DVD prices have dropped significantly in the last few years. It’s not uncommon to find movies for under $5 and boxed sets under $10, but you do need to know how and where to find the bargains. I will be taking a look at a variety of ways that you can save money on DVDs. Some of these will probably seem very obvious, but I know from talking to others that many people don’t take advantage of some of these strategies.
Set limits for what you will pay
You should limit what you will pay for DVDs. A limit of $5-$6 for movies and $10-$15 for boxed sets is generally the maximum I will pay and I’ve found that most of the time I eventually find what I want at those prices. I tend to buy based on what I can get within my limits rather than what I want most. In many instances, this has meant getting a couple of boxed sets for less than the price of one newly released movie. You need to find a limit that works for you and stick to it.
There are DVDs that will probably never be below your limits, such as Criterions, so you may need to make exceptions for some things.
Don’t buy right away
Waiting to buy new releases can save you quite a bit of money. Prices often drop after only a few months. A new release that cost $15-$20 during release week may be found for as little as $5-$10 within 6-12 months.
Seasons of TV shows often drop after several seasons or even or the entire show have been released on DVD. An example of this is shows from HBO. Their releases are typically priced at $50 or more, but can often be found for around $20 after a show has ended.
Sometimes waiting can result in paying far more. If a release is limited, you may want to go ahead and purchase it while it is available. Otherwise, you risk missing out on that title or having to pay much more through a third party.
Know when to buy
There are often promotions on older releases in a series when a new release comes out. This includes things like older seasons of a TV show or sequels to a movie. The older releases will often be significantly cheaper around the time the next release comes out.
Use Coupons
Some stores offer coupons that can help you save even more. It is worth looking for a coupon if you plan on making a purchase from certain stores. Here are lists of stores that offer coupons as well as those that don’t:
- Stores that almost always have coupons: DVD Empire, DVD Planet
- Stores that occasionally have coupons: A&E, Barnes&Noble, Buy.com, Deep Discount, Second Spin, Tower Records
- Stores that rarely have coupons: Amazon.com, Best Buy, Overstock.com
The lists above apply to online stores only. Some stores, such as Best Buy, do have coupons that can be used in their brick and mortar stores, but not online. Other stores, such as Overstock.com, offer coupon codes, but they generally don’t work on DVDs.
Coupons can occasionally be found through sources outside of the store itself. For example, Google has been offering coupons, such as $10 off a $30 order, when using their Checkout service with a participating merchant. Buy.com, DVD Empire, and DVD Planet are a few of the stores that accept Google Checkout, so keep an eye out for future offers like this.
Compare prices before buying
Prices can vary significantly from one store to another, so it is worthwhile to check prices at various stores before purchasing. dvdpricesearch.com is an online service you can use to compare prices between many of the online stores that sell DVDs. Keep in mind that prices don’t update in real time, so they may not reflect current sales.
You should consider things like shipping and tax when comparing prices, as this will affect the total.
There are also some situations where you may want to compare prices at a single store. For example, some stores offer seasons of certain TV shows as individual boxed sets and as bundles. The pricing on these can vary widely, so it is worth comparing different combinations to see what the best deal is.
Take advantage of free shipping
You should always consider shipping when making purchases since the cost of shipping can cancel out a good deal. Many stores offer free shipping if you purchase over a certain threshold. Here are some of the stores that offer free shipping:
- Amazon.com: free shipping on orders over $25
- Deep Discount: free shipping on all orders
- Buy.com: free shipping on most items if the order is over $25
- DVD Planet: free shipping on orders over $25
- DVD Empire: free shipping on 3 or more items
- Tower.com: free shipping on orders over $20
Join Columbia House
Columbia House is a great way to get DVDs for an average price of $4-$5 each. This is a DVD club where you receive several DVDs up front for very little money and then you have to buy several regular priced selections to complete your membership. A typical membership code will allow you to get 7 DVDs up front for about $13 and require you to purchase 2 more selections at the regular price of $19.95. If you purchase your membership commitments using a buy one get one free code that has free shipping, you can end up with 11 DVDs for about $50.
Getting the best deals from Columbia House does take some effort and you need to learn how the system works to get the most benefit. The best source of information on joining Columbia House is the DVD club forum at DVD Talk. There are codes for joining, sale offer codes, and other information that will help you make the most out of a Columbia House membership.
The cheapest average per DVD will come from signing up, fulfilling your account, canceling, and then signing up again. This can be a bit of a hassle, so even if you decide not to join over and over again, you can still find great deals. New releases can be had for around $10 each with the right sale offer codes, which is much better than paying $15-$20 elsewhere.
Buy from stores that offer rewards
Some stores offer rewards for buying from them. For example, DVD Planet gives you one point for every dollar you spend with them in their Frequent Buyers Club. Once you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for credit toward your next order.
Columbia House is another company that offers incentives for purchasing through them. They offer Funcash for each DVD you purchase. The amount of Funcash varies depending on whether you have completed your membership obligations and according to current promotions. If you have fulfilled your account and make purchases when there is a triple Funcash offer available, you can get $6 or more worth of Funcash on each item purchased. The Funcash can then be redeemed for DVDs. This can sometimes result in some very good deals. Recently, there was a sale on boxed sets where you could purchase each set for about $5 if you applied $10 of Funcash to it.
Buy Used
Buying used can save you a significant amount of money while also allowing you to purchase an item that is in almost new condition. Online stores that sell used DVDs usually have a rating system so you can check how reliable a seller is, so there is little chance of being ripped off if you are careful to buy from sellers with good ratings. The following sites are good sources for used DVDs:
- amazon.com
- ebay.com
- half.com
- secondspin.com
Buy through third-party sellers
There are many great deals available through third-party sellers on sites like amazon.com and half.com. Many of the items sold are brand new and competition between multiple sellers tends to drive prices down. You will often find movies listed for under $1 and TV show boxed sets for less than $10. Here are some boxed sets that can currently be found at these sites for around $10 before shipping:
- Brooklyn South - The Complete Series
- Cracker - The Complete Series (US version)
- Miracles - The Complete Series
A good way to take advantage of deals like this is to keep a wish list on these sites and periodically check the prices of items available through third-party sellers.
Visit DVD deal sites regularly
There are several sites where you can find DVD deals posted on a daily basis. Visiting these sites regularly will help you find some great bargains. You are more likely to find the best deals if you visit more regularly, because some of the deals can be very short-lived. Here are three of the better sources for DVD deals:
- DVD Talk: A very active forum with new deals posted most days.
- Cheap Ass Gamer: A less active forum than DVD Talk, but still worth visiting. They occasionally scoop the larger site on some major deals.
- DVD Price Search: Primarily useful for comparing prices, although there are occasionally good deals posted.
Of course, you might also want to visit this site from time to time. 
Rent instead of buying
With the rise of online rental services like Netflix, the cost of rentals has dropped significantly. The most popular plan at Netflix runs about $20 per month. This is a good way to check out movies you may not watch more than once. If you do decide to buy the DVD later, the price will have likely dropped by that time.
