Purchasing a Previously Viewed DVD

Netflix is offering "hundreds" of previously viewed movies for as little as $5.99. I ordered Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (one of the first movies created almost entirely on computers). The cost was $5.99 and included shipping (but I was charged sales tax). Since Netflix already has your credit card information, they automatically bill your card upon purchase.

Three days later the movie arrived via first class mail in a bright red Netflix envelope:

The back of the mailer. You can see that it's a thin, plastic bag-style envelope:

The DVD was rattling around loose in the case, but was unscratched and played perfectly. The case and artwork look like the original, which makes me wonder if Netflix is storing 42 million DVD covers and cases (ok, they probably only keep the covers for new releases).

My local Blockbuster charges $9.99 and up for previously viewed DVDs, but sometimes runs specials (3 for $20), so the pricing is competitive.

Have you purchased a movie from Netflix?

Comments

[Nancy Toby]

Yes, I've bought a couple for my kids, and they were very convenient to get and great values! Especially for ones that were going to be played a zillion times. The main problem right now is lack of selection - most of the sale DVDs are real duds.

[cmmsml]

I've purchased a few. Arrived as promised, no problems playing and automatically billed against my CC on file. Price is reasonable, so its a cheap way to add to your library.

[scott]

I am still waiting to be able to purchase. The "Purchase" tab showed up all last week, but if I clicked on it, it would just go to a 404 page. Now, I have no option to purchase.

I am in Los Angeles...not sure why I can't partake.

[Dave Zatz]

I've ordered a pre-played game through GameFly. They're also storing artwork and materials. The price was very competitive and the shipping was quite fast. Actually, it got here before my next rental which was kind of depressing - GameFly's rental shipping to the east coast is painfully slooooow.

[tvindy]

I bought one from Netflix a couple months ago. It had many superficial scratches on the disc surface but played flawlessly.

[NetflixShill]

"The case and artwork look like the original, which makes me wonder if Netflix is storing 42 million DVD covers and cases (ok, they probably only keep the covers for new releases)."

I remember a photo inside their operation, they had these big spindles of discs for each title. Not the original cases. That'd be too bulky and wasteful to deal with. The studios probably send them stacks or spindles with 100 or more discs. Then they print up sleeves and store them in drawers or boxes.

[mlrg]

I bought three and two were very scratched up. They pay for replacements but expect you to pay the extra shipping. If you just want a refund, you will have to provide the shipping costs for the damaged DVDs you are sending back, which is a bit ridiculous. I think this is just a very ill-checked way of getting rid of old DVDs and would not advise using it. Think about how poor their quality control is on rentals.