Where can you buy DVDs and Blu-rays?
Over the past year or so, I’ve resumed buying DVDs and Blu-rays (and ripping them on my computer to my own media server) as an alternative to paying for a few expensive streaming services, such as (HBO) Max and Netflix. (Or buying digital rights management (DRM)-encumbered digital videos.) However, fewer places now sell physical media versus before the “streaming wars” kicked off.
Back in January, I wrote about a few places I buy DVDs and Blu-rays. I thought I’d expand on such with a dedicated post.
Amazon
Given the decline in retail sales, shopping for DVDs/Blu-rays online is increasingly becoming the main way to get physical media. And, of course, Amazon has a prominent presence in online media sales, carrying a wide variety of discs.
That said, one downside is Amazon doesn’t do a great job of filtering out non-North American DVDs/Blu-rays, per region coding (unless you have a region-free player) and the mediocre state of Amazon’s search.
Amazon’s been a major source of my DVD buying, including the original “Star Trek” films as a cheap Blu-ray box set. Apparently it’s a set made for Canada, based on the English/French packaging and Canadian English word spellings (“colour”).
Dollar stores
While visiting family for the holidays, I went to a dollar store in my hometown (Dollar Tree), which had a small selection of (mostly middling) films on DVD and Blu-ray for a few dollars.
eBay
Buying used DVDs and Blu-rays from eBay is something I’ve done for a few films, including some out-of-print ones. Of course, eBay’s advantage is offering inexpensive prices.
Some of the DVDs sold are from Goodwills around the country, as well as a few major commercial sellers like Gruv (see below).
Films I’ve bought from eBay include a used Blu-ray copy of Christoper Reeve’s “Superman II” and a used DVD of the 2000 film “The Broken Hearts Club” (about the lives of a softball team made up of gay men).
Gruv
Gruv is an online store jointly run by Warner Bros. and Universal, selling DVDs and Blu-rays of both studios’ libraries. Frequently there’s various sales and discounts, some tied into major holidays (horror films on sale during October, for instance). However, default shipping is a bit slower than through, say, Amazon.
I’ve used Gruv to buy films and TV shows ranging from the 90s-era Batman movies (as a cheap single Blu-ray set) to the late 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon “Wacky Races.”
Target
Target’s DVD and Blu-ray selection’s dwindled in stores in recent years. The last trip I took to Target saw they had more space dedicated to vinyl records (of all things) than DVDs. However, they have a bigger selection through their website.
I’ve bought some inexpensive DVDs on sale through Target, including several Scooby-Doo films, in part to meet the minimum $35 order for free shipping.
Walmart
Walmart is the other prominent national retailer that still sells DVDs and Blu-rays. The stores (for now) still offer bins of cheap DVDs.
Yard sales
A lot of people are selling off their DVDs and Blu-rays through yard sales, and often at dirt cheap prices. Last summer, I bought at a yard sale a few films, including an unopened Blu-ray (complete with still-valid digital code) of “Lady and the Tramp” for a dollar.
Other
The following are some other possible places:
Goodwill (or similar secondhand stores).
Regional big-box stores, such as Fred Meyer (in the Pacific Northwest) or Meijer (in the Midwest; no relation to Fred Meyer).
Redbox, the DVD/Blu-ray video rental kiosks, also sell used discs of some films. I bought a copy of the 2023 "Barbie" Blu-ray for less than half of what it would've cost brand-new.
Conclusion
For those of you who still buy physical media, where do you buy DVDs/Blu-rays from?