Just sent a very blunt e-mail to those fucks at Vidshop, because they've been ignoring me for the past month. Four titles still on backorder.

Edited by - Ryan81 on 9/1/2006 2:38:59 PM

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Looks like this one's 'lost in the post'.

They said they'll replace if it fails to arrive. I don't understand why they are content to lose money and continue to take the risk of shipping bulky parcels?

From experience these always take longer than letters and are a more tempting target for theft.
Postal workers can recognise dvd cases a mile off.

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http://www.dvd.kinkz.co.uk/

They are reliable as hell and ALL of their DVDs are in stock. They are also very quick when it comes to delivery. A typical example:

You buy some DVDs on Sat/Sun, they ship Monday and by Wednesday you'll get them. Not once have they been lost in the post. You can literally say with 99.9% certainty that delivery takes two days from the moment they are shipped.

Another great thing is that they don't ship in bulky, obvious packages, making them tempting targets for corrupt postal workers. They send them in very thin parcels, even if you buy 3 or 4 DVDs at once, makes no difference.

On Friday, I received 6 DVDs (3 in each parcel) without any problems whatsoever.

Another problem with Adult Universe is that they declare the price of the packages, instead of just putting "Value $0"
That's what Bob does when I buy a smoking fetish DVD (previously VHS) from Viper Visuals.
I never get additional charges for them.

Edited by - Ryan81 on 9/10/2006 6:12:23 AM

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The original order was on 15 Aug. Didn't arrive and had to wait 30 days before replacement could be sent.

19 sept replacement dvd was shipped and arrived 6 oct via bloody sweden! Thats got to be a real budget service. When i sent dvds to the US it takes about 5-6 days.
They probably used a carrier pigeon or something.

As always AVU insist boxes have to be shipped....which is probably why someone nicked it (most posties can recognise a boxed dvd/cd...especially with 'cd Universe' on the customs sticker)in the first place.

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If you order 1-2 discs, it will shipped in a small padded envelope. For 3-4 discs, it will shipped in a large padded envelope. More then 4 discs, it will come in a shipping box.

I hate it when they used the padded envelope as I sometimes find the DVD case crushed, this damages the cover art. Sometimes the disc comes loose, the disc will end up with awful scratched marks.

I only wish they use a shipping box for less than 4 discs like those boxes used in Deep Discount or DVD Planet.

Options : You may want to order from a retailer that don't shipped cases. Movies by Mail, Adult DVD 69, Five Star are some retailers that don't shipped cases. They can ship the discs to you in an envelope.

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I have over 550 dvds which i have ordered through different stores.

I have no problem with ADU shipping boxed dvds...as long as they give me the option of NO boxes.

Where are you from Shenton? I assume you have to pay custom duties on your ADU packages? Or do you only order 1-2 dvds? Doesn't this make your shipping charges very expensive in the long run?
How long do your orders take?

The only retailer have had problems with on 2 occasions is Adultvideouniverse.
I live in the UK and in my experience parcels face more scrutiny than letters. We are also subject to pay customs fees for anything over £18.

Of the 10 or so retailers i use ADU are the only ones who will INSIST on shipping boxes.
ADU and Fivestardvd are the only ones who have led me to pay customs fees.

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Adult Video Universe were one of the best, especially when they were selling Redlight District titles for 13.99 but they have put their prices up now . They may not be the fastest but at least they will resend lost orders after 30 days. Thats a better result than I have gotten from Lasers edge, Adultdvdnow and Adultcdmovies when my orders have gone missing (who all said "Sorry its not our policy to replace lost or stolen orders. Bad luck you should have used guaranteed shipping")

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What's really good about ADU is they shipped DVD in sealed cases. One, it makes you feel good that you're buying a new DVD. Two, you can return the DVD for a full refund if it's not open. There was one time I returned a DVD to ADU when after shipping, I read the review and decide against buying it.

If price is a consideration, I think you may want to use Laser's Edge (ship no cases option and cheaper than ADU) or Five Star (ship no cases option, price about the same as ADU).

Another point about respect: the mail carrier would always leave a deliver advise for shipping boxes (when no one is home) while the mail carrier would sometimes leaves envelopes by the door (when no one is home). Both shipping box and envelope has the same US Customs Declaration value. This shows how much a respect a shipping box has.

Besides, it's easier to take/hide an envelope than a shipping box and people would less likely notice an envelope missing than a shipping box.

All items sent by courier - FedEx, UPS, DHL are subject to custom duties. (You are deemed richer if you use courier or express mail). For the same US$65, the charges will be a lot more as the courier company charges a higher handling fee. So one can expect to pay anything from C$23 to C$30 for custom duties depending on the courier company.

The best deal is from DeepDiscountDVD (main stream only) - one flat rate of $5.95 to Canada.

I stopped shipping by courier or express mail such as Global Priority as these are too expensive and are always taxed by customs.

Generally, values under US$40 is not charged/taxed.

I like the way ADU does it with their present shipping boxes policy. (And I know you do not)

The other retailer worth checking out in terms of prices is DVD Planet but I think they just got started in porn - may have limited selection. I think they shipped in boxes for porn (definitely boxes for main stream).

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They offer flat rate shipping of $9.00 for 5 dvds as well (global priority letter).

The only complaint is it usually takes 10 days for them to ship the order (they have very limited 'in stock' items but they do offer a huge choice).
However, once it's shipped it's quick, has always arrived and doesn't cost me extra in custom charges.

It does annoy me when retailers add on extra $$$ per item shipped. It only cost $5.25 to send 5 dvds global priority letter to the UK.

Shenton...which retailer was selling used discs?

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When buying from a retailer, if the retailer sells both new and used DVDs and shipping without sealed cases, be a little cautious.

Anything new including DVDs when opened smelled new. If the DVD or even cover art don't smell "new", there is a chance it might be used. (Give or take, after shipping, the smell may not be as strong as a newly opened disc but there should be a hint of a new smell). It is better to judge by smell than scratches since new discs do get scratched in transit.

You may already used or heard about Laser's Edge, I think it may fit the criteria of cheaper prices and no case shipping.

See my reply to Stuart P:

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Again they don't say whats in stock or not on the website...which could mean a shipping delay....and they are more pricey than Adultcdmovies.

The shipping option is good with the $1.99 offer...but last time i used it, it took over a month to arrive.
I normally get concerned after 2 weeks.

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