Give us an idea of your stocking procedure.

Our stocking procedure is basically just that each title has its own "desired stock level", and as soon as the quantity on hand gets below that mark, we re-order enough to get it back up where it's supposed to be. The goal, obviously, is never to completely run out of anything. The desired stock level for each title is determined by real people at HKFlix who are familiar with the title's popularity and availability. The stock levels are adjusted regularly to beef up on popular titles and cut down on "The Legendary Tai Fei".

What titles are the hottest sellers?

Aside from special promotions we run, the films starring Jet Li or Jackie Chan, and the films directed by Andrew Lau are always the most popular. Jet Li seems to be the most sought after star.

Of the hottest sellers, how many sell in what amount of time?

This is one where I can't really comment on specifics... We order dozens of copies of certain DVDs every week, and when we run special promotions we regularly sell many hundreds of copies within a week or two.

What area of the globe do you get most of your business from?

USA customers make up the majority, followed by Canada, England, Australia, and then others...

Do you have any pictures of your DVD warehouse?

Unfortunately, we don't have any recent pictures of our warehouse handy, but I'm attaching a photo of the construction of our patented "inter-continental underground dvd pipeline"--or "ICUDP"--which the original founders of HKFlix masterminded and constructed in the early 1900s in prophetic anticipation of the recent boom in DVD sales. Only very recently have we made public any photos of the ICUDP, for fear that our competitors might try to copy the ingenious device. So far, no one has.

Officially opened in the summer of 1911, the ICUDP spans more than 7,000 miles, and runs along the floor of the Pacific Ocean, connecting our warehouses in California, Hawaii, and Asia. The first delivery sent through the pipeline was a note from China's last Manchu Emperor, P'u Yi, which said simply "If I were a DVD, I'd be home by now" (loosely translated). Only months later, Emperor P'u Yi would give up his throne voluntarily, giving into the will of his people, and declaring China to be ruled instead by a Constitutional Republic. The "I'd be home by now" letter, as it has come to be known, is the last known communication ever by China's last Manchu emperor, and has been donated to the Smithsonian Institute by HKFlix in the interests of posterity.

The entire ICUDP system is fairly simple, actually... Groups of 100 DVDs are placed into special bullet-shaped magnetically-levitated capsules by the manufacturers in Asia, and these capsules are propelled through the pipeline by enormous pneumatic pumps based throughout Asia. The HKFlix warehouse staff knows a capsule has arrived when they hear that unmistakable "clunk" of the capsule slamming into the end of the pipeline. But, not to worry! the DVDs are safely padded inside the thick metal capsule. At any given moment, there may be as many as 1,000,000 DVDs en route through the ICUDP from Asia to America (especially when a new Category III DVD is released). Pretty simple, right?

Now, you're probably asking yourself, "Why has HKFlix invested so much in this massive underground infrastructure!?" The answer is simple: Because We Can.

I know I haven't gotten into the gritty details of our warehousing systems here in the United States, but I do hope that this brief history of HKFlix's innovation and foresight in the field of inter-continental transportation of DVDs has proved interesting and thought-provoking for all who have chanced upon it. Now you'll know how we can honestly claim that we ship our orders out "faster than a speeding bullet".

Do bootleg DVDs/VCDs affect the business?

Unfortunately yes, but perhaps not in the way you'd expect. Our concern about bootlegs is not that other people selling them is taking away our business. But rather, the biggest trouble we have with bootlegs is trying to make sure we do not every carry them. It can be tricky to determine which products are legit and which aren't sometimes; and the amount of work and worry that goes into it can be very frustrating. When it all boils down to it, all you usually have is someone's word that a product is legit or not legit. Needless to say, we'd just as soon pass on any questionable products and let someone else make a buck off of them if they want. We have a reputation to uphold and tens of thousands of customers to answer to, so it's really not in our best interests to allow illegal goods to enter our virtual shelves.

Do bootleg DVDs/VCDs affect the consumer?

If a customer is sold a product with the understanding that it is legit, and it turns out to be a bootleg, that's a major betrayal of the customer's trust. Plus, that customer is almost always getting an inferior product when they get a bootleg. So from a legitimate retailer's point of view, bootlegs are just bad news all around, and are definitely to be avoided at all costs.

How has the success of recent US/HK hits like "Kiss of the Dragon", "Rush Hour II" and "Crouching Tiger" affect DVD sales? Do you guys see a spike in sales with release of each of these films?

Sure, big Asian films always raise awareness of our products. Jet Li films are incredibly popular year-round, though, and we don't see too much spike in sales as a result of his new films being released. Films like "Iron Monkey" however, that mainstream US theatergoers haven't really heard of before, can create a real buzz.

How do you deal with your other online competition (amazon.com, etc.)?

To be honest, we feel that our energies are best spent on making our own company the best it can be, not on actively competing with other shops. Every shop has something going for it, and we don't ever knock them. Some shops go to great lengths to spread rumors about their competition and always try to undercut them. Our experience is that those companies usually suffer as a result, because they've based their own business around hurting or undermining someone else's. So, our goals are to just get the best products we can find, offer them at the best possible prices we can, offer a wealth of information on them, and above all, offer killer customer service and real interaction with our customers. Our web site is real labor of love made by people who value the customer's experience, made by people who really love movies. It was designed not only with customers in mind, but keeping in mind the people looking for accurate information about these heretofor obscure movies. We are always looking to partner with other web sites like cityonfire.com that are created by like-minded individuals--other people who love Asian movies--and these partnerships enable us to offer more reviews and resources to our customers. I think that comes across to the customers; and I think that our customers know that there are real people at HKFlix who appreciate their business.

How many DVDs do you have in your collection? And what are some of your favorites?

Okay, let's see... I have about 200 American DVDs in my personal collection and only about 50 in my Asian collection. I only buy films that really mean something to me--in terms of what mood I was in when I first saw them, the filmmaking, the dialogue or acting, the score, etc. My favorite films in my DVD collection are actually not Asian films, but here they are: Halloween (best horror film ever made, I watch it probably once a month) Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show (tie, Christopher Guest is a genius) The Exorcist (actually a brilliant film in my opinion, but I don't think of it as a horror movie) Jaws

My favorite films aren't on DVD yet, but they include: Real Genius, Better Off Dead, Duel, And God Spoke

What kind of cereal do you eat when watching your favorite movies?

Cereal? Ugh... Can I have a burrito or some pizza instead?

What's the best thing about your job at hkflix.com?

Happy customers who say thanks when we go out of our way for them. We always try to thank customers when they're cool with us, and we love when they do the same.

What's the worst thing about your job at hkflix.com?

Customers who angrily demand a 4-cent refund because, "I found 'Legendary Tai Fei' for sale on Ebay for $4.91 after paying $4.95 at HKFlix, you bunch of crooks!". Actually, that would be a tie with customers who write threatening emails saying, "I'm gonna' dispute the charges, you crooks haven't sent me my 'Legendary Tai Fei' yet, crooks!!!", when their card hasn't been billed yet and they placed their order only a day or two before (and they ordered "Legendary Tai Fei"!!!). :) Basically, any email where a customer calls us "crooks"--or any customer who orders "Legendary Tai Fei" and still takes themselves seriously--is dope. Other good times are people who order huge quantities of softcore porn and have elaborate instructions as to how we are supposed to disguise the package so that it will pass the Malaysian customs/censorship screening process and get by their wife undetected. :)

For now on, can I have all the visitors on my site get all your DVDs for 80% off?

The best we can do is to keep offering you special promotions like we already do. You get some killer promos man! What are you whining about!? :) Jeez, you give someone a kick-ass Johnny To promo and they spit on ya... cityonfire.com is a bunch of crooks...crooks, I say! I'm disputing the charges!!

Who are some of your favorite asian actors/actresses?

Actors: Jordan Chan (brilliant), Sam Lee (hilarious), Stephen Chow (whoah!), Donnie Yen (underrated) Actresses: Karen Mok (interesting), Anita Mui (eccentric), Josephine So (hilarious)

What are some of your favorite asian dvds (or movies)?

Here's some random faves, in no particular order: Iron Monkey, Chung King Express, King Of Masks, Fist Of Legend , Bio-Zombie and Y&D Series.

Would you date Linda Blair?

Um...just a sec, let me ask my girlfriend... No, apparently the answer is no. I would not date Linda Blair.