[QUOTE]Originally posted by fumanstan
I think we're all aware of that. Not sure who you think is mistaking the intent of the new policy.

Well...call it false hope on my part. I had hoped that the intent of the ban was to stop the uninformative ones. If it is to eliminate per-title threads completely, then chalk me up on CheapBastid's side as PRO the Best Price threads.

I admit to feeling that the number of these threads has been getting out of hand lately, but they do serve a purpose.

Maybe we could create some sort of polling system where a Best Price thread could only be created for a title if, say...25? 50? members were all interested in it? Not sure how that would work technically...but it's an idea which could help keep the frequency of these threads down.

I'll join in here as well. This is a great site but I feel this decision is not in its best interest.

The best price threads are of benefit to all. Check the number of people who view these.

Searching for prices using the dvdtalk "price search" feature is not always accurate. In fact, yesterday I searched for a set that did not come up at all. When I searched individual stores, it did.

If its bandwidth you're concerend about, moderators should combine same movie threads, otherwise I would appreciate your returning the "best price" threads.

Thank you!

FWIW, I never noticed the clogging and have found them useful. If people didn't find them useful, then they would drop off.

Posting ad prices isn't necessarily a 'bargain' either, but we get a lot of these, and I think they can also be useful.

True 'bargains' tend to stay at the top anyway, since there is interest. There just haven't been that many in the past coupla years.

Sub-forum would be fine with me, as I think they can be helpful.

I'm not understanding the whole 'clutter' excuse. Here's a list of the total number of updated threads for the last few days in the BARGAINS forum:

# of posts Date
27 10/29
18 10/28
12 10/27
10 10/26
12 10/25
9 10/24
3 10/23

So, if you regularly check the forum every day, you would only have 27 updated TITLES to read today, and you would only have to read the thread that you're interested in. Or, 18 updated thread TITLES to read yesterday. Or 3 updated TITLES on 10/23. Hardly a cumbersome predicament...especially since nobody has to read a thread if they don't want to. If the BARGAINS forum had the number of updated threads as Fatwallet does in one day, I could see the beef...but really. Best Price threads are necessary. A sub-forum sounds like a good idea...until you realize that most of the people who will enter that forum are going to be people that are LOOKING for the best price...not people who feel like stopping by to answer other members REQUESTS for the best price. 2 more cents.

xpfshost

I find the Best Price threads highly useful, especially for new releases. Keep them here! Oftentimes we're looking for new titles that may not be in the weekly ads, and it was always a good resource to go to the Bargains section of DVD Talk and click on the pertinent thread. The insidious complaint of "clutter" is pure selfishness of the person complaining; 100% of the threads that you are not interested in is by that line of reasoning defined as clutter. Personally, I find all the threads about Amazon, STL, and all the other mail-order dealers clutter, too, but I pass over them and visit regularly to see what other topics crop up. Keep this forum open and free.

And I rape and pillage with you guys.
Long Live the Best Price Threads!

The main reason I read the Bargains forum is for the early ad circular posts. It gives me time decide if I want to pre-order online or buy in town.

I rarely read the 'best deal on x?' posts, but I'm not opposed to them.

-Jason

Great point.

I also want to vehemently oppose a 'Deal Request' forum as it ghettoizes the 'best deal' threads and will turn that forum into a ghost-town of the lazy. The 'Best Deal' threads will become exactly what is being complained about: threads with no substance.

Having 'Best Deal' threads along side other bargain posts encourages everyone to post their experiences to them, and makes them useful. Someone who is looking for a title and is able to do a magic combination of price match, coupon, and rebate will have visited the other bargain threads to gather that info and will (as I have seen time and time again) generously share his research and experience in a 'Best Deal' thread as it will be right there for him to stumble on.

Please, please, please, please reconsider this decision.

Sacrilege! Especially when they come out early, the circular postings are very helpful to me for figuring out if I should just buy it online or not (especially for catalog titles, since if they aren't in a circular, they may not be available anywhere).

On topic, a subform seems like an ok compromise, and then see how it works out. I don't often use those "best price for XXX" threads, but everyone has their own way of looking for things. Bargains is a big thing people come here for (especially at first) and totally eliminating one way of finding them (even if there are other ways to find the same info) because some people find them annoying seems like overkill to me.

I think "Best Price" threads serve a valuable purpose. What they're basically doing is asking other DVDTalkers to help put together the best deal on a specific title.

It's more than just a straight price comparison. Often there are other discounts, special coupons and deals, rebates, etc. that can factor in. It can be complicated to put all that together from several separate pure "bargain" posts. But a community effort to build a concensus on the best overall deal or a few best alternatives is most valuable.

I do agree that the original poster should do more than just ask "What's the best deal on XXX?" He should at least start the ball rolling by doing a price search or posting the best bargain he knows about and then requesting others to chime in. Example:

Topic: Post Good Deals on Shrek 2 Here

First post: DDD seems to have the best online price for "Shrek 2" at $17.89 delivered. I can also get it from Amazon with STL and A9 discounts for only $15.94, plus free shipping if I order along with something else to get over $25. What other good deals are there on Shrek 2, either online or in B&Ms?

Then subsequent posters can join in with any other deals, some of which may be posted elsewhere in the forum, but they can all be summarized here.

I think this approach creates less clutter, not more.

I think that sums it up. There are often several variables that go into finding the 'best price'. This often involves coupons, codes, rebates, etc. or combinations of them. It's impossible to find this from a 'price search engine'. Sometimes the information is in 2 or more different threads (code in one thread for free s/h, coupon in another). Best price threads bring the information together in a thread that applies to a single title. I guess I'm up to about 6 cents now? ;)

xpfshost

I think best price requests are useful and should stay in the bargain forum.

Should threads be more like this?

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=393443

That's certainly a legitimate post in the forum, but is anybody interested in that title. In several hours it has no replies and only 33 views. Whereas an Aladdin post for the best price has over a hundred replies and over 17,000 views and is locked. Requesting info on specific titles is like a filter so that predominantly titles people are interested in will active. I see a place for both types of posts.

"...predominantly titles people are interested in will (stay) active."

Another excellent point. If nobody is interested in a title, it will quickly drop down the list until it's basically out of sight for most people who frequent the forum. I posted a 'best price' thread (a little too far ahead of time, granted) about the new Prisoner of Azkaban DVD. It's now several PAGES away from the new threads. Hardly clutter. 8 cents and counting...

xpfshost

I just had my thread closed when I was trying to do a reply. I disagree with the logic and I'm posting below what I had tried to do in this thread: Gone With The Wind - Post Best Price

That's my whole point. There is no search engine that will find every price. Sometimes a site will post a really low price (lower that any search engine) for just a day or a few days and then it's gone. It's the sharing of information from users of this forum that bring these good deals to light. It's rare that you can jump on the bandwagon to take advantage of a pricing mistake. I got lucky one time and saw E.T. for $24.95 posted as a K-Mart mistake. On the other hand I missed out on the Farscape misprice recently (approx. $34). So just more than likely you don't get those deals.

The deals you do get are from the forum readers who see a thread on a pre-release (or new release title) that they want to post the price they found. Maybe it's only a few dollars cheaper than the search engine price but for many of us who frequent this forum it will make a difference where they buy the title. What's wrong with that. This is the bargain forum is it not.

I think the lazy threads that just ask for the best price without doing any research do ruin the intent. I for one would like to see less of those types but not ban the threads that really want to share information and look to encourage others to do the same.

I don't plan to give up the fight but will have to approach it differently the next time. It's a dame shame that there is not a more open mind on the issue.

This is what was posted two topics prior to tjn007's topic being closed. The topic ANNOUNCING the best prices he found. Is that now banned?

How ridiciulous is it for someone to expect each and every one of us to check out dvdpricesearch, which is not complete, AND THEN travel to each of our "local stores" simply to find the best price.

It may surprise you that most of us have lives to lead and do not have time o travel all over town to learn what price is best. For that we rely on the net.

Some simple sanity is needed here folks. If those with the power of veto are not interested in "best price" topics in "bargains" where it belongs, then why not simply make it a sub-forum?

Take a vote of your members and you will find its what we want and, more importantly, what we need. While you are at it you might temper those moderators with trigger fingers.

Till then, perhaps we should refrain from mentioning price in ANY topic.

What exactly was wrong with the tjn007's Gone With The Wind thread that was closed? Did he simply need to change the title to something like this to stay open:


Gone With The Wind (4-disc) $25.15 @ Amazon


Also, what should happen when a better price is found (such as occured in his thread)? Does the original poster go back and edit the title of his thread to reflect it? Or does the person finding the better deal start another thread?

In all honesty, I agree with both of you. I like the circular postings as well, since it provides me more info and pricing data. My post was a mock reply to the way Geoff so simply dissed the Best Price posts in an earlier post in this thread based on the 'strong' responses he got (which, by the way, I see no feedback thread about - did I miss it?):

And as you both correctly point out, there are different ways to find bargains. Some prefer to look at circulars, some like price searches (which we all KNOW are never complete and accurate), and some like best price threads.

In reply to Geoff's last line, I SUPPORT A SUB-FORUM. Exactly how he determines there is enough interest will be interesting to see....

I think someone should start another thread. And when someone finds another deal that's better than the second deal, they should start ANOTHER thread. There's not enough 'clutter' in the forum, IMO. And, after all, we can always use the search engine to wade through 100 posts instead of just looking at one thread! Isn't that much more convenient??-screwy-

About the sub-forum, it sounds like a good idea, but in reality it won't work. It'll be full of people posting 'What is the best deal' threads...not posting 'Here is the best deal' threads. The 'answer people' definitely won't be hanging out in that forum looking for questions to answer.

It also amazes me how people can say "well, just use a search engine to find the best price!". How silly. These are obviously the people who don't mind paying more for a DVD than they have to. They say the people who post the 'best price' threads are lazy...but isn't it more lazy to just pick the cheapest price off a search engine?? I mean, WHY BOTHER EVEN USING THE BARGAIN FORUMS IF YOU CAN FIND THE BEST PRICE USING A SEARCH ENGINE????? Some people are obviously diffused...

Guess I'm up to 10 cents now. This is getting expensive.

xpfshost

I agree there may be no other choice. If the rules become so strict it takes the fun and enjoyment out of trying to find the best price on a DVD title. I'm not a rich man but I have a craving for buying movies. At nearly 400 titles owned, I take pride in the fact I have saved nearly 45% off the retail price of my collection. I owe a good percentage of my collection to following the Bargain forum. I use every avenue when deciding what and where I'm going to buy. The best Deal threads have been a contributing factor.

I hope Geoff reads this and other members comments on this issue and replies with a reasonable solution to satisfy all concerned. I personally don't see the need to create a sub-forum. I think that would dilute the intent. But if that is the only option then so be it.

My suggestion to keep the Best Deal Threads in the Bargain forum would be:

1. Post the title and best price in thread title
2. Restrict the titles to pre-releases or new releases within 30 days of release
3. The body of the post should also include other prices found from the thread starter's efforts.

After that, others are free to post other like or better deals. This I think will stay within the true intent of the forum.

If anyone else has other suggestions, please post your comments. I think there needs to be a continued effort to further the viewpoint of saving the Best Deal Threads in the Bargain Forum.

This is a concern. If people just post what is the best deal on XYZ title then it's a waste of time. It won't appeal to me. I have suggested a way in my post above to deal with the issue and I think we'll get what we're all looking for: what is the Best Deal on a DVD we plan to buy with some solid information.

I'm putting in more than 10 cents to try to make a point and I hope this will lead to a workable solution for all.

Sounds good to me. The solution, I think, is that there needs to be a dedicated thread for each popular title. One place where people can go so that they can find the information that they need...without doing a ridiculous amount of searching and possibly missing a TRUE BARGAIN. Right now, bargain information on specific titles tends to be spread out among multiple threads. If the title has a dedicated thread, then it elimates the need for 'Best Price' threads. 12 cents and counting...

xpfshost

Any word on this? I think there has been adequate resoning behind keeping Best Deal/Price threads, and I've not seen a groundswell of hatred for them.

Can we please repeal the ban?

Allow me to don my TinFoil Hat™
 

While that is an expressed statement by Mr. Kleinman, actions appear to counter-indicate.

The decision was made without prior announcement.

All threads are locked outside this one (which is in a forum that is one of the least popular/populous).

The sticky thread explaining the decision, does not. It also is an advertisement for 2 companies.


Where is this 'Strong Feedback'?

I just did several searches of the Forum where feedback is submitted and discussed.

Search on 'Deal' gets no hits (under 4 characters)

Search on 'Price' gets 2 pages of threads, none of which seem to discuss 'Best Deal/Price' threads

And for the sake of thoroughness I searched on 'Thread' and looking back 10 pages worth of thread listings to October of last year and I don't see a single thread complaining about the flood of 'Best Deal/Price' threads.

Am I missing something?