Local DVD goldmine! (1 Viewer)

[Brad_See]

I don't know if ya'll usually have these kinds of threads here but just thought I'd share my fortune. The other day I stopped by a pawn shop that I hadn't been to here in Waco. Yeah, yeah...we've all been to pawn shops and the ones I've been to usually don't have that great of a selection and the movies are usually overpriced and scratched up. However, this one had an AWESOME selection of newer movies and the best part was all of them were 5 bucks each. They had three of those showcase type counters each with 3 to 4 shelves full of DVDs. I bought the original Saving Private Ryan, Behind Enemy Lines and the superbit version of The Fifth Element all for 5 bucks each and there are plenty more I want. All the ones I got looked flawless. I was going to buy Pirates of the Caribbean but it had light scratches and I pretty much like my DVDs to be flawless. This place is going to be my new Blockbuster except I never have to return the movies!

I probably saw at least 10 to 15 others that I definitely want to buy and many more that I'd like to get down the line. The next two I'm getting will probably be Punch Drunk Love 2 DVD superbit special edition and the regular edition of Blackhawk Down (my copy got screwed up). I'll probably pick up some chick flicks for my wife too.

brad cook

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

I can no longer count the number of movies I've bought in pawn shops. The trick is to visit them on a regular basis because every once in a while, someone will unload an entire collection for whatever reason and you get the goodies like Brad describes. A few years back, a shop near me got a sizable collection that included several early Criterion DVD. At the time, this shop sold their discs for $15 each, tax included, so I made a killing on the Criterions. Now their discs go for $10 each and their stock got so big that they opened a used DVD/CD/VHS store next to their existing shop. Plenty of suspect stuff on a regular basis, but also lots of treasures if you stop in on the right day.

 

[Ben Silva]

The Pawn shops here in Phoenix don't have the greatest selection, but we have a chain of used cd/dvd/record stores here that are awesome. I've probably gotten half my 1200 disc collection there. Used dvds usually run about $10-12 and they have lots of tv box sets too.

 

[Brad_See]

See $10-12 is just too much for a typical used DVD IMO.

brad cook

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Good point, sort of. I've always considered "half" to be a logical price for a used anything, but it's so rarely the case with many of these used-goods dealers until the stuff has sat on their shelves for so long they're forced to reduce it even further just to get rid of it. You are lucky to have a place that lets them go for five dollars a pop, but a store like that is the exception. I've been to dozens across Ontario (in most of the major cities along our major highway) and have rarely seen stuff below $10 (Canadian, mind you) - less only if it was bargain bin stuff to begin with.

Unfortunately, many used dealers in Toronto have the balls to actually charge $19.99 plus tax for a used DVD. This is the price many of them have charged since day one and I find is almost offensive that people think they're getting a real bargain, especially once they factor in the time to get to the place, bus fare, subway tokens, etc. Considering brand new versions of these discs rarely run more than about five dollars higher, it's a real shame. I've seen discs in Toronto's Second Spin and CD Replay stores that I know for a fact have been there for well over five years now. FIVE bloody YEARS. I know this because after awhile, I started recognizing blemishes on the packaging. I must also admit that, in the early days of used availability, even I would pay these prices, figuring a savings of two to five dollars was still something at least, but now that I can find places selling stuff for $10-$12, I can easier justify the purchase. Mind you, if I had a place nearby selling them for five dollars, I'd probably clean them out.

 

[chris*b]

Which pawn shop was it in Waco?

 

[Brad_See]

Brian,

You're right that I'm lucky in finding such a great combo of price and selection but I've found plenty of good deals before. They're out there if you look around...at least down here in Texas they are. I'd say most pawn shops typically charge 7 to 8 bucks for a used DVD and I consider that a bit high. It seems they are a little cheaper around here though...I noticed that since I just moved here a couple of months ago. I've seen them at this price before just never quite this selection in as good condition.

brad cook

 

[Brad_See]

Are you really in the area or just making a joke? Really I don't mind telling you...it's not my personal hidden stash. I think the place is called "Pawn Express." It's in a strip mall over across the street from Sam's Club...can't remember what that road is called. Enjoy! (just don't take all the good ones! )

brad cook

 

[RandyMathis]

I was going to start looking at local pawn shops but I am afraid of buying pirated copies.

 

[ZackR]

More likely they would be stolen than pirated. I have a friend who works at a pawn shop. He calls DVDs "plastic gold" because scum-sucking bottom-dwelling house thieves love to steal DVDs because they can get a few bucks for each one and they won't raise any red flags...

Anyways, you can find some good stuff at pawn shops...

 

[Brad_See]

I think the pirated stuff is more common in the bigger cities. I've heard of a lot of people seeing them for sale in NYC and whatnot. I don't think there are that many around here in Waco, TX.

Sidenote: When I lived in China in 2001-2002 I could NOT find any official copies of DVD's in the town I lived in but everyone had pirated copies for sale - even department stores. I gave in and bought the pirated copies. It's something I would NEVER do in America (I don't even download illegal MP3's...never have, never will) but that was seriously all I could find there and movies were my main source of entertainment when I wasn't travelling. I didn't buy brand new releases because those were the hoaky ones that were filmed with a camcorder from the seats...but the ones that were already out on DVD were about the same quality as the originals. The ratio of CD and DVD bootlegs to legit copies in china is probably 1000 to 1 or more. In retrospect I kind of regret adding to the problem of international piracy. At this point it would be nearly impossible for the gov't to do anything about it. Occasionally they'd take some token action like busting a factory and then there'd be a picture on the front page of all the discs being bulldozed but there were 1000 other factories that didn't get busted.

brad cook

 

[chris*b]

I live in Fort Worth, but go down there pretty often. Thanks for the tip. I will check it out.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (pop ~200,000 metro) and there is one store that has lots of US animated movies in digipaks with Chinese script on them and all all region symbol. Another place has lots of all-region anime with Chinese subtitles. Other than that, don't see many bootlegs.

 

[Brad_See]

I went back to this place today and bought Special Editions of Snatch and Bandits, The Collector's Edition of U-571 and the original release of Black Hawk Down. All were flawless and all four discs cost me 20 bucks even. Oh that's another thing I forgot to mention...the 8.25% sales tax is included in the 5 bucks each price.

I was going to buy The Doors Special Edition but it was scratched.

brad cook

 

[Kevin Farley]

Hi Dan,
I'm in Fairfield Iowa! Glad to see a "neighbor" on the forum. What stores are you talking about?
OT: If you haven't been to Nothing but Noodles yet In the plaza on the intersection of Collins and 151 on the uhh... across 151 from taco bell and Bed Bath and Beyond. go there soon! Great food. We got lucky and went there pre-opening and the food was free and fantastic.

 

[TedT]

I think you have to be more afraid of buying stolen merchandise.

 

[Dan Rudolph]

CD Warehouse has the obvious bootlegs and Video Games, Etc has all the anime bootlegs. CDs Plus seems to be clean.

 

[Ravi K]

As tempted as I am to make a trip to Waco, these $5 sound like they might be stolen stuff, so I don't want to buy such goods.

 

[Brad_See]

Ravi,

From talking to the guy I think that they just accumulated too many DVDs so they lowered the price to kind of blow them out. He said that's what they did with their CD's...they only had a few when I was there and he said every once in a while they get so many they just lower the price real low to get rid of them. Pawn shops don't pay much for anything to begin with...they probably only paid $3 at most for these to begin with. Maybe they were stolen, who knows...but I have no reason to believe that they ARE stolen other than that they are at a pawn shop and I just need a little more proof than that.

brad cook

 

[Brad_See]

I know most people just don't give a rip but I'm just excited that I'm still getting all these for $5. Today I took the wife to get some movies she likes too. We got Chicago, You've Got Mail, About a Boy, Clueless, What Lies Beneath and Dirty Work. Again all flawless except for You've Got Mail which was a bit dirty but no scratches. The two that I rejected for light surface scratches this time were Gods and Generals and Punch Drunk Love. Bummer but oh well.

That's now 13 DVDs that I've bought in great condition for 65 bucks even. Woohoo! Keep it up, pawn shop!

brad cook