austinsabre

...lol. Dude I work at Fry's and the markup is not normally high on DVDs... in this case it happens to be marked up pretty well because we're only losing like 7% margin on it, which means we're probably losing less than $5 (I didn't do math, just estimating). So if the cost is $30 and we sell it for 69.99, that definitely is a high markup, but that's very rare in DVDs. The typical margin on DVDs is 10-15% gain over cost (at REGULAR price), and every week when the new releases roll out and are marked down to $15.99 or less, we lose money on every single one sold.

The EE's are sold at like 29.99 and I'd bet the cost is around $25, while the theatricals sell for 19.99 and the cost is probably around $17. When the EE's are on sale for 21.99, we lose money; when the TE's are on sale for 14.99, we lose money.

D.Pham5GLTE (>60GB)

well, i went to Frys in Woodland Hills, and they really hid them well! They weren't with the rest of the DVD boxed sets. i had to ask the CSR where it was, and she told me they wher selling like hot cakes, and that she wanted to get one anyway, luckily, when i go to the shelf, i got TTT and ROTK (i already had FOTR). when i got to the checkout, the cashier next to mine said why would you pay $70 for this thing? you could make it yourself. then, i showed him the receipt and he changed his mind quickly. then, i went to have the lady at the door check and she told me that i was missing one. she said she only got the other ones (i'm assuming the EE's), because her kids would probably destroy the CE.

oh, and i picked up the last TTT & ROTK from WH, and there where 2 FOTR left on the shelf.

leland

Stopped by the Renton, WA one when they opened and couldn't find any of the RotK sets. Picked up TTT but still am missing the RotK... Salesman suggested PM at Fred Meyers or something...

D-Ball

I noticed that too. They also have a release date of 5/10 and the MSRP is $39.99. So these sets may be getting a price drop to clear out the inventory and may show up everywhere for this price.

vhgong

Funny, i went there at about 1.00pm and they still have many RoTK left.....

tanman

Anyone know if this is good for Sat? And is it good for any other transworld ent. stores such as Specs?

D.Pham5GLTE (>60GB)

should be good till Tuesday

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=420575

and when i was looking for lotr, some people where waiting to get X. not sure what the big interest in X is, and quite frankly, not even that good of a price for X, but i guess it's not bad for retail and no rebates.

smackattack

only had a handful of each left at the anaheim frys at around 7pm friday night. A lot of the boxes were bent in and stuff and i noticed one golum with a broken leg. I double dipped on these and now need to find someone to sell my other EE's too. Im sure i can find someone at work to pony up $65 of $70 for the set in the box

Artman

Got one at Renton, WA! Left on the shelf as of 10:00am -> 4 ROTK, 1 FOTR

leland

They must've put out a bunch of sets after the store opened on Friday... I wish stores would put out advertised items prior to the store opening the day the sale starts... Oh well, Renton, WA Fry's has one less RotK CE set.

jiffy97

For those thinking of selling the EE sets they already have. Keep in mind that people are paying $30-60 dollars for just the slipcase on eBay. May be a way to make a few more bucks in the sale.

Manzana

Do you mean people on eBay are paying $30 to $60 for just the slipcase that was offered for $3 shipping with the ROTK EE set? I passed on ordering it because I could care less about wasting $3 on a slipcase that just collects dust on my shelf along with the 3 EEs. However, if I could've known that people would be insane enough to pay $30 to $60 for them, then of course I would've gotten it and then sold it. I never have and never will understand the people who inhabit eBay who have money to burn who like to pay huge prices for stuff I consider worthless and who will pay nothing for stuff I try to sell that I think is valuable. One man's junk is another man's treasure, and vice-versa. Unfortunately I'm usually on the vice-versa side. One constant in my life is that I never can predict fads and trends. If I collect something thinking it'll be valuable, it won't be. If I dump something thinking it will never be valuable, it will become valuable soon after.

I just checked and the slipcase offer is over. I suppose the slipcases were worth about $3 on eBay up through March 31st (when the offer expired), and on April 1st they suddenly jumped to $30+. I wouldn't be surprised in a few months to see them go for hundreds of dollars. Why not thousands? Nothing, no matter how insane, would surprise me on eBay. I do know one fact: if I wasn't willing to pay $3 for the slipcase when the deal was on, then I will certainly will never pay more than $3 for it in the future. Frankly I prefer to have my EE sets loose because I keep DVDs alphabetically and when you reach the end of the shelf and you have a big fat set, then you have to move the whole set down to the next shelf and leave a big gap. Sorry to ramble here, but hearing this was just another one of those stories about eBay that really bothers me. I will spare people from any of my sad eBay stories (always as seller). I'm proud that I have never bought anything on eBay.

jiffy97

I was amazed when I saw that as well. I ordered the slipcase and have it sitting here empty, waiting for the EEs. My wife thinks I should sell it. She doesn't understand the obsession... The offer from New Line is dead. Ended on 3/31.

The three most recent ended auctions for just the slipcases were: $61, $51, and $42. They all read "This is for the case only. No movies included", or something to that effect. Looks like the EE's themselves are going for about $20 per movie. So you could pay $75 for the giftsets and still come out about $25 ahead by ebaying the EEs and slipcase separately. Not to shabby.

Too bad I live in Massachusetts. No Fry's anywhere near me. I called an Aunt in Cali and a friend in Texas and neither live near any in their states. If anyone wants to pick me up a copy of each and mail them out I would be happy to reimburse.

eau

Definitely very hot price for the gift sets. I paid more for them even after the upgrade rebates.

smackattack

That is just wrong. Yes, the slipcase ALONE is going for $30 up to $60. God bless the free enterprise system. That and A fool and his money shall soon part. Wow.

Jah-Wren Ryel

Ain't any weirder than Salo selling for hundreds.

Manzana

jiffy97, I think you are saying anyone with the 3 EEs and the slipcase could sell them on eBay for enough to cover the 3 Collector's Gift Sets plus make a profit. For a moment I thought the EE slipcase was included in the Gift Sets, but I guess not judging by the pictures. Even though my Fry's is 10 miles away, traffic is never light and I don't feel like the double dip for myself. It doesn't sound like these are worth that much on their own to make a worthwhile profit on eBay, so I will still pass. I thought about pricematching to Walmart, but I didn't even bother calling because they have so little inventory I'd be nothing short of shocked if they had any LOTR Collector's Sets. I'm not going to waste my time going to Best Buy until Tuesday for National Treasure, and I'm sure if they had any Collector's Sets they were long ago cleaned out (assuming the pricematches weren't denied on the excuse I sometimes get of "that's below our cost").

You would think that people who buy on eBay might check Fry's ads or even Amazon or BestPrices where they could get the Collector's Sets for about the same price as the 3 EEs separately + the overpriced slipcase on eBay.

I have a friend at work who bought the 3 EEs and also passed on the slipcase offer when it was valid for $3 for the same reason I did (i.e. who cares about a slipcase). I wonder if he'll be sickened like I was when he hears the eBay prices, but I guess $30-$60 isn't that much in the grand scheme of things.

smackattack

Personally, I like nice packaging on movies that I enjoy. Really stand out in the collection. Now, as far as these collector sets, i really only liked the 2 king bookends. The gollum and the city are eh. I never picked these up initially because they were way overpriced.

Im shocked that a cardboard slipcase would sell for $30+. Heck, i was borderline ordering it at $3. Im not looking to make a killing on ebay. Im going to offer my EE's to someone I know and see if I can get out of them about what i paid for the collectors editions and be happy for the upgrade in the collection.

eau

I remember an empty Cowboy Bebop collector's artbox went for a ridiculous amount on ebay. At least it was a limited edition item.

truelies

If the slipcase can sell at $30-$60, why not buy the total three ee with case and sell it seperately?

I saw it in ebay. That's cheat! He listed three dvd with the case, and said ' the slipcase of lord of the ring!"

moonraker

They show up as $29.88 now (not that 11 cents is gonna be a decision factor for anyone...). My guess is the MSRP has droppped and that other stores will soon be following suit. Just a guess, though. Buy.com is also showing ROTK gift set at this price, too.

kwbdc

I went to the Renton Fry's on Sunday and picked up the whole trilogy. Great deal. The cashier couldn't believe the markdown on the price.

focker

I really enjoyed watching my EEs recently and these prices are really tempting, but I'm not sure I care about the extras included with the collector's sets. I'll have to mull this one over.

fujishig

What are the extras anyway? What could possibly justify more than double the retail price of the EEs? Just the bookends and an extra disc? Unless this is the reason they're clearancing them now...

eau

Extras in the gift sets:

LOTR:FOTR

- New version of National Geographic DVD, Beyond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings, with additional footage and photo gallery
- Collectible Argonath polystone figures created by Sideshow Weta
- Exclusive Decipher trading cards

LOTR:TTT

- The Evolution of Gollum" exclusive: a bonus DVD on the Weta Workshop and how the Gollum statue was created, featuring interviews with Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, the cast and more! Also featured on the bonus disc, a printed companion piece showing how Gollum evolved from pencil sketch to sculpted maquette to digital character.
- A collectible Gollum polystone statue created by Sideshow Weta is included as well. These contents are presented to you in a handsome gift box, with packaging illustrated by famed artist, Alan Lee.

LOTR:ROTK

- Collectible Minas Tirth polystone keepsake box created by Sideshow Weta
- Bonus DVD "Creating The Lord of the Rings Symphony" by Howard Shore
A 52-minute program featuring interviews by Academy Award winning composer Howard Shore and live concert performances with the Festival Montreal en Lumières Orchestra.