One of the convenient things about starting your Blu-ray collection is that if you’ve seen it, it probably exists. If there was ever a summer in when you went out with friends to watch a movie and it really moved you: there’s most likely a Blu-ray for it. This is not necessarily true for all physical media but is one of the benefits of collecting Blu-rays unless you’re only into niche stuff. Practically any movie given decent spotlight at the theater features a Blu-ray you can watch until it rots. Fortunately, publishers tend to keep up releases shortly after the original screening. The collecting process when you really get into it is just about being diligent about the newest stuff. Standard Blu-ray releases or high-quality 4K discs—your movie has found a way to stick itself in your Blu-ray player or gaming console to serve you time and time again.
The easiest way to start your collection is searching up your favorite movie, brand new, on Amazon and get straight to the checkout. For a media that gives you unlimited rewatches, Blu-rays are fairly inexpensive, being at most $30 (USD) for a standard option. If you opt for the more expensive 4K, it won’t cost you more than $10 on top of that. If the movie isn’t a recent release, it’ll probably be under $20, making it an even more enthusiastic purchase. When you’ve gotten your absolute favorites and want to collect more, that’s when you give a bit more thought.
The first recommendation, personally, is to look on secondhand websites like Mercari or eBay and make or search for bundles of Blu-rays. When used Blu-rays are bundled together, they tend to cost dirt cheap, averaging at most $5 for popular movies that have large supply on the market. You’ll get Tarantino, Scorsese, Coen brothers, and Spielberg directed films for a fraction of the price. That is a great way to start a collection with large amounts of replayability. If you’ve already got enough of a movie in theaters or online, Blu-rays can still offer you extras.
Watching all the exclusive side content can help to reevaluate a movie you had no strong feelings for and wanted to explore further. There’s more to physical media than just the main content alone. You could rewatch an entire movie with the director’s personal commentary, giving new insight on particular scenes or notes about the script. That is the first recommendation: rediscover watching cinema with an emphasis on value.
The step up to this is finding the nearest good deal and starting or continuing there. This includes going to your nearest Bookoff for used items, getting any cheap collection of a series on Blu-ray, or finding a deal on Gruv.com. Hamiltonbook.com, a website for books, also has movies for dirt cheap. Throughout the year, websites like Amazon will also hold discounts or special offers, with movies as low as $5 a pop. Some releases within the year will pop up on these sales—feel free to let go of your wallet. Other stores like Target and Walmart also participate in these discounts, so keep an eye there too.
A tiny bit of advice is to look for 4K Blu-rays even if you’re looking for standard. Particularly, I like buying 4K releases that come with the standard Blu-ray so that I can always upgrade, if necessary. If there’s a 4K on sale, it doesn’t cost much more, and it still comes with what you need. It officially “upgrade-proofs” your collection.
After getting the must-haves and great deals, collecting any further is going to require a bit of strategy. The number one resource to help a collector keep track of Blu-rays is the aptly named, Bluray.com. This website houses information on every single Blu-ray in existence, worldwide, including versions of the movie from other regions. This website alone tracks collections, deals, new releases, upcoming releases and DVDs too. If you’re looking for an import playable in your region, just check Bluray.com. If you found a single movie from a series and need to know if there’s a compilation, just check Bluray.com. There’s pages with the newest and greatest deals. All the information anyone would need is right here.
It also features forums on the website, under the page for a given movie. It’ll have general discussions but also people giving out tips and new information about any series. The website isn’t only a resource, it is a community within itself. There’s several collectors out there and are the reason this resource even exists, who are all equally passionate about collecting. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re alone: people in the community can help you build your collection, directly or indirectly.
Speaking of that, one of the ways to catch up on new discounts or upcoming releases is through social media. Like any other physical media, make sure to check Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube and Instagram. When looking for niche titles or boutique Blu-rays, the community will also have tips and updates. It’s another way to experience the culture of collecting. When you begin to really keep up, you’re officially a “collector,” even if you have just five Blu-rays. Starting your collection is that simple. The strategies are keen on value, but picking up your favorites at their retail price is fine too. A few collectors have enough restraint to collect nothing but their absolute favorites, though I doubt many fall into that category.
Value matters because as a collector, you are going to broaden your horizons. You might even be brave enough to pick up a movie you’ve never seen before. Or you might think a movie was ok and want to keep it around for others to watch. Tracking deals helps to make that manageable, liberating even. Whatever kind of collector you are—you gotta start somewhere. My one piece of advice, no matter who you are: Don’t buy anything at full price! Unless it’s a special collector’s limited edition 4K plus Blu-ray plus DVD plus digital code with exclusive bonus features in a steelbook.
