Amazon.ca overpricing

[Member-496106]

has any other canadians noticed amazon.ca overpricing their blu-rays? I've really started to notice it and they really are no longer competitive in the market. They used to be the place to go if you wanted to save a buck if you were willing to take a chance on your item arriving damaged. I wonder if, in their own way, they are are trying to discourage physical sales.

[Deadend45]

The usa amazon is quite competitive on BDs.

[martydmc12]

It really depends on the title, what studio/distributor/boutique label as well. For example I've noticed I can get Arrow titles a lot cheaper on Amazon.ca than through Arrow or Unobstructed View. Criterion, Kino Lorber and Shout! Factory titles usually round out to about the same after the exchange rate and shipping fees. I never buy standard studio titles on Amazon simply because they come with bilingual packaging, and that's a big no-no for me.

Like anything, you gotta do your homework and shop around to get the best prices, factor in the exchange rate, shipping, etc.

[Deadend45]

Originally Posted by martydmc12

It really depends on the title, what studio/distributor/boutique label as well. For example I've noticed I can get Arrow titles a lot cheaper on Amazon.ca than through Arrow or Unobstructed View.

Originally Posted by martydmc12

Criterion, Kino Lorber and Shout! Factory titles usually round out to about the same after the exchange rate and shipping fees.

You mean pre-orders?

[martydmc12]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

You mean pre-orders?

No, titles already readily available and in-stock.

[Deadend45]

Originally Posted by martydmc12

No, titles already readily available and in-stock.

Oh yeah? Show me where on amazon.ca I can get Arrow BD titles for $10 like Arrow and UV have in sales.

Also show me where I can get Shout B2G1 sales like I have done on amazon usa.

I would sure like to know.

[martydmc12]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

Oh yeah? Show me where on amazon.ca I can get Arrow BD titles for $10 like Arrow and UV have in sales.

Also show me where I can get Shout B2G1 sales like I have done on amazon usa.

I would sure like to know.

Who said anything about $10 titles? What are you even talking about, because I think we're talking about very different things. All I said is that sometimes it ends up being cheaper ordering from Amazon.ca than the boutique labels after you factor in exchange and shipping.

Example: Arrow has "The Mexico Trilogy" for $70 USD, plus $10 USD for shipping. Once you factor in the exchange rate, plus the risk of having to pay customs/duty, easily $110-$120 at the cheapest, maybe even a few bucks more. Amazon.ca has it right now for $103 CAD and free shipping. Not to mention Amazon.ca has out-of-print titles like "The Shootist" and "Tin Star" that Arrow sold out of months ago.

Like I said it's a case by case scenario, and one has to do their homework. Not sure why you seem so upset by me pointing this out.

[MrSparkle63]

I have noticed that there are fewer discounted prices coming from Amazon Canada than in the past. Amazon Prime deals were terrible this year and hardly spectacular compared to those offered in the States.

I am finding that I am filling out my collection from Amazon.com and ordering several (4 or more) titles so that I can spread shipping costs over the total purchase.

It has been my experience that when a retailer doesn't want to sell to you, they will charge exorbitant prices to dissuade you from a purchase. Does amazon.ca want to get out of the movie business? Seems like it.

As a collector, I am not thrilled about mashed packaging. If I am paying top dollar to get films on day one with slips...I like them to come in one piece. I miss the days of small cardboard boxes and decent fill to keep them in good shape.

Farming out their business to third party sellers seems they way they are going in Canada. Warehousing is costing them...so they are just a portal now for others. It is affecting the quality and variety of the product.

[orangerunner]

We tend to forget Amazon is not really a retail company, it is a tech company just as Airbnb, Uber and Skip the Dishes are not really food and hospitality companies.

[martydmc12]

Originally Posted by MrSparkle63

As a collector, I am not thrilled about mashed packaging. If I am paying top dollar to get films on day one with slips...I like them to come in one piece. I miss the days of small cardboard boxes and decent fill to keep them in good shape.

Doesn't matter if you order from .COM, .CA, .CO.UK, something usually always comes destroyed with Amazon. The only time I've had discs come packaged in boxes is when I've ordered a bulk of discs, or a box set that is too large to fit into one of their flimsy paper envelopes. I'm hoping to grab some deals from .COM on Black Friday so that I can order a bunch all at once and that way "hopefully" they'll come shipped in a box.

Originally Posted by MrSparkle63

Farming out their business to third party sellers seems they way they are going in Canada. Warehousing is costing them...so they are just a portal now for others. It is affecting the quality and variety of the product.

I never buy anything from third party sellers on Amazon, Amazon directly or I don't buy it.

The whole thing makes me wish the boutique labels were doing every title, that way I could deal with them directly instead of Amazon. The problem is for most mainstream studio stuff, especially Disney (Fox), it's not like the boutiques have licenses to those titles. Or even boutique sellers like DiablokDVD, Orbit or UV doesn't sell stuff like the latest 4K release of say Ghostbusters, Seinfeld or The Batman, you still gotta go to Amazon for that stuff.

[danceagain]

Are they still pricing it "per demand" of the item? If they just sold 200 copies of one item, then their "AI" will up the price a little bit so they can make more money. They have been doing this for years and not only for movies, but for music and other general goods that they sell. They very rarely post the "List Price" of the item they are selling, which is the price set by the manufacturer of any given item. Some music CD's are almost $30 and the same CD is only $15-$20 at Sunrise Records (a major chain) or at independents. Give it a rest, amazon.ca! Not to mention, when they are doing pre-orders, if many people pre-order it, and they are sold out of their "allotment" of initial shipment, then the prices goes up again, even before the release date! No other store does this, but amazon is not a store, it's a platform or website. They make their own rules, and no one is stopping them apparently because of the convenience of shopping on this "platform".