DVDs by Internet

[Nayls]

Has anyone ordered DVDs via the internet?  They are hopelessly expensive here in Singapore and I was hoping to be able to order from a dotcom.  
The real question isn't about the dotcom but about Singapore customs...  Does a US$20 DVD cost US$100 after custom duties and other charges?  
Is there anything to watch out for when ordering(other than the obvious - No faces of death or debbie does..)?  

[Can...]

I've ordered stuff from Amazon. There seems to be no pattern - some stuff arrived no problem, other stuff got diverted to some censorship place where I had to go down and fill in a form and promise it wasn't pornography etc but there was no fee.

You know the Singapore governments attitude to sex so don't order the uncut edition of Eyes Wide Shut but other than that I think you should be fine

[jws]

How about the regional coding issue?? will DVD's ordered from Amazon work here in Singapore??

[Amazon works well]

I have ordered several (15+) DVDs from Amazon.com. No customs, no censorship board, no hassle (better selection and per disc is somewhat cheaper). I guess I just have been very lucky.

US discs work fine IF you have a multi-region DVD player. If you're not sure, borrow a disc from a friend to find out.

[LULU]

We've also ordered various DVD's through Amazon. Sometimes they come through okay, but some seem to be randomly stopped by the customs/censorship board. If that's the case you have to go down to an office in the Singtel tower nr Somerset where they'll open the box in front of you. In our case, although the DVD's were all freely available in Singapore, because they hadn't been censored they all had to be sent back. There is an option to have them viewed (you have to pay per hour) but if they find anything deemed unsuitable then the DVD has to be destroyed (as you can't edit a DVD). With videos etc they will cut them.

We just sent ours back to Amazon (you have to pay postage) and our money was refunded.

[Nayls]

Well,
If its random then I will have to wait and find out.  As for the multi-region thing - if anyone has a Pioneer DVD player I can show you how to change the region code...
Anyone know why DVDs here are double and triple the price?  It sounds like I should have a COE before buying discs.

[Jan]

I just looked up the govt. internet site to see which films I have are banned...I was really shocked to see that "Pulp Fiction" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" are banned despite there being no sex in either film. Yet I saw them in Singapore cinemas.

I also posted another reply on this site: you need a multi-system DVD player to watch DVD's brought in from overseas as they are from different zones. We bought a Panasonic DVD player from Paris Silk and it plays everything we've bought from the US, UK and locally. For info on the 'zones' for DVD's check this site out:
http://www.world-import.com    

[Chipster]

You may want this web site :
www.getvcd.com

They Sell VCDs and DVDs