Al Padrino

After today's Phantom fiasco, it got me thinking that it's not likely that a few titles I'm really looking forward to will be sold at Best Buy or similar retailers, for that matter. So I'm thinking of just taking the online route. Question is, which is the best? What do you usually rely on for your less popular/more obsceure titles? I know plenty of you rely on online retailers to satisfy your needs for titles usually not found in the normal retailers. In the next month and a half, there's The Devil and Daniel Webster CC, The Man Who Laughs and the Lon Chaney Collection that I've got my eye on. Of those, I can only see one or two copies of TDADW surfacing at Best Buy, but I have no hope for the other two. So once again, where should I look for them? I know many of you have your eyes on these as well, so how are you going about getting your copies?

whynotsmile

Amoeba music (not sure if thats spelled right) in Hollywood. There is also one in Berkely and San Francisco. Its a HUGE used music store, with a HUGE dvd collection. used or new. I was thumbing through the cult section and found some amazing stuff. Blew my mind what was in there. I picked up HONEYMOON KILLERS (which ive yet to see) for 26 bucks. not bad. If you don't live in California or by an AMoeba, I would highly sugguest you move. Its worth it. I promise

lesterlong

I usually order from Deep Discount DVD.com They have just about every title. A lot of people have had trouble with them but so I far I have had none. Just give it some time if you use free shipping.

malkmuz

I've been using Overstock.com a lot, cheap shipping and pretty good prices.

greatjedi

As far as B&Ms go, Borders usually has a lot of obscure titles. If they don't have it, they can usually order it. There's usually a Borders 15-20% off coupon floating around the bargains forum too.

I usually check http://www.bordersstores.com to see if my local store has the disc I'm looking for. You have the option of having them hold a copy or, if they don't have one, order it for in store pick-up right on their site.

But like lesterlong said, DDD has just about every title, and they have good prices.

Hiro11

Virgin mega store has an insanely good selection at absolutely insane fleece-the-Brit-tourist prices. If I really can't find something obscure, Virgin's probably got it at full MSRP+.

I agree with greatjedi, Border's has probably the best price/selection combination for hard-to-find stuff.

Edit: I rarely buy DVDs online because I can't stand the delay gratification. My loss...

gutwrencher

well Al...you know that I have already mentioned that most of my dvds will be purchased on-line, except for super popular releases. that said...here is a short list of where I buy most from...including hard to find titles of course.

Poker

Xploited

Luminous

....and of course Amazon, DDD and others for some popular titles. I'm also never afraid to check ebay....never been burned yet. I have stopped using Borders...although the database shows some rare discs. the website has been down for me to order on for 3 months. of late...the selection has grown dismal. I think I out-grew them. I'll only be going to BB on a very limited basis. on-line all the way...my areas retail stores just cant take care of me any longer.

Cosmic Bus

Since I work at Borders, I usually get most of my smaller releases, Criterions, and obscure stuff there. We get virtually everything that's released each week, and with my discount, it's cheaper than practically any online shop.

If you consider the monthly store credit we're given, a lot of my DVDs are purchased with no money out of pocket.

Tarantino

DDD for me. Borders is too damn expensive (I can't justify paying MSRP for a DVD...sorry!).

DDD is the best for your buck, no doubt.

sho kosugi

I like DVD Planet (DVDplanet.com). Never ordered from there though, because I live close to the outlet. The prices seem good and they have'd the most out there stuff I've wanted.

gutwrencher

heres where I care less. I want it and I want it fast. I 'll pay through the roof just to have what I want and as fast as I can get it. one day shipping...no problem. I can get it cheaper somewhere else...but it will take 3 or 4 days longer? forget it. it's all about service as well. I used to not mind the high prices at Borders...because they served me well and fast...about 7 dvds a week from there alone when it came to special orders. the good service stopped...and I stopped shopping there. I'll pay whatever I need to....just put the dvd in my hands.

TomOpus

There's a couple B&Ms here in San Diego. I like Blow Out Video in Pt Loma and Lou's in Encinitas. Lou's has a great selection for obscure titles, but, unfortunately, it's a bit of a drive.

But, like gutwrencher, I'll hit up Borders. I'll check the Bargins Forum to see if there's a coupon first, otherwise I don't mind paying the higher price to have it NOW.

Ginwen

I've got enough DVDs now that I can be patient, so I usually preorder catalog titles from Deep Discount (unless I get an especially good deal at Amazon). It takes a couple of weeks, but at least I know they're coming. I got tired of driving all over town looking for disks I never found.

edytwinky

I just go from site to site and compare prices

FilmFanSea

Ahhh . . . but DVD Price Search will so that for you. As a bargain hunter, I think this is a great site.

I generally use either Deep Discount DVD or Digital Eyes (with the latter, you earn points for each dollar spent, which you can then redeem for a credit). I also buy from DVD Empire once a month (but only with their monthly coupon). DDD and Digital Eyes offer free shipping on everything; DVD Empire ships for free for 3 or more discs.

I used to use DVD Planet (online), but they've lost my business for good with their pathetic customer service.

RichDB10

I tend to use DVD Pacific & Xploited for the bulk of my orders...i've found both of them to offer absolutely fantastic customer service (e-mails are usually replied to almost immediately) and although it won't apply to the majority of you..with living in the UK their shipping is very fast as i usually receive my discs in about 5 days and quite often pre-ordered titles are sent to me about a week or so before street date.

The Bus

Amoeba (at least the one on Hollywood) has an excellent music section but their DVD section is extremely lacking, and ridiculously difficult to browse. Mind you, they were THE only store I've ever seen Pasolini's Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights in, but their DVD section had a lot missing.

My favorite place for DVD shopping when you just need to buy 20-30 discs is J&R Music World in New York City, close to City Hall. I went there about two years ago and walked out with one of the big shopping bags filled with DVDs.

Otherwise, I just shop at Border's. I'm in the mindset where I want something now, not later. I won't pay MSRP (if it's that much I just won't buy it), but don't mind paying an extra buck or two. Like gutwrencher said, my loss.

PalmerJoss

If I can't find it in my local Borders or Newbury Comics I will go online and use either Amazon or DDD. I don't mind paying the big price for a title if it's something I really want.

unbeeleebable

Borders are a good B&M store for obscure stuff but try www.dvdpacific.com for on line. They have absolutely everything I ever need. Selection is great and prices are fine. Their Criterion prices are always excellent and as mentioned previously in thread the CS really is teriffic.

JimRochester

For as overpriced as they are, MediaPlay probably has the best collection of music and documentary titles that I've seen anywhere. My uncle is a big music collector and he finds things in stock that are impossible to find elsewhere.

malkmuz

When I visited SD a few months ago, I managed to check out the new Lous dvd addition. Awesome selection, but pretty expensive. They wanted $45 for a R0 Battle Royale! I'm coming back home (SD) next month and will have to check out Blow Out Video.

marty888

In Manhattan, several stores have a great selection, but prices are not always the best - Virgin & Tower are great for browsing, but not for buying. Kim's specializes in titles outside the main stream, so you usually can find silent films, etc that others don't carry. Another well-stocked store is J&R, which often has bargains on select titles.

We're actually very lucky here in New York, because I'll bet most titles in print can be found at one of those stores.

TomOpus

Yeah, their prices are a tad high but sometimes I've been some competitive pricing. Sorta hit and miss, but I don't mind when the selection is great.

When you go to Blow Out, be aware it's mainly a rental place. The new DVD releases are near the counter in the front. The used DVD section is in the back corner next to the regular DVDs for sale section.

Dragonslayer

I'd recommend:
Xploited Cinema
DVD Empire
Diabolik DVD
DDD

I'd advise you to avoid Luminous. Too many people have had trouble with this retailer.

Dragonslayer

You must have a better Media Play. My local Media Plays don't stock any Classical Music DVDs.