggest just keeping your eye open for a deal. Try Best Buy or Target maybe. Internet retailers too. Or watch them for free on SciFi. They're always showing it.

Jeff Kleist can explain this better then I. However, the reason the sets are so expensive is due to the clauses in some key actors contracts which demand a certain percentage of sales. Thus, the sets have to be increased in price to compensate for that.

Paul, $75 US

Basically Paul said it in a nutshell. Like with Star Trek, a MAJOR portion of that wholesale price is going to paying actor/producer royalties, as negotiated in their contracts for the show. Buffy/24/Dark Angel etc do not have these. X-Files wholesales for around $90 in the US (I assume it's less in Canada), as does Star Trek, and from what I'm told by some pretty reliable sources as much as 30% of that is going out on royalty payments. So count manufacture ($10-15), advertising, shipping and distribution and authoring(which is NOT cheap) and I'd be shocked if Fox/Paramount is seeing more than $20 a set.

If there's a local shop that sells used DVDs, you have them put them on hold.