Classic Sci-fi Ultimate Collection price jump
06-27-07 | 11:07 AM
#52
New Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For what it’s worth, I think that making any product a (fill in the blank) “exclusive” is a really, really bad marketing strategy…unless you want to alienate fans of your product. I tried to purchase this set in Canada, both at BestBuy.ca and at a local BestBuy store; in both cases they didn’t know what I was talking about.
Apparently my only choices were to either make a trip to the U.S. or to purchase it online from BestBuy.com. Either option would significantly increase the cost (though I would have done so had I known it would be OOP so quickly). Effectively they have denied access of this product to fans who should be their target audience.
And now about 9 months later it’s out of print, so the only way to get it is through profiteers demanding $90 and up.
Would I buy it for $20-$30? Absolutely.
For $90? Not bloody likely.
$180 ? I’d rather have my teeth extracted without anesthetic. These guys have no shame.
Hopefully it will get re-issued at a decent price.
Doug
Apparently my only choices were to either make a trip to the U.S. or to purchase it online from BestBuy.com. Either option would significantly increase the cost (though I would have done so had I known it would be OOP so quickly). Effectively they have denied access of this product to fans who should be their target audience.
And now about 9 months later it’s out of print, so the only way to get it is through profiteers demanding $90 and up.
Would I buy it for $20-$30? Absolutely.
For $90? Not bloody likely.
$180 ? I’d rather have my teeth extracted without anesthetic. These guys have no shame.
Hopefully it will get re-issued at a decent price.
Doug
06-29-07 | 12:05 PM
#53
DVD Talk Special Edition
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by renaldow
There aren't any selling on Ebay right now that I can find, but I wonder how many will appear in the next few days thanks to this thread. 
http://search.ebay.com/search/search...on+&category0=
P.S. This one expires in only 8 hours. Hurry or you'll miss out!! (That's assuming you have $145 burning a hole in your pocket.)
P.P.S. Another satisfied customer...
http://cgi.ebay.com/CLASSIC-SCI-FI-U...QQcmdZViewItem
Last edited by seymouru; 06-29-07 at 12:11 PM.
06-29-07 | 04:07 PM
#54
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 367
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Doug D
...And now about 9 months later it’s out of print, so the only way to get it is through profiteers demanding $90 and up... These guys have no shame...
In other words, when I saw the prices this set was going for what, in your opinion, would have been the honorable thing to do?
Last edited by arbogast777; 06-29-07 at 04:13 PM.
06-29-07 | 04:48 PM
#55
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by arbogast777
When I found out a week ago that the going rate for this set was between $100-$175, I put mine up for sale for $95 and it sold within minutes. Why do I have no shame? What did I do that was wrong? A buyer bought it at a price he decided was worth it for him to own these films and I got an amount of money I decided was enough for me to part with these films. Why is that seen as such a dirty act?
Originally Posted by arbogast777
In other words, when I saw the prices this set was going for what, in your opinion, would have been the honorable thing to do?
06-29-07 | 05:26 PM
#56
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by arbogast777
When I found out a week ago that the going rate for this set was between $100-$175, I put mine up for sale for $95 and it sold within minutes. Why do I have no shame? What did I do that was wrong? A buyer bought it at a price he decided was worth it for him to own these films and I got an amount of money I decided was enough for me to part with these films. Why is that seen as such a dirty act?
In other words, when I saw the prices this set was going for what, in your opinion, would have been the honorable thing to do?
In other words, when I saw the prices this set was going for what, in your opinion, would have been the honorable thing to do?
It really depends on what the set is worth to you. On OOP sets I am a big fan of I would never sell them at any price, however, if I owned a copy of this one I would cash in on it immediately. Now that word is out this set is rare you can expect copies to really come out of the wood work.
I would sell now if you are going to because Universal could see the eBay interest and release these again at some point. The 30s and 40s classic monster film have been released many times. There is no reason why Universal couldn't release these again as a set or individually.
This has been my cycle on things like the Image DVDs, Platoon, original classic monster releases, etc. Sell when they value is high and then rebuy them when they are released again for a fraction of your profit.
Last edited by darkside; 06-29-07 at 05:29 PM.
06-29-07 | 05:27 PM
#57
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 367
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by sracer
...The honorable thing to do would have been to sold it for what you paid for it...
And it's no different for an individual selling an OOP DVD set - I sold it at a price that was worth it for me to sell it. And with this set, there was something extra that I needed to be compensated for. These movies are out of print, meaning once I shipped them off I could no longer watch them through any means. Selling them for $20 wouldn't have been worth it to me. Selling it for $50 wouldn't have been worth it to me. $95? At that price I felt like I was compensated enough for me to part with these films.
Selling flashlights for $1000 during a blackout is screwing people. But there is nothing wrong with selling something as frivolous as a DVD set for a price somebody was willing to pay.
Originally Posted by sracer
...and track down other copies and sell them for the original selling price too...
Last edited by arbogast777; 06-29-07 at 05:50 PM.
06-29-07 | 05:32 PM
#58
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by arbogast777
Selling flashlights for $1000 during a blackout is screwing people.
There have been many sets I wanted like the SCTV sets, but they were too expensive so I waited. Luckily they ended up being $10 at Dollar General and I could finally own them after several years. Either be patient or pay too much and deal with it.
06-29-07 | 05:42 PM
#60
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by sracer
Because some folks have a sense of entitlement that believe they have the right to buy something at the price that they want to pay.
The honorable thing to do would have been to sold it for what you paid for it and track down other copies and sell them for the original selling price too...
The honorable thing to do would have been to sold it for what you paid for it and track down other copies and sell them for the original selling price too...
I just sold my used copy of MST3K Collection Volume 10 for $110 on e-bay. Do I feel bad about it? No. I started the auction at $49.99, which is less than I paid for it at Borders. If the bidder who won wants to feel bad about it, that's his business. I have a clear conscience.
Last edited by Dane Marvin; 06-29-07 at 05:44 PM.
06-29-07 | 05:46 PM
#61
DVD Talk Special Edition
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by arbogast777
once I shipped them off I could no longer watch them through any means.
06-30-07 | 03:42 AM
#62
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 467
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by seymouru
You might want consider creating a "backup copy" of discs that are important to you. Takes about 5 minutes.
OK, so US copyright law lets people make backup copies of some things (whereas our crazy UK law is so stupidly strict it doesn't let you make a copy for any purpose - if you installer discs get damaged you have to send away for new ones!).
However, DVD's are an exception, because even under USA law, it's not legal to make "backup copies" if you have to evade a copy protection/encryption system to do so.
06-30-07 | 05:51 AM
#63
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by MovieExchange
I don't trust Amazon for prices on the secondary market. Their marketplace seems to be populated by crackheads that think "exclusive" or "out of print" means expensive. I remember when Oblongs was exclusive to Best Buy for the first 3 months of release, the lowest price a new copy was going for on the Marketplace was something like $80.
If these things start showing up on eBay and selling for $100+ (not priced at, but actually selling for), I'll believe that it's in demand.
If these things start showing up on eBay and selling for $100+ (not priced at, but actually selling for), I'll believe that it's in demand.
I always love posts like this. There's a few in the Chris Benoit thread right now. You're certainly entitled to your opinions, of course, but if you don't know what you're talking about, why feel the need to chime in?
I sell dvds on both Ebay and Amazon (as do most 3rd party sellers, I assume) so I can tell you that dvds CAN and FREQUENTLY DO sell for $100-200+.
There are a lot of people who buy things on Ebay for $100 and then turn around and sell them on Amz for $200 (the Mystery Science V 10 comes to mind).
The reason they sell for so much more on Amz is because there are many people who (justifiably so) don't trust Ebay'ers.
Oh, and there are many many rich people in America who don't view a couple of hundred bucks as "expensive". Not eveyone spends 20 hours a day trolling message boards for coupons and sales.
That said, I'm sorry I missed out on this Sci Fi set.
Last edited by kintnerboy; 06-30-07 at 05:54 AM.
06-30-07 | 06:23 AM
#64
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by darkside
So you think there is a huge glut of Tarantula fans driving up these prices.
I've seen this thing over and over again with Criterions, Little Shop of Horrors, Platoon, Marx Bros, MST3K the Movie and dozens of other releases from major publishers. The draw is partly the content (and you will get some fans that missed the disc), but what really drives up the prices is people that want something they can't have and people speculating and trying to flip the disc for a profit (we have a clear example right on this page).
This reminds me of all the Image Universal discs like MST3K and the Marx Bros that I bought out of clearance bins because they weren't selling. However, once it was announced that those movies were out of print people went crazy trying to buy them. I sold my Marx Bros box set that I paid $20 for on clearance for $250 and then turned around 8 months later and bought the release from Universal for a fraction of the price. Most of these aren't even big sellers when they come back into print. It is mostly about having something perceived as rare and many times trying to hold it to flip for profit.
Let this thing come back into print and see how easy it is to get one cheap on eBay when all these "fans" dump their copies.
I've seen this thing over and over again with Criterions, Little Shop of Horrors, Platoon, Marx Bros, MST3K the Movie and dozens of other releases from major publishers. The draw is partly the content (and you will get some fans that missed the disc), but what really drives up the prices is people that want something they can't have and people speculating and trying to flip the disc for a profit (we have a clear example right on this page).
This reminds me of all the Image Universal discs like MST3K and the Marx Bros that I bought out of clearance bins because they weren't selling. However, once it was announced that those movies were out of print people went crazy trying to buy them. I sold my Marx Bros box set that I paid $20 for on clearance for $250 and then turned around 8 months later and bought the release from Universal for a fraction of the price. Most of these aren't even big sellers when they come back into print. It is mostly about having something perceived as rare and many times trying to hold it to flip for profit.
Let this thing come back into print and see how easy it is to get one cheap on eBay when all these "fans" dump their copies.
You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. There are thousands and thousands of dvd's that are out of print that you couldn't get 50 cents for on Ebay. The Secret Lives Of Dentists has been OOP for a little over a year now, yet you can still get it on AMZ for a cool penny. Why don't these dvd speculators drive the price up? Because there's no audience for this film! ... (actually it wasn't half bad, but to each his own).
The ONLY THING that dictates prices on the secondary market is the demand outsizing the supply.
The size of a film's fanbase has nothing to do with the "quality" of a film, or even the quality of the disc (witness the awful FS Walking Tall discs from Rhino).
The market for them has nothing to do with dvds being "limited" "exclusive" or part of a numbered set or anything. Predicting it is impossible.
06-30-07 | 06:32 AM
#65
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by seymouru
There was another auction that was actually a decent deal...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Classic-Sci-Fi-U...QQcmdZViewItem
I hope the guy who paid $100 doesn't see this one.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Classic-Sci-Fi-U...QQcmdZViewItem
I hope the guy who paid $100 doesn't see this one.
You guys realize that the 14.95 copy is used, right?
06-30-07 | 08:32 AM
#66
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by arbogast777
So you expect every store you buy food, clothes, or DVD's from to sell you their items at cost!? No reasonable person would expect that. They have to sell their products at a price that makes it worth it for them to stay in business.
And it's no different for an individual selling an OOP DVD set - I sold it at a price that was worth it for me to sell it. And with this set, there was something extra that I needed to be compensated for. These movies are out of print, meaning once I shipped them off I could no longer watch them through any means. Selling them for $20 wouldn't have been worth it to me. Selling it for $50 wouldn't have been worth it to me. $95? At that price I felt like I was compensated enough for me to part with these films.
Selling flashlights for $1000 during a blackout is screwing people. But there is nothing wrong with selling something as frivolous as a DVD set for a price somebody was willing to pay.
What are you kidding me!? What am I, a charity!? You first!
And it's no different for an individual selling an OOP DVD set - I sold it at a price that was worth it for me to sell it. And with this set, there was something extra that I needed to be compensated for. These movies are out of print, meaning once I shipped them off I could no longer watch them through any means. Selling them for $20 wouldn't have been worth it to me. Selling it for $50 wouldn't have been worth it to me. $95? At that price I felt like I was compensated enough for me to part with these films.
Selling flashlights for $1000 during a blackout is screwing people. But there is nothing wrong with selling something as frivolous as a DVD set for a price somebody was willing to pay.
What are you kidding me!? What am I, a charity!? You first!
I was being facetious. What I wrote is essentially the unspoken thoughts of those who complain. Absurd isn't it.
I apologize for not putting a spoiler tag in there to explain my intention.
06-30-07 | 09:22 AM
#67
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by kintnerboy
The ONLY THING that dictates prices on the secondary market is the demand outsizing the supply.
06-30-07 | 09:28 AM
#68
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by darkside
I'm just saying that this disc is one people didn't want quite as much when it was easy to get. They wanted it a lot more when they knew they couldn't have it.
I guess some of them care NOW. heh.
06-30-07 | 09:33 AM
#69
DVD Talk Legend
I'm still hopeful that Universal will see this eBay interest and release this set or more from this era. They have no problem dipping into the classic monster films over and over so hopefully this era of sci-fi gets more love from them.
06-30-07 | 09:41 AM
#70
DVD Talk Hero
You would think! I always wondered if they have people (person) that tracks stuff like that. They have a lot of us loyal classic sci-fi fans out there.
06-30-07 | 09:54 AM
#71
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by TomOpus
You would think! I always wondered if they have people (person) that tracks stuff like that. They have a lot of us loyal classic sci-fi fans out there.
It has a great Tom Weaver commentary and should have been released along with Creature From the Black Lagoon to get more interest in 50s Universal Sci-Fi.
06-30-07 | 10:15 AM
#72
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 467
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The whole thing is just bizarre. It makes you wonder whether someone at Universal's marketing department is on the same planet as the rest of us.
"Hmmm. Here's some obscure black and white sci-fi films. Let's market them at $20, but let's also make it a limited edition that you can only get at Best Buy and never ever release it anywhere else. Yup, that's the best way to get the most profit out of this. And it should really please the customer too."
"Hmmm. Here's some obscure black and white sci-fi films. Let's market them at $20, but let's also make it a limited edition that you can only get at Best Buy and never ever release it anywhere else. Yup, that's the best way to get the most profit out of this. And it should really please the customer too."
06-30-07 | 10:28 AM
#73
DVD Talk Special Edition
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Nebiroth
...even under USA law, it's not legal to make "backup copies" if you have to evade a copy protection/encryption system to do so.
06-30-07 | 01:30 PM
#74
Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Universal obviously doesn't know or care about the secondary market value as a measuring stick of consumer interest in a title.
Otherwise, we'd have Two Lane Blacktop, The Car, MST3K: The Movie, Matinee and many others.
Otherwise, we'd have Two Lane Blacktop, The Car, MST3K: The Movie, Matinee and many others.
06-30-07 | 02:31 PM
#75
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 298
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm guessing we'll see a general release (or at least a BB re-release) of this set in the next 6 months. I had completely forgotten about this set and saw 'Monster on the Campus' on Chiller a couple months back and figured I should buy the set (I had seen at least 6+ the last time I was at BB), but never got around to it. If anyone is really interested in just seeing the movies, Chiller has shown some of them and I bet will get around to playing them all in the near future. They have commercials, but should be uncut.