Blackstar (www.blackstar.co.uk) are the undisputed champions of online video sales – and it’s not hard to see why. Everything about the site is user friendly: navigation is simplicity itself, prices are competitive and the ordering simple and safe. Whereas Amazon sells DVD’s as a second string to their bow, Blackstar are the video specialists in DVD and VHS format.
The home page explains everything in detail from searching, to the usual checkout, where they employ a secure server that encrypts your credit card details before being sent over the Internet.
Unlike the vast majority of sites on the Internet, Postage is FREE on Blackstar, this means that the price you see is the price you will pay. Gift-wrapping and labelling is available using the easy to follow instructions.
On the home screen, apart from the usual search box, we have:
Video Browse DVD Browse Latest Releases Video and DVD charts My Diary
The first two are self-explanatory. The latest releases give an up to date list of all Video and DVD’s in order of popularity with details of the films. My Diary allows you to set up a “hotlist”. This is ideal for me as I read about loads of films on ciao that I would like to see and then forget their names. Here I can set up my own hot list for later browsing.
Blackstar have a pre-bookable option for new releases allowing you to have videos delivered on the day of release, this is made even more attractive as they offer discounts on these films.
One of Blackstar’s great features is that of searching for obsolete films. BlackStar's “Video Hunt” team will try to track down any UK deleted release if they are unsuccessful there is no charge. If they are successful in tracking down your video, there is a charge of £16.99 per tape - this includes the cost of your tape and the search.
It is possible to build up credits with their Blackstar E-Wards programme. Each time you purchase an item, you will earn one point or black star for every £10 spent. Items that can be selected with Black Stars vary from a blank VHS Tape to a full Digi Theatre Sound Package.
A handy package that comes with Blackstar is the ability to set up your own Cinema schedule. Once you have set up your local cinema, it will give you the current films showing at the theatre, along with the times and even a short description of the film. It also keeps you up to date with all the films on show nationally.
A similar facility is on hand for television. Basically it is a glorified TV Times, but in this case it is possible to programme it and ensure that you don’t miss your favourite show.
The affiliates programme offered by Blackstar is very impressive. The commission rate is 5%, which is about par for this type of sale. The difference however lies in the fact that once you have passed a customer to Blackstar via your link, EVERYTHING that customer purchases in the future, even if they return directly to Blackstar and not through your site, will be credited to your account. This is potentially one of the best deals on the web for web masters.
Do you fancy a job with Blackstar? If you feel you have something to offer them, email them at jobs@blackstar.co.uk or write to:
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