I purchased King of the Hill Season 1 (newer clear packaging) two weeks ago. When I opened it, I noticed the bottom of the case was cracked. It didn't bother me until it got worse, and then I couldn't open it, so I exchanged it for another one. I open the new case, and guess what? The flip tray holder is cracked. Have any of you experienced any of this with the newer Fox clear case flip tray box sets? Should I just get the bulky normal size or am I just having bad luck? thanks

Fox actually designed the case that way. It is an inside joke referred to in episode 5.

I haven't bought a TV boxed set in a while, but I'm sure it's just bad luck. If you really prefer the slimmer package, return it again. I assume you bought it mail order? Maybe 8 months ago, I went through 3 Superman Animated sets with Amazon until I got one that had few scratches on the disks and an unbroken case. I even had to mix and match disks and case parts to accomplish that. (If possible, hold off returning the current set until the new one arrives.) If it's a Viva case (like on most Paramount TV sets), you'll probably never get an exact replacement from a 3rd party dealer, so best to get it right the first time.

The worst experience that I've ever had with a dvd was with a seller that was a liar. The dvd was listed as brand new. When I got it, it looked brand new...until I opened it. It is a single disc, (no 2 disc version exists), but the case was a 2 disc case. The disc was in upside down and very scratched up. Luckily, the dvd seems to play fine. I told the person and they still said that it was new. But it was very obvious that it was resealed. thetao, what animated Superman set are you talking about ? The animated series ? And what was wrong with it ?

@Spottedfeather:

And you kept that piece of junk? I worked at a retail store many years ago and operated a shrink wrap machine, and can spot aftermarket wrap most of the time. I've received used items rewrapped and sold as new on three occasions:

The first was a CD. Without the wrap it would have been "Like New", as it looked really good. The only clue was a slight finger bend in the back cover of the booklet, which happens sometimes as you pry it out. I took the shrink wrap as a curiosity and didn't complain. In early 2011 I bought a double DVD set in custom cardboard packaging, including a slipcase. In my experience, it's very difficult to buy anything in a cardboard slipcase used, and not see some wear. The inside was okay, but the slipcase had some scratches and indentations, and some light but obvious shelf wear on the bottom. I complained and paid return shipping.

Then in August I bought another double DVD in similar packaging. The outside wasn't bad, but still had more wear that a typical retail copy. Inside, both digipak trays were detached, disk 1 showed fingerprints, and disk 2 was scratched all to hell. I'd actually asked the merchant before the sale, "is this item factory-sealed?", because the price was very good, and they responded "yes". I was furious and told them if they wanted it returned, they would be paying shipping. The response was a highly sarcastic "Enjoy your FREE movie!", to which I responded with pictures of the item and a 1-star rating.

There is apparently a supply chain for Amazon dealers, in the same way that Big Lots and others get their movies from distributors, so I really don't know who is to blame. In the past when I had bad experiences (bootlegs, cut-outs, Columbia House 10-for-a-penny CD's), I tried giving the merchant the benefit of the doubt and often didn't rate the experience at all. I have finally come to believe that it doesn't matter who rewrapped these items, that they are the merchant's property, and I am rating the overall transaction. If the merchant doesn't know they are reselling used merchandise, then they are stupid and don't deserve 5 stars, and that's what future buyers want to know.

Yes, my Superman set was the Animated Series of 7 disks, but it wasn't used...just abused and likely packaged by people who didn't give a damn. I recall that one double-sided disk was scratched, another disk had the graphics image of a completely different DVD series ("The Forsythe Saga") visible on its shiny side, and all the little plastic hinges that hold the flip pages in place were broken. The second set had intact packaging, but the same disk and another were scratched. Also, instead of the bonus disk being last in the case, it was first. In the third set, I believe the recurring scratched disk was even worse, so I settled for the disk from the 2nd set. I'd actually gone so far as contacting Warner Brothers quality control, but they wanted the entire set returned, and wouldn't swap a single disk. I checked that the disk played fine, but have to wonder if the scratches would have been a problem if WB had chosen single-sided disks instead?

Hope you enjoyed the stories.

Almost every Fox TV season I've received has had at least one scratched disc. Some of my original Buffy and Angel sets look like someone took sandpaper to them -- and those were all purchased on release week.

Recently, I ordered a few TV sets from WBShop. Children's Hospital Seasons 1&2 had pristine shrinkwrap, yet the back of the slipcase looks like someone took their fingernail and dug into the cardboard. Clearly a rewrap. Disc 3 of Birds of Prey was also deeply scratched, despite being factory sealed. I've watched the disc to ensure playback (awful show, btw) and it seems fine. They also sent me a single movie with no shrinkwrap whatsoever. This was made worse by the fact that it was the cardboard snap-case version, despite listing it as being in a keepcase. They are reshipping that one for free, but I'm not optimistic that the second copy will be any different.

I too have had issues with the Superman Animated Series. Luckily, the case was intact -- but the last flipper in the set had big circular scratches along the edge of the disc. It played fine, so I didn't bother with a return. I'd done enough exchanges with Amazon over the last year, so I didn't want to press my luck when the damage was fairly minimal.