The Demise of DVD Etailers
09-20-00, 12:54 PM
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As many may know, Canadian etailer Canshop appears to have gone under. Now, HTF is rife with posts about Express.com experiencing all kinds of difficulty.
No doubt in part because of discounts disappearing, thus making B&M retailers more attractive. I have also posted my belief that the predatory shipping policies of etailers lend to their demise, especially in months like October and November, probably the two biggest months for releases of DVD "A" titles yet. If you want each week's releases in the week they are in fact released, you would be looking at horrendous shipping charges. Stupidly, etailers insist on charging this 'per shipment' fee, which has cost them about 600 dollars in pre-orders from me. I won't wait, and won't pay the stupid fees.
Its also a good thing for outfits like Digitaleyes.com which has never really been able to offer the steep discounts Reel, Express and others did. Now that things have levelled out, this company seems to be experiencing a resurgence in customers, as it has a very good reputation.
I've pretty much stopped online shopping for DVDs, except for real deals. No more pre-orders.
Thoughts?
No doubt in part because of discounts disappearing, thus making B&M retailers more attractive. I have also posted my belief that the predatory shipping policies of etailers lend to their demise, especially in months like October and November, probably the two biggest months for releases of DVD "A" titles yet. If you want each week's releases in the week they are in fact released, you would be looking at horrendous shipping charges. Stupidly, etailers insist on charging this 'per shipment' fee, which has cost them about 600 dollars in pre-orders from me. I won't wait, and won't pay the stupid fees.
Its also a good thing for outfits like Digitaleyes.com which has never really been able to offer the steep discounts Reel, Express and others did. Now that things have levelled out, this company seems to be experiencing a resurgence in customers, as it has a very good reputation.
I've pretty much stopped online shopping for DVDs, except for real deals. No more pre-orders.
Thoughts?
09-20-00, 01:11 PM
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Personally I have had only positive experiences with the online retailers I've purchased from (Amazon and Buy). However, recent trends from Best Buy and Circuit City on new releases has made me think twice about preordering UNLESS I have a coupon/GC.
30 to 40% off on new releases from Amazon is a decent offer, but when Best Buy has the price virtually the same for the first week (with no shipping costs involved) it's a no-brainer.
30 to 40% off on new releases from Amazon is a decent offer, but when Best Buy has the price virtually the same for the first week (with no shipping costs involved) it's a no-brainer.
09-20-00, 04:17 PM
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quote:<HR>Originally posted by indianajdp:
Personally I have had only positive experiences with the online retailers I've purchased from (Amazon and Buy). However, recent trends from Best Buy and Circuit City on new releases has made me think twice about preordering UNLESS I have a coupon/GC.
30 to 40% off on new releases from Amazon is a decent offer, but when Best Buy has the price virtually the same for the first week (with no shipping costs involved) it's a no-brainer. <HR>
I doubt I will ever return to B&M ordering. You not only have sales tax, but you have the bother of going to the store, parking, standing in line, and lousy selection.
What's the hurry? I have orders containing 30+ items with shipping charges averaging $1 per item (much less than sales tax would be). Amazon normally sends at no additional cost after several "on hand" items pile up and I pick them up with my daily mail.
09-21-00, 12:22 AM
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I think quite a few online shops need to review their prices for shipping.
I always try and shop at the etailers that offer free shipping first and find that while they bump their stock prices up a little to compensate for free shipping, a lot of the time you still come out on top, price wise.
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Regards...
John 3:16
I always try and shop at the etailers that offer free shipping first and find that while they bump their stock prices up a little to compensate for free shipping, a lot of the time you still come out on top, price wise.
------------------
Regards...
John 3:16
09-21-00, 05:16 PM
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I'm a hermit - I don't know what I'd do without online shopping. I don't care about the price. I don't want to deal with salespeople. I don't want to deal with crowds. I want search functionality - can't get that at a b&m store unless they threw in computer terminals.
Many online retailers (not just DVD) are failing because they are run by people who don't understand the internet. They have no concept of how people act on the internet and of how to market to people on the internet. It's new - we will see more failures than successes.
-Steph
Adult DVD Talk
Many online retailers (not just DVD) are failing because they are run by people who don't understand the internet. They have no concept of how people act on the internet and of how to market to people on the internet. It's new - we will see more failures than successes.
-Steph
Adult DVD Talk
