TV Club vs fulfilling with sets?
04-04-06, 12:10 PM
#1
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Thread Starter
TV Club vs fulfilling with sets?
Has anyone done the math to figure out which one's really better, enrolling with sets through the TV club or fulfilling regular DVD club with sets? I'm particularly looking at L&O sets, which are 44.95 as fulfillments, and there's a couple available through TV club. I realize I could do that math, but I was just wondering if anyone else had already done it.
04-04-06, 01:02 PM
#2
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Interesting question. Using standard deals, no free shipping and no BOGOF, it is pretty close to a wash. A box set purchased as an HDL TV Edition enrollment has a relative cost of about $19.05 (using $5.86 as an average value for regular DVDs used as a fulfillment). When buying a set for $44.95 as a fulfillment using the same conditions, the relative cost is about $19.81.
It gets a bit more complicated when factoring in free shipping and BOGOF because there are so many permutations. Those offers greatly reduce the relative cost of a set used as a fulfillment if using the same $5.86 average DVD value. But if one picks a high value DVD as the freebie, it gets even better but how can one calculate what the freebie is "worth"?
Assuming BOGOF and free shipping, for an HDL TV Edition account, the relative cost of each set is about $10.71 and using a set as a fulfillment on a 7:2 account it is about $5.96. [Again, this uses the same $5.86 DVD value to make the calculations comparable. But the actual DVD value of a regular membership with BOGOF and free shipping is about $4.15. The $4.15 figure would change the numbers quite a bit.]
If all this seems complicated, it is. What your question really comes down to is convenience. If you have lots of regular DVDs that you want, then get the set(s) as fulfillments on regular accounts. If you want a lot of sets but only a few regular DVDs, then getting sets as enrollments (plus a set as a fulfillment) on an HDL TV Edition account would be best. An LE5D TV Edition account isn't as good, best to get sets as fulfillments in a regular DVD club account.
These guidelines assume a $44.95 set worth two fulfillment credits. Sets priced at less than $39.95 (worth only one fulfillment credit) and more than ~$30 are best purchased as enrollments in an HDL TV Edition account, if available. Below $30, they make pretty good fulfillments once again.
It gets a bit more complicated when factoring in free shipping and BOGOF because there are so many permutations. Those offers greatly reduce the relative cost of a set used as a fulfillment if using the same $5.86 average DVD value. But if one picks a high value DVD as the freebie, it gets even better but how can one calculate what the freebie is "worth"?
Assuming BOGOF and free shipping, for an HDL TV Edition account, the relative cost of each set is about $10.71 and using a set as a fulfillment on a 7:2 account it is about $5.96. [Again, this uses the same $5.86 DVD value to make the calculations comparable. But the actual DVD value of a regular membership with BOGOF and free shipping is about $4.15. The $4.15 figure would change the numbers quite a bit.]
If all this seems complicated, it is. What your question really comes down to is convenience. If you have lots of regular DVDs that you want, then get the set(s) as fulfillments on regular accounts. If you want a lot of sets but only a few regular DVDs, then getting sets as enrollments (plus a set as a fulfillment) on an HDL TV Edition account would be best. An LE5D TV Edition account isn't as good, best to get sets as fulfillments in a regular DVD club account.
These guidelines assume a $44.95 set worth two fulfillment credits. Sets priced at less than $39.95 (worth only one fulfillment credit) and more than ~$30 are best purchased as enrollments in an HDL TV Edition account, if available. Below $30, they make pretty good fulfillments once again.
04-06-06, 12:07 PM
#5
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
^joltman's question was which was better: buying sets as fulfillments or buying them as enrollments in The TV Edition club. That is rather different from just making the assumption that buying sets from Columbia House is cheaper than elsewhere because one gets free discs using BOGOF.
Yes, buying sets from CH is usually much cheaper than buying them elsewhere. But those of us who like to optimize CH memberships look for the best deal. For example: ordering sets using BOGOF on an already fulfilled account isn't nearly as cost effective as using them for fulfillment AND using BOGOF. I hope I don't have to explain why.
The fact that the sets are much more expensive elsewhere doesn't mean that one ought to pay more than is necessary at CH, if bargain hunting is the goal. (Paying extra is ok if convenience is the goal.)
Buying something just because you can get something else for "free" is a little like buying something because it is on "sale" and one is "saving" 50%. No, one is spending money, not saving it. The goal is to spend as little as necessary.
The per disc price of the set is irrelevant, in my judgment. One has to buy the set as a whole and decide whether it is worth purchasing as a whole.
Yes, buying sets from CH is usually much cheaper than buying them elsewhere. But those of us who like to optimize CH memberships look for the best deal. For example: ordering sets using BOGOF on an already fulfilled account isn't nearly as cost effective as using them for fulfillment AND using BOGOF. I hope I don't have to explain why.
The fact that the sets are much more expensive elsewhere doesn't mean that one ought to pay more than is necessary at CH, if bargain hunting is the goal. (Paying extra is ok if convenience is the goal.)
Buying something just because you can get something else for "free" is a little like buying something because it is on "sale" and one is "saving" 50%. No, one is spending money, not saving it. The goal is to spend as little as necessary.
The per disc price of the set is irrelevant, in my judgment. One has to buy the set as a whole and decide whether it is worth purchasing as a whole.
