Halfway to Black Friday - 2025Updated a minute ago
We always love to hear from our valued customers, but during our Halfway to Black Friday sale we receive (literally) thousands of emails with various questions and concerns. In an effort to minimize the number of emails we receive during this hectic time, we have compiled the following list of answers to some of our more commonly asked questions. Remember, every email that we have to take time to answer is time taken away from our ability to ship out more packages. So, help us help you get your package quicker by taking a few minutes to read the following. We hope this helps make your ordering experience with us as smooth as possible and we thank you in advance for your order.
1) When, where and what is the sale?
Halfway to Black Friday (HBF) at VinegarSyndrome.com is a yearly tradition for fans of genre film! The sale will begin at exactly 12:01am EDT on Friday, May 23rd and will end on Monday the 26th at 11:59pm EDT. Nearly everything in our extensive home video catalog will be 50% off SRP. We will also be unveiling two secret Vinegar Syndrome releases, one new VSA, one VSL, one Cinématographe, one Degausser release, three catalog slipcovers, new merch and more!
Please note: our website will be placed into maintenance mode the morning of Wednesday May, 21st to prepare for the sale. All website functions, including the VS + Partner Label checklists, will be unavailable from the 21st to the start of the sale.
2) What products will be on sale?
Every VS, VS Sub-Label, and Partner Label title with a release date prior to November 2024 will be discounted 50% off SRP. Titles with release dates beginning in 2025 will NOT be discounted. Special note: certain VSU and VSP releases, Merch, Clothing, and a few older Partner Label titles currently under distribution by another company may not be discounted.
3) I placed an order during the Flash Pre-order event and/or pre-ordered THE GOLDEN CHILD, DIRTY WORK, JADE, SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA, or THE PRE-ORDER PACKAGES, what do I need to know?
Congrats on easily your best purchase this year! You might already think you have everything you need, but you couldn’t be more wrong… During the HBF sale, add additional orders to your package for free, using the “Add to my existing order” shipping option.
If you purchased the ALL VS! Package, you will receive: THE GOLDEN CHILD, DIRTY WORK, JADE, the 2 Secret Releases, the new VSA and the new VSL.
If you purchased the ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING! Package, you will receive: THE GOLDEN CHILD, DIRTY WORK, JADE, the two VS Secret Releases, the new VSA, the new VSL, the new Degausser blu-ray, SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA and the secret Cinématographe release.
If you are confused during the sale, please check specific product pages as they will let you know if they are included in what you have already ordered.
4) I’m a current VS Subscriber, what do I need to know?
Thank you for taking the plunge with us so far in 2025! Here’s what is already included in your Subscription: JADE, DIRTY WORK, and the two secret VS releases.
The new Vinegar Syndrome Ultra release of THE GOLDEN CHILD, the new Cinématographe release of SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA, the the new VSA, VSL and Degausser releases are not included in your subscription, but you will have access to your regular Subscriber discounts. If you are still confused, check the individual products pages once the sale goes live to see what’s include in your Subscription.
Also, don’t forget that HBF is your perfect opportunity to stock up on our extensive back catalog. Use your free shipping option to add additional purchases to your package. And finally, due to your elite subscriber status, your HBF order(s) will be first to ship following the sale.
5) How do I become a VS Subscriber?
This is hands down our most asked question of all time. You only have one more opportunity to become a subscriber this year, and that is during Summer Subscriber Week, July 1st - 7th. More information on this will be posted soon.
6) Can I place multiple orders during the sale?
Absolutely! Since you already paid for shipping with your initial order (or pre-order), select the ‘Add to my existing sale order’ free shipping method on any additional orders. We will ship everything in one large package.
Please note: If you used order stacking but one of your orders ships without the rest, don't worry! This can happen for a number of reasons, and we will ship out any remaining orders ASAP. You'll receive tracking numbers for each package that ships to you.
7) What are the Revenge is Sweet sweepstakes?
During each day of the Halfway to Black Friday Sale, our Vinegar Syndrome Media Club members will have the opportunity to redeem their hard-earned VSMC points for entries into the sweepstakes.
One lucky winner will be selected each day, and will be announced on the following day around 12pm EST. Winners will receive a very special package containing a plethora of exciting, rare, and OOP VS goodies!
Entries will be gathered based on the day the sweepstakes entry was submitted. Example: If a customer submits 5 entries on Friday and 3 entries on Saturday, 5 entries will go towards the Friday drawing and 3 will go towards the Saturday drawing.
More entries submitted each day = better odds to be selected for that day. 1 entry = 200 VSMC points. Stay tuned for more info during the sale!
8) Something I recently ordered is discounted for Halfway to Black Friday, can I get a refund?
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer partial refunds on fulfilled orders or price match on existing orders. If your full price item hasn’t been fulfilled yet, please place an order for the product at the discounted price and reach out to customer service. We can cancel and refund the original full price item.
9) Do you have quantity limits on Limited Edition releases?
Yes, all limited edition releases on the site are limited to (1) copy per customer. Subscribers, your subscription package counts towards this limit.
If any packages contain more than (1) limited edition of any given release, the extra(s) will be refunded upon shipping.
10) What are your HBF shipping policies?
If you are a Subscriber, placed a Flash pre-order or pre-ordered DIRTY WORK, GOLDEN CHILD, JADE, OR any of the packages— you qualify for FREE shipping during the sale and should use your free shipping option at checkout (see above).
Otherwise, our HBF shipping rates are as follows:
• $6 Standard (USPS Ground Advantage)
• $12 Deluxe (USPS Priority or FedEx)
• Canada = $12 (DHL Express Worldwide or FedEx International)
• International = $20 (DHL Express Worldwide or FedEx International)
• All free shipping thresholds will be disabled during the sale.
Important: If you did not place any HBF pre-orders ahead of the sale, please make sure to pay for shipping on your first order for the sale. Then, you will unlock the 'add to my existing order' shipping option that can be used for the remainder of the sale.
Please reference our shipping policies for more information.
11) When will you begin shipping orders?
This year, HBF orders will begin shipping out on Wednesday, May 28th starting with Subscribers, followed by Flash Pre-Order customers then regular sale customers.
12) How long will it take for my HBF order to ship?
We have hands down the best shipping crew in the business and we will do everything we can to get through the fulfillment backlog as quickly as possible without sacrificing on quality and service. That being said, please allow 3-4 weeks for your package to ship. If you do not receive your shipment notification by the end of June, please contact us so we can update you on your order.
13) Where is my package?
Each year we get numerous emails from customers asking when their order will ship out. While we are always trying to improve our ability to ship out orders faster, we ask that you please be patient with us. If at any point you are unhappy with the amount of time it is taking for your order to ship, simply ask us to cancel your order for a full refund. If you need to cancel your order for any reason, send us an email and we will refund the order, no questions asked.
14) My order is stuck ‘In Transit’ and the tracking number has not updated for a few days, what should I do?
If your order has been sitting at a carrier facility and has not updated, don’t worry, it should still be getting to its destination. We can assure you that once you receive a tracking number, your order has either left our building or will be leaving the following day. If there has been no movement on your package for longer than normal please reach out to your local post office or DHL facility first. They will be able to track down your package for you. Once packages leave our building they are out of our hands and are the responsibility of the mail carrier. If your package has been ‘stuck’ for 30 days or longer, then you can reach out to us and we can figure out a solution for you. Otherwise we please ask that you give your package ample time to get delivered to you.
15) Item X has sold out, can I call dibs via email in case you have any extras stock?
No. After everything has shipped out, if we have additional inventory on items the were previously “sold out”, the additional inventory will be re-listed on our website once the site relaunches.
16) Can we pick up our orders at your retail stores in Connecticut or Colorado?
The Archive in Bridgeport, CT and Vinegar Syndrome stores in Denver, CO and Toronto, Canada will have all of the VS related releases in stock starting Friday, May 23rd. We no longer offer order pick-up at any retail locations, so please make your purchases in-person at the stores!
For more information on Halfway to Black Friday sales at our retails locations, please visit their various social media accounts. Feel free to contact the stores for additional information.
Think we missed something? Still have a question? Contact us at [email protected], reach out via the Help Center or use the chat feature on our site and we’ll get back to you ASAP.