Second Hand Media

Not reviewing a product this afternoon, but offering some advice on how to stretch your entertainment dollar just a little bit farther; buying used media instead of purchasing it brand new.

Media (movies, books, games) are much like automobiles; they depreciate dramatically in value from the very first time you open them. If you can exercise a little bit of patience by not having to have the latest and greatest the moment it hits the shelves at your favorite retailer, you can save some serious coin by buying used.

Let's start with movies. Rental chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video run 3 for $20 specials on DVDs all the time, many titles not being all that old. It's a win win for you and the retailer; they unload over stocked movies, you catch a big break at the cash register. 'But it's a disc, it'll be all scratched up!' Maybe you're right, but hold on to your receipt. Those movies come with anywhere from 30 day to lifetime warranties, and they'll switch them out for you if you run into problems. Chances are though; if it loads up and plays one time without skipping, you're set. You wont need the entire warranty period to know if it's going to function properly.

Video games can be an even better deal, but you'll often lose some of the extra 'goodies' like the instruction booklets and box art. If that isn't important to you, you're ready to game on the cheap. Stores like Gamestop and EB will offer similar warranties that I mentioned above, and they'll let you trade in some of your older, un-played stuff for store credit. Granted, they always get the better end of that little arrangement, but it's better to recoup some value from your old games than to use them as dust collectors.

Books might offer the greatest value in the 'second hand' market. Mainly because they have a lot of competition; libraries. Sure hard covers may have dinged corners or a tear in the dust jacket, paper backs might have creases in the spine, but the words will still be the same. Prices may be as much 75% off retail, more for paper backs, and every used book store I've ever been in accepted trade ins. Other places to look would be flea markets; those folks will negotiate. Don't ever pay sticker.

We live in a high priced world, no doubt. But bargains are right under our noses if we look hard enough, and practice being thrifty consumers. You just have to put in the effort to look; the good deals will never be under the big flashing sign; they'll be buried in the back of the store. Go find 'em!


--Jeremy Hobbs




used media, bargains, cheap stuff, good deals

Thanks to Clever Dude & Festival of Frugality for linking this article.