FireStarta316

With Netflix, Instant Stream, etc do you guys find yourself renting more then buying? I have over 400 DVDs and I have been trying to rent more which is something I never did. However it has become so convenient that I usually hold off on buying and rent first.

My problem, as I am sure some can relate to, is that after renting I feel like I want the movie in my collection. I guess it's a sickness lol.

dillkid

I'm a collector myself, so renting is out of the question.

Regulus

Being a Collector, I definately say Purchase. The best part about buying them is, after you finish watching them, YOU GET TO KEEP THEM!

adrenaline78

I rent.. from the library.. and If I like the movie I will then buy it.. Unless its something I know I have to have.. or if its a really good deal. I used the buy buy buy.. but when I look back and say damn. I have a lot of movies.. and damn.. i could have bought a new car with that $.. so I am def renting more than buying these days.

MrSmearkase

Both, but I've been holding off on purchases lately.

Trevor

If my library had better selections or renting was cheaper I might do more of it, but I generally purchase.

Mainly because I'm a lifelong collector, but also because renting is almost the same price as buying if you do it right.

xfilekr

I use Redbox and Blockbuster Express for immediate things I want to see. Otherwise I'm good at being patient and getting movies for only a few bucks from Amazon marketplace and a lot recently from GoHasting Sales. Like Trevor, if you're patient you can buy almost as cheap as renting.

GoldenWheels

Being in a store surrounded by DVDs, I almost always seem to end up buying. Employee discount helps.

I try to do the netflix streaming when I can--but even with their big selection I still find myself searching really hard sometimes on a Saturday night for anything I really WANT to watch.

meshershark

Now that I've had Netflix for several years, I do find myself doing less release week purchasing of movies. I'm more apt to just put them in my queue and wait several months for a better price. I'm not going to pay $20 (or nearly so) for 90-120 minutes of entertainment if I can wait six months and pay $10. I make occasional exceptions for highly anticipated titles, but even those purchases have been getting postponed more often.

In general I find it easier to justify release week buying of TV seasons because the price per hour of entertainment is so much better. Granted the average movie has better production values than the average TV show, but the gap seems to be shrinking and is definitely smaller for the shows I prefer lately.

The size of my collection (nearing 1000) probably has something to do with my changing buying habits. Early on when I was building my collection online retailers were in their feeding frenzy zenith with tons of coupons and deals so purchasing was frequent and rapid. Renting at the time meant paying a significant portion of the purchase price for a single viewing. With less than 100 titles, variety was worth the premium of impulse buying or renting. Once I got to around 500 I was mostly filling in gaps and adding new releases or discoveries. Owning a good selection took the pressure off to get something immediately when it came out. Having Netflix as a sunk cost allowing previews for a fraction of the marginal cost of one-off renting also reduced impulse buying.

kd5

If I can pick up a 'Like New' 4-disc Extended Edition of The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe for $8, or a New 3-disc Collector's Edition of Prince Caspian for $8.50, and have them in my collection for as long as I have my collection, then I'll definitely buy it rather than rent it. That way we get to watch it whenever we want to watch it, and as many times as we want to watch it.......forever.

At one time my wife would have preferred that we rent DVDs (she may still) but I think that she may now recognize that I don't/won't pay retail prices for the DVDs that I buy, that oftentimes I find them for ridiculously cheap, and that more often than not I buy DVDs with re-watch value (sometimes I might pick up a lemon but usually everything I buy has sufficient entertainment value). I find a lot of my DVDs for $4, $5, & $6 online (and/or at the various B&M stores we visit), and sometimes even $3 from Big Lots.

I'm sure there will be DVDs that we'll rent, but I like owning the DVDs I feel are worth keeping and re-watching at some later date. -kd5-

milo bloom

I used to not even hesitate to pick up questionable titles used because they were so cheap, but now with Netflix I find myself thinking "I bet that's available on instant streaming..."

And I've watched a few things on instant streaming that, while enjoyable, I'm glad I didn't actually buy it, even if I had been able to find it used pretty cheaply.

Trevor

Here's me with the opposite argument if ever needed:

If forced by financial necessity, I could switch to renting and argue that it is cheaper than even extreme bargain buying.

If one has access to Redbox and a local fast Netflix location, one could average about $1 per film watched.

Since I will probably end up averaging 2-3 watches per film owned over my lifetime, renting at $1 per is probably slightly cheaper than owning.

Personally though, I hate to rent because when I want to watch something, I want to watch it right then, not 3-30 days later when it arrives from netflix. Plus I love to loan my DVDs out.

milo bloom

Dude, Instant Streaming. Available on PS3, X-Box, Wii and several Bluray players.

orangerunner

Most of my collection is old movies that are tried and true. They are movies from my childhood and teen years that I used to own on VHS and movies I know I will watch over and over.

I find most new movies are good enough for one viewing and if I like it enough I can usually pick up a copy used for $3-$4.

I think for most people the days are numbered where the typical guy scrambles down to the electronics store and scoops up the latest $24.95 new release.

The Blockbuster in my neighbourhood just shut down and even on the final hours of operation they still had many copies of titles like Pelham 123, Whiteout, Paranormal Activity, Duplicity, Gamer, The International etc. for as low as a $1.50 and they couldn't find any buyers.

There just so many more cost-efficient and convenient options for people nowadays.

mike07

I prefer to buy than rent.

JOE29

Ditto.

Eddie W

I don't understand people who refuse to rent. Do you just buy EVERYTHING, or do you not watch that many movies? I like to watch a lot of movies, but only about 5% of new releases are titles that I'd like to have in my permanent collection. I'd miss a lot of decent movies if I limited myself to only buy or skip.

Of course, I do buy movies. But it's limited to a small core collection of my absolute favorites. Not everything that gets released.

dadaluholla

Haven't rented since the late 90's. If I am interested in a movie I'll just buy it. If by some chance I don't like it, I just sell it or trade it.

Palpadious

I watch movies about every day, so if I bought every movie that interested me, I'd be broke. I definitely prefer to pay about a dollar for a Netflix rental than $20 for a movie that I may hate.

dadaluholla

Yeah because you HAVE to pay $20 to buy a movie.

DJariya

I agree with Post 19 and 21. Most of the people in this forum are compulsive shoppers. I have a friend at work who owns almost 2000 DVD's and BR's and never watches any of them. Yet, he still goes to Mom and Pop stores and rents stuff every week.

I like movies just as much as anyone in this forum and still buy alot when I find good deals, but I can't afford everything I want and I simply don't have time to watch everything. I still have to sleep, eat and go to work. Plus, I still have other bills to pay like car payment, rent and other expenses. Rental services like Netflix help alot when I'm bored and want to watch something that I don't need to own permanently.

JohnnyMovie

both. Im only rent with in the public library and Blockbuster video.

MartinBlank

I only own movies that are awesome

Seriously though, I haven't bought a new DVD in quite sometime...my collection's about complete. I only buy movies that I know I'm gonna watch over and over again.

There's too much crap being produced today, I don't understand why anybody would blind-buy anymore

Trevor

Thanks! I do stream quite a bit, but the selection isn't that great.

MartinBlank

A $2/$3 rental VS a $20/$25 purchase, it doesn't make sense to me. My only blind-buys come for the $7 or less bins at WalMart.