We Are Being Ripped Off

[stethacantus]

It has gotten to the point where every third DVD I order from Amazon is a repackaged used disc, even though I specifically order NEW/UNUSED discs. For example, every second MST3K set I have ordered from Amazon in the past two years was used. I know this because each set is suppose to come with a sticker on the factory seal listing the extras. No sticker means it is not the original factory seal. Further inspection shows wear on the boxes, and occasionally the posters are missing. And I did not realize this until last year when I received an email from Shout! Factory saying every one of the DVD sets came with that sticker. Since then I had to return two sets for arriving used. I am stuck with the other sets because I assumed the got dinged a little on the amazon shelf and did not demand a refund.

It is not just the MST3K sets this happens to. I returned the box set for "Community Season 2" three times before giving up and just asking for a refund instead of a replacement.  Each time I got a worn out box. I also had to return the movie "Unbreakable" twice, and only kept the third copy because the box was not that worn ( but it was still missing the collectable Alex Ross illustrations ) I have received a lot of other DVDs from Amazon as well as from their sellers that were provably used. Some cases the original factory seal was missing, or a sticker that was suppose to be on the seal was gone, or in one case the wrong movie was in the box.

Every time I complain to Amazon they say they will "investigate". But it has been a couple of years now that I have become aware of getting used instead of new, and a couple of years since my first complaint, and a couple of years since Amazon launched their first "investigation" and things are only getting worse.

So why complain. Well, aside from getting the odd DVD that is too scratched to be of any use, and aside from the principle of the whole thing, there is that extra $10 that I am being ripped off. If I wanted to buy a used DVD, even one that was "Good as New", then I would select the Used option. Used DVDs start at a penny, and on average are about $10 cheaper than buying a new DVD. In cases of collectors editions or out of print DVDs, the difference can be as much as $30. I am picking the more expensive NEW option because I don't want a disc that may be scratched, that may be covered with some kid's germs, that may be missing some extras that came in the box ( like the MST3K posters ), that may have already had the digital copy activated, that may have someones greasy fingerprints on it, and in most cases has a box that is worn, which is especially noticeable when it is an all cardboard box.

But another reason to complain is that this effects everyone who releases DVDs, including Rifftrax. Every time Amazon or any other merchant pawns off a used Rifftrax DVD as NEW, Rifftrax is out ten bucks. It is worse than pirated DVDs cutting into their sales. I was someone who wanted to pay for a Rifftrax, and therefore indirectly giving part of that money to Rifftrax. But instead that money goes to the seller and whoever repackaged the DVD and Rifftrax is cut out. Guys who download pirated DVDs were probably never going to buy that DVD in the first place. Pirated DVDs= Rifftrax out of theoretical money. Used sold as new DVD= Rifftrax is out of real money.

In the end, if Rifftrax, MST3K or Cinematic Titanic are not making enough money on their DVDs then they will stop releasing them. How much of that loss of sales is due to used sold as new? Whenever I buy from Amazon I receive an email informing me that I can always trade the DVD in after viewing it for credit on my next purchase. That gives everyone a one week window from the original release date of any DVD  before jerks begin returning the movies they did not like, and used DVDs start being sold as new. If you don't pre-order your movie, there is a good chance you will end up with a used copy, or even perhaps a used used copy. That's right, a copy someone bought, watched, returned for credit, was sold as new, was watched again, and returned for credit again, and was sold as new again. 

[MrTorso]

All of these from AMAZON directly or are you buying from a 3rd party seller? I have bought the last 5 MST3K sets from Amazon and a ton of other blus and have never once had an issue like you are describing. I only buy from Amazon direct...

[BathTub]

Yeah, thankfully I've never hit it!

[stethacantus]

All of these from AMAZON directly or are you buying from a 3rd party seller? I have bought the last 5 MST3K sets from Amazon and a ton of other blus and have never once had an issue like you are describing. I only buy from Amazon direct...

Sometimes it is Amazon Direct, sometimes one of their 3rd party sellers. I buy whichever is a better discount. Amazon is just as bad as the 3rd party sellers with one difference. When you complain to a 3rd party seller about receiving a used DVD, they refund and do not ask for the DVD back. Amazon asks you to send back the DVD before you get a refund. They pay for the shipping, but you still have to go through the hassle of finding a UPS store. I would also say that the 3rd party sellers do not send a used DVD as often as Amazon. All of the Community DVDs I sent back ( Including having to send season 1 back twice before I got an unused copy with the Kickpuncher comic book still inside, and getting three used Season 2's in a row ) came from Amazon Direct. As did the used Unbreakable DVDs. At least three of the used MST3K box sets came from Amazon Direct, some other from their 3rd Party sellers. Last month I got a King Kong 76' DVD from Amazon Direct which was a provable used copy. It had parts of the original factory seal still stuck to the box, but covered over with a second seal.

BTW, when I say "provable", I am not including DVDs that look suspiciously used, but ones I can prove were resealed. This includes DVDs that should have exterior stickers on the factory seal but don't, Disney Co. DVDs that should have a Buena Vista stamp on the factory seal but do not, DVDs where they did not remove all of the breakable top seal when the original buyer removed it proving that DVD originally had a top seal. And the most damning proof, when the box is good and worn out, but the plastic seal is not ( Physically impossible to wear down the side of a box without scraping the plastic off. ) I also got discs that had no seal whatsoever.

If you bought a lot of DVDs and Blus from Amazon, then If I were you I would inspect them closely. New DVD boxes should not be worn in any way, and if the box has stickers on the front ( as do almost all the Shout! Factory DVDs ) but you get one with the stickers missing then you got a used DVD.

ALSO, it is not just Amazon who is doing this. When I went to the DVD section of Barnes & Noble I found them selling used DVDs on the shelf side-by-side with new DVDs. You would have a worn box of a MST3K volume with no exterior sticker right next to the same volume  with a pristine box with a sticker. Both at the same price.

[MrTorso]

Maybe I am just lucky. I have worked in the CD/DVD retail biz for 20 years so I know what factory sealed discs look like and have never had one instance from Amazon where I got a non-new product. I'll be keeping my eye out just the same though.

[stethacantus]

Maybe I am just lucky. I have worked in the CD/DVD retail biz for 20 years so I know what factory sealed discs look like and have never had one instance from Amazon where I got a non-new product. I'll be keeping my eye out just the same though.

I only began noticing this in the past couple of years. And mostly because I began getting boxes that were too obviously used. You should know that it is impossible to have a box wear out, but still have a perfect unripped plastic wrap seal around it. The frayed areas of the cardboard box should be below a ripped or frayed area of the plastic wrap.  This would be the result of the box being on a shelf for a long time, and many, many customers pulling the box off the shelf and putting it back. If the original plastic was still there protecting the surface of the cardboard box, then how would it be possible for the customers to have scrapped off the top level of the cardboard? And on top of that, there are no customers in the Amazon warehouse picking up and putting back boxes, so that wear and tear should not be happening.

And these  boxes are not damaged due to being bashed in the mail. Recently I got a bashed copy of MST3K XXXIII ( thanks a lot USPS ). The corners of the box was rounded, but not worn. There is a huge difference.

Having worked in retail, you should also be aware that once the original shrink wrap is removed, you can never again sell the disc as new. Even if it is in perfect condition, it is still considered "used". Not that you could not still sell it for the retail price. In fact, some stores actually removed the plastic seal so they could charge above retail when an item that had a set retail price and was in high demand. But they could never sell that item as new again. This was important because there are collectors out there who specifically buy items with the original factory seal and then never open them.  Once the seal is removed it loses most of it's tradable value. This may seem silly with DVDs, but then go check eBay for movies that went out of print just a few years ago. Even the crappiest movie goes for $50 - $100 if it is "rare" and still factory new. If you ever tried buying one of the Rhino sets of MST3K on eBay you would already know this. I saw some sets go as high as $900 on that site, while identical used volumes were still below $50.

[Variety of Cells]

All of these from AMAZON directly or are you buying from a 3rd party seller? I have bought the last 5 MST3K sets from Amazon and a ton of other blus and have never once had an issue like you are describing. I only buy from Amazon direct...

In other news, I just read 'blus' as if it rhymed with 'gus', and it made me laugh.  What a great word.  Sounds like an onomatopoeia for vomit.