Would you like to save rather a lot of money when buying blank media? Yes, I thought so, seeing as I do too. In fact I love saving money, and that is the reason that I use SVP (a.k.a Blankdiscshop) for all my blank media, ink and disc storage needs. And now I’m going to explain just what I like about this online shop, and hopefully persuade you to save a little (or lot of) money too.

---The Shop---

SVP is an exclusively online retailer that specialises in blank media, including CDRs and DVDRs (all types). As well as discs it also sells a range of CD storage solutions, compatible inks (for printers), paper and even hardware. Price-wise they may not always be the cheapest, but their customer service more than makes up for the few pennies extra that the discs may cost.

---The Website---

The website loads quickly, is easy to navigate and works well no matter which browser I use. There is the ability to log into the site, but this does not personalise any of your options when browsing.

The search option is effective and appears to give very relevant results, so all in all it works just as efficiently as it could and makes buying from the shop a pain free and, dare I say, pleasant experience.

---The Products---

I’m not going to tell about all the products available on the website, as not only would this take too long, but it would also be counter-productive as products and prices change on a regular basis. I will however give a general overview of some of the different items you can buy.

--The Discs--

The majority of the discs sold are manufactured (or distributed) by Datasafe/write but there are also top name products available including discs from what is considered the very best manufacturer (Taiyo Yuden).

The actual range of different discs available is amazing, there are DVD-R and DVD+R in speeds of up to 16x along with their re-writeable counterparts. If you own a DVD recorder that uses RAM discs, these are also available (at exceptionally low prices), and of course there are also CD-R/RW available. All or the write once format discs are also available in a printable format, which is perfect for those of us with CD printers.

I find all the disc prices to be exceptionally low, and find that I pay (on average) 4.99GBP for 25 printable discs (in PCworld the cheapest 25 pack of discs is 9.99GBP and they are not printable). If you are buying your discs in bulk, it’s even cheaper as they sell boxes of 600 DVD-R (8x printable) starting from an extremely low 107GBP, that works out at 18p each.

--Disc Storage--

It’s all very well buying a large number of blank DVDs, but where will you put them. Well have a look at the huge range of storage options available here, and I guarantee you’ll find something that fits your needs. From single CD and DVD cases, to 800 disc rigid DJ style cases, there is an option to fit almost any lifestyle. I personally buy their 10-way DVD cases for 50p each. Again prices are exceptionally low, and even beat my local pound shop, that can only manage to sell 8 single DVD cases for a pound.

--PC Components/peripherals--

These are sections that I’m afraid I’ve never actually purchased from, but after having taken a look, believe me I will. Here you will find CD and DVD drives (the latest Pioneer DVD writer is less than 36GBP), hard drives (200GB for under 70GBP), duplicators, caddies and various cables. To my untrained eye the prices seem very reasonable.

--Memory Cards and Batteries--

Here you will find various batteries, memory cards (obviously) and card readers, and again the prices are very low. A 128MB Secure Digital (SD) card is currently selling for well under 10GBP, as is a Multi-Media card (MMC). The rechargeable batteries also seem to be reasonably priced with 4 AA Ni-MH batteries coming in at 2.29.

--Home Entertainment--

This smallish section includes both DVD player and recorders, none of which are particularly big name brands, but are all at competitive prices, with a DivX enabled player costing under forty pounds. Although I’ve not personally purchased anything from here, my Dad bought a DVD recorder and he was very pleased with both the price and quality.

--Printing and Photography--

In the final section of the site you will find compatable ink for a number of Epson, Canon and HP printers. Remember this is not the actual manufacturer’s ink, but I purchase all the ink for my Epson R200 from here, and am very happy with the quality. Prices for ink are ridiculously cheap (especially when compared with originals), and they sell a full set of cartridges (2x black and 5 colour) for only 8.99GBP (and are currently offering buy one get one free).

--Ordering--

I find it a very simple process to order the discs and goods that I require. It’s just a case of deciding how many of an item you require and then adding it to the basket. Once you’ve chosen everything you need, you just move onto the checkout, where you are given the chance to log in (if you’re a previous customer). I never actually bother with this as your card details are NOT saved, so I simply confirm my order and then enter my name address and card details.

While we’re on the subject of paying, this might be a good time to tell you what payment methods they accept. And there is a good range of methods available, including credit card, cheque/postal order, Paypal and NoChex. Although I have only personally paid by credit card, I think the fact that they accept Paypal and Nochex will be a godsend to those that haven’t got credit or debit cards.

--Post and Packing--

If you only buy a few Cds or DVDs at a time the postage does seem very expensive at 4.49 for standard economy courier within the UK. But if you buy a lot of goods at a time (as I do), it works out at good value, especially as I nearly always receive my goods the next day.

There other (more expensive) options for delivery available, but to be honest I wouldn’t really bother with them. If you do not live in the UK, you can also have your goods shipped to other destinations within Europe for very reasonable prices.

--After Sales--

Once your order has been confirmed, you will receive two emails from SVP. One confirms your order and the other will inform you that your order has been dispatched (with a tracking number).

If you have any problems with your order, there is a 30 day no quibble guarantee. So if you find you’ve ordered the wrong discs they can easily be exchanged. All goods are also guaranteed for a year, so even if you’ve waited six months before opening a packet of discs, if they fail then you can return them for a refund or replacement.

If any of your goods are faulty or incorrect (this has only happened to me once) there is an online system for informing the company of the problem and I’ve always found that they are both courteous and speedy in their response. In fact, on the one occasion I had a problem (incorrect goods received) not only did they send the correct goods so they arrived the next day, but they also allowed me to keep the incorrect items as a gesture of goodwill.

--7 Day Price Promise--

How many times have you ordered from a website, only to find that the very next day they lower their prices. Well if SVP lower their prices within 7 days of you purchasing your goods, all you need to do is email them to tell them of the price drop, and they will refund you the difference. How cool it that?

--Anything Else--

As well as the actual shop proper, there is a section where you can get help and support for the products they sell. This could be as simple as helping you choose which discs to buy, or as complicated as installing drivers or firmware for DVD drives. I personally have never used this section, but I can see that it would be a great help to many novice users.

The final part of the website that I would recommend is the “Buyer’s Club”. You can join this by simply entering your email address, and then you will receive regular newsletters informing you of special offers. Members of the Buyer’s Club are often entitled to 99p shipping weekends or small discounts on their purchases, so it’s definitely worth the very little effort it takes to join.

--Final Words--

Ever since I first bought a computer with a CD-writer I have bought my discs from here. I find the discs they sell, are cheap without being nasty. I also like the fact that even though I only pay for economy delivery I seem to nearly always receive my goods the next working day. Customer service wise, this company is second to none, they are polite and deal with any problems in a prompt manner.

As the years have gone by, I’ve found myself buying a wider and wider range of products from here, and have never been disappointed with either price or quality. I’m therefore heartily recommending that anyone who regularly buy blank media, compatible ink, or any other products that this shop sells, to take a look. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.