Discussion Forums - DVD Bazaar

I bet this is where the gray area loopholes will come back in. When this first started, people would make a postable WL dvd unpostable by not including the case.   If it's "unpostable" there is no prohibition against offering it with an order from tower. I bet we start seeing that again.

     "I do know that chances are I'd be less likely to trade highly WL'd titles if I didn't have the option of packaging them with something else.  It's not that I don't want it, it's just that I usually buy them just to swap them out on the site.  If I can find a WL'd DVD for $3, then spend $2 to mail it, it's cost me $5 for a credit that I can buy in the bazaar for $3.25."

     Shawn makes a great point here. This takes us back to the devalued credit issue. Unless one finds a WL'd single dvd for under a buck somewhere, you'd have to be kind of nuts to send it...unless, of course, you joined Swapadvd for idealogical reasons...or perhaps the movie was so bad you can't stand having it in the house anymore. Personally, I'll probably only be sending out WL'd multi-disc sets from now on...if the new rule is insisted upon. USPS rates are continually rising each year...kind of like the red tape here.

     It is interesting to note that the rules do state that if a dvd cover has more than a 1/2" tear or hole in it, it is considered unpostable...like when cutouts get out of hand. So...an individual wouldn't have to incur too much damage to offer it as an incentive...seems a silly thing to think about...but, I bet we start seeing it in the future...

Here's the posting rule:

     "Please make sure your DVDs and their cases are clean and free of any dirt, lint, liquid spills, pungent smells etc. The cover artwork needs to be in good condition without any rips or tears greater than 1/2"."

So, if we want to really get technical...you don't even have to put a tear in the cover...just get a piece of lint from the dryer and put it in the case when you ship...it is now unpostable...LOL!

At the risk of (virtual) tomatoes thrown in my direction, I'll say that I don't really see what the big deal is.

No tomatoes, virtual or otherwise, ;-), here. , I disagree that it's not a big deal, though.  Anytime something is being bundled you are holding the WL DVD hostage.  That's just reality.  At least when it's all WL DVDs then the ones not really wanted can be turned around right away and the credits recouped.  Some people DO order stuff they don't really want ot get the WL DVD they do want, and then they are stuck w/ those items until they are eventually ordered.  That's essentially paying extra to get the WL DVD.  I do realize that technically they got 1 disc per credit (I realize Blu Ray are 2 credits, not making the distinction for this purpose), but they still used extra Credits to get 1 they wanted. 

I suspect it's a matter of interpretation and opinion, and it's fine that not everyone sees it the same way.  Of course, none of us get the final say, lol.

"(...) It's not that I don't want it, it's just that I usually buy them just to swap them out on the site.  If I can find a WL'd DVD for $3, then spend $2 to mail it, it's cost me $5 for a credit that I can buy in the bazaar for $3.25"

There is something wrong here, I believe.  Buying DVDs just to swap them out on the site.  I've always thought that the intent of SwapaDVD is for people, after getting tired to watching a movie or just don't like it, to trade them for something else that he/she may like.  There is intrinsic value in the movies themselves- it's not about how much money is being spent on the postage, etc.  I too have spent a lot of money on postage, but I've alway think about how I get that money back when I order a money from someone else.  Also, I consider the money I've spent on the postage like a rental fee for a movie that I get to keep if I like the movie.  (In the suggested scenario, $5 for DVD and postage - $3.25-valued credit = $1.75 rental with no late fee)  Isn't that one of the points that SwapaDVD emphasizes, that you get to keep the movies?

And as for the $3.25 credit, that is actually pretty fair value for the movies you often get with that credit, wishlisted or not.  Just look at the some of the used movie prices on Amazon.com or gohastings.com.

I know people will want to game the system, but please game the system within the confines of the rules.  Otherwise, everyone will eventually demand wishlisted DVDs and blu-rays to be accompanied by multiple orders from towers.  Maybe SwapaDVD should have a new policy- All wishlisted DVDs and Blu-rays require additional orders from towers.

Unless one finds a WL'd single dvd for under a buck somewhere, you'd have to be kind of nuts to send it

It does make it tough to find wishlisted movies worth posting.  I know I'll usually buy them in the $3-5 range and hope I can send them out with something on my tower, which I've always looked at as a win-win for me and the person who get it.  Obviously I'm not making any type of profit, but I do enjoy putting wishlisted DVDs into the site.

Some people DO order stuff they don't really want ot get the WL DVD they do want, and then they are stuck w/ those items until they are eventually ordered.

I think this goes back to the fact that people have the option to place an order or not.  I've never had anyone tell me they felt cheated out of a credit for placing an order.Many of the DVDs I've sent out with WL'd items have very few copies in the system.  I guess if my tower only consisted of commons with 100+ copies in the system then maybe it would be a different story. 

I'm not sure I see the harm as if people aren't interested, the person with the WL'd DVD will most likely post it to the system at some point.  However, I do agree that asking someone to take 2-3 itmes off your tower for a single WL dvd doesn't seem right.

The only other option for me would be to hold onto my WL'd items and wait for someone to place an order off my tower items and then check that person's wishlist to see if they were interested in one of them.

At the end of the day being able to combine shipping is a huge benefit for members, but there really aren't many oppertunities to do it.  And like I stated earlier, when I ship multiple items I tend to use the site's shipping option, which generates additional revenue for SAD.

The only other option for me would be to hold onto my WL'd items and wait for someone to place an order off my tower items and then check that person's wishlist to see if they were interested in one of them.

Shawn, I do that all the time.  I've usually got some WL dvds around -- a habit from when I was in the WLVB, so anytime I get an order on my tower, I check the person's WL and see if I can send them anything else at the same time.  Another thing I have done if I need credits and decide to post the WL dvds I'm holding, is post one of them and check that person's WL for the others I have on hand. It doesn't always work but if I have similar genre items I can often send more than one to the same person. 

Henry, I agree with you about considering the postage the same as a rental fee.  I only buy movies to post that I want to see myself.  Sometimes, they end up being keepers.  :O) But if the price is right, I may buy additional copies to post. I always watch anything I buy used before I post it. I sure wish others did the same.

Beth, thanks for bringing up this topic.  I had wondered about some of the deals that were offered.

Well a lot of time when one of my WL dvds is posted thru the bazzare I dont have the crs to do the Deal the person wants!  Sad part is I am FIRST & have been Waiting for it to be Posted for 6+ Months!!  How Fair is that?

As for people Buying a dvd just to post here That My dear IS up to you!  So again WHY should those of us waiting be punished?? 

This site use to be fair Now it getting GREEDY!  Crs in the bazzare are Not that expensive You want crs then BUY them sheesh

Personally, I'd rather post and mail something to get credits than buy credits, although I've obviously done both, I'm more trusting that someone will mark a single dvd received than send me 10 credits for already paid money, plus you get the joy knowing you send a wishlisted dvd that someone couldve had on their wishlist for a year! I know *I* love it when that happens to me, so I can only imagine others like getting them too ;-) Obviously my opinion doesnt matter to the powers that be, but I've seen an increase in wl movies and blurays getting posted through this way, so I think it would be a shame to get rid of it - not all people making the offers in the bazaar will be willing to post single dvds/blurays without the added savings in shipping from shipping more than one.

" As for people Buying a dvd just to post here That My dear IS up to you!  So again WHY should those of us waiting be punished?? "

" There is something wrong here, I believe.  Buying DVDs just to swap them out on the site. "

I don't understand this logic. People like Shawn who can find good deals SHOULD be encouraged to buy WL DVDs to post - it increases the number of copies in circulation!! How does it benefit anyone if Shawn just buys one copy of a movie he likes and keeps it?

I love the idea of getting a wishlisted item as an incentive to buy another DVD & save on shipping (both for me and another member)- sounds great & I don't HAVE to do it if I don't want to-lol.

"This site use to be fair Now it getting GREEDY! "

Greedy?  I think not.  There are maybe 10 people who have been offering deals like that in the bazaar out of thousands. 

I have 1200 dvds to eventually post here.  I don't have $3000 to ship each one individually... do YOU?  To the people who don't trade very much (and if you don't have an extra credit to order a tower movie with WL dvd than you are probably one of those), postage is a non-issue. I have sent over 600 dvds and spent over $1500 on postage in the last year or two.  When the small-time swappers become big-time swappers, maybe they will understand the postage thing. Until that day, there is no use trying to convince them.

Here is an example of the savings on shipping from an order I sent out this morning.  It was for something I posted last week before this rule was brought up.

I mailed a total of 6 blurays to one person for a total of $3.39.  Four of them were wishlisted and two were on my tower (as the only copies in the system).  If I had mailed them out individually I would have spent around $12-$15 on shipping.  That is a big difference. 

Since I spend $60 to $100 shipping books & dvds each month & my income is $688!  Dont tell me I dont understand!!  So now you want me to order movies I Dont want to pay More in shipping just so You can get them off your shelf... sheesh sounds fair NOT!

Again - its a bazaar posting you do NOT have to take the deal if you dont want it! No one is forcing your hand! No one is saying "you will never ever ever get this posted to you unless you order an additional movie!" I passed on Shawns offer of Bones Season 2 even though I really wanted it because I couldnt find anything on his tower I didnt already have. I'm not complaining...

The point is if you are patient enough to stand in line, GREAT! Do it! No ones stopping you! You will likely get it just as fast if you are #1 in line for the dvd. Besides, some of us horde our dvds until we have the chance of multiple orders because of shipping costs - is that BETTER? Personally I'd rather have the offer out there and circulating more dvds than people sitting there not sending out dvds because of the cost. Good for you if you want to spend 10% of your monthly income on sending dvds. Not all of us do.

Great discussion!

<passing out popcorn...>

It's fairly clear that, from a practical standpoint, the practice of offering WL postable movies for multiple tower orders is great for the person offering the deal.  Unfortunately, it is not necessarily good for the person taking the deal. 

Every credit has in it the intrinsic value of postage, and that value is given up for the opportunity to get the WL postable item.  As the number of required multiple tower order increases, the postage value is increasingly lost to the seller.  It's fine as long as the buyer is okay with that.  (And it's been okay with the 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deals)  Still, my concern was always with the use of postable WL movies for this purpose, which goes against the rules.

Both sides make great points. 

I've mailed mostly single disc WL DVDs and since I use site postage, my shipping cost (when figuring in postage & materials) is only slightly less than the Bazaar price for a credit.   Not really a great deal for me. The option of tying that to a Tower order would probably be the only thing that moves my Tower DVDs. (I mean, have you seen my Tower?  The next ice age will arrive before I get rid of those things!)

On the other hand, I don't want to pay for a DVD I don't want just to get a WL DVD that I'm probably first in line for anyway.  I want the stupid thing posted to the system.  That would be why I'm in the WL line to begin with.

But you know, at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter.  It's just a DVD and I don't make the rules.

<now toss me some popcorn...>

I own 3 of those 5 movies on your tower ;-) And got two of them through this site!

Here you go, Meghan

P.S.: I just checked out your tower (you never know). But sorry, nothing for me there.

As the number of required multiple tower order increases, the postage value is increasingly lost to the seller.

I think this is key.  Ideally, I'd like to be able to offer a wishlisted DVD along with a tower order to save on shipping.  If no one is interested in anything on my tower after a few days, I'll post the WL'd item into the system.  No one is being forced to order something they don't want, but if there is something they wouldn't mind having then it's a win-win.

I understand both sides of this.  The thing is no one is being held "hostage".  They can either take the deal if it makes sense for them or pass if they aren't interested.  If it gets extra copies of highly wishlisted items into the system, that's a good thing right? 

With that said, I think a line should be drawn saying you can't ask for more than one tower order.  Asking somone to take 2-3 movies off your tower for 1 wishlisted item isn't fair.  I think we should still have the ability to ask if anyone is interested, with strict guidelines around what you can ask for and timelines (after X amount of days the item should be posted into the system)

Hey Shawn, I know that this is WAY off topic, but I really like your picture!  Is that a recent event? 

Basically what I am hearing (reading) here is that there is no definitive answer.  Or, as the rule stands now, as long as you make this offer "to save on postage" it is okay?  I think someone should clarify this with a YES or NO.  I'm not cyber-shouting guys, I think people would like a short and sweet answer. btw, how do we get a newsletter? I've never seen one.

My account --> Settings --> Newsletter --> click yes --> update newsletter settings

Thanks Laura!    Yes it's prettty recenty, I got married last July. 

Shawn -  YEAH!!!!!  Congratulations, and many blessings...

Gloria - The thread started with the post of a rule - copied and pasted from the "rules" section at the top of the forum. It doesn't say anything about being okay if the motive is to save postage, so I'd say that motive isn't really part of the rule.  (That would be pretty hard to enforce anyway)  The rule is still being refined and discussed though, and more should be decided by the time the next newsletter goes out.