It’s not received a lot of attention, but Australia (and New Zealand) are getting a Region 4 release of both the Special Extended Edition DVD and the Collector’s Edition.
The R4 release apparently will have a funky green cover/sleeve as opposed to the plain grey of the R1 and R2.
For those not keen on buying from overseas through Amazon or other overseas DVD outlets, and having to fret about exchange rates and shipping charges, what are the alternatives?
Well, I’ve had my eye on Ezydvd.com.au for a while, and their prices have remained static for the past couple of months – $174.95 for the Collector’s Edition and $74.95 for the Extended Edition (prices in Australian dollars and include shipping).
Recently though, I’ve been shopping around, and I discovered that dvd orchard has the R4 Collectors Edition on special right now (including free shipping via TNT within Oz for pre-orders) for only $159.95. The Extended Edition is also available for pre-order for only $69.95 (also has free shipping).
You can check it out here. The release date is listed as 12/11/2002 … just scroll down through the list and select your poison.
The Ozdvd warehouse also offers a good deal. The Collectors Edition is $170.95 and the Extended Edition is $67.95. Check them out here. No mention about free shipping, though.
Planet DVD only seems to be carrying the Extended Edition. From them, you’ll pay $68.95 if you’re a non member and $65.95 if you’re a member with free shipping within Australia. I couldn’t find a price for the Collectors Edition anywhere on their site.
Update:
David writes that Atlantic DVD have have the collectors boxset for $145.95. Go here to look. They also have the Extended Edition for $69.95 here.
International postage costs start at A$3.50 for Asia/PAcific area and A$5.50 for the rest of the world for 1 DVD and go up from there for each additional DVD.
Update 2:
Some of the best prices for R4 so far are:
In Australia: Devoted
Extended Ed: $64.95
Collector’s: $144.95
Apparently, they also have a free shipping deal going at present.
For those in NZ, check out: DVD Video Planet
Extended Edition: NZ$76.95 Aus$59.35
Collector’s: NZ$179.95 Aus$138.79
While DVD VideoPlanet’s prices are the best in R4, because they are based in NZ, the benefit of the discount is lost on those of us in Australia because of the trans-tasman shipping required. (Devoted is a better deal). I can’t say how this would affect someone elsewhere who’d like to take advantage of the low Oz or NZ dollar however (and who has a PAL/R4 compatible system).
Here are the prices of the Collector’s editon and Extended Edition from Family Box Office.
Collector’s Edition – Australian Residents AU$159.50
International AU$145.00 = US$79.75 approx
Extended Edition – Australian Residents AU$67.60
International AU$61.15 = US$ 33.63 approx
The reason for the price being cheaper for international customers is that they do not have to pay our GST (goods & services tax). No free shipping, apparently.
Prices from The DVD Stop
Collectors Edition for $143.95 AUD.
Extended Edition for $62.95 AUD.
Prices from dStore Australia:
Collectors Edition for $160.50 AUD.
Extended Edition for $72.05 AUD.
Prices from DVD Crave:
Collectors Edition for $141.45 AUD.
Extended Edition for $63.50 AUD.
Price from Total DVD:
(No direct links available.)
FOTR Boxed set – $170.95 AUD
FOTR Extended Ed. – $70.95 AUD
Prices from HMV Australia:
Collectors Edition for 144.95 AUD.
Extended Edition for $79.95 AUD.
Prices from The Video Shift:
Collectors Edition for $159.99 AUD.
Extended Edition for $69.99 AUD.
Prices from Vidz of Oz:
Collectors Edition for $171.57 AUD.
Extended Edition for $76.46 AUD.
PlanetDVD did have the Collector’s Box for sale on their website at $140.95 but it was only as a limited pre-order.
And, to find out the cheapest price from any online store check out this price crawler – just type in ‘Lord of the Rings’ and it will list all the various prices for the most competitive deal. DVD Price Crawler
Good grief, that was a lot of information! Thanks heaps to everyone who wrote in and helped out. The response was truly overwhelming.
