You should avoid giving your website a name like BangCD because if you expand into other product lines, as this retailer has done, you have a problem. BangCD's DVD section has hundreds of the latest titles and a huge inventory of older ones as well.

The store is far from perfect: weaknesses include a cluttered interface with distracting banner ads. Many products only have a one line description. However, the advantages far overweigh the negatives: there is a massive product range, the shopping cart is easy to use, prices are incredibly low and, best of all, they offer free delivery worldwide! This is the place to shop 'til you drop.




WHSmith's web presence is so-so. The selection is not as great as Amazon's or BlahDVD's and the site has an idiosyncratic layout, but what WHSmith lacks in pzzazz it makes up in price. We bought two Disney classics on DVD and they were 10% cheaper than at Amazon.co.uk. The delivery charge is a flat rate of £1.29 plus 35p per item, unless you choose to have them delivered to your local Smith's branch and then it's free.

The major qualm we have with WHSmith Online is their reputation for poor customer service. This is as bad as ever after the managers (whilst upping their own salaries) cut down on the number of staff in their warehouses as part of an efficiency drive. When WHSmith.co.uk say 'delivery within 48 hours' it sometimes means triple that length of time. To test out the site we bought two DVDs separately from their bestseller charts and both of them took a week to arrive even though it stated 'delivery within 48 hours'. We recommend you check out their special offers section where there are some real gems this . You also get WHSmith Clubcard points on all your purchases. Worth using if you don't need a DVD urgently.




SendIt, based in Belfast, have been selling movies online for nearly a decade. At the turn of the Millennium, the store used to be a mecca for film enthusiasts. They stock all DVD on release in the UK and offer free postage and packing to customers in the UK and Ireland. Most items are supposed to be delivered within four or five days. There are a whole host of extras including a 'hunt' service for those hard-to-get titles, gift-wrapping, gift certificates, and competitions.

Those are the pluses. On the downside the website is beginning to look increasingly cluttered with annoying links to their DVD rental service, electronic products, etc. Prices have been sneakily increasing over the few years and customer service is sadly in decline: not one of our emails to the complaints department was actioned upon. Sad to see a formerly great site reduced to this.




TheHut.com are based in Cheshire. They sell home entertainment products such as books, DVDs, games, and have recently expanded into other areas such as memory cards. Founded four years ago, the company's sales have soared an average of 187% a year from £692,000 in 2005 to £5.7m in 2007. Last year they ranked No. 18 in Britain according to the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 league table published in the autumn.

When you visit TheHut.com the garish technicolour appearance will make you think you've visited the Cbeebies site by mistake. However, if you try to ignore the revolting aesthetics, you'll discover a site is easy to find your way around and stocks thousands of DVDs at prices that eyebrow-raisingly low. Delivery is free in the UK. Top dog.




BlahDVD is an online retailer of DVDs, CDs, Games, MP3 players and gadgets. Although they have only been around for four or five years, they have developed a reputation for being a reputable outfit. Prices are low and the site is a breeze to navigate.

Blah offers free delivery anywhere in the pre-enlargement European Union and, to test their service, we ordered the box set of a British TV series and a movie for some friends in Germany as well as two Disney DVDs for ourselves. Disappointingly, the two items for Germany took over a month to arrive. We were not contacted to inform us about the delay and had to telephone Blah to ask why the DVDs had not been delivered. Our experience with the two Disney DVDs was better: they arrived at our London address in only three days.




Amazon.co.uk is often recommended by journalists. Amazon manages to win over many hacks because it's the only online store they have bothered to order from. The site is full of distractions, bland and unashamedly commercial. Little effort is made to provide visitors with movie news, features, actor interviews or anything other than trying to take your credit card number. This is not necessarily a sin, but the prices are high compared to DVD specialist stores. Whereas other online retailers realize they have to offer substantial discounts to lure customers, buying DVDs - especially non-bestsellers - from Amazon UK can end up making a big hole in your pocket.

Unlike most other DVD stores, there's a hefty postal charge to pay unless you order a couple of items. Disappointing. These Yanks should stop spreading themselves so thin and stick to selling books which they excel at.