Right now, there's an eBay auction (http://tinyurl.com/m27sdez) which is at $79, with just 1 bid, set to complete tomorrow. I could swear I saw a "buy it now" at ~$90. If you're looking at acquiring a collection, this might be the best way to go (for now).
Just think about how you'd feel if next month they re-released the whole series on DVD for say $27.99--plus sooner or later, it's going to be available on iTunes, or some other digital video format.
I've been hankering for this incredibly rare book published just once in the 1960's as a paperback, written by one of my favorite authors under a pseudonym. The cheapest copy available online was over 300 bucks (and not in very good condition). No library anywhere on the planet seemed to have it. I was thinking about shelling out for it. Then I suddenly learn there's a just-released kindle edition for about 10 bucks.
Now I'd still love to have the original book--but see, that's a book. A collector can take some pride in having a first (and only) print edition.
But what pride is there in a first-edition DVD set? If that's even what this is. Basically none. Wait it out.
I'm not looking at it from a pride standpoint - I'm looking at it as an asset for my work. Fortunately, I got my copy when it was around $90."
I understand about collector issues quite well. My father has several nice collections which were built via phone calls 35-40 years ago.
p.s.
Somewhere around here, I've got notes on what causes the Amazon prices to jump like someone poked a white hot wire up their e-keister.
I always assumed it was about rarity--Banacek DVD sets are expensive now because nobody's making new ones. If you have enough collectors, and a very limited number of items for them to collect, the prices go up. They set them unrealistically high, and wait for somebody to be desperate enough. I probably would have paid 300 bucks or more for that book I mentioned, if it hadn't come out as an ebook. Just because there was no other way to read it.
But I've seen every Banacek ep but one, and I do have other options--there are library copies. So to me, anything over 30 bucks for the complete series is too steep.
I knew I had it tucked away into the archives of a discussion list (about "Words". someone else had shared... in response to a query I'd made!
Amazon’s $23,698,655.93 book about fliesThis really goes into tossing a bunch of numbers around...
By Michael Eisen | Published: April 22, 2011
A few weeks ago a postdoc in my lab logged on to Amazon to buy the lab an extra copy of Peter Lawrence’s The Making of a Fly – a classic work in developmental biology that we – and most other Drosophila developmental biologists – consult regularly. The book, published in 1992, is out of print. But Amazon listed 17 copies for sale: 15 used from $35.54, and 2 new from $1,730,045.91 (+$3.99 shipping)...wait! there's more...lots more...