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Border towns require ID for DVD sales of Underbelly

DVD stores in border towns are checking customer IDs to make sure Underbelly boxed sets do not fall into the hands of Victorians.

Retailers in Albury, Deniliquin and Mt Gambier are among those demanding photo ID before they hand over the new DVD of the hit TV series.

Some stores have been threatened with legal action if they sell the Underbelly Uncut set to Victorian residents.

"We've had so many people from Victoria come in but we've had to turn them away," Leading Edge Music Albury sales assistant Kate Nichol said.

"A few have gotten quite angry, but most have understood."

Ms Nichol said the chain's sales chiefs visited on Wednesday to brief staff on the issue.

Other stores have been sent a letter by DVD distributor Roadshow Entertainment warning them of the Supreme Court order barring its showing in Victoria.

The letter also recommends a maximum of three DVD sets per customer, to reduce the risk of reselling to Victorians.

Mandy Barr, manager of Leading Edge Music in Naracoorte, said: "It's the most rigmarole we've ever had for a DVD, I've never seen anything like it."

At least 10 Victorians had contacted her small store asking for a copy of the banned DVD.

"I'm not checking ID but we're a small town so you know who lives here and who doesn't."

Online auction site eBay has banned any Underbelly DVD sales to ensure Victorians don't buy it.

Advanced filtering systems kicked in before the boxed sets went on sale to delete any auctions, spokesman Daniel Fieler said yesterday.

Roadshow said pre-order interest had been unprecedented, with all packaging and promotional material labelled "Not for Sale, Distribution or Exhibition in Victoria."

The company's full stockpile of 80,000 DVDs had been distributed to stores across Australia, with more stock expected to be sent out next week, Roadshow spokeswoman Katie Hull said.

Ms Hull added that early indications were that Underbelly would become Australia's best-selling drama DVD.

"Our record for any DVD is Summer Heights High which came out last year and has sold 300,000 copies," she said.

May 09, 2008
Herald Sun