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Are shopping questions on topic?

This question was recently asked, and I don't think it's on topic here.

  • Its asking for a list of places to buy something
  • There's no real Science fiction question
  • There's no real answer that can be given
  • And it's not constructive to the site as any answer that could be given isn't concrete enough to be valid beyond a week or so...

If this question stays around, I think it should at least be converted to Com Wiki...

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    The heart of the question is not so much "where do I buy" as "which copy should I buy" (as dupe of another, as has since been noted). I think the "which copy" part is on-topic, but the "where to buy" question is "too localised".
    – Tony Meyer
    Sep 20, 2011 at 0:19

2 Answers 2

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Shopping recommendations are generally discouraged on Stack Exchange. In general, “where can I buy X” is not a useful question to have on Stack Exchange, because the answer varies by locale and over time. We don't have a specific prohibition in our FAQ because it hasn't come up often.

However, niche shopping recommendations do have their usefulness. Asking where to find a specific version of a movie that has had many different versions, not always clearly labeled, strikes me as a reasonable, on-topic question.

I don't know why you want to convert the question to community wiki. Either the question is suitable for the site, and there's no need to make it CW, or the question is not suitable and should be closed. Community wiki on questions is mostly a historical survivance anyway.

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  • I think the niche shopping questions are on topic as they can be interesting to experts, who will know or be able to describe the different versions/releases.
    – user1027
    Sep 18, 2011 at 19:55
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I think there are a few exceptions, but in general it should be banned. The two exceptions are if the product is rare, or if there's only a few places to buy them.

So, asking where to buy the Star Wars blu-ray would be off topic, as general reference, but asking where to buy a first edition comic book might not be.

I think the question asked is on topic. The author doesn't want a list of things, they want one specific thing, that is pretty rare, namely an unmodified Star Wars. It is something that will be valid for a period of time, perhaps many years to come (Although the answer might change with time).

However, the question is a duplicate, so...

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  • Then I think it should at least be changed to comm wiki because, if it's an interesting question, but still violates the FAQs, then no one chould benefit/be hindered by the question.
    – OghmaOsiris
    Sep 18, 2011 at 5:29

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