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Badman's OOP DVD buying guide


badman

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This is made based on my experiences buying out of print / used Anime DVDs, but can basically be applied to any used item (although I'm not as good at finding deals on used Vidya)

 

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Check eBay, amazon, etc. to get an idea of what it is going for right now.

 

Figure out the maximum price that you are willing to pay for it.

 

Compare the lowest market price to what you are willing to pay for it. If the market price is lower,

then buy it.

 

If the market price is higher, then wait for a better deal. Items might go for over $100, and then drop down to $20 later. Check frequently, and

eventually you may find a deal pop up. Waiting could take a few days to a week, or a few moths to a year.

 

Be realistic about how long you plan to use this item, and how frequently. In some cases, getting it

sooner may be worth the extra cost. In some cases, it will not.

 

Look on other countries' shopping websites (e.g. amazon.co.uk, .ca, .co.jp) You may benefit from

international prices or current exchange rates. Some items are more rare in the US than they are in

Japan, etc.

 

Before buying, compare the shipping, fees and tax rates for different websites.

 

When you see it in your price range, buy it before someone else does.

 

Sometimes these deals may come without the box, or other items. Decide how important these are to you,

and whether the price is low enough to justify the loss of these extras.

 

Make sure there are no known issues with the retail discs before buying!!
If there are, ask the buyer to test them before agreeing to buy. If there are unable to, check their

return policies.

 

When you get the item, check discs for scratches. If you are unsure about a disc, rip it with DVD

Decrypter (or other equivalent) to check for errors (This takes ~20min, which is faster than watching the whole disc).

 

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P.S. - Anime is hard to find at stores, but it does pop up occasionally. When it does, it is usually overpriced, but not always. I have gotten deals at Newbury Comics, Walmart, and other places, but these were a couple years apart, and don't happen very often. For this type of buying, you have to be really good at knowing releases inside out--knowing what is a deal, and what isn't just by looking (or checking prices on your phone).

 

You can find deals at Anime Cons as well, but there are also a lot of overpriced items too, so be careful. Media Blasters is one company that has a lot of their old (nearly OOP) releases at anime cons for pretty fair prices, so i recommend checking their booths out.

Edited by Badman
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