When I think back to the old VHS videos there was a significant difference in the quality of the tape used in rental VHS products compared to retails ones.
I have never noticed such a difference between rental and retail DVD’s.
I have never had this problem before when purchasing ex-rental DVD’s and so I have never thought about it. However, recent attempts to purchase ex-rental DVD’s in South Korea has seen the store owners asking for more money than the normal retail price claiming the DVD is of a superior quality and was more expensive for them to purchase initially.
Ideas/thoughts welcome – Thanks!
Righteous Indignation says
Having worked at Blockbuster for two years (please don’t throw anything at me), I can only say that there were more previews on the rental dvd. (of course this could just be my imagination).
I do know that studios set up contracts with the video store chains and do a lot of profit sharing. Thats why you walk into a store and see a million copies of one movie and only three of another. The studios agree to let the store keep either more of the rental profits or more of the retail profits.
With you being overseas, it’s possible that the store received rental copies ahead of its retail copies. Maybe it’s making up for lost revenue from the rentals.
It could be some type of reverse accounting. FIFO (first in first out) LIFO (Last in First Out). I have no clue how taxes and accounting works over there. Maybe they are charging you more for the rental b/c they got those first and it cost them more. The retail copies came in last so they charge less. That makes no sense, but you only wanted ideas and thoughts.
More practical ideas could be:
The region code, special features on the rental, languages, and of course whether the retail copies are actually legit and not bootlegged copies in which case the rentals would cost more.
rat racer says
I haven’t a clue