Who're the best American online retailers?

[bradavon]

With Tower.com basically going out of business and DVD Pacific's website redesign looking very dodgy, who is cheapest/best for American discs?

I've only got Amazon.com, Playusa.com and MovieTyme left. MovieTyme are usually expensive too.

[saltysam]

Best or cheapest? there's a few good ones but the days of getting cheap american BD's are pretty much over for now at least. Axelmusic are customs-free but pricey,Amazon.com not customs free nor are dvd pacific. Playusa are probably the cheapest but their titles list is limited and the age old french writing moans surface when they are mentioned. I recently got my brother Sanctuary S1 & S2 Blu-ray for £17.99 each-they are well over £20 elsewhere.Got Tai Chi Master BD from them for £10.99.Rambo extended is up for pre-order at £10.99,i doubt it's anywhere else cheaper. Sometimes it's best to wait and pick up titles through Amazon UK Marketplace from the likes of Supermart & Moviemars,shipping is only £1.24 an item whether it's one BD or a box set.they won't be customs friendly though.

[Markgway]

Movietyme?

[romerojpg]

Movietyme?

Only if you like paying far more than you need pay

I find many forums are a great place. Or just wait till they are cheap as chips in amazon.com sales, or secondspin sales etc... still no one place I will ever go to, I just shop around for where is cheap for that title at that moment. Used so many companies latley for different titles.

[saltysam]

you'll very rarely get anything "cheap as chips" at Amazon.com. they are usually the cheapest for usa discs but the shipping charges don't help them.here's an example- Insomnia pre-order -£13.99 delivered at Playusa- Amazon is £11.50 before shipping,unfortunately the shipping takes the cost to £15.75 ish.no doubt Amazon are cheaper on some stuff but not often. imo.

[romerojpg]

Yup, mind you latley I have got a few for under $10 (some seem to get way down low), so with shipping as you say it takes them up a notch, but if you can get a few cheaper ones at the same time it helps. Ahh free shipping for amazon.com would be heaven we can dream.

[bradavon]

Best or cheapest?

Both. As in it can be a list for each or one list but basically I'm after "the cheapest online American retailers who're reliable". Cheap means nothing if you cannot trust them.

there's a few good ones but the days of getting cheap american BD's are pretty much over for now at least.

It's so sad .

Axelmusic are customs-free but pricey,Amazon.com not customs free nor are dvd pacific.

Have you used DVD Pacific since the site re-design? It looks dodgy as fuck now. I'm not too concerned about customs as I rarely buy discs that are over £12-13, let alone £18. It's usually single film orders. Good point about Axel Music, I'd forgotten about them.

Playusa are probably the cheapest but their titles list is limited and the age old french writing moans surface when they are mentioned.

Like you, I don't care about dual language covers. Asian discs aren't exactly English covers only! There used to be at least a decent selection, today it seems to be pretty much Amazon and PlayUSA. Has Amazon killed off the competition?

I'd forgotten about Rambo. I'm going to wait for reviews. It's not a film, I'd rush to re-buy. Sure it's short but I don't feel it needs to be any longer.

Sometimes it's best to wait and pick up titles through Amazon UK Marketplace from the likes of Supermart & Moviemars,shipping is only £1.24 an item whether it's one BD or a box set.they won't be customs friendly though.

I tend to look at the stores first then go to Play Trade/Amazon Market Place/eBay.

It pisses me right off the likes of Movie Mars don't know what discs they're stocking. You ask for more information (like is it mint, is it definitely the SE BD) and they just fob you off, saying check the Amazon listing. They're listing Blade 2 Canadian BD cheap but I asked them to confirm it it's actually the BD (it looks too cheap!) and they couldn't be bothered to tell me.

[bradavon]

Movietyme?

Good store but they're usually expensive/a rip off.

I find many forums are a great place.

Forums can be a painful experience. People arguing over 50p to post it etc...

Or just wait till they are cheap as chips in amazon.com sales, or secondspin sales etc... still no one place I will ever go to, I just shop around for where is cheap for that title at that moment. Used so many companies latley for different titles.

Of course. Who looks at just one store? But you need to know where to look . I was hoping there was a new store I'd never heard of before but I guess not .

I'd forgotten about SecondSpin/Wherehouse thanks. Amazon.com's silly postage cost pisses me right off!

[romerojpg]

Hell even second hand store CEX give out the odd bargain at times

I guess I just check all the time until I find a title at a good price, if that takes 6 months then so be it. Gladly I dont go for many USA discs still as UK prices are so amazing, but once in a while you just have to go USA

Forums are odd at times, but hey you can haggle prices down pretty good
I try to look on forums first, but hey as everyone knows many of the second hand titles on forums are silly prices that you could buy them brand new for always makes me smile when people buy second hand titles and they are cheaper new.

[Markgway]

I try to avoid French/English sleeves. Why would I want to own l'homme avec le pistolet d'or?

It's different for Asian discs because chances are the film you're buying is actually Asian.

[gasteropod]

I don't like it either and also Canadian discs can be inferior to the US ones.

[bradavon]

Canadian discs can be inferior to the US ones.

Not in my experience. A film may have a different distributor in the USA to Canada but that's just the same as the UK vs. USA. If it's the same distributor the discs tend to always be identical.

It's different for Asian discs because chances are the film you're buying is actually Asian.

Isn't the point you dislike non-English text on the cover? If so, non-English text is non-English text. It's just a cover. If someone handed me two "identical" DVDs, one with English and one with multi-language I'd take the English one but I never include that in which to buy.

[gasteropod]

So what about the Canadian Blu-rays with 1080i and incorrect aspect ratios then.

[bradavon]

What of them? They're a different studio to the USA disc. Such cock ups are just a likely with any studio. If it's the same studio there is no reason to assume the Canadian disc will be any different to the USA one.

[gasteropod]

But if PlayUSA send Canadian discs under normal listings then it's reasonable to assume they could send one by a different studio.

[saltysam]

But if PlayUSA send Canadian discs under normal listings then it's reasonable to assume they could send one by a different studio.

The only canadian discs playusa sell that may differ in content from usa ones are from Alliance and will usually not hard to spot as they are canadian exclusives,ie The Others,Mortal Kombat etc...day and date Alliance titles are just ports of the USA discs,an example being The Crazies remake which i got last week.As for french text on covers,can't believe people give a flying fuck -i'm very surprised at Mark being bothered about it,never had him down as being anal about a cover

[bradavon]

I wasn't aware PlayUSA have sent the Canadian DVD when they should've sent the USA disc. Like you say, this is important if it's a different distributor and therefore actually not what you were sold.

[gasteropod]

Well when I ordered LOST Season 1 from them years ago they sent me the Canadian version even though it wasn't specifically advertised as such, it's just something they do.

[saltysam]

Playusa are a canadian based company who supply canadian releases and have done for years-surely this is widely known by anyone who buys discs from there even ocasionally apart from the evil hell like french text the discs are carbon copies of the usa discs for the most part-recent examples i've had from there? Shutter Island,Crazies,Jason & The Argonauts,Watchmen DC,Up...thouh i have to say,the name is misleading.

[bradavon]

Well when I ordered LOST Season 1 from them years ago they sent me the Canadian version even though it wasn't specifically advertised as such, it's just something they do.

Both are Fox releases right? If so, I wouldn't see that as a negative myself. Even Amazon.com have some Canadian discs listed, although they do say it's the Canadian version.

Playusa are a canadian based company who supply canadian releases and have done for years-surely this is widely known by anyone who buys discs from there even ocasionally

Well then they shouldn't be calling themselves PlayUSA! I had no idea. That's not made clear at all. Apart from defaulting to Canadian dollars.

[romerojpg]

I only have one single Frenchie cover, and that was from PlayUSA, still at least I knew before I bought it what I may well be getting, but I still think large amounts of people have no idea (the average public would never know).

[gasteropod]

LOST is Buena Vista.

[Markgway]

Isn't the point you dislike non-English text on the cover?

No.

day and date Alliance titles are just ports of the USA discs

Not so for back catalogue titles as anyone who got saddled with Alliance's Elm St. disc will tell you.

Well then they shouldn't be calling themselves PlayUSA!

He's got a point.

[saltysam]

day and date Alliance titles are just ports of the USA discs

Not so for back catalogue titles as anyone who got saddled with Alliance's Elm St. disc will tell you.

You'd make a good point except for the fact the canadian Elm St disc was released in Sept 2008 and the USA one in April 2010....so how could the Alliance disc be a port of a usa release that didn't exist

Well then they shouldn't be calling themselves PlayUSA!

He's got a point.

i know which is why i said in the post before his

thouh i have to say,the name is misleading.

do keep up

[bradavon]

As far as I can tell, the only thing on their website to say they're based in Canada is the Contact details:

http://www.playusa.com/DVD/Region_1/TOP ... ge=contact

I'll keep that in mind though. I had no idea and I'd wage 99% of their customers don't either.