Don’t Throw Away Your VHS Tapes!
If you are a 90s kid (or older than that) then you might have lived in an age where everyone was crazy about VHS tapes. Even in the early 2000s they were still in very high demand. Once DVD’s came out there was a gradual shift from VHS players to DVD players being the main home entertainment system. For the longest time new movies released on both VHS and DVD. There were a lot of people holding out on buying DVD players because they had already bought VHS players. The video quality and other factors of DVD players were so much better that people finally gradually gave in to the switch. This lead to the industry releasing new movies on VHS and DVD only until around 2006. After that point movies were pretty much only released on DVD. 15 years later, we are at a point where DVD’s and Digital streaming are the two methods that new movies are released on. Things have changed a lot. Technology keeps advancing and leaves certain things of the past… in the past. But not everything is left in the past. There is still a decently high demand for VHS tapes. Especially of classic movies. These are looked at more as collectibles than tapes that you pop in to watch with the family on a Saturday night. Some highly sought after VHS tapes have brought an unbelievable amount of money.
VHS Tapes Are Worth A Lot More Than You Expect
You might be thinking that VHS tapes aren’t worth much money. They are worth more than anyone would have expected back in the early 2000’s. They can and do bring a large amount of money at auction. Especially when it is a very popular, first release, sealed VHS tape. They are usually sold for the highest amount through the internet. The “outdated” tapes are usually perceived to have little to no value by most people. This may also play a part in why they are worth so much in so many cases. People generally think they’re worth very little so they treat them rough or even throw them away if they haven’t used them in a while. They are perceived to be useless. This has dramatically decreased the supply of certain tapes in circulation.
The same brands and things that have a lot of collectors actively collecting are usually the VHS tapes that have the highest value and are in demand, These brands are known by a ton of people. There is a wide audience interested in the antiques and collectibles related to anything branded Disney, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek, and much more. These well known brands are typically very collectible regardless of what the item is. Whether it is a figurine, poster, VHS tape, or practically anything else – it is collectible. Now that things are changing so much, people want VHS tapes with the original script and all of what they remember. A lot of times small, yet significant, changes are made to movies to appeal to certain audiences. Finding the original cut can be hard and once found people are willing to pay a pretty penny.
These VHS tapes are becoming so old that they are technically antiques. These are a bit different than other collectibles. Most collectibles are for simply collecting. VHS tapes are versatile. You are able to simply collect them for the fun of having them or you can actually watch them. They are something that can be used which is cool to a lot of collectors. This also affects the amount of tapes in circulation because the more they’re used the more things will happen to them. They can be broken, damaged or lost when being used. This decreases the supply so much that you basically have people fighting over them to buy the last one. There is only so many of the original tapes left and if you are lucky enough to find one be sure to check out what it is worth. Maybe you’ll be happily surprised with what you find. Just look at the prices that these tapes in 2021 recently sold for.
Top VHS Sales in 2021
From eBay.com
Napoleon Dynamite – $7,450 (See Record Of Sale)
The Little Mermaid – $9,500 (See Record Of Sale)
Back to the Future – $9,999 (See Record Of Sale)
Star Wars A New Hope – $12,000 (See Record Of Sale)
Alien – $12,500 (See Record Of Sale)
Indiana Jones: Raiders Of The Lost Ark – $12,500 (See Record Of Sale)
Star Wars Empire Strikes Back – $12,500 (See Record Of Sale)
101 Dalmatians – $14,000 (See Record Of Sale)
Red Label Star Wars Original – 19, 908.22 (See Record Of Sale)
This isn’t even an all time list. Just imagine what the top seller will be next year! Do you have any of these top sellers on a shelf that you forgot about? Knock some dust off and check them out!
Storing The VHS Tapes
Once you find out that you have VHS tapes that are in high demand or worth a lot make sure you keep it safe and store it correctly. There is no specific instruction for storing the VHS tapes. All you have to do is keep them out of the sun and in a cool and dry place. Extreme hot or cold can damage the tapes. Another important thing is to store the VHS tapes vertically so they will not crack. Also, make sure to rewind the VHS tape completely right after you watch them and never leave them in the VCR. They can get stuck inside and also get dirty in the VCR.
So, basically, keep the case away from food, dusty or dirty areas, and keep the tape inside the case at all times other than testing the VHS. When testing make sure to use a dependable VCR. The worst thing would be if you found out your VHS was worth over $10,000 and you go to test it and the VCR ruins the tape (which can happen). The best option may be to simply sell it as untested so you aren’t taking that risk. Or hire a company like ours to do everything for you!
Do you have a large VHS collection? Let us help you get the most out of each tape. We love helping people from the Kansas City Metro liquidate their belongings.
Call us with any comments here: (816) 820-1124!