I checked out amazon marketplace tonight for the first time. I had thought that it was only for used items but found new items as well. I want to collect Star Trek Voyager on DVD and found season sets marked new and as low as $78 per set. Since I cant afford to buy the 7 season box set at once, is this a good way to go? Are these 3rd party vendors reliable or is this bootleg stuff?

I buy and sell through Amazon marketplace pretty frequently, and I've only gotten one bootleg. The trick is to read the item description and seller feedback carefully. I have had good luck with sellers with 4.5 stars and above, and with some "just launched" sellers that are just selling a personal copy they no longer want (like me.) Also, if you do end up with a problem and can't resolve the dispute with the seller, Amazon is good about stepping in cause it's their reputation on the line too.

Careful, the amazon marketplace is swarming with people trying to defraud. Make sure you only pay via amazon. You will not have protection if you don't do so. If the price is too good to be true then stay away because it usually means trouble.

I've purchased over a dozen DVDs from Amazon Marketplace and so far received no imports or bootlegs. Many of the DVDs were factory sealed and cheaper then anywhere else I could find. I did run across one seller that turned out later to be a crook since he pocketed my money for the transaction, and never sent the anything, or never responded to any emails asking where my order was at. I did check their feedback prior to the purchase and it was 100% perfect at the time, but several weeks later the negatives started rolling in by the bunches, and at last count they had accumulated over 300 negatives from other buyers. But at least I was able to get my money back through Amazon's A to Z guarantee protection policy for marketplace purchases. However I think they limit you to only 5 refunds lifetime with the policy. So you do have protection from fraud if you run across a bad seller.

like everyone else here, I too have purchased and sold a lot of movies via the "Marketplace". I was only burned once and Amazon quickly refunded me so I have no complaints. I bought all of DS9 through the marketplace at an average of $65 per set. All used and all in near mint condition. And yes, these are the R1 sets and not the flim-flammy "Asian Collector's" sets.