Topic: Why are US DVDs always sellotaped?

[DJ Doena]

Why is it that a standard US DVD in an Amaray has a sticker on top under the shrink-wrap that is ugly to remove?

It can't be anti-theft because that thing is hidden elsewhere

*just wondering*

[Najemikon]

They are awful. Obviously the majority of my collection is R2, but every now and again I pull at a R1 and it brings two off the shelf with it because I'd missed some of the sticky residue! I'd never thought before your post, karsten; just how do Americans get on? They must spend half their time cleaning the damn cases.

[Jimmy]

I hate those sticker they aren't just a patience test : get a knike to remove the plastic wrapping, try the best to remove the 3 tapes and remove the residue (less hard since I've understand that the better way to remove it is with one of those tape). But I've some cover dammage because of them : the cover was misplace and a part of the cover goes with the damn tape.

I almost understand for the dvd sold in store, but why put it on dvd sold online? Who can steal them? The mailman ...

[DJ Doena]

I can see the reason that the DVD becomes identifiable from the top. But if that were the only reason they could put the sticker on the shrink-wrap, not under it.

[Achim]

I think especially when there is three stickers all around it's meant as theft protection. The idea seems to be, that removing all three stickers to get to the disc (or the alarm chip) takes longer, hence easier detectable by the staff.

I hate them stickers as well. It is always a pleasure when my orders from the UK arrive! I also have damaged cover art due to the sticker being on it

[addicted2dvd]

Yeah... that is what I was always told... that it is extra theft protection. And yes it is a pain... I have several package where there is tape residue remaining.... and a good handful where the cover-art wasn't inserted right and it removes part of the picture when you take off the sticker... that I hate more then the tape residue.

[lyonsden5]

They're not too bad (usually) if you buy a new DVD. On some of the old ones it's terrible though. I know I've ripped the plastic cover on the DVD case somethime trying to get a corner started so I can pull the freggin things off.

On the other hand they can come in handy sometimes. When your sitting, opening a stack of DVDs you can use them to wrap the shrink wrap up into little balls instead of having shrink wrap all over the place, sticking to everything.


But to answer the original question, I believe they are for security. It's to keep the people from opening the case and taking the disc out of the case.

[Achim]

They're not too bad (usually) if you buy a new DVD. On some of the old ones it's terrible though. I know I've ripped the plastic cover on the DVD case somethime trying to get a corner started so I can pull the freggin things off.

Painful memories arise again...

On the other hand they can come in handy sometimes. When your sitting, opening a stack of DVDs you can use them to wrap the shrink wrap up into little balls instead of having shrink wrap all over the place, sticking to everything.

Yep, been there, done that

[RossRoy]

But to answer the original question, I believe they are for security. It's to keep the people from opening the case and taking the disc out of the case.

Actually, they're totally useless even as a security measure. It's very easy to just slit the bottom sticker (when there's one) and if you twist the case a certain way, the disc will just pop out of the hub and fall through the bottom. Some who does that regularly can do it so fast you barely realize the disc is actually gone.

[Najemikon]

But to answer the original question, I believe they are for security. It's to keep the people from opening the case and taking the disc out of the case.

Actually, they're totally useless even as a security measure. It's very easy to just slit the bottom sticker (when there's one) and if you twist the case a certain way, the disc will just pop out of the hub and fall through the bottom. Some who does that regularly can do it so fast you barely realize the disc is actually gone.

I remember Ozzy demonstrating that on The Osbournes! He tried to get in a new DVD for ages and eventually, the disc just sort of appeared...

I do quite like the clips that some US keep cases use.

[Kathy]

I'm sure this has been mentioned before (it might have been on invelos) but here were a whole bunch of hints given on ways to remove those darn things. I tried several methods and found that Goo Gone works great. One has to be patient though when using it; dab a tiny amount on and let it sit for a while and the junk comes right off. I even put too much on a couple and got the cover art wet (I thought it was ruined because it looked greasy) but when it dried the cover looked good as new. I try not to use too much though because I might have just been lucky with those covers.

[Jimmy]

I'm sure this has been mentioned before (it might have been on invelos) but here were a whole bunch of hints given on ways to remove those darn things.

The easiest way and the less expensive one (it's free) : use those sticky tapes from hell themself

It's not fast but that remove all the glue residues and the tape who love the dvd case too much

[RossRoy]

I'm sure this has been mentioned before (it might have been on invelos) but here were a whole bunch of hints given on ways to remove those darn things. I tried several methods and found that Goo Gone works great. One has to be patient though when using it; dab a tiny amount on and let it sit for a while and the junk comes right off. I even put too much on a couple and got the cover art wet (I thought it was ruined because it looked greasy) but when it dried the cover looked good as new. I try not to use too much though because I might have just been lucky with those covers.

I use Goo Gone too. But what I do is put some on a cotton cloth and rub it on the gooey stuff, it eventually comes off, and there's less of a chance of it leaking to the cover art. Of course, I could remove the cover art from the keep case before using the Goo Gone, but where's the fun in that?

But you have to be careful with that stuff. I had to "clean" the whole slip cover for We Own The Night because there was a matte finish on it, and the coating used to achieve the matte finish came right off with the Goo Gone. So I preferred using the Goo Gone to remove it all, rather than have the 2-3 spots where there was a sticker to be glossy and the rest be matte.

[Achim]

The easiest way and the less expensive one (it's free) : use those sticky tapes from hell themself

I usually find that it works great on "fresh ones" but still fails on those which had been sitting on the shelf for too long...


We use cleaning alcohol (IPA, which I assume translates to isopropyl alcohol; and it's only very lowly concentrated, like 5-10% I believe) at work and last week I decided to take a bottle home. Took some cloth and put some of the alcohol on it and then rubbed away. Within seconds the glue came off; and without hurting the plastic at all (I was slightly worried about that).

I had planned to buy Goo Gone from Amazon but now no lonbger see the need for that

[Najemikon]

When I worked for a computer reseller we used to be annoyed by retail boxes arriving with courier labels stuck on. Impossible to remove without damaging the printed cardboard underneath. One of my colleagues tried some hand lotion (Avon Skin So Soft) and it was like a magic potion. Labels just slid off, leaving absolutely no residue or damage.