Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
How to make money from your old VHS tapes
Reading Time: 4 minutesIf you’ve been nursing a shabby box full of old VHS tapes – not able to let them go, but also unsure what to do with them – we’ve got some good news: that dusty pile of junk may actually turn out to be a goldmine.
As we saw with the huge uptake in vinyl record sales not too long ago, the post-modern appetite for all things vintage (how ironic!) is steadily growing, which means you could now be making money from your VHS tapes too.
With some input from the team over at LoveAntiques.com, here’s MoneyMagpie’s quick guide to earning some extra pounds by selling your unwanted videos.
- Where to sell
- VHS investor guidelines
- 10 most valuable VHS tapes in the world
- The curious case of Disney cassettes
Where to sell
Before we get into which VHS tapes to coddle and which to toss, let’s have a look at the best places to take them to market.
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eBay
Probably the most popular online portal for vintage-lovers to peruse, eBay is a great place to test the waters for your VHS collection. Take some time to see the pricing of similar tapes and then mark your accordingly.
Read more about listing your VHS tapes on eBay.
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Amazon
The online retail giant allows users to sell almost anything in their market place, as long as it’s legal and, right now, the VHS section is booming!
Go have a look at the VHS tapes that are currently on sale.
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Vintage markets
No matter where in the UK you find yourself, chances are pretty good there’s a flourishing flea market within an hour’s drive. Setting up a stall at one of these markets is a really great idea, as it offers you the opportunity to meet vintage enthusiasts in person, many of whom would also be able to connect you to buyers on the lookout for your specific pre-owned product.
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VHS enthusiast Facebook groups
In an effort to preserve VHS as cultural and historical artefacts, Yale University started their own rare collection in October 2015, sourcing most of the initial 2,700 tapes from a single collector they found via a Facebook group. Moral of the story? You never know who’s watching!
VHS investor guidelines
Now that you have a good idea of where to sell, it’s time to sort through your collection for what to sell.
Here are a few tips on what to look out for from LoveAntiques.com’s VHS expert:
- Avoid common mainstream titles, released on labels such as Cinema Club and 4Front, as these would have been mass produced and are worth next to nothing
- Aim for films that have never been released on DVD or Blu-ray and are original ex-rentals
- The most valuable VHS tapes are the ones deemed as one-offs, released in small batches within the ‘video nasties’ category and on micro-budget labels such as Knockout and Trytel
- Pre-classification titles are generally more valuable than post-classification VHS
10 most valuable VHS tapes in the world
Still a bit confused about what to look out for? LoveAntiques’ list of the 25 most valuable VHS tapes in the world – many of which were banned upon release – might be able to give you an idea.
Check out the top 10:
- Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks (JVI) £1,500
- The Beast in Heat (JVI) £1,200
- Betrayed (Taboo) £1,100
- Celestine (GO) £1,100
- The Legend of Hillbilly John (Rainbow) £1,000
- Journey Into Beyond (Citycenta GO) £1,000
- Lemora, Lady Dracula (IFS) £900
- Don’t Open the Window (Films of the 80s) £900
- Flesh Eaters (Knockout) £800
- Black Decameron (Intervision) £800
Interestingly, the list correlates perfectly with Yale University’s collection, which is dominated by horror and so-called exploitation films from the late 1970s and 1980s.
The curious case of Disney cassettes
About a year ago, the internet went into an absolute frenzy when Disney VHS tapes started selling for thousands of pounds on eBay.
And when we say thousands, we literally mean £30,185.25 for a Walt Disney Black Diamond Edition of Beauty and the Beast.
No sooner had the hope-filled started rummaging through their junk pile, than the sceptics rushed in to rain on their parade.
As it turns out, there are quite a few of these exorbitant listings on eBay, but the truth is that very few (if any) actually sell for that amount.
Realistically, well-preserved rare editions of Disney films can go for anything between £55 and £300, which is really not too bad if you have a few lying around.
And don’t forget about tax. You probably won’t have to pay VAT as you’re allowed a £85,000 turnover before you have to pay it. However, if your taxable turnover is over £85,000 (which, admittedly, would be a lot of VHS tapes!) then you’ll have to contact HMRC to register for VAT. You can use a VAT bridging software to help you keep on top of this.
Find out more about making money from the Disney Vault here.
Have you had any luck selling VHS tapes? Tell us in the comment section below!
Also read:
- How to make money selling Elvis Presley memorabilia
- Make money recycling your mobile for cash
- Earn extra pounds with vintage clothing
I have many vhs tapes, will need to investigate further
If Ebay are the only places where to sell VHS tapes then this is hopeless as I’ve got loads. Does no one buy them by the box load?
Does anyone know where I can sell old VHS tapes in Brisbane Australia. Please don’t say Gumtree or Ebay.
I have got a lot of vhs tapes I would like some information if they still sell
I got loads of vhs tapes for sale want prices please
Hiya everyone
Shaun here
Look I have loads of videos from Looney Tunes videos from all characters over 24 videos box sets. I have many action movies all in great condition. Several old Martial Arts Videos. In total I have almost a hundred VHS videos. Disney’s, Roots, Van Dames, Wesley Snipes Bruce Lee Jackie Chan early box sets Steven Seagal the list is long.
So what do you think.
Shaun
I have a collection of the voyager series of about 30 video in excellent condition. Are they worth anything.
Good tips and worth looking out for the valuable tapes.
Hi lots of Disney videos to sell …. what do I sell them for
Hello. I am new to looking into trying to sell/trade my old VHS tapes. I have a fairly large collection and am truly stuck on what to do . I purchase items from Amazon. But never have thought about selling items on there or even EBAY
Can you please provide some more advice on the what correct steps in order to take to see if these VHS tapes have any value?
Thank you