Alan Smithee

A lot of recent releases don't have the seals at the top of the case anymore, BTW. While this makes them easier to open, it often makes it harder to look through discs in the store since you have to flip through each one to see what title it is.

kyleblack

Got a poorly rewrapped copy of Caddyshack with minor cover imperfections from Best Buy. Not going to bother returning it since it was only $4.

Josh-da-man

I bought Paranormal Activity 4 from Wal-Mart for $3.99 Thanksgiving night. It was an obvious re-wrap; there was even some of the original wrap stuck to the bottom of the case.

These aren't 'used' discs, though. They've just been re-wrapped. I suspect that a lot of the Black Friday DVD deals from Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Amazon are actually overstocks. The original wrapping has been removed and replaced either because it looks scuffed and handled, or it has price stickers from stores on it.

In theory, these could be used discs, but I have a feeling that they're just overstocks like you find at places like Big Lots that the distributors have held back for Black Friday deals. Occasionally some stores will sell used (or "previously viewed") discs that have been re-wrapped, but they are usually marked as such.

thetao

Out of curiosity, has anybody ever bought one of Movie Mars' (Amazon Merchant) "like new but still wrapped" DVD's? I can't prove anything, but don't see how a company can have so many offerings in this category unless they're re-wrapping their returns. I stay far away.

PhantomStranger

Basically they are a drop-shipper and get a small discount off their normal wholesale cost if they take slightly dinged inventory instead of the pristine stock.

As some have implied, the studios' distributors love dumping refurbished inventory as new during the holiday rush. Several of the $3.96 Black Friday BDs I picked up at Walmart were repackaged, missing things they should have included like UV code sheets or having other notable damage.

LJG765

This. I used to work for a place that sold DVDs. Occasionally we'd get some in from the distributor where the shrink wrap was torn so I'd have to rewrap it. DVD was never used, but the wrap was different. If we got a return, they were sent back as damaged. It wasn't worth the hassle of having another customer bring it back.

drmar35mm

I had a weird experience with an Amazon Marketplace merchant last month. Ordered a "new" TV season that should have had six DVDs in it. When the envelope arrived I knew something was wrong; it was too light. But the DVD case was wrapped in cellophane. Opened it up and four DVDs were not there, along with spindles they should have been on. Wonder if it was a mfg. defect or something repackaged as "new." In any event, I filed a complaint with the merchant and got a refund. So now I have disk 1 and disk 6 of season 3.

Strapped4Cash

I recently ordered an oop Miramax title, and got one that looked like a bad reshrinkwrap (the shrink doesn't seem to be heated all the way and sticks out at the corners), except it has a Buena Vista logo on it. So maybe someone in the Disney company did it? I would love to know if it's New or not before opening it.

I've recently had several other rewraps. One had some kind of crusty food, or dirt or excrement on it. Obviously not "beautification" (or very very very inadequate beautification). Another was a snapcase, that was clearly reshrinked, but the security seals were aged enough and the interior of the package was pristine enough that it seems clear it was not used.

I wish I could find a copy of Deathtrap (1982 in a snapcase) that is actually in it's original shrink or at least reshrinked but new, the 4 I've tried ordering in the past have all been reshrinked and used or reshrinked but impossible for me to determine.

ProfessorEcho

MovieMars is notorious for rewrapping. They used to flaunt it, advertising every title as NEW and SEALED. So many complaints came into Amazon that they were forced to list their resealed items as USED LIKE NEW, but continue the deceptive practice of sub-heading each item with the ambiguous SEALED LIKE NEW. It's utter bullshit and the reason I rarely buy from them.

I was an early victim of their fraud. I bought a "NEW" DVD from them that was sealed, only to open it and discover a store rental sticker on the disc.

PhantomStranger

Rewrapping has become a fairly widespread problem as the market for used media items dwindles and margins shrink. It was a minor problem until the past couple of years, when it has become an utter epidemic at many of the larger third-party sellers on Amazon.

whotony

I'm curious about why you want that death trap snap case dvd.

I bought that when it first came out. It wasn't sealed anymore and tried selling it on eBay and Amazon. Ended up practically giving it away at Movie stop.

Viper187

How the hell do so many sellers continue to get away with not only rewrapping discs, but buffing them and rewrapping them in replacement cases. It's so obvious when an Xbox360 game isn't a new copy. You can tell just by the fact the Xbox security sticker is missing to begin with. I hate messing around with returns, so I generally just slap them with bad feedback as long as the disc works, but it pisses me off. I've order new games and gotten resealed, like new and gotten ex-rentals that don't even work. I can't win no matter how I order or how good the seller's feedback lately. When the games are OOP, the marketplace/ebay sellers are the only way to get them too. I even had one guy claim the $5+ expedited shipping on Half.com was for first class when their policy specifically states Priority Mail with no mention of first class. Most sellers worth a damn use first class with tracking anyway at this point, and that should be mandatory by now.

Alan Smithee

Had this happen again recently- ordered Blu-Ray of Basic Instinct 2, seller was Newbury Comics. It came sealed with the top and side stickers still on the case, but they had previously been slashed open (as some do when opening discs, I always carefully peel them off and save them- yes, I'm obsessive!) Shipped it back right away, only option was a refund rather than a replacement.

Perkinsun Dzees

On occasion I've bought some "new" DVDs at Big Lots and removed the shrinkwrap only to discover that somebody had already sliced open the security seals. Most of the time the discs inside were scratched and in a few cases there was a folded piece of sturdy paper in the case to keep the discs from coming loose off a broken hub.

I assume that unsold DVDs that stores return to the distributor are sometimes opened up in order to put a loose disc back on its hub and then re-shrinkwrapped before being shipped out to some discount outlet.

Alan Smithee

I'm so obsessive, I'd rather deal with the loose disc myself than have someone else touch it! Never gotten one that wasn't playable. The one time I picked up a Big Lots disc without looking at it too closely, it turned out not only were the seals already slashed open but someone had put a blank CDR disc in place of the DVD! Plus I'd gotten it from a store that was closing and couldn't go back to return it- only cost a little over a buck, just another lesson learned.

DVD Josh

You are amazing particular for a guy who lives in a pigsty.

DirkUSA

Priorities, it's all about priorities!

thetao

So what did I just buy from a Marketplace seller?


This is a 2001 MGM release and should likely have a security sticker, and I also see what appear to be "heat wrinkles" on the keep case spine, from when the original wrap was applied. And then there's that giant red sticker. Some kind of former rental, I guess? But note the very professional re-wrap job. This isn't your typical roll of shrinkwrap, sealed with a heat wand, and shrunk with a blow dryer. This was professional.

The DVD was sold as new. Sigh.

MrSmearkase

/\ That red label was likely from Hollywood Video. Definite ex-rental.

Perkinsun Dzees

Wow, leaving that Hollywood Video sticker on the spine was a pretty lazy job by the reseller. You can also see the wear (flecking) on the top edge of the cover insert from when the original title security seal was pulled off.

I believe all the older MGM titles had security seals on the top.

Josh-da-man

Amazon Marketplace sellers can be real scumbags.

I stopped buying DVDs and CDs from them a while back. I started getting a lot of "South American import"/bootleg CDs. And the sellers who would send me these things had excellent feedback, so even that's no indication of what I'm going to get when I order.

I don't even care if the CD is a legitimate import and not a bootleg; if I order a CD from an Amazon page, I expect to receive THAT edition of the CD, not one that has the copyright info in Spanish.

PhantomStranger

A definite re-seal job. All major studio DVDs from that period had those horrible security stickers on them. The feel of re-sealed plastic is almost always different from a factory original copy. It's a good enough job to fool casual buyers or people too young to really remember how DVDs were once packaged.