Why is porn so expensive

[Watch Dog]

Why is it so expensive to buy porn in the uk compared to the u.s & the rest of europe it is just so tempting to buy pirate

[Shaun]

A market of the colour black, if things were different we would have porn at real prices virtually the same as feature films and sold in the same places. No doubt I'll be corrected on a few points by more knowledgable posters.

[tori]

i agree ?30 for a video is a real rip off i have over 60 video's with only 20 not been pirate copies i pick mine up when i go on day trips to france or belgium

[Matt]

Foreign countries would make a fortune selling English version porn without subtitles or cheesy dubs. It would be like duty free. Unless I really want a particular product (which I often do) I don't buy porn through UK distributors. I don't mind paying a bit extra, cos they have to go to extra lengths themselves to get it to us, but ?30 for a video, I agree, it a bit much. Still, it must work at that price otherwise it'd be cheaper.

[Rimbaud]

Same reason cocaine's expensive, only less extreme. Though 'mainstream' hardcore's not illegal outright nowadays, it's considered taboo and the supply channe;ls are restricted. If you want to buy legitimately you will have to buy from a licensed store or UK internet vendor who almost certainly face no real competition because the barriers to entry into the market are high. If Blockbuster could stock porn tapes, it would be very different. Alternatively you might choose to go pirate, but even if you do, you will still pay over the odds; ten quid for a shitty pirate tape is no better value than 20 quid for an original. If the film you're buying isn't available in Britain, you could end up paying twenty smackers for even a weak pirate copy.

The answer is, buy from vendors outside the UK, over the net. gamelink are excellent; iafd.com is an excellent source of links to vendors, though its focus is mainly American; Yourchoice (they have a UK site but ship from abroad)are reliable, even if their stock is dismally limited.

Contrary to rumour, customs interceptions are rare, and unless the stuff you're buying is sicko extreme stuff, they'll pass it on to you.

[Ali G]

Perhaps it is expensive in the uk because you buy pirate tapes, which means the producers need to make more money on the ones they sell, as do the shops that sell them. Its like regular stores say we all pay more for things because we pay for the people who shoplift.
If you buy a new release video in Europe it is not cheap, they run to about 40 quid minimum,I went to the Venus show in Berlin at the weekend and the wholesale price of a new release from the main German Studios to the store was 89 marks (around 30 quid) and that is before the shop sell on to us punters. Yes you can get old titles cheap, I paid 5 pounds for some German dvds.Why is it cheaper ? the simple reason of supply and demand, at this time Europe and the USA just has more Porn available than we do.
If you look at the likes of Your Choice and Vidshop, their uk prices reflect risks they take for people shipping from the UK, those people won't do it for nothing, the reward has to match the risk. Look at Vidshop's other 2 Stores they are much cheaper than the uk store, I may not be able to read dutch, but I can figure out the Guilder price in Pounds ! and their USA site is the same.On the retail front,the stores in London are cheaper because of competition, but out in other areas Sex shops are not cheap, and that's the same the world over.
I agree with Rimbaud, buy from overseas if you want more choice and good prices,I have had no problems buying abroad.Don't buy pirate tapes, you are just shafting the people who make it, if as customers we continue with an attitude of paying a tenner for a vhs copy we will deserve all we get.

[David J]

I'm not sure it's true that porn is more expensive in the UK. In London, where there is a bit of competition, the standard price is ?20 a vid, or ?10 for part-exchange. This applies both to licensed and (reliable) pirate places.

For comparison, when I went to Amsterdam recently most vids were priced at 80 guilders, which is a bit more than ?20.

In America, Excalibur prices most vids at $25-$30, but that excludes postage, so the total would be over $30, even for US customers. (True, there are also some old 'bargain basement' titles priced at about $15, so if you want to see Ron Jeremy in his prime...)

If anyone knows a good, relaible place to get quality tapes for ?10, please please let us know!

[George]

I have trouble with that whole "shoplifting pushes the price up" theory. I think they'd be charging exactly the fucking same if there was no shoplifting. I think it's all my arse. Their enormous rocketing profits never seem to impacted do they.

[Remington Steel]

Expensive? Not here mate. www.Dr-Bluessexshop.com Oh and another thing. American porn should be cheap cos it just aint sexy
Rem

Thats not an add Alec, just being helpfull. Have a look at www.thepussyprowler.com while your at it. Samples on the way
Rem

[alec]

Thanks. Don't mind if it is an ad. It's relevant.