Up to 50% off Sets includes Star Trek Voyager/Deep Space Nine
01-29-08, 09:01 PM
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Up to 50% off Sets includes Star Trek Voyager/Deep Space Nine
Columbia House has all box sets up to 50% off until 1/31. Noticed this includes all Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine Seasons. Price is $38.48 plus 7.99 shipping for a $46.47 total price. This is much cheaper than they have been available for elsewhere. With a BOGO + free shipping code I was able to get Voyager season 1 and Across the Universe (2 disc) for $46.47 total!
01-29-08, 09:46 PM
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Yes, many sets are at the 40% off list, as usual. Some of the sets are at 50% off list, but the main reason for my post is to point out the Star Trek prices. I believe the list price of these has finally dropped from $120 to about $70. Columbia House has the list price as $76.99, so they are 50% off, and will be going from $38.48 to $46.19 (40% off) in a couple of days. Note that amazon has 3 seasons of voyager at 69.98 and 4 seasons at $116.99. Deep Discount has each Voyager season at $52.28 and Barnes and Noble has them at from $53.58 to $62.98. Columbia House's price with shipping is cheaper than Deep Discount's at least while the current sale is on (plus you can get a free DVD with a sale offer code).
Last edited by Bobaray; 01-29-08 at 09:48 PM. Reason: clarification
01-30-08, 11:45 AM
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Deep Discount price is $52.28. Columbia House price is $38.48 + $7.99 S/H = $46.47. Even if your state charges sales tax, CH is still a better deal. And don't forget that Deep Discount often raises their prices in time for the 20% off sale.
01-30-08, 12:36 PM
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I don't want to rain (drizzle?) on your parade about these costs, but it is actually cheaper in the long run to get them at 40%-off, instead of 50%-off.
As has been discussed many times, in order to compare prices at Columbia House, you have to compare net costs, not the list costs (nor sale prices), of box sets. You can't compare the cost of something by itself. Everything is purchased (or should be purchased) in order to fulfill and cycle accounts and/or take advantage of savings that keep your average DVD cost as low as possible (optimized at $4.80, based on recent sale codes). Exceptions to that would be if you can generate and/or use FunCash as efficiently as possible, or take advantage of some kind of glitch or major deal.
Simply making the purchase of the box set without trying to fulfill an account with it winds up with you spending a lot more money at Columbia House than you need to (or another way of looking at it: raising the average cost on your regular DVDs to the point where it wasn't a good deal to get THEM through Columbia House).
So you really have two choices to buy the Star Trek season sets:
(a) for a $76.99 title, at 40% off, it comes to $46.17 and counts as two fulfillments ( <- key information)
(b) for a $76.99 title, at 50% off, it comes to $38.48, and therefore only counts as a single fulfillment
So, in an optimized 7:2 account:
In situation (a), you get 8 regular DVDs and a season set for a total cost of:
$2.94 + $9.95 + $46.17 + $7.99 = $67.05.
Subtract out the value of the 8 regular DVDs at $4.80 each, and you get a net cost of the box set of:
$67.05 - 8*4.80 = $28.65.
In situation (b), you get 10 regular DVDs and a season set for a total cost of:
$2.94 + $9.95 + $38.48 + $7.99 + $19.95 = $79.31.
Subtract out the value of the 10 regular DVDs at $4.80 each, and you get a net cost of the box set of:
$79.31 - 10*4.80 = $31.31.
Because of the additivity of the equations, and the fact that the season sets are the same cost as each other (assuming you get two at the same cost, that is), they come out to $62.62 for two.
Result: the net cost of the box set is LOWER if you use it to fulfill an account at the 40%-off level instead of the 50%-off level, because it counts as two fulfillments instead of just one, and that's a loss in value of $19.95 - $4.80*2 = $10.35 compared to your "savings" based on the 10%-off difference at only $7.69. That's why there's a difference of $2.66 in the net cost.
If you fulfill with two sets, then the opportunity cost of the second set purchase at the 50%-off price is 2*$2.66 = $5.32.
Therefore, if your personal value on the time and hassle of cycling an account is higher than $5.32, you "save" (you just spend more money that way). It's the old balance of time and money. If you want them faster, you pay more for them. If you can take your time, be patient, and cycle accounts, you will save more money, and you shouldn't use the current 50%-off sale for these particular box sets.
As a last note, I also want to point out that if you wait until a 15%-off your order code comes along, you can lower that $28.65 to $26.53.
And if you wait even longer, until a free shipping on box sets code comes along, you can lower it even further, to $25.47.
So the absolute best net price you can get (based on sale codes CH "routinely" uses) is $25.47, using a free box set shipping code, and purchasing it at 40%-off, resulting in a savings of $5.85 (really $11.70, since we're talking about fulfilling an account by getting two sets compared to getting only one).
As has been discussed many times, in order to compare prices at Columbia House, you have to compare net costs, not the list costs (nor sale prices), of box sets. You can't compare the cost of something by itself. Everything is purchased (or should be purchased) in order to fulfill and cycle accounts and/or take advantage of savings that keep your average DVD cost as low as possible (optimized at $4.80, based on recent sale codes). Exceptions to that would be if you can generate and/or use FunCash as efficiently as possible, or take advantage of some kind of glitch or major deal.
Simply making the purchase of the box set without trying to fulfill an account with it winds up with you spending a lot more money at Columbia House than you need to (or another way of looking at it: raising the average cost on your regular DVDs to the point where it wasn't a good deal to get THEM through Columbia House).
So you really have two choices to buy the Star Trek season sets:
(a) for a $76.99 title, at 40% off, it comes to $46.17 and counts as two fulfillments ( <- key information)
(b) for a $76.99 title, at 50% off, it comes to $38.48, and therefore only counts as a single fulfillment
So, in an optimized 7:2 account:
In situation (a), you get 8 regular DVDs and a season set for a total cost of:
$2.94 + $9.95 + $46.17 + $7.99 = $67.05.
Subtract out the value of the 8 regular DVDs at $4.80 each, and you get a net cost of the box set of:
$67.05 - 8*4.80 = $28.65.
In situation (b), you get 10 regular DVDs and a season set for a total cost of:
$2.94 + $9.95 + $38.48 + $7.99 + $19.95 = $79.31.
Subtract out the value of the 10 regular DVDs at $4.80 each, and you get a net cost of the box set of:
$79.31 - 10*4.80 = $31.31.
Because of the additivity of the equations, and the fact that the season sets are the same cost as each other (assuming you get two at the same cost, that is), they come out to $62.62 for two.
Result: the net cost of the box set is LOWER if you use it to fulfill an account at the 40%-off level instead of the 50%-off level, because it counts as two fulfillments instead of just one, and that's a loss in value of $19.95 - $4.80*2 = $10.35 compared to your "savings" based on the 10%-off difference at only $7.69. That's why there's a difference of $2.66 in the net cost.
If you fulfill with two sets, then the opportunity cost of the second set purchase at the 50%-off price is 2*$2.66 = $5.32.
Therefore, if your personal value on the time and hassle of cycling an account is higher than $5.32, you "save" (you just spend more money that way). It's the old balance of time and money. If you want them faster, you pay more for them. If you can take your time, be patient, and cycle accounts, you will save more money, and you shouldn't use the current 50%-off sale for these particular box sets.
As a last note, I also want to point out that if you wait until a 15%-off your order code comes along, you can lower that $28.65 to $26.53.
And if you wait even longer, until a free shipping on box sets code comes along, you can lower it even further, to $25.47.
So the absolute best net price you can get (based on sale codes CH "routinely" uses) is $25.47, using a free box set shipping code, and purchasing it at 40%-off, resulting in a savings of $5.85 (really $11.70, since we're talking about fulfilling an account by getting two sets compared to getting only one).
Last edited by Cheato; 01-30-08 at 12:40 PM.
01-30-08, 01:26 PM
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^ Enjoyed seeing that analysis Cheato.
Although it is only available through tomorrow, January 31, I would like to point out that those of us who have CH.com accounts could buy those sets and get a free high value DVD, such as a Criterion or something similar. That is probably the best deal for the convenience minded (as opposed to account cyclers).
Although it is only available through tomorrow, January 31, I would like to point out that those of us who have CH.com accounts could buy those sets and get a free high value DVD, such as a Criterion or something similar. That is probably the best deal for the convenience minded (as opposed to account cyclers).
