Star Tribune Online - Variety Section

Video notebook for June 22, 1999

   Staff and News Service Reports
   
   Tired of increasing DVD prices? Then turn to the Internet. It's the
   best place to find new DVDs at bargain prices, thanks to two free Web
   sites aimed at budget-minded movie lovers.
   
   BargainFlix (http://www.bargainflix.com) offers nothing but links
   to sales and deals at online retailers. Some of the deals are through
   links that take you right to the bargain, while others are special
   codes for virtual coupons that give an instant discount once you go to
   the site, place an order and enter the code.
   
   The best deal now is $10 off any order of $10 or more at BuyVideos
   (http://www.buyvideos.com). BuyVideos, probably the lowest-priced
   online retailer, sells most of its DVDs for just $14.99 each, plus
   shipping. Using the coupon link, a single $14.99 DVD would cost only
   $8.94 ($4.99 plus $3.95 for shipping). The Buy Videos coupon is good
   through June 30. It's limited to one per customer but apparently is
   tracked by e-mail address, so have at it if you have more than one.
   
   BargainFlix is updated daily, so it's worth bookmarking and checking
   out often. You also can sign up to get a free occasional newsletter by
   e-mail that details the latest discounts if you don't want to visit
   the site.
   
   The other Web site, DVD Price Search (http://www.dvdpricesearch.com),
   also offers links to some deals, but its forte is offering detailed
   price comparisons -- including shipping -- among online retailers for
   specific DVDs.
   
   Want to know how much "Aliens" is? Just enter the title and press a
   few buttons, and you get the results. A search on a recent day showed
   that, among the eight best-priced retailers, the DVD was cheapest at
   800.com ($14.94 shipped) and most expensive at DVD Express ($22.93
   shipped). Check back on another day, and the results might be
   different because the site is updated daily to reflect changing prices
   at retailers.
   
   There are several ways to vary the search, and you can choose specific
   retailers to include or exclude from the results.
   
   Use DVD Price Search and BargainFlix in conjunction, and you can do
   some real damage to your credit card -- but at least you'll know you
   got the best price.
   
   -- Randy A. Salas

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