THIS PAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY PICPAL.COM THE PICTURE PALACE

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PicPal's FAQ

Privacy

Prices

Purchasing

Inventory

The Biz

Requests

Technical


Privacy

I don't want to be on any mailing list; what will you do with my personal info?

I keep hearing about cookies - do you use them?

How can I order if I don't want to give my credit card online?

We do not give out correspondents' or customers' personal info. Neither do we solicit people by email for any titles other than the ones they specifically request. [Top]

We do not monitor our visitors or their use patterns in any way. We only answer their specific queries. [Top]

There are more conventional options if you prefer not to conduct online transactions. Please see our order form for details. [Top]

Prices

I can get [name of film] dirt cheap somewhere else; why should I buy from you?

I saw a tape in your database for $100 - what gives?

I looked up a movie in your database and it has more than one price; why?

Your martial arts tapes are so expensive; why?

What do "priced to rent" and "priced to buy" mean?

Can you guarantee the prices of your merchandise?

If you happen to find an expensive tape on sale somewhere, remember you may be buying a used or "previously viewed" copy, or even a bootleg. Certainly cheaper tapes such as children's videos can be found for as low as $5.99 at mass merchants and warehouse stores. However, we offer comprehensive service and can offer advice on the respective merits of different releases. We also carry and highlight material other places neglect. If you buy more than one item at a time from us we may be able to offer a discount. Just ask! [Top]

Except for special sales and bulk discounts, our listed prices for videos are all current suggested retail price (often shortened to SRP), as set by the manufacturers. We simply post all new and upcoming releases with current prices as an information service. More and more often, as with the recent Batman movies, initial releases in the home entertainment market are priced very reasonably, but many are still priced for the rental market at first. [Top]

Our main database lists videos and laser discs as well as special editions and box sets. Also, one title may be out on more than one label if it is in the public domain. Just email for any clarifications. [Top]

We get questions like this all the time. We do not sell material dubbed from tapes, only from films. However, some of our Shaw Brothers stuff is substandard according to what we're used to seeing. That's caused by the age of the masters and the lack of care taken by the suppliers. This is changing by the entry of Tai Seng and Young Tse into the market. What you may be used to seeing are $15 martial arts and anime tapes with cheap color xerox boxes. These are clearly bootlegs. That is not what we sell. Our favorite PD labels do wonderful things with color xeroxing to save money. However, they dub the tapes in those boxes from film masters. The difference is that you will pay $19.99 to $39.99 for our tapes instead of $9.99 to $15.99. The dual cassette tapes from Tai Seng will sell for $39.99 down from $79.98 as of May of '97. [Top]

Very new releases are often "priced to rent," which means they are so expensive that almost only video rental shops will buy them. Then there is a market for them to be rented to individual viewers. Die Hard 3 hit the shelves with a price tag higher than one hundred dollars. So next time you leave a rented tape on the back seat of your car, out in the sun, remember it may have cost your dealer far more than you imagine! After a time, many - but not all - new tapes will be reissued "priced to buy," at $20 or lower. We will always let you know if and when a tape is due for repricing, and we will not sell to you at a higher price if we know it will be lowered soon. We're not perfect, but we don't want to rip anyone off. [Top]

The Picture Palace is not responsible for typographic errors. Prices and product availability are subject to change without notice. [Top]

Purchasing

I ordered from you but I don't know if you got my message; how do I find out?

Can you send me a catalog by mail?

Do you have a listserv?

Can you send me an order form?

What credit cards do you take?

Do you take checks or money orders?

I prefer to hear a human voice. Do you have a phone number I can call?

We will verify all online orders by emailed reply within 24 hours after receiving them, so if you do not hear from us please contact us. We do not confirm receipt of fax or snailmail orders. [Top]

Sorry, we are an online catalog of catalogs. We have started a monthly newsletter through the mail, $7 a year, which will amount to a catalog supplement. However the material will be boiled down from our email announcement lists and customer requests. We can hardly keep up with the business as it is, that compiling all the info electronically so we can print it taxes too many resources. We believe this will be more efficient in the long run. [Top]

We actually have three email lists. Two are alternating so they come out biweekly. One announces new video releases with an accent on what's widescreen, closed captioned, subtitled, etc. The other is screener reviews - fewer titles, more opinions. The third is music tapes and laserdiscs, ROMs and paraphernalia. Please let us know which combination you'd like or fill out the online form at the bottom of our contest page that has drop boxes. [Top]

You can either copy our online form, or get a faxback via our 800 number. We do not require a formal order form; you can send a letter with all the necessary info, or write in the note section of your check if you order by snailmail. [Top]

We take all major credit cards: Visa, MC, Amex, Discover, even Diner's Club! [Top]

We accept checks and money orders, too! [Top]

Our tollfree voice/fax number 1-800-261-0906 is attached to a standalone computer - that means no one can modem into it. Though it is automated, the voice you hear on the other end is Jennifer's, and only Steve removes sensitive information from it. Of course, if it fouls up while you're on the line we may pick up, but otherwise we try to stay free to concentrate on beefing up our site. [Top]

Inventory

How come you don't have more than 40,000 titles for sale?

Do you sell PAL tapes for Europeans?

I'm from Canada; can I order from you?

Are your tapes dubs or originals?

Do you stock used tapes?

There are really roughly 55,000 titles floating around that were ever released in home video history. Anyone who tells you they have 100,000 titles only means they have them in their database, not for sale. We get a list geared towards rental shop owners. Lots of times new videos are available in "prepacks" or display collections of twelve or more. The average person rifling through our online catalog will not immediately recognize why one listing of a title costs hundreds of dollars, while another of the same title costs much less. We dump those, as well as most duplicate listings. (Public domain prints of the same movie are often of varying quality. When faced with such a choice, we pick the best one and enter that. This is another strategy intended to avoid confusion.) [Top]

We sell so few PAL tapes that we don't mention it. Only some of our most obscure tapes, like our newer railroad documentaries from Pentrex, and the Something Weird catalog, can be ordered on PAL. Our major label Hollywood pictures and bigger European films are only on NTSC. If you want a full range of PAL tapes, there is a British firm that's been online as long as we have called Pastel Blue The English CD & Video Store. [Top]

We sell to individual consumers nationwide and, under specific legal guidelines, internationally as well. Many, though not all, of our titles can be sold to English-speaking Canada. Please file a request first to ascertain availability and shipping costs. You can purchase by credit card by fax or online, which will take care of conversion for you. We also accept postal money orders and bank checks that can be cashed in a US branch, made out in US currency. [Top]

This is a confusing question we get a lot. Any video tape is a dub of something. The best are made from high-quality 35mm film masters but not all are. If what you mean by dub is a bootleg we do not bootleg - make our own tape copies of tapes we get from others. Every item we sell comes from the rights owner, a label working under license or a reputable wholesaler or public domain outfit. [Top]

We advertise no used product. If we do add that service it will be in a segregated area, and provide access to moratorium (discontinued) items that are not available any other way. You may find videos used on Usenet, sometimes a risky proposition. Try Video Oyster if you desperately need them, but they charge high fees for really rare vids. We will notify you if we hear of them coming back out at a reasonable price as long as you let us know first. [Top]

The Biz

I'm looking for an out of print tape - got any?

What does moratorium mean?

What does PD mean?

What does CLV and CAV mean?

What is the difference between EP and SP in a videotape?

What's the difference between an order date and a street date?

Certain films that may still be available for rent were issued by labels that have since gone out of business. Some have been out on three or more different labels over the years! Entries that are on moratorium are sometimes kept logged in for inventory purposes, but we cut them out every time we update and reload our MonsterBase. So if a title is currently unavailable, it will not appear. Yet it's also possible the title may be shipped again sometime in the future. In that case we will paste it back into our online catalog. Our online databases are not static offerings. They are refreshed whenever new release announcements come our way. [Top]

Moratorium used to be simple. The issuer would lose the rights to put out a tape and make no more. Now studios, led by Disney's example, artificially heighten demand for certain tapes by putting them on temporary moratorium. Usually the tapes are re-released later to coincide with some special event, theatrical release or remake, or other promotional effort. [Top]

PD is short for Public Domain, when the copyright is either not renewed or reaches the upper limit allowed by US law. International public domain is more complicated because of recent summit negotiations. If a film is in public domain now it may be reclaimed by another country. When that happens we will be allowed a grace period, after which we will have to stop selling the particular title(s). [Top]

CLV and CAV refer to a type of laser disc. If you see a title for $39.99 or more and those letters follow it, that means the database entry refers to optical disc format, not videotape. [Top]

Prices are especially iffy on the low end: some $9.99 and $14.99 tapes are in EP or "extended play" mode. You can tell if a tape is in that slow speed because the actual videocassette weighs practically nothing. We only offer SP or "standard play" versions of low-priced tapes as a rule, but we make exceptions if EP is the only version being produced. We will, however, list EP-only tapes clearly, or warn those who request such tapes. [Top]

There are two crucial dates for new releases: the order date and the delivery or "street" date. If you see a video advertised on our site months in advance of its release, you can put in an order beforehand. The up side to this is, that upon the "street" date your reserved purchase will be delivered to you like a shot. The down side is, that if the studio or label runs into production difficulties, your reservation will be on hold -- sometimes for months (though very rarely). The up side to waiting is knowing that the product is available; but the down side is that sometimes very popular items become "backordered" as soon as their release date rolls around. [Top]

Requests

The soundtrack for the TV series Beauty and the Beast is no longer produced - got one?

Can you rent or loan me a tape?

I need a transcript of Who's On First by Abbot and Costello - what film was it in?

I want a picture of a famous person - got any?

I want free stuff - got any?

Can I download or copy stuff from your site?

Can I link to your site and will you link back?

I need info on a specific performer/film; can you help?

Can you answer a trivia quiz question for me quick?

I have a film or tape I'd like to have distributed; can you help?

I have a baby hedgehog that giving me problems. Can you help?

We have some tape copies for another contest but we are not authorized to sell them.

Sorry, we do not rent. We do not have a storefront and cannot rent through the mail. However, every once in awhile we hear there are other shops on the net who will brave renting titles through the mail, so it pays to keep your eyes open. [Top]

Sorry, we get this question a lot. There is no fixed text to the routine. The closest you can get is the recorded version in Naughty Nineties, available for $19.99 on tape. They were contractually obliged during their radio days to do it every couple of weeks, but it was slightly different every time. [Top]

Sorry, we do not sell or give out pictures or other memorabilia except with the cooperation of the producers of the newer tapes we sell. There are many memorabilia merchants online, like good old Movie Star News - good luck! [Top]

We list our giveaways at our contest page, and sometimes we post downloadable clips and pictures on individual pages, but they vary. [Top]

Images, full-motion clips, sound bites and descriptions of any videos are for personal and private home use only. Any distribution, duplication or commercial use of the files on this site or any elements contained therein without express permission is a violation of the copyright law and is prohibited. By downloading any file you agree to be bound by the foregoing terms and conditions. Except where noted and except for promotional material provided by represented media companies, all pages are Copyright © 1994/5/6/7, The Picture Palace - All Rights Reserved. [Top]

You can link to any page on our site, though linking in to pictures can be a drag on our server. In such cases it would be better to ask us if you can post a picture from us on your own server. We will link back if we find a good place to put your link - since we don't have huge hotlists. Our backlog is embarrasingly old right now, though. [Top]

You can try asking us directly for help. The material on our site depends on whether it ties in to something we sell, or has been provided by a tape label, or has been unearthed by us while conducting independent research. It's usually in the form of a general introduction to a type of film or filmmaker. [Top]

We don't answer any questions live, though we plan to institute weekly chats soon. Our email backlog means that we answer some queries immediately, but some more obscure requests can take over a week to answer. [Top]

If you or someone you know has an independent film or related project which needs distribution, we may be able to help you. Send us a review copy and/or print material to us at The Picture Palace, P.O. Box 281, Caldwell, NJ 07006. No fees - no guarantees - just a wealth of experience and contacts from someone with a background in the video business. We can also make a page for you at this site, if you are marketing your own films. [Top]

Sorrybut we're just hedgie fans. You need to find a vet who is a small animal specialist, join the North American Hedgehog Association, and/or buy some of the newer books at a pet store.

Technical

Who maintains your site?

I tried to use a form and it didn't work; what happened?

Are you in business or do business with the sites you link to on the Web?

CGI forms, graphics, imagemapping, original homepage design, and multimedia for the Picture Palace are by Steven Kramer. Research, page layout, text and computer coloring, illustrations, textured backgrounds and HTML are by Jennifer Kramer. Technical support is provided by the folks at IDS. [Top]

Every effort is made to keep this site accessible at all times, but the proprietors of this site and its server cannot be held liable for interruptions in service caused by circumstances beyond their control. If you have a problem please report it to us. The cause may be on our side or yours, or there may just be congested traffic on the Internet when you try to access us. [Top]

The Picture Palace or IDS cannot be held liable for the activities of the Webmasters or companies who run pages that are linked from The Picture Palace site. Linking does not constitute a formal endorsement or guarantee of any sort on the part of the proprietors of this site or its server. [Top]


Last updated March 26, 1997.

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Our site last updated 07/15/2008
Print out our order form (PDF), query about an existing order with an email
Fax us at 1-800-261-0906 (US only)!
The Picture Palace, PO Box 281, Caldwell, NJ 07006.