"Opened, But Never Watched" Ads

[FLskydiver]

What kind of crap is that?

Been seeing a lot of these claims in the trade forums.
I wanted to reply to someone there, but I realized lots of people do it and singling any one individual out would be kind of rude. But really...

Off the top of my head, some nit picks with this type of ad:

1) Why open it if you aren't watching it?
2) Prove you never watched it.
3) What difference does it make if you DID watch it?
4) Can't you just say, opened, but no scratches?
5) An item is either sealed, or opened. That's it.
6) If it is opened, it is either undamaged, or shouldn't even be offered for sale, because no one wants to buy shit that doesn't work.
7) Is your "Not watched" movie supposed to be worth more than one that's been "Watched Once" (itself another head smacker)??
8) Are Optical Discs suddenly limited in the number of times the data can be accessed?

Comments?

[grif32]

Originally Posted by FLskydiver

What kind of crap is that?

Been seeing a lot of these claims in the trade forums.
I wanted to reply to someone there, but I realized lots of people do it and singling any one individual out would be kind of rude. But really...

Off the top of my head, some nit picks with this type of ad:

1) Why open it if you aren't watching it?
2) Prove you never watched it.
3) What difference does it make if you DID watch it?
4) Can't you just say, opened, but no scratches?
5) An item is either sealed, or opened. That's it.
6) If it is opened, it is either undamaged, or shouldn't even be offered for sale, because no one wants to buy shit that doesn't work.
7) Is your "Not watched" movie supposed to be worth more than one that's been "Watched Once" (itself another head smacker)??
8) Are Optical Discs suddenly limited in the number of times the data can be accessed?

Comments?

LOL funny post. But I have a crap load I have opened and Never Watched. I buy alot of disc at a time and I always open them. Thats just me. Then I watch them when I can.

But I agree just put Open and MINT condition etc...

[Detroit Tigers Fan]

Some people are stupid and will believe anything...and there will always be people trying to make money off of them.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by FLskydiver

What kind of crap is that?

Been seeing a lot of these claims in the trade forums.
I wanted to reply to someone there, but I realized lots of people do it and singling any one individual out would be kind of rude. But really...

Off the top of my head, some nit picks with this type of ad:

1) Why open it if you aren't watching it?
2) Prove you never watched it.
3) What difference does it make if you DID watch it?
4) Can't you just say, opened, but no scratches?
5) An item is either sealed, or opened. That's it.
6) If it is opened, it is either undamaged, or shouldn't even be offered for sale, because no one wants to buy shit that doesn't work.
7) Is your "Not watched" movie supposed to be worth more than one that's been "Watched Once" (itself another head smacker)??
8) Are Optical Discs suddenly limited in the number of times the data can be accessed?

Comments?

I can at least answer 1) - I do a lot of ordering online, and the only way to be sure that the discs I ordered have arrived intact and in the expected condition is to remove the shrink-wrap and eyeball the disc at the very least. I do this with gifts as well as anything I order for myself. I don't yet know of any gifts I've given that have been returned or sold as unwanted, but still... it's a possibility.

2) is an interesting point. I supposed it's like anything that's sold "unused" - if first use does not leave any tell-tale signs, how is one to know?

As for possible plausible explanations for the remainder...

5) As a minor nitpick in return, if that were the case, people wouldn't need lengthy item descriptions (complete with images as appropriate).

6) A lot of people sell items where the box has been battered around a bit because the kids have used it or the cat keeps jumping onto the bookcase. (Admittedly this can also be true of "unwatched" material, whose boxes get damaged because their local postal service sucks.) These still have some resale value, so long as the buyer doesn't mind having a box that doesn't look too pretty. How much this would apply to BDs, though, save in the case of specially-packaged sets, is another matter...

3) 4) 7) and 8) An unused item may have a higher perceived value, even if the shrink-wrap has been removed. It's just one of those things. I believe that it's meant to reassure the potential buyer that the item is being sold as received and therefore has not picked up any dirt or scratches or anything else that may detract from the desirability of the product.

I agree that "unwatched" is probably not the most useful adjective here, though. "Mint condition" would be just fine.

Anyway, that's my diabolical advocacy done for this lunchtime...

[FLskydiver]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

I can at least answer 1) - I do a lot of ordering online, and the only way to be sure that the discs I ordered have arrived intact and in the expected condition is to remove the shrink-wrap and eyeball the disc at the very least. I do this with gifts as well as anything I order for myself.

You pre-open discs you buy as gifts for others?

People might take that a different way than you seemingly intend it...
Like you selfishly had to watch it first.
I'd think most folks would like to unwrap their own gifts ... but I could be wrong.

Me, I just shake the case a little. If the case got crunched, and the spokes of the disc holder broke, you'd hear them rattle around. Most you should hear move is the paper insert. If you can tell the disc is loose, you know there may be an issue even before you open it (which makes returns much easier). If it sounds ok, and doesn't look damaged, chances are it's fine. It's pretty rare they get put in the case pre-damaged.

Thanks for the reply.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by FLskydiver

You pre-open discs you buy as gifts for others?

People might take that a different way than you seemingly intend it...
Like you selfishly had to watch it first.

To turn your own rant against you, how would that in any way devalue the gift?

(Addendum: Not that I do things like that. That would seem, well, wrong.)

I'd think most folks would like to unwrap their own gifts ... but I could be wrong.

That's what the giftwrap is for, isn't it? Besides, disc cases aren't always shrinkwrapped in any event - in quite a few stores, the cases on display are empty, and the person at the checkout puts the disc in the box.

Me, I'd rather ensure - as far as is reasonable - that I didn't give them a broken present. Different strokes, I guess.

[tranzparentl]

I see it both ways. Most movies I leave sealed until I watch them but once I ordered Alpha Dog HD DVD from Amazon and when I opened it, just an empty case, no disc.

Amazon replaced it for free but if I held onto it a month or so before realizing there was no disc idk if they would have exchanged it.

I did open the Blade Runner 5 disc HD DVD to see the discs and case but I ended up picking up a copy of the BD version semi cheap before getting around to watching the HD DVD.

But there is obviously no way to prove it was "opened but never watched"

[ironorr]

Originally Posted by FLskydiver

You pre-open discs you buy as gifts for others?

People might take that a different way than you seemingly intend it...
Like you selfishly had to watch it first.
I'd think most folks would like to unwrap their own gifts ... but I could be wrong.

Considering how much of a pain it can be to remove shrink wrap and those damn security stickers, I would love it if people would "pre-open" discs that they get me as gifts. Especially if they take the extra step of getting rid of any sticker residue. That's about the most thoughtful gift I could possibly think of.

[Blu-News.com]

Yeah I agree, I always open my movies but don't always watch them. So I usually would never have a sealed Blu-ray for trade. If I traded it I would just say mint condition, not "Opened, but never watched" even though it really is how it is. Opened but never watched could still have some wear and tear/scratches on the case and more.

[melodywhore]

what difference does it make if its watched or not? if a disc has been opened and viewed and is in mint condition or if it's been opened and not viewed and in mint condition. the condition of the disc is all that i'm concerned about when i buy or trade from here.

but more importantly, i'll only pay what i think is a fair price.

so what's the big deal?

[grif32]

Originally Posted by melodywhore

what difference does it make if its watched or not? if a disc has been opened and viewed and is in mint condition or if it's been opened and not viewed and in mint condition. the condition of the disc is all that i'm concerned about when i buy or trade from here.

but more importantly, i'll only pay what i think is a fair price.

so what's the big deal?

I think people are trying to sell these type of BR disc for top $$ stating they are brand new. I think thats what they OP is talking about.

When they should be sold as "Used" pricing because there is no way to prove the disc was never watched.

[Spideybat]

When I sold at Amazon, a lot of mine were "Opened, but never watched". I would check the discs for any physical damages, such as scratches. I did this to cover myself and to make sure the buyer could not claim it was physically defective.

Edit: Of course, if the discs were still sealed I wouldn't open them, but I always check my discs when I buy them.

[melodywhore]

Originally Posted by grif32

I think people are trying to sell these type of BR disc for top $$ stating they are brand new. I think thats what they OP is talking about.

When they should be sold as "Used" pricing because there is no way to prove the disc was never watched.

well that's the thing, isn't it. if the seller thinks he can get new pricing for those items, let him try. it'll take him longer to find buyers, if any. what difference does it make to you if you're not buying?

[duckydan]

I sell discs I haven't watched as Opened but Never Viewed not because I expect more money for them but because a lot of people worry about finger prints, scratches, etc. I tend to look at things "Never Viewed" or "watched once" more easily than "used" because the previous two let me know that the seller took care of his discs whereas "used" reminds me of buying a game at gamestop which has been beaten to hell by a five year old.

[vaca]

It is kind of a dumb statement, but it does give you an idea of how often the disc has been handled (maybe one time when it was opened). Of course, watching a disc has nothing to do with its condition. It doesn't get scratched when you watch it, it gets scratched whenenever it is outside the player or case.

I think that the reader/buyer, however, is intelligent enough to understand that it is open and not the same as sealed. I don't think they are "pulling a fast one" on anyone here.

For example, I bought a used DVD from MelodyWhore on this forum. I don't care if he watched it never, once, or 100 times--as long as the disc is good.