::Well, I don't pay more than about $20-25 for 
any 
release (street price for $29.95 titles, 
generally)::

So even the great, inerrable Mike O'Toole doesn't 
pay full price for his anime? Tsk tsk, perish the 
thought.

:: and no series I get has less than 3 
episodes per disc.  The "2 episodes for $35 VHS" 
model was abandoned back in '95, so you're about 
7 years out of date, there.::

Not true. So very not true it's painful. In fact, 
that seems to be the way things are GOING 
nowadays. Eva, released in 1998 here, was 2 eps 
per tape and $30 per tape. Cowboy Bebop is two 
eps per tape...the list goes on.

::Rentals?::

Not everyone has a place to rent anime.

::Reading reviews?::

Here's a piece of advice: Never take a critic's 
judgement of a piece of work to heart enough to 
make you avoid something. You may be missing out. 
Sometimes i agree with critics, sometimes I 
don't...it's never enough to make me want to 
trust their judgement in place of my own.

:: Looking at clips?::

A clip never encompasses a series.  

::Borrowing copies from friends?::

And what if THEY don't have any?

::It's not THAT 
hard to do::

Maybe not for you. But remember, we're not you.

-Misha