At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I'm just curious what the consensus is on this. I see some people posting "bargains" for Blu-ray titles costing $19.99 and the like. For me, until it hits $14.99 or less, this is not a bargain (unless it's a TV show, box set, things like that). This especially holds true for a catalog title. I'd like to upgrade most of my DVDs to Blu-ray but would never pay more than $14.99 to do so. What does everyone else think?

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I guess 40% off MSRP or above? $19.99 for a $39.99 day-and-date definitely qualifies as a bargain in my eyes.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

yup. during most of the year I would be happy to score 40% off on something I wanted. When you get into the last two months of the last quarter, then 45% becomes a bare minimum deal and 50-65% off becomes bargain territory (for me anyway).

And then a bargain is really only a bargain if it is something you want or need. I get suckered in too easy with things like these Criterion sales picking up things that I otherwise don't need or care about just because the discount is so impressive. That's just wasted money in the long run.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I only see 2 threads offering BDs for 19.99 or more.

Star Trek for 19.99 at Amazon and Amazon pricematching Inglorious 20.99
Only one more thread complaining about bargains needed to tie up the score. -wink-

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

lol, I'm sorry if this came off as a complaint. I'm really just curious if my expectations of a bargain are in line with others'. The $19.99 mark was just an example, not meant to point out any one person or their post. I hope I didn't offend anyone, just trying to make conversation about bargains. :)

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Prior to the last month or two, Blu-ray new releases were all $25+. $19.99 is definitely a bargain as far as i'm concerned.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

All depends on how much you want the movie! Star Trek for $19.99 was a great bargain for me as I really wanted it! On the other hand, some title that I could care less about could be priced @ $5 for the BR and it's not a bargain for me. Bargains are 100% YMMV.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

During 2008 my buying price was 14.99 max for catalog Blu-Rays. This year it's around 9.99-12.99 for catalog titles. Next year it will probably be $10 and under.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

The bargain point to for me is $14.99 for new titles and $9.99 for catalogue titles.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I look for - $19.99 for a new release and $12.99 -$9.99 for the rest.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

:up:

All those Amazon $19.99 pre-orders are unprecedented bargains.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Got to be $10 or less for me.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

For the forum, I think the bargains that get listed are when a title's available at a price lower than what it's normally sold for. New releases get added in notsomuch because they're bargains, but just for comparison shopping.

Really, though, any time you buy something for less than you expected and were willing to pay, you got a bargain.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

around 7-8 for a single disc. $10 for a SE.

I used to go to $15 for a Disney animated, but with all those coupons, that's dropped considerably too.

This pricing reminds me of the early days of DVD when 7-8 seemed like a good deal. Now it's 3-4 bucks for a DVD and even that is too much for some titiles.

Big Lots and Amazon Marketplace have spoiled me to no end. Who would have thought two years ago a season of Nip/Tuck on blu-ray for less than 8 bucks. I never would have.

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I almost never spend more than $15 on a BD unless it's something I just can't wait for. I've been piling up a list of titles I need to buy as they come down. I'd pay anything for a proper release of Armageddon though if someone would get off their ass and do it.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

To me , a bargain is comparative. Vendor 1 has whatever for a good amount less than the going rate at the rest of vendors out there.

Of course, that doesn't mean its something i would have to buy - just that its a 'bargain'.
Personally, $10 is my BD purchase point. Luckily that isn't too far out of reach with things like Warner shop mistakes, random Amazon sales, and goozex.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

$20 for a new release/first week BR is a bargain to me.
$15 or $16 for a BR that's been out for a few months is a bargain to me.
$10 to $12 for a catalog BR is a bargain to me.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

$14.99 - $19.99 for new titles
$14.99 - $16.99 for titles that have been out for a few months
$9.99 - $14.99 for catalog titles

That's how I see it at least.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Agreed!!

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$15 is my cap. I won't pay over that for ANY title, new or catalog, unless it's some kind of exclusive that can only be had at one time or in one place (e.g., Transformers 2 from Walmart).

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It's all relative, yeah? $10 is pretty much my limit unless it's something I want badly, then only a few bucks more.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I try to keep it under $10 too per blu.As I'm on a budget.
Also I'm finding killer deals at a few pawnshops,like Ironman w mask for $10.,I think my kid has it in his toybox...:-))

And with Black Friday almost here,hopefully I can get some more great movies for less then $10.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

That's pretty much the way I look at it but I'm satisfied with 50% off.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Basic rule for me is at what price I am willing to spend money on it.. (usually Blu's no more the $10 average)..

I used to share the following philosophy with those that are looking to buy a computer... List all the specs you want... figure the price you are willing to pay... then when those two match... buy it... look back during the price match period (30/60/90 depending on retailer).. then after that... never look back... if it drops in price... no worries because you paid what you wanted....

Remember.....

An item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it... not just what a list states as the value...

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I second that.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

I'd say that's about right for me, too. Of course, it depends a lot on just how much I want the title as well as the MSRP. If something has a $40 MSRP, like most Criterion Blu-rays, it's going to be a lot harder to find it in the $10-$15 range. Yes, I realize it's not impossible, like the Criterion B&N sale and some past markdowns from Amazon, but that just makes those deals all the more remarkable when we get them.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Oh really? Then I think you should take back all of those Criterions you just bought for $13. ;)

My goal for bargains is at least 50% off. That doesn't mean I won't pay more for select titles, and other titles I'd want to get more than 50% off, but that is always my goal...

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

It's interesting to see all the people that take into consideration the MSRP. I've always found that to be a kind of arbitrary number, considering some studios seem to always have a higher MSRP than others, regardless of the type of edition or disc.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

...but it's the MSRP that frequently determines the traditional sticker price. I consider a bargain to represent a price meaningfully less than I'd ordinarily pay, so I can't help but consider the MSRP as part of that. (If something were absurdly overpriced in the first place, you could argue that a very substantial discount on that still wouldn't be a bargain, but I'm speaking in boring general terms here.)

I threw out that 40% kind of arbitrarily, though. To me, a bargain is when I see something I want at a price that makes me go "well, I guess I'm buying that now". :) I figure the ordinary discount on Amazon is thirty-something percent, so a bargain would start at the next big notch past that.

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Don't get me wrong, I hear ya on the MSRP thing. I just have never been the type of person to say, "Wow, 50% off the MSRP, I need to jump on that." It's always been the actual price of the item.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

When it's something you want and you'll enjoy.

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I have to agree. Regardless of how much the price has come down from MSRP, I still do not have more than $10-$15 in my budget to spend per disc. Even if a special or collector's edition set (for a single title) that's normally $80 has come down to $20, that's still over my budget and I won't buy it. I probably only get 50% or less of the new releases that I really want because, of course, they're not all gonna be < $15 right off the bat, but they've all gotta get cheap(er) sometime, right? And I'm willing to wait. I can count on one hand how many times I've done a headdesk over seeing a title I spent $x.00 for drop down to substantially less than what I paid for it. ;)

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Right there with you, Trevor.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

It depends on what the purchaser considers a "bargain". It's that simple, really. Different prices will be appealing to different people with different incomes and priorities. That's the way business works.

For myself, I don't pinpoint the value of films I love at a specific price-point for an individual Blu-ray. However, I generally consider a Blu-ray purchase a bargain if it is $10-15 and a film that I love and want to add to my collection. $10 (or less) is definitely the best way to make me feel motivated into buying a film - and sometimes I will even feel more inclined to "blind-buy" a title with that kind of pricing. However, I really can't see myself doing that as much in the future as it's resulted in me purchasing many films I have either hated or found to be "meh" overall.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

MSRP is irrelevant to me, and if I have to pay tax or shipping, it's not a true bargain to me. But if I see a BD (that I don't have but thought of getting) selling at Amazon for around 50% of what it sold for on release date, that I would call that a bargain.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

if we're talkin BARGAIN, $15 for new release, $10 for everything else.

that's not to say I wont buy something that aint a bargain though, nor will I buy everything that is a bargain. very case-by-case basis.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

Speaking of MSRP, it's amazing how many idiots (I mean people) actually pay MSRP in retail stores. Whenever I'm browsing in the movie section, I always see someone who picks up a DVD or Blu-ray that's not on sale and throws it in their cart.

These must be the same people who buy DVDs/BDs off Ebay and end up paying more for a used product than they could have bought new on Amazon.

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O yea, I bitch about these people in the HD forum all the time. I know a guy that goes to Best Buy and picks up around 12 titles each week! Probably could get another 4-6 titles for the same money on Amazon.

Re: At what point is a bargain actually a bargain?
 

^ I have a good friend who is the exact same way. He'll tell me how much he paid for one title, and I would often have paid $10-15 less than he had. But it's not like I keep these deals to myself. I tell him! He still says he prefers to go to Best Buy and pick them out himself and walk out with them in hand.

But the thing that makes it even more stupid is that he likes Criterion releases and foreign films, the types of titles that aren't exactly plentiful at Best Buy. That's what I really don't get. Fine, I'll accept that someone would be willing to pay more to have it today, but why limit oneself to the selection of a couple of B&M chain stores?

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Paying MSRP will never make sense, just wasting money, places like FYE never made any sense, they want twice as much as a store across the street, most likely why they closed.

What makes a bargain, cheap, ten dollars, however now that I am mostly done with my back list of films I may be willing to pay more for new releases so I do not have to wait months to save seven dollars.