I never took advantage of VHS Tape Traders like is discussed for part of this article. Instead, I would often pick up tapes at a con of some kind (or have a friend pick them up). Oftentimes, I had no knowledge of the shows/movies and simply relied on boxart (if it existed) or whatever knowledge the seller had about the series to inform buying decisions. It's so different than today, the age of information, where a synopsis/summary/ratings/etc. are just a quick search away.
Also wanted to shout out that this author is on lemmy, so thanks @[email protected] for a trip through time.