Steelbook headaches. I think I'm done. - Blu-ray Forum

schwano · 10-01-2019, 06:16 PM

Short rant.

I love steelbooks. I don't get them for every movie, but when one stands out I try and snatch it up. But after the debacle of trying to get all of the MCU ones, I think I'm calling it quits. Have them shipped? Damaged. In-store pickup? Damaged. I'm not even talking abotu the small knicks and shelf wear either. I get that. It's normal, even adds some character. But the major stuff, the spine slash, the dents, the scratches... it's just ridiculous. Unless you are at the store when they open on release day, securing a quality steelbook is a stress-filled, time consuming chore.

I went to pick up my ISUs for today's Marvel's. I could tell right away that Far From Home had a loose disc. No problem. Swap it out, all good. I inspect the others, all seems good. Is the spine on Doctor Strange just not quite 100% centered? Yea, but I'm not even talking that level of perfection here.

Get home, open them up, Guardians has a major dent and front scratch on the fron that you couldn't see until the packaging was off. Ant-Man has a bad spine slash that was "hidden" with the shrink-wrap. With last months bacth Iron Man 2 has a moderate scratch on the front (couldn't tell with the shrink-wrap and the "weathered" look), Thor had a dent on the lower spine. When I had the Captain America steelbooks delivered, severely bent. IW and Endgame, spine-slash. Non-Marvel, the Pet Sematary mondo had spine-slash under the slipcover. UNDER THE SLIPCOVER! And it goes on and on.

So after work today I have to go back to Best Buy and try for an exchange on two opened steelbooks. More gas, more time, more stress. For a movie. I truly love collecting physical media, but it's traditional packaging for me going forward. I always have a supply of fresh non-eco cases, and cover art itself is rarely ever damaged. I'll still (reluctantly) buy the MCU steelbooks to keep everything uniform, but that's it. And even then it'll no doubt cause my anxiety to rise.

MifuneFan · 10-01-2019, 06:20 PM

Come next week

Being serious, I think a lot of collectors agree with your sentiments I cut down on my Steelbook purchases a lot, partly because the quality hasn't been as good as the past, and they seem more likely to be damaged.

maverick22 · 10-01-2019, 06:36 PM

I hear you! I keep getting closer and closer to giving up on steelbooks. Then I get a good one and keep putting up with it.

Like you my GOTG had a couple of dents on the spine. Ant-Man had a few scratches on the spine. Most in store for Ant-Man had slashes and scratches from what I can see.

I wish the quality control, if that even exists on these things, was better. They are too expensive, and it takes too much time exchanging for a good copy.

rickah88 · 10-01-2019, 06:39 PM

Sabre95 · 10-01-2019, 06:39 PM

I think after this year I'll be done with SteelBook's, just because of how expensive they have been getting and just not being able to afford having to get every movie I like anymore lol.

I'll continue with the Marvel and Star Wars steels but that's about it.

Steelheadz · 10-01-2019, 06:47 PM

I used to only concentrate on steelbooks but have slowed down and gone more towards regular slip unless I have a certain collection already in steel (marvel, disney, pixar, etc); or some movie with a great design. I'm waiting for dark phoenix and MIB international regular 4k to drop in price at some point.

I picked up gotg, antman, spider man, the shining and frozen all in steel today. Gremlins for me will be a regular slip at some point later (black Friday if its a deal). I already have my list for black Friday.

But I hear ya, the number of times I have had to go exchange something because of flaw that I couldn't see due to the shrinkwrap or behind the j card.

maverick22 · 10-01-2019, 06:56 PM

So I'm on my 2nd GOTG and 2nd Ant-man...

both have dings on the front.

As the OP said, I'm tired of damaged SBs also! These are just too expensive to have so many with damage. It gets more tiring every week and just takes too much time having to mess with exchanging them.

Oarsman05 · 10-01-2019, 07:04 PM

I could have written this myself. It's gotten bad enough that I'm pretty much just calling it quits on physical media in general. It's too much hassle, stress, and cost for a "premium" product that seemingly has zero quality control. The huge Pixar dump lately was a big factor in the decision because I couldn't imagine trying to find that many steelbooks in good condition at once. I'm holding on to the MCU and Star Wars discs but liquidating almost everything else.

C.C. 95 · 10-02-2019, 07:57 AM

Stop getting steelbooks from that Best buy, then.
Simple.

BluBonnet · 10-02-2019, 08:30 AM

I can't remember when it is that so many people started fussing about making sure all their collectibles were always in "mint" or "flawless" condition.

I'm not trying to knock anyone here, but honestly, there was a time nobody gave a crap if the stuff they collected had some minor smudges or small dents or slight slashes, and everyone seemed so much happier then!!!

So, what are you going to do, if it has to be either 100% in perfect condition or you just don't want it AT ALL?

Life is short. When we die, all the stuff we hoarded will either get thrown away or go to a garage sale. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Just sayin'!

suitechicguy · 10-02-2019, 11:51 AM

I know it can be frustrating but at the same time it's movies. Maybe try not to go over each release with a fine tooth comb. Don't go looking for things you don't want to find lol.

Dreamliner330 · 10-02-2019, 12:18 PM

I stopped buying Steelbooks for many reasons:

Dents
Scratches
Spine slashes
Best Buy over charging
No competitor price matching

Best Buy charging $5 extra for the steelbook was the last straw and I quit. All the crap I deal with for a mint steelbook and now I’m getting price gouged? No thanks.

Thankfully I quit a few years ago and got mega bucks for some of my steelbooks when I sold the valuable ones.

The only steelbooks I buy now are the ones I’m forced to, like Kong Skull Island 4K+3D or Guardians of the Galaxy 2 4K+3D, etc.

I stick to regular releases and enjoy price matching, steelbooks almost never drop in price and competitor price matching is non-existent.

The problem I have now is finding slipcovers in good condition. Oddly enough, I had 13 4K’s in a row without slips the other day and liked how uniformed it looked, so my weekly mint-slip quest may be ending soon as I just might join the blasphemous gang of slip-tossers.

DarkEco910 · 10-02-2019, 05:18 PM

Just saw the OP got banned. Was it because of this thread?

I don't think I would've started collecting steelbooks had I known it was going to be difficult to get ones in good condition. I've been pretty damn lucky, I must admit. Only a few times here and there have I gotten damaged ones, and it's mostly from the overseas Amazon sites. Best Buy it's super easy to deal with despite ONE person at the returns counter I cannot stand due to his "aggressiveness" and very vocal stance on hating steelbooks. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with my collection so far. It sucks to read about others' misfortunes.

schwano · 10-04-2019, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mertz523

Just saw the OP got banned. Was it because of this thread?

I accidentally posted Disney digital codes in the non-Disney thread for about 3 minutes before realizing my error and deleting.

Mister B Gone · 10-04-2019, 03:21 PM

its ironic that a product marketed as a STEELbook is so damn delicate. Anyone have success in reversing dents? I was thinking about popping off the plastic inside and trying to push the dent out.

JJ · 10-04-2019, 05:21 PM

I have had maybe 4-5 damaged steelbooks out of the ~150 or so I own, and since I display mine face forward, I don't really care for spine slashes.

But I definitely always try to avoid having them shipped unless I can ensure they're going to be well protected (Amazon, Amazon Europe, Zavvi - 99% they arrive to me safe). Best Buy not so much. eBay 100%.

Hell, recently I've gotten even crazier with my desire to collect these. Still sticking to my $40 limit tho.

pi2loc · 10-18-2019, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schwano

I accidentally posted Disney digital codes in the non-Disney thread for about 3 minutes before realizing my error and deleting.

That sucks. Getting suspended for an accident without even having the opportunity to explain.

Koda · 10-19-2019, 01:48 AM

I try to tell myself that part of the fun is in the "hunt".

It kinda works.

SteelbookCat · 10-19-2019, 01:51 AM

I only buy steelbooks when i get a gift card for christmas or my birthday

Gretiem · 11-10-2019, 09:23 PM

Yea same reason I stopped getting steelbooks. Not worth the anxiety etc over finding perfect condition ones. I dont understand how any damage is acceptable for the prices they charge. If I am buying something new .. then it should be perfect with no damage.

10-01-2019, 06:16 PM	#1
schwano Expert Member Member since:Aug 2011 Location:Connecticut Trading Score:354	Steelbook headaches. I think I'm done. Short rant. I love steelbooks. I don't get them for every movie, but when one stands out I try and snatch it up. But after the debacle of trying to get all of the MCU ones, I think I'm calling it quits. Have them shipped? Damaged. In-store pickup? Damaged. I'm not even talking abotu the small knicks and shelf wear either. I get that. It's normal, even adds some character. But the major stuff, the spine slash, the dents, the scratches... it's just ridiculous. Unless you are at the store when they open on release day, securing a quality steelbook is a stress-filled, time consuming chore. I went to pick up my ISUs for today's Marvel's. I could tell right away that Far From Home had a loose disc. No problem. Swap it out, all good. I inspect the others, all seems good. Is the spine on Doctor Strange just not quite 100% centered? Yea, but I'm not even talking that level of perfection here. Get home, open them up, Guardians has a major dent and front scratch on the fron that you couldn't see until the packaging was off. Ant-Man has a bad spine slash that was "hidden" with the shrink-wrap. With last months bacth Iron Man 2 has a moderate scratch on the front (couldn't tell with the shrink-wrap and the "weathered" look), Thor had a dent on the lower spine. When I had the Captain America steelbooks delivered, severely bent. IW and Endgame, spine-slash. Non-Marvel, the Pet Sematary mondo had spine-slash under the slipcover. UNDER THE SLIPCOVER! And it goes on and on. So after work today I have to go back to Best Buy and try for an exchange on two opened steelbooks. More gas, more time, more stress. For a movie. I truly love collecting physical media, but it's traditional packaging for me going forward. I always have a supply of fresh non-eco cases, and cover art itself is rarely ever damaged. I'll still (reluctantly) buy the MCU steelbooks to keep everything uniform, but that's it. And even then it'll no doubt cause my anxiety to rise.

10-01-2019, 06:47 PM	#6
Steelheadz Power Member Member since:May 2018	I used to only concentrate on steelbooks but have slowed down and gone more towards regular slip unless I have a certain collection already in steel (marvel, disney, pixar, etc); or some movie with a great design. I'm waiting for dark phoenix and MIB international regular 4k to drop in price at some point. I picked up gotg, antman, spider man, the shining and frozen all in steel today. Gremlins for me will be a regular slip at some point later (black Friday if its a deal). I already have my list for black Friday. But I hear ya, the number of times I have had to go exchange something because of flaw that I couldn't see due to the shrinkwrap or behind the j card. Last edited by Steelheadz; 10-01-2019 at 07:17 PM.

10-02-2019, 12:18 PM	#12
Dreamliner330 Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jan 2012 Home Theater Gallery:1 4K collection:475 Blu-ray collection:1114 DVD collection:1 Trading Score:403	I stopped buying Steelbooks for many reasons: Dents Scratches Spine slashes Best Buy over charging No competitor price matching Best Buy charging $5 extra for the steelbook was the last straw and I quit. All the crap I deal with for a mint steelbook and now I’m getting price gouged? No thanks. Thankfully I quit a few years ago and got mega bucks for some of my steelbooks when I sold the valuable ones. The only steelbooks I buy now are the ones I’m forced to, like Kong Skull Island 4K+3D or Guardians of the Galaxy 2 4K+3D, etc. I stick to regular releases and enjoy price matching, steelbooks almost never drop in price and competitor price matching is non-existent. The problem I have now is finding slipcovers in good condition. Oddly enough, I had 13 4K’s in a row without slips the other day and liked how uniformed it looked, so my weekly mint-slip quest may be ending soon as I just might join the blasphemous gang of slip-tossers.

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10-01-2019, 06:36 PM	#3
maverick22 Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2009 Location:Tejas 4K collection:590 Blu-ray collection:1099 DVD collection:2 MA collection:2 Digital collection:2 iTunes collection:7 Trading Score:228	I hear you! I keep getting closer and closer to giving up on steelbooks. Then I get a good one and keep putting up with it. Like you my GOTG had a couple of dents on the spine. Ant-Man had a few scratches on the spine. Most in store for Ant-Man had slashes and scratches from what I can see. I wish the quality control, if that even exists on these things, was better. They are too expensive, and it takes too much time exchanging for a good copy.

10-01-2019, 06:39 PM	#4
rickah88 Blu-ray Grand Duke Top contributor Member since:May 2010 Location:Columbia, MD 4K collection:- Blu-ray collection:- DVD collection:- Trading Score:93

10-01-2019, 06:39 PM	#5
Sabre95 Power Member Member since:Nov 2017 Location:New York 4K collection:385 Blu-ray collection:702 DVD collection:3 MA collection:1 Digital collection:4 iTunes collection:971 Trading Score:27	I think after this year I'll be done with SteelBook's, just because of how expensive they have been getting and just not being able to afford having to get every movie I like anymore lol. I'll continue with the Marvel and Star Wars steels but that's about it.

10-01-2019, 06:56 PM	#7
maverick22 Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2009 Location:Tejas 4K collection:590 Blu-ray collection:1099 DVD collection:2 MA collection:2 Digital collection:2 iTunes collection:7 Trading Score:228	So I'm on my 2nd GOTG and 2nd Ant-man... both have dings on the front. As the OP said, I'm tired of damaged SBs also! These are just too expensive to have so many with damage. It gets more tiring every week and just takes too much time having to mess with exchanging them.

10-01-2019, 07:04 PM	#8
Oarsman05 Senior Member Member since:Apr 2014 4K collection:89 Blu-ray collection:270 Trading Score:53	I could have written this myself. It's gotten bad enough that I'm pretty much just calling it quits on physical media in general. It's too much hassle, stress, and cost for a "premium" product that seemingly has zero quality control. The huge Pixar dump lately was a big factor in the decision because I couldn't imagine trying to find that many steelbooks in good condition at once. I'm holding on to the MCU and Star Wars discs but liquidating almost everything else.

10-02-2019, 07:57 AM	#9
C.C. 95 Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Aug 2014 Location:Cleveland, OH 4K collection:541 Blu-ray collection:3157 DVD collection:262 Trading Score:3	Stop getting steelbooks from that Best buy, then. Simple.

10-02-2019, 08:30 AM	#10
BluBonnet Blu-ray Archduke Top contributor Member since:Oct 2009 Trading Score:1	I can't remember when it is that so many people started fussing about making sure all their collectibles were always in "mint" or "flawless" condition. I'm not trying to knock anyone here, but honestly, there was a time nobody gave a crap if the stuff they collected had some minor smudges or small dents or slight slashes, and everyone seemed so much happier then!!! So, what are you going to do, if it has to be either 100% in perfect condition or you just don't want it AT ALL? Life is short. When we die, all the stuff we hoarded will either get thrown away or go to a garage sale. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just sayin'!

10-02-2019, 11:51 AM	#11
suitechicguy Senior Member Member since:Jan 2013 Location:New Jersey 4K collection:220 Blu-ray collection:712 DVD collection:768	I know it can be frustrating but at the same time it's movies. Maybe try not to go over each release with a fine tooth comb. Don't go looking for things you don't want to find lol.

10-02-2019, 05:18 PM	#13
DarkEco910 Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Mar 2013 4K collection:291 Blu-ray collection:583 DVD collection:38 Digital collection:695 iTunes collection:814 Trading Score:289	Just saw the OP got banned. Was it because of this thread? I don't think I would've started collecting steelbooks had I known it was going to be difficult to get ones in good condition. I've been pretty damn lucky, I must admit. Only a few times here and there have I gotten damaged ones, and it's mostly from the overseas Amazon sites. Best Buy it's super easy to deal with despite ONE person at the returns counter I cannot stand due to his "aggressiveness" and very vocal stance on hating steelbooks. Otherwise, I'm pretty happy with my collection so far. It sucks to read about others' misfortunes.

10-04-2019, 03:21 PM	#15
Mister B Gone Power Member Member since:Jun 2016 Location:Chicago 4K collection:306 Blu-ray collection:1310 DVD collection:66 Trading Score:1	its ironic that a product marketed as a STEELbook is so damn delicate. Anyone have success in reversing dents? I was thinking about popping off the plastic inside and trying to push the dent out.

10-04-2019, 05:21 PM	#16
JJ Blu-ray Count Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Miami, FL Home Theater Gallery:98 4K collection:437 Blu-ray collection:1102 DVD collection:32 Digital collection:5 Blu-ray reviews: 18 Trading Score:187	I have had maybe 4-5 damaged steelbooks out of the ~150 or so I own, and since I display mine face forward, I don't really care for spine slashes. But I definitely always try to avoid having them shipped unless I can ensure they're going to be well protected (Amazon, Amazon Europe, Zavvi - 99% they arrive to me safe). Best Buy not so much. eBay 100%. Hell, recently I've gotten even crazier with my desire to collect these. Still sticking to my $40 limit tho.

10-19-2019, 01:48 AM	#18
Koda Active Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2010 Home Theater Gallery:9 4K collection:286 Blu-ray collection:1448 DVD collection:28 Trading Score:37	I try to tell myself that part of the fun is in the "hunt". It kinda works.

10-19-2019, 01:51 AM	#19
SteelbookCat Blu-ray Guru Member since:Aug 2017 4K collection:40 Blu-ray collection:86 DVD collection:69 MA collection:75 iTunes collection:2	I only buy steelbooks when i get a gift card for christmas or my birthday

11-10-2019, 09:23 PM	#20
Gretiem Blu-ray Guru Member since:Oct 2018 Location:somewhere Trading Score:37	Yea same reason I stopped getting steelbooks. Not worth the anxiety etc over finding perfect condition ones. I dont understand how any damage is acceptable for the prices they charge. If I am buying something new .. then it should be perfect with no damage.

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