Buying DVDs for the sake of buying them

[dogmaratt]

Hello all...I have a question for those of you with very large DVD collections.

Do you buy movies you like, or just buy movies to build your collection? I see a lot of 'blind' buying going on here....so, is the point of this just to build a large collection?

Do a lot of you end up with movies you only watch once?


I only buy movies I've seen before, and REALLY like. Ones I believe have a potential for multiple viewings. Me and my wife are pretty picky about what we spend our (very few) dollars on.

Thanks


dR

[mlemmond]

The more movies you watch the more you find you like and want to own. Also now with tv shows coming out on dvd if there is I show I really like and know I will miss when it's gone I buy that also.

Most of my "blind buys" happen because of what I hear here or elsewhere.

[Monster]

they way i see it is , i listen to reviews etc. and if the price is right sya 14bucks or so . for a new release i will. its only a few more then if i rent it first. and if i dont like it i always trade for something i do like.. or sell it.. but if i know for sure i wont like it then i dont buy it..

[wynterfire]

most of my collection are movies that i like enough to watch more than once. and i'm the kind of guy that if i'm in the mood to watch something, i'd like to have it readily available.

but about 30% are blind buys, some of which i haven't had the heart to get rid of. but now that i've joined Netflix, my purchases of "blind buys" have gone down significantly !!

and that $20 a month for Netflix REALLY is worth it if you're iffy on some movies. i took ALOT off my wishlist cause i wasn't too impressed with some of those "must see" flicks (Deliverance being one of them).

[aedavela]

Many of the movies in my DVD collection have been blind buys in order to increase both collection size and to say I've seen more great movies. Off the top, I can say Lawrence of Arabia, Citizen Kane, One Flew Over the Cuokoo's Nest, Amadeus, and MASH were all blind buys, but all have something in common. All are on the AFI 100 list, and all have high qualitiy special features.

[incubus0]

There's a saying I like to use.

It's not a bargain if you wouldn't buy it anyway.

I try to keep this in mind when buying DVDs, at least loosely in mind.

If I see a deal that's great (like the 5 for $30 last week at Best Buy), I'll ask myself if I would have gotten them at some point anyway, and if so I'll pick them up. Then there's the other thing (like the 2 for $20) deal when I grabbed Empire of the Sun which I'd been meaning to get, but the one to go along with it was Collateral Damage which I hadn't seen, but some places gave it a good review so I took a chance. If I had rented it first I probably wouldn't have bought it, but it wasn't that bad. I may trade it in someday to a used DVD place.

With many people, probably about 90% of the ones here, it's more of a collection hobby (stamps coins trading cards) then a bunch of movies you'll watch over and over again though.

[FurryHumanBeing]

I very very very raely buy blind. Last time I did was with Memento when it first came out, which I love. There are a few titles I will buy for sake of colection. I don't realy care for Davy Crocket, but I bought the Treasure to have the collection (and I'm still missing 2 But that'll change one day )
There are a bunch of movies I have I only watched once, but I'd like to watch them more, but It's just a matter of time.

[dogmaratt]

Great! Good answers....I'm just trying to get more insights from other movie freaks like myself... keep 'em coming.

I would like to do more 'blind' buys, but I'm too chicken! Not enough spare cash to waste on a movie I'll only watch once...

[sub780lime]

theres often movies i didnt get a chance to see in theaters, and they may have an actor or actress that i really like, so if my friends here give it a than ill go for it, i dont want to waste the money on the rental aswell, that may sound like odd logic since im spending the money on the dvd (potential wasted). i guess i just look at it as its only a dvd, and once your collection gets large enough with all those movies you love, than its easier to buy others

[mrcoaster]

I don't blind buy very often, but I am always looking for what's next that on the purchase list. There are probably a bunch that I might not be sitting on my couch thinking "Gee, I really HAVE to watch that movie right now." Some are bargain purchases, some are part of a collection, some are impulse buys for something I feel like I want to watch at least once again.

I travel a ton, so during down-time, I end up watching a lot of DVDs on the road. There are probably a number of DVDs I own that I wouldn't watch more than once at home, but I rotate them and mix them up when I travel. As a result, I've found some movies that I didn't recall being in love with in the past that I had a lot of fun watching and a new appreciation for now. There probably aren't more than a couple of DVDs in my collection that I wouldn't be happy to watch today. I don't have a huge collection (I have 290), but I have enough to keep things mixed up quite a bit.

[dogmaratt]

Originally posted by sub780lime
i dont want to waste the money on the rental aswell, that may sound like odd logic since im spending the money on the dvd (potential wasted).

That makes sense to me. That just tacks on about 4 more bucks to the title you just bought, in a roundabout way.

Out of 150 DVD purchases 2/3rds have been blind buys. I have rarely been let down or disappointed and I’ve only sold or traded 10 DVDs that I no longer wanted. And yes, many have only been watched once! Other than Fight Club and Seven I doubt I’ve watched a flick more than 3 times. About 30 Criterion DVDs were blind buys. They were not available for rental and I really WANTED to see them, so I bought them blind. About 70 other titles were also blind buys because they too were unavailable for rental at Block Buster.

Sometimes I purchase a well produced DVD to encourage the production company to continue the good work. I never would have bought a barebones edition of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea but I just could not resist the kick ass two disc set.

I'd not seen The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and only marginally liked The Day the Earth Stood Still yet I bought both because I wanted to support the Fox Studio Classics line (and I needed the Proofs of purchase for the Sunrise DVD). I plan to buy How Green was My Valley, Laura, The Ox-Bow Incident and Anastasia down the road even though I've seen none of them.

[ElCuCuy2000]

Na', I absolutely love movies and only buy the ones that make an impact (at the time of the first viewing). I don't buy movies just for the sake of buying them and I especially don't buy them to hoard up and sell when they become "OOP" like some people do.

I also don't really care too much about any 'special' crap that comes in a 2-DVD set..all I care about is watching the movie and listening to it in all it's Dolby Digital (or DTS) glory. If it were up to me, I'd release nothing but "Superbit" Editions with a DTS soundtrack...

[dogmaratt]

Originally posted by ElCuCuy2000
Na', I absolutely love movies and only buy the ones that make an impact (at the time of the first viewing). I don't buy movies just for the sake of buying them and I especially don't buy them to hoard up and sell when they become "OOP" like some people do.

I also don't really care too much about any 'special' crap that comes in a 2-DVD set..all I care about is watching the movie and listening to it in all it's Dolby Digital (or DTS) glory. If it were up to me, I'd release nothing but "Superbit" Editions with a DTS soundtrack...

Your logic seems a lot like mine. Although, I do like good extras, but I don't base my purchases on that. 'Fargo' and 'The Commitments' are good examples of that....

[SeanL]

Most of my movies I've already seen, and I know I'm gonna enjoy them. Out of 260 dvds, I'd say only around 25-30 have been blind purchases, and I've enjoyed all of them.

[silentmatt]

I'm actually a fan of the blind buy. There's something extra satisfying about making a rational decision to buy something you've never seen before based on some rational decision making and finding out you love it. The only blind buys I've ever been dissatisfied with have been pure impulse purchases. I'm usually pretty good at figuring out who I can and can't trust when it comes to recommending movies, and seeing as how I hate renting something there's a good chance I'll end up buying anyway, I often just skip the trip to the video store and make the buy right off the bat (especially when it comes to discounted or used titles and there's little financial commitment involved ). So far I'm very satisfied with the system.

To me the key is just having some sort of reliable basis on which to support the decision, be it friends giving the thumbs up or many glowing online reviews...

[deltau922]

Never bought anything I haven't seen before. And I don't remember the last movie I rented that I wish I had bought instead or ended up buying. I usually like the stuff I rent, but I don't feel like watching it again. And even if I did feel like watching it again, I could rent it two or three more times and still have spent less than if I had bought it.

[ceeece]

I started out extremely selective on movies I would buy:

Green Mile
Braveheart
Toy Story Toy Box
Jurassic Park
Gladiator

Then as I relished in my new widescreen TV and surround sound I saw the potential in almost all new releases. I am still selective but I pick up more movies now thanks to my widescreen and surround sound. It doesn't hurt to have a new DVD rack that holds promise for a much larger collection either.

I have enjoyed some of the deals at Best Buy lately for older movies such as Commando and Predator and Teen Wolf I and II. I look for $10 movies now on a regular basis. I used to want only loaded Special Editions. I have softened a bit though now that I see that not every movie can get a 2 disc special edition.

I will still hold out for Batman special edition!... I can't hold out much longer though!

[MrTony]

Like Wynterfire said, Netflix is a great way to check out movies (and I find I'm saying that in about half my posts these days...no, I don't work for them :p ). It's $20 a month, which is about the cost of one DVD. I've only been a member for a couple of months, but it's well worth it for me because of the lack of rental options around here. If it weren't for Netflix, blind buys would be pretty much my only option if I wanted to see something like Down By Law or The 400 Blows.

So I rarely buy blind anymore. Other than that, if I see a movie and decide I want to see it again someday, I pretty much decide to buy it. Obviously some are of higher priority than others. I watched a Netflix copy of Adaptation on Monday and bought my own on Wednesday. Secretary, on the other hand, is a movie I liked and would like to see again, but I don't know if it has enough replay value to justify owning a copy. Yet, renting it again seems a little silly.

[Damian]

My buying habits have significantly changed since my salary has changed over the past couple of years. I use to buy three to four DVD's a week. Most where movies I knew I'd watch over and over again, sometimes they were blind buys, and sometimes they were movies I remembered as a kid and still enjoy, but probably won't watch as much.
Now that I don't make what I use to I buy what I really like and that's mostly it. Every now and then I'll buy simply to add something to my collection or to round out a series that I've already started (X-Files seasons..etc)
I don't blind buy anymore. I'll rent first.

[chrisp450]

With me its not so much that I am trying to build my collection up (though I don't mind), it was always moreso that I would rather buy some movies then rent them. I figure (before Netflix) that a DVD rental is anywhere from $4-5.00...No big deal, but with late fees, it can be more. The cost of most new dvd's is anywhere from $15-20 (again, MOST). So had I rented the movie, and actually had time to watch it during the rental time, and assuming NO late fees, the cost would now be about $10-15.00 Usually I only buy stuff that sounds very good, or I have heard good things about (though not always in the past...I used to buy a lot of crap), so I assume it will be something I will like. Figuring a 2nd viewing of the movies, the cost is now under $10.00. As others have said, you can always SELL or TRADE dvd's as well. Most of the time with stuff like Ebay, you can usually get about $10 for your dvd's, thus bringing the cost back down to $0.00

Maybe this is poor reasoning, but that is what I always used to go by. I have since tried to limit blind buying, and I have gotten better about buying stuff I'm not so sure of. But to answer your question, I don't buy just to build the collection, though I do like having a little of everything in it.

[deltau922]

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[TheDarkling]

The only time I buy DVDs blind is when there is really no way I can rent whatever it is I want to see first. I don't belong to any internet movie renting site, so the only places I can rent movies from are Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, a local place, or the library. And none of the above, in my experience, have the selection of anime or foreign films that I would like to see. So if you see something not from the US or Canada besides Amelie or Run Lola Run in my collection, chances are it was a blind buy. The rest of my collection mostly consists of old and new favorites and TV shows, which I think is one of the coolest things about DVDs. Being able to have whole seasons of my favorite TV shows is like a dream come true.

[reapersaurus]

I've become pretty selctive in the DVD's I buy.

The last couple years, I've been collecting my favorites (and new releases) when I got a deal I could live with, and as of now (only 80 DVD's) I have most of the ones I really want.

There's only a handful of DVD's I still feel I NEED, and I'm patient for a good deal.
It's not like I have a lot of time to watch them anyway.

I won't buy barebones DVD's as a rule, and even if it's on a deal, I ask myself and my wife, "Do we REALLY want this in our collection, taking up space?"

I wonder if my approach would change if we had a good place to store 200+ DVD's....
all that space, beckoning to be filled up must be awfully inviting, and all the justification many people may need to go buy anything remotely worth owning.

[pdjennings]

If I just wanted to buy DVDs for the sake of upping my collection count.... I would buy up every $5.88 cheapy out there. I only buy what interests me or what I like....

Granted.... I like and am interested in a great many things.

[TsN|Oswald]

With as expensive as a rental is getting, I will buy most anything. I cannot justify renting a movie when I can spend a bit more and have it in my collection. Like some I have my fair share of "blind buys."

[RaceTripper]

I'll buy a DVD because I feel like seeing the movie. Then it goes on my shelf. Many get watched again. I also have ones I have not watched a second time. But I figure at some point they'll get at least a second viewing.

Dean

[Dirty]

I usually buy movies that I enjoyed in theatres and will most probably end up seeing it atleast 3 times in a row at home.
Sometimes I buy any movie when I have extra cash to spend.

I also work at a little video store (its like a "mini-blockbuster") and I get free dvds sometimes. They recieve about 5 copies of most movies that come out so I usually get to keep one since the manager and I are cool.

[superwombat]

I hate borrowing things, I hate renting things, I hate being responsible for other people's property.

I buy everything.

Because returning stuff sucks.

[bembol]

I ended up selling 50 DVDs because of this...

[mrcoaster]

Since my girlfriend and I started really buying more and more the last year and a half (as opposed to the previous 18 months when we only bought a few selected titles), we've hardly rented anything. If it's something we're really interested in, we just end up buying it. With few exceptions, we haven't been disappointed.

[TsN|Oswald]

Originally posted by mrcoaster
Since my girlfriend and I started really buying more and more the last year and a half (as opposed to the previous 18 months when we only bought a few selected titles), we've hardly rented anything. If it's something we're really interested in, we just end up buying it. With few exceptions, we haven't been disappointed.

pfft....I could not convince my girlfriend to watch a movie a second time, even if it included Josh Hartnett!!! Should could get hunky Josh in BHD and I could get a kick ass action flick.

[AlexJS]

I rarely make blind buys - it's the only way i can keep myself from going absolutely crazy and buying everything. My home theater space is pretty small and I don't have room for gobs of titles. If I had more space i could get more into buying more and selling off what i don't want. Renting is good for flicks I might like or just to see if it's a good transfer. Screening 15-20 titles/month for the price of one or two isn't so bad.

The last blind buy I made was Insomnia, but i had a pretty good feeling I would like that one.

I'm not sure this would be a true blind buy, but I did rent the first discs of Band of Brothers and the first season of the Sopranos before I decided to buy... enough to see if I would like it but not the whole thing.

[JimboQ]

Most of my friends who know my taste, recommended a few titles that I have purchased and loved. Pumpkin, being one of them. Most cases I try not to buy anything I've never seen before. Ironically it's some movies I've purchased that I HAVE seen, I found myself not wanting to watch it again, or even need it in my collection. I'm actually gonna start getting rid of some titles this month.