Risk of buying used

[growler]

I just watched my used copy of Expendables, Extended Director's cut & Unfortunately, my copy of DC had 2 spots where it froze & then skipped ahead one @ 38:48 & skipped ~ 10 seconds & the other @ 39:02 & skipped 35 seconds!

I had purchased @ Second Spin 7-2014. I have over 100 purchased BDs waiting in my "To Watch" pile. So, my habit of testing all newly purchased BDs by making sure they load & start playing, failed to detect the defect. Disc looks undamaged & I'm sure that is the reason the previous user sold it to Second Spin. I'm sure the same could have happened with any merchant that sells used.

Previously, I had thought my risk was mainly getting a Rental only version, which I hate.

That will be my last used BD. I just don't have the time to watch the entire movie immediately if purchase any used discs, in case it is defective.

[wormraper]

Originally Posted by growler

I just watched my used copy of Expendables, Extended Director's cut & Unfortunately, my copy of DC had 2 spots where it froze & then skipped ahead one @ 38:48 & skipped ~ 10 seconds & the other @ 39:02 & skipped 35 seconds!

I had purchased @ Second Spin 7-2014. I have over 100 purchased BDs waiting in my "To Watch" pile. So, my habit of testing all newly purchased BDs by making sure they load & start playing, failed to detect the defect. Disc looks undamaged & I'm sure that is the reason the previous user sold it to Second Spin. I'm sure the same could have happened with any merchant that sells used.

Previously, I had thought my risk was mainly getting a Rental only version, which I hate.

That will be my last used BD. I just don't have the time to watch the entire movie immediately if purchase any used discs, in case it is defective.

you have that chance of buying new if you don't watch right away either. mfg defects happen and have happened to me in the past as well.

[schan1269]

Try another BD player.

[HDMe]

Yep... the problem you encountered would be exactly the same IF it happened on a new purchase.

IF it is a defective disc, often the manufacturer will replace it even if you bought it used since they will typically want the bad disc sent back to them.

I have had lots of brand new purchases (mostly DVDs, not Blu-rays) where there were skips due to scratches... and if it was something I had purchased last month it was too late to exchange at the store.

I actually have found used purchases at reputable stores in my area to be more reliable. Typically it is a movie that already was played by the original owner and they dealt with any manufacturing glitches... so by the time I get the used copy I know it works because it has been tested a couple of times.

[growler]

Originally Posted by wormraper

you have that chance of buying new if you don't watch right away either. mfg defects happen and have happened to me in the past as well.

Do you remember which BD & what you did?

I searched the web to see if Expendables, Extended edition had any complaints about freezes/skipping & found nothing. I don't see any scratches on the disc.
(Today I watched the new special features that were not on the theatrical version & found one of them also had freeze/skip )

Now you have me worried about my other unwatched, new BDS! Between my voracious appetite for buying BDs & watching 1st run films in the theater & TV shows, I cannot catch up <GRIN>

[growler]

Originally Posted by schan1269

Try another BD player.

I have an Oppo BDP-103 & doubt it is the player. I do still have my old, retired Panasonic DMP BD80 BD player that began to refuse to recognize some BDs but, to try that would require disconnecting the Oppo)

[Chiefy]

I would
1. Try your Panasonic
2. Try ripping the movie and special feature to your PC, and see if they skip (much more work involved)

[AaronSCH]

I've purchased at least 1/3 of my collection from local used outlets. Problems = zero. On the other hand, I have purchased digi-books from online retailers that have dog-eared corners and discs with broken keepcases. At least at the used store they let me open and inspect everything I buy.

[growler]

Originally Posted by AaronSCH

I've purchased at least 1/3 of my collection from local used outlets. Problems = zero. On the other hand, I have purchased digi-books from online retailers that have dog-eared corners and discs with broken keepcases. At least at the used store they let me open and inspect everything I buy.

Yes, broken cases & digibooks with dented corners are not uncommon. I’ve had many with new online purchases. But, that is not hidden. You see it as soon as you open the package & can return/exchange. I’ve done so many times.

I’m considering trying to email Lionsgate to ask if they have had any issues such as I describe with my disc & if they would exchange it. I would like to try it in another BD player just to be able to say I had & same freeze/skip problems. As far as buying used vs. New, for this type of hidden defect, I’m very suspicious of the person who sold it to Second Spin. I bet they had the same problem & that is the reason they sold it.

[Supaclyde]

I've never had any issues with used blu rays. Then again I don't have that many that are used. I've made 1 order from Hastings ever and have taken part in a few FYE sales.

[trainreck]

The way I look at it there's always a risk with buying used media but in my mind the savings typically outweigh the chance of getting less than mint items. A huge chunk of my dvd collection (probably 75% of ~600 films) and probably 20% of my bd's were used purchases and I've had issues with no more than 10 discs.

Like you said though OP having a large amount of unwatched titles creates a problem for checking on used items playability. I usually have a backlog of 20-30 movies and 5-7 tv seasons but anytime I get something used it goes to the top of the to-watch pile so I can hopefully catch a defective disc within a return period. Whether it's from a resale shop or online merchant usually I have no trouble getting a refund/exhange as long as it's within their guarantee period which is usually a few weeks. I realize you can't always watch everything that soon but if you're looking to save money and buy used I think you should be prepared to watch those discs sooner than later or only buy items new (most likely at a higher cost).

[growler]

Yes, Makes sense to watch used BD purchases completely ASAP but, w/in the return period.

[HDMe]

If you buy a lot of movies, buying new will not help much. With stores having 15-day return policies in some cases... that's not much better than the used stores. Even if you have a 30-day return/exchange window, if you buy a lot of movies or TV shows it's easy to fall behind and not watch something before your return window goes out.

I always open everything to make sure the right discs are inside... and I inspect for damage/scratches. Beyond that I don't always have the time to watch things as soon as I buy them and that's just as true for anything I buy new.

[growler]

Originally Posted by HDMe

If you buy a lot of movies, buying new will not help much.

Yes, buying new WILL help (some).
I also open everything same day as receive it, to inspect case, disc etc. I also put each disk in player to make sure it loads.

However, I can fail to discover a manufacturing defect whether new or used as just happened to me. I maintain the probability of this happening is greater when buying used simply bc some people are not honest & will deliberately sell a defective product to a merchant who cannot/will not fully inspect it (Impractical) b4 reselling it to the next person. No movie distributer (Such as Lionsgate) would knowingly distribute factory defective BDs that skip/freeze, etc.

I need to slow down my purchasing so I can catch up.

[growler]

I dug out my old, retired Panasonic DMP BD80 BD player & tried Expendables, Extended Director's cut to see if it froze/skipped in the same spots. It would not read it at all! I then put in a different BD & it read & played just fine. I think I have proven the disc is defective.
Oppo is a very good brand of BD player & probably can read/play discs other players cannot (due to defects).

[armyjon99]

Originally Posted by growler

I dug out my old, retired Panasonic DMP BD80 BD player & tried Expendables, Extended Director's cut to see if it froze/skipped in the same spots. It would not read it at all! I then put in a different BD & it read & played just fine. I think I have proven the disc is defective.
Oppo is a very good brand of BD player & probably can read/play discs other players cannot (due to defects).

I've had one bad disc out of 2,000 it was new years eve. WB offered to replace it but I just bought another copy for $3 or so.

In regards to expendables i'd just wait for a sale at gohastings and you should be able to replace your disc for about $3.50.

[HDMe]

Originally Posted by growler

Yes, buying new WILL help (some).
I also open everything same day as receive it, to inspect case, disc etc. I also put each disk in player to make sure it loads.

However, I can fail to discover a manufacturing defect whether new or used as just happened to me. I maintain the probability of this happening is greater when buying used simply bc some people are not honest & will deliberately sell a defective product to a merchant who cannot/will not fully inspect it (Impractical) b4 reselling it to the next person. No movie distributer (Such as Lionsgate) would knowingly distribute factory defective BDs that skip/freeze, etc.

I need to slow down my purchasing so I can catch up.

My point was really about the return window. If you test-play them the day you get them... then you have no risk as long as your used store accepts returns.

I buy from a store that has a 7-day return policy on their used movies...

Meanwhile, if I happen to buy a defective new movie and I don't get around to watching it for 30 days... I'm just as screwed there as I would have been buying it used. The difference, though, is I probably wasted less money on the used copy.

That said... I've never had a problem with any used movie I've ever bought. I have, however, bought several new movies that had to be exchanged and luckily I caught the damage before my return window had expired or I would have been stuck with them.

[growler]

Originally Posted by HDMe

My point was really about the return window. If you test-play them the day you get them... then you have no risk as long as your used store accepts returns. I buy from a store that has a 7-day return policy on their used movies...

Yes, if you can watch the movie the day you buy it & if you purchased used from a local store with a 7 day return policy, you have nothing to worry about. I don’t/can’t & doubt many on this forum can/do.

[HDMe]

Originally Posted by growler

Yes, if you can watch the movie the day you buy it & if you purchased used from a local store with a 7 day return policy, you have nothing to worry about. I don’t/can’t & doubt many on this forum can/do.

Right... and I was also pointing out that buying new might only get you 15 or 30 days to return it... I buy a lot of movies that I don't watch for months after I buy them. So it doesn't matter if I buy them new or used, the return window has long expired.

If you watch everything you buy within 2 weeks, then you're fine... but if it takes you a month or more, you haven't gained anything by buying new instead of used, since you're stuck with the purchase either way by then.

[Clark Kent]

I have a large collection, so not all purchases get viewed immediately. I did get stuck with a lemon Blu-ray from eBay that looked cosmetically fine. By the time I discovered the problem, it had already been three months since the auction.