Floppyhead – Digital Media and Streaming

Blu-ray movies are expensive, especially when you buy them from the big retail chains like Walmart, Target, or Best Buy. Personally, I think Amazon has the best prices on Blu-ray movies. You can find most new movies for $19.99, and sometimes cheaper. Just be aware that most of Amazon’s “sales” are not really any different than their everyday prices. They usually jack-up the prices during their sales and claim 50% off.

$20 for a movie is still too expensive in my opinion. I want to buy movies for less than $10 though Blu-rays are hard to find at the price point.

I recently started buying used movies from Amazon and have found some great deals, like Batman Begins for $6 and The Departed for $10. The prices of used movies fluctuate depending on the seller. The only downside to buying used movies on amazon is the $3 shipping that is charged for each movie. So that Batman Begins movie actually cost me $9 shipped. Still not bad. No taxes either.

Did you know you can search by “used” movies on Amazon? Combine that with sorting by “lowest price” and you can quickly scan for cheap deals. A little digging can help find movies to round out your library. Here is an example search. Happy hunting.

Since this is a “buyer’s guide,” below are some tips for buying Blu-ray movies:

1) Don’t buy kids movies on Blu-ray. Unless you are a big fan of Pixar movies, they look just fine on DVDs. The Cars DVD looked great on my PS3. Plus, you are more likely to watch kids movies on portable players or take them on trips.

2) Never shop on Ebay. You pay too much of a premium for used movies.

3) Never buy movies from a retail chain. Too expensive.

4) Buy used movies from sellers on Amazon.