Phibes

I hear ya, brutha. I used to open mine, but then I got a newer edition of one and looked at what the "used" one was going for. I hadn't even watched the previous edition and wished it was still sealed so I could get the new price.

I've also rebought a title or two and it helps with the return if they're not open .

calhoun07

It's not the end of the world when it does. It happened to me with a copy of Bruce Almighty. I bought it on DVD and I don't remember the exact glitch, but about 20 minutes in the movie it stopped playing. No visible defects on the surface, but the silver layer under the plastic looked jacked up. I just took it to a store near my home where they know me and I knew the manager relatively well and explained the situation and he let me exchange it for the same title.

Now, for harder to find titles it might not be so much fun. But for more common titles it's not that hard to deal with.

I used to not open them, and now I do, but I guess even seeing the surface of the disc is fine is not a 100% guarantee.

BobO'Link

Used gets open, inspected immediately, and played/watched within 72 hours.

New DVDs only get opened if there's a floater, suspected damage (i.e. odd rattling), a release that's notorious for having issues, or it's a UNI DVD18 release.

Everything else is left sealed until I get ready to watch.

I've only had 1 bad disk that wasn't a DVD18 so far (out of hundreds). A "Hogan's Heros" disk looked like someone had used a hole punch on it! I had purchased it online and the return window was *way* out of date. Fortunately, WM still had them in stock so I just did a no receipt exchange. The 3 bad DVD18s I've had I was able to get replaced even though they were outside the return window. I *finally* learned my lesson on them and they get watched or scanned immediately!

mndtrp

I always check the discs as soon as I get home.

NEUMANN

I always open mine up right after i buy them because i always open anything i just buy,that and when the time comes to watch them i want to be able to just pop it in and not have to take the time to grab a box cutter slit the security tape carefully peal it off,heck by that time i might want to watch something else

kristina

everything I get in the mail (dvd's, cd's, and books), I unwrap them right away. Even if I buy a DVD in-store (rare for me to do), I'll open the DVD once I get in the car...even if we've got more errands to run and we get home so late that I don't feel like watching the DVD that day.

Trevor

I see absolutely no advantage in opening packages up right away, and a big negative.

The chances of a missing or non-playable disc are virtually nil.

However, once you open a package, you can no longer easily return, exchange, or gift the item. I have changed my mind on or gifted hundreds of items over the years. If I had opened all my packages immediately, I'd be stuck with hundreds of DVDs that I (within 30/90 days) found better prices or better versions, or read of problems. In fact, I have a pile of 50 or so DVDs sitting at home waiting for the right birthday or Christmas. They look less tacky coming to the person sealed.

Brian Shannon

I open them when I get them home in preparation to watch in the next day or so.

Corey31

Removing the wrapping and security sticker only takes about 40 seconds, tops.

I keep mine sealed just in case I find a better price out there. The exception is if I have got something on eBay or Amazon Re-sellers, more hassle to return these so I just open them to make sure it looks ok and I didn't get floaters.

Travis McClain

I once bought a Jo Dee Messina CD at Walmart and when I opened it, it had an Uncle Kracker disc instead. Ever since, I have opened everything, usually still in the parking lot. If I'm with my wife, she laughs at me for doing this, but whatever. She laughs at most of the things I do.

As for getting stuck with something and not being able to return it for a better price or because I hear it's no good, or gift it...not happening in this budget! When we take the plunge on something, it's pretty much always something we know we want, and at a price we can live with paying. It helps that I tend to keep up with sales, thanks to this forum.

creekdipper

Probably in a minority here, but I rarely open DVDs right away unless there's some special packaging or book inside that I want to check out. I sell a lot of DVDs online & at a local flea market, and too many times I have opened a copy (but not watched it until much later) and soon thereafter found a used copy in like new condition for a fraction of the price. If it's an older DVD that's not worth a lot, that's a different story...but, for $10 selling price difference, I can wait to open a new release title until I'm sure it's the copy we want to keep.

The above mainly applies to large-release mainstream movies (especially the 'blockbuster hits') that will be available in used stores, pawn shops, flea mkts. etc. in abundance in a matter of months.

I do make exceptions for special editions that I know we will want to keep due to the packaging or favorite films for which we want a perfect copy (including case, art, etc.). The other stuff can wait until we have a powerful hankering to see it.

Of course, suspected floaters get opened right away even if they're only "sell" copies.

asianxcore

Yes. Usually in the parking lot or when I get home. It's a pain to find out something is wrong with the disc and have to drive back to the store to get it exchanged.

I remember a time I bought The Frighteners at a local DVD store. It was sealed, but when I had opened it up, nothing was inside.

JckRbbitSlim

I understand why some wouldn't, but I don't think I'd ever be able to fathom allowing unopened discs to sit in my collection. I've had missing discs (Tales From the Crypt), completely damaged, scratched discs (James Bond Set Vol.3) and other horror stories. Maybe I buy too many? I'm probably way too neurotic about it, but I like the new items that I buy to be in "new" condition when I get them and as advertised. (Although I do have a friend that got a bonus disc one with his Rescue Me: Season 3 dvd, so go figure, it goes the other way too I suppose).

tonyc3742

It's definitely a risk/reward balance. For most DVDs or sets, the odds of something bad happening (missing disk, scratched disks, etc) are very low, and even if it does happen, if I have to buy a replacement disk for <15 $ it's not that big a deal; whereas the chances I might want to sell that disk or gift it are higher, and unopened are better for that. Of course I'll keep an eye out here for warning signs, and I do open the large sets and go through them.
Ironically, the one disk I can recall having an issue with, I received opened in a trade from here. (It was not the trader's fault, although why he didn't catch it, I don't know, and the publisher fixed me up. The wrong movie was on the disk.)

writer106

Sometimes if I don't plan to watch the DVD right away after buying I do leave the shrink wrap on it until I watch it for the first time.

Brent L

I open most of mine as soon as I get home, especially if it's just one or two. If I buy a bunch at a single time I'll sometimes leave those sealed until I get around to them. I sometimes buy lots of DVDs at Big Lots at a single time so I have a ton of those still sealed. It's actually proved useful a few times too. Since a lot of those Big Lots DVDs are OOP, which is why they have a lot of them, I've actually put a few on eBay that I bought there when I've noticed the price on them going up, and sold them for a lot more since they were still sealed. I didn't do that on purpose, just pure coincidence, and that's great.

dkedvd

Yes. And I do not know why. I cannot stop myself even though I know better. I cannot tell you how many times I have bought a DVD (new) only to find it cheaper used at my local pawn shop the next day and kicked myself because I had already opened it. I would recommend to "DVD bargain hunters" out there to not open them until you are going to watch or at least until the return policy runs out. Now if I could only start to practice what I preach.

Quake1028

No, I do not, for the various reasons stated here by Trevor and others.

Gdrlv

About 10 years ago, I bought a DVD and did not open it for a few weeks until it was time to watch it. It was new, with security stickers, etc. When I opened it, the disc inside was not the DVD but an America Online trial CD. Store would not take it back. Since then, I open everything immediately...usually in the parking lot of the store where purchased.

Quack

Always opening them to make sure I get the correct discs, inserts, etc. It's also good to make sure the discs aren't scratched at all either.

bsmith

From what I can see, it basically come down to two main factors:

1. How sensitive one is to scratches and scuff marks on disks, and
2. Perceived value of a disk that has not been opened.

Some have issues with receiving scratches and scuff marks on brand new disks that may or may not cause issues down the road, and do not want to deal with such issues later when they can be replaced easier now. In addition, scratched disks can be rejected more easily when trying to sell used. Thus, having pristine disks from the get go is a high priority. Others are content with a disk that plays now regardless of condition and obviously must not feel there would be any problems down the road, so to them inspecting the disk is a low priority.

Some feel sealed disks provide more value because they can still try to return them later, give them as gifts, or sell them as still new. Others not because maybe they don't give DVDs as gifts, wouldn't plan on returning them within a reasonable time, and wouldn't be in a situation to sell new. Personally, I sell mine in bulk online and sealed or not they go for the same price.

T-900

I bought the single-disc edition of Aliens about 2 years back and did not remove the pre-package wrapper in till I felt like watching it. Little did I know that when I did decided to open up the wrapper and there for watch the film that the case was locked and could not be opened. I then had to take the DVD back to the store i bought it from and ask them to unlock the case, bear in mind this was about 8 mouths later.. So pretty much from that point onwards whenever I did/do decided to buy a DVD I remove the plastic wrap and for the heck of it give the disc a run in the player to make sure its playing ok..

rexinnih

When I buy a movie, I'll be watching it within a week of purchase. I always open first to make sure everything is in there and ok.

wvtechs

I used to wait until I was ready to watch them before opening them but have started opening them when I get them because of quality control and damage concerns. Also, the security stickers are usually easier to remove.

statcat

of course I open them- there might be doubles or scratches and I've had both happen before several times.