Thoughts or opinions on alternatives to directly purchasing fitness videos?
The title is a bit long-winded, but I'm not sure how else to word it.
I'm just wondering what opinion others hold on acquiring fitness videos, etc without directly purchasing them. For the record, this does not solely mean "digital piracy" or walking into a shop and swiping it off the shelves, although it doesn't rule out the former. It could be an old VHS handed down from your mum or even borrowing a dvd set from your best friend. Just however you happen to attain a wanted fitness video without ponying up the cash to the company.
Do you feel that if you haven't purchased it yourself that it detracts from the good it can do your body?
Do you prefer to buy in private as opposed to borrowing from a friend or loved-one?
If a set of fitness vids caught your eye but was ridiculously expensive, would you investigate alternatives?
These questions have been on my brain for a while and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's comments.
Do you feel that if you haven't purchased it yourself that it detracts from the good it can do your body?
Well, this speaks to the video having actual power over my body - it does not.
Do you prefer to buy in private as opposed to borrowing from a friend or loved-one?
Nah, I'd borrow them, buy them on a yard sale, check them out from the library, buy them on eBay...videos are like treadmills - people buy them and sell them cheap when they decide fitness takes to much effort. Hooray for us!
If a set of fitness vids caught your eye but was ridiculously expensive, would you investigate alternatives?
This happened when I wanted the new The Firm videos and the stepper many moons ago. I knew I would use the videos and the stepper almost every day, so I saved up the money and bought them! Great investment, never regretted it!
Do you feel that if you haven't purchased it yourself that it detracts from the good it can do your body?
Why? A DVD is inert. Unless you mean feeling guilt over how I got it would keep me from using it?
Strange questions to me because if you actually use it, it ought to help.
Do you prefer to buy in private as opposed to borrowing from a friend or loved-one?
I don't care.
Online, ebay, clearance at Ross, check out from library, whatever works.
If a set of fitness vids caught your eye but was ridiculously expensive, would you investigate alternatives?
See above.
And when all else fails and I have to buy first hand rather than used... I recently got Kathy Smith: Project You Type II and I hunted down every online retailer I could to see who had it at the best price.
I don't like to buy copies, but have unknowingly before.
As for buying 2nd hand, never a problem here! I actually get some videos at the thrift store or garage sales when I can find them. the company got their $$ when they sold them the first time.
I've always been a bargain hunter, but I am now a true cheapskate. I rarely buy anything at the "suggested retail price," if I can help it. I also read and collect "cheapskate" books and cookbooks (I only buy them if I can get a cheapskate price - books like The Complete Tightwad Gazette, Reader's Digest Penny Pincher's Almanac, Good Cheap Food...).
I don't currently use fitness videos very often, but I have in the past, and go through phases. Just the other day I was thinking of checking out a bellydancing DVD that I've checked out from the library before (there's usually a waiting list on this particular DVD).
I have found some really cheap ways to pick up fitness related stuff like health and diet books, cookbooks, fitness equipment, music videos (which make great exercise videos just dancing to the music), music CDs...
Not in order of any importance or relevance (I use them all).
online bookstores and media discount sites
like edwardrhamilton.com and amazon.com
online video sites and online fitness video stores exercisetv.tv
I have a friend who uses these sites. She's downloaded videos or plays them on her computer monitor. I've tried some, but most are way above my abilities.
Local library or interlibrary loan
I've checked out tai chi and bellydance tapes and several from Jodi Stolove's chair dancing series from the local library. Many libraries will not share DVDs and CDs, but many will, so I've been able to request specific DVDs that our local library doesn't have. For the most part, I've been able to get the DVD I requested.
Dollar Stores
I bought a set of pilates DVDs I found in a Dollar Tree store (everything in the store is priced at $1 or less).
I also bought an MP3 player sized radio (before I got my MP3 player).
A CD of "bellydance" music.
Charity and other second-hand shops
This is where I get most of my books.
Our church library
Our church has a small honor-system library. Most of the books are on Christian topics, but there are also quite a few exercise and common interest books that have no religious connection.
Pawnshops
My husband got me hooked on pawn shops when we lived in Illinois. I was naive and expected them to be dark, dirty and irreputable (like on Law & Order and CSI episodes), but I was very surprised, they weren't any different looking on the inside than any other second-hand store.
Garage Sales and Charity Rummage Sales
I've gotten all sorts of great stuff, including fitness videos.
I would never knowingly buy a pirated copy of anything. If I wanted to try something out before owning it, especially if it was expensive, I would try to borrow it first or at least get as much information as I could. I buy a ton of stuff on ebay and at thrift stores, almost never paying full retail for anything. LOL! Most of the stuff in my house once belonged to people who are now deceased (antiques/collectibles). So...I would buy secondhand or discounted as my first choice, would do my homework before paying full retail for something pricey and still buy it if it was what I wanted.
Barb
Last edited by angelskeep; 04-04-2010 at 09:24 PM.
I have a Netflix subscription and have The Firm, Kathy Smith - a whole bunch of great dvds! They also have some workouts you can stream to your TV. For me, it's a great deal!
This is a fairly wierd set of questions to simply be "on your mind." My guess is that you are either an employee of a fitness vid company trying to lure out pirates, or you are a pirate trying to lure out customers. And I'd bet big bucks that it is the latter. But, that said, here you go:
Do you feel that if you haven't purchased it yourself that it detracts from the good it can do your body?
What a strange question. No. The only conceivable way I can imagine this happening would be if (i) somebody gave me a dvd that I wasn't really interested in [since then I might not do it]; or (ii) if I received a dvd (tape, whatever) without the accompanying guides [since I might not follow the "plan" properly, whatever it was]. I do not, however, believe that the piracy police have figured out a way to infect bootlegs (etc.) with magic ineffectiveness dust.
Do you prefer to buy in private as opposed to borrowing from a friend or loved-one?
I won't buy "in private" online, since you have absolutely no idea what you will be getting. Effective or not, I don't believe in bootlegs, and in any event I like to receive the full original package of whatever. If I saw a complete package at a yard sale or someplace, however, I would buy that since I could inspect it. As to borrowing, I would consider that ideal, but I don't know too many folks who are willing to part with a complete package for the time that it would take to do the program.
If a set of fitness vids caught your eye but was ridiculously expensive, would you investigate alternatives?
Alternatives to doing the program? Or alternatives to purchasing the program (e.g. stealing, borrrowing, whatever)? In any event, if I thought a program was ridiculously expensive, I simply wouldn't do it. There are plenty of good programs out there that are reasonably priced.
These questions have been on my brain for a while and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's comments.
Thoughts or opinions on alternatives to directly purchasing fitness videos?
