Thinking of selling off some of my DVD collection...

IvaBigWun

As Im starting to realise, the future of film collections lie in hard-drive based selections or streaming services like Netflix.

Im looking at my DVD collection here, and outside of boxsets I love like The West Wing and DVDs I wouldnt part with due to strong Extras (good Directors Commentaries especially), Im thinking of selling the rest on Ebay or similar.

I would imagine with a DVD I once spent €15 on, like The Bourne Supremecy, Id be lucky to get €3 for now.


Has anyone sold off parts of their collection recently? What sort of $$$ can I expect on a dying medium?

Daemos

1. Hand them in to a charity shop
2. Bring them in to GameStop and get 35c for each one
3. Try to sell 100 on Adverts/at a car boot sale and probably get rid of 10 at most
4. Store them

Those are pretty much the only options. I still buy DVDs as my main source of films/TV shows, but it is a dying medium, and when you buy one you have to accept you'll get fcuk-all back for them if you try to sell them on

CEX would be your best bet to get rid of more than just a few. You can try GameStop but their trade in prices are insulting at the best of times. You aren't going to get much for anything other than some box sets and honestly it winks be just as easy to give them away to friends and charity stores. Maybe try your local hospital, most take in DVDs and while you'll make no money on it I'd sooner give away my discs than I would accept 30 cent from GameStop for something that cost me €10-20.

johnny_ultimate

Unless your collection mostly consists of rarities, out of print titles and Criterion releases, it's not going to be worth your while selling them. Certainly wouldn't expect anything more than a tiny fraction of what you paid for them.

Why get rid of them, though? I trust a DVD or Blu-Ray (themselves imperfect) significantly more than I trust a file on a hard drive or a streaming library, and we're far from the point where physical media has become redundant. DVD and Blu-Ray still offers the best variety and quality of releases, and it will remain that way for quite a while yet if the last few years are anything to go by.

Unless you're willing to give them away to charity, or really need the pittance you'll get selling them (and online selling is a true pain in the rear when it comes to large collections) I'd strongly suggest keeping them, if only as a backup. Space an issue? Just recycle the boxes and covers and store everything in CD wallets that take up a tiny fraction of the space.

There is probably a nearish future where physical media is finally rendered truly redundant. The present, though, is a different story altogether. The future might be 4K, but I'm not throwing out my TV in preparation for that day

Sad Professor

I think physical media will be around for a long time. I appreciate that many people bought a lot of non-essential titles on DVD that they would have rented during the VHS era, but the return of the rental model doesn’t mean that people are going to stop wanting to own films. Netflix is a great alternative to a tv subscription but a poor substitute for a DVD/Blu-ray collection. When people talk about storing films on hard drives I have to assume they mean piracy because I don’t know anyone who regularly buys titles to own from iTunes or um, who else is there? It’s terribly bad value. And then there’s 4K, which when it eventually arrives is going to take up a lot more space. I’m sure Netflix will be first out of the gate with some heavily compressed approximation of it, but anyone who really cares about quality will be getting the physical media version, mostly likely Blu-ray based.

Ironman76

I have a fair few DVDs at home that I was going to sell, mostly titles I went on to buy on Bluray. Theres no way in hell Im selling them for next to nothing so I usually just give them away to friends etc.

I love my movie collection. Love having a physical copy of a movie and cant imagine it would be the same on a hard drive. Got the remastered version of Terminator from Amazon there last week and it was great.

VHS went out the window as the quality was diabolical. Cant imagine Blurays ever going the same route. Most DVDs are fine too.

Just ordered Stakeout there today on Amazon too, havent seen it in a while

IvaBigWun

Cheers for the feedback lads.

The "put favourites into a CD wallet and give the rest to a good charity" option seems the way to go. Selling them in dribs and drabs online seems pointless, the income Id get for them Vs effort to sell them dont collate at all

ryanciara

Is it still a good idea to have a DVD collection?

I must have hundreds of DVDs in my collection by now and I still do buy them but I was just wondering is it still practical to have a collection with such things as Netflx and so on? I must admit I do like the real thing in my hands you just can't beat it. What do you think? Do you have much of a collection?

Thanks for your help.

shazzerman

Being practical is the last thing on my mind with regards to having a film collection. I've got maybe 2000 DVDs, and about 250 blu-rays.

ShaShaBear

Himself actually sold off his DVD collection this week. Was taking up space and most, if not all, of the films he had were on Netflix and we have a fantastic internet connection.

I don't see any reason not to keep them really, but he said he'd rather the shelf be full of Xbox and PS games since you would normally have to buy them in the store.

Then again we live in a small house and the shelf is now being put to better use!

vidor

Trying to cut mine down to the essential titles which is approx 100 films. If I don't watch something on my shelf once every 2 years then it shouldn't be there.

Saying a film is on Netflix so I'll sell it is all well and good but remember that films disappear from Netflix on a regular basis. If you find that your collection is taking up too much space then buy some DJ cases and put the discs in them and store the boxes away. I have 4 or 5 thousand DVDs and a 1000 Blu-Rays but I'd never consider selling them on. At best you'll get a fraction of the cost you paid for them back and the hassle involved in selling them isn't worth it.

People who sell their collections to Gamestop for pennies are just odd. Recently I picked up a number of Asian titles in Gamestop, including a still sealed copy of Beyond Outrage for 2 euro a piece. I asked a member of staff whom I know and he said that at most the guy who sold them got 30 cent a piece.

vidor

To be fair it's as odd as having a collection of 6000 films.

shruikan2553

Depends on situation. As someone who moves from 2 bed apartment to 2 bed apartment and doesn't have a car a large DVD collection is a hinderence to me but I would love a shelf filled with my favourite films.

FamousSeamus

I have about 100-150 DVDs, trying to cut down to just movies I really really like, as opposed to getting ok ones cause they were cheap!! I still like having DVDs, although I am starting to get rid of any ones I haven't watched for a while or ones I didn't like (I have Electra on DVD!! Why do I have that god awful movie!!)

vidor

vidor wrote: »

To be fair it's as odd as having a collection of 6000 films.

Can't see how having that many would be odd. There are hundreds of great films released every so it's very easy to amass a big collection. I suppose that most people see cinema and subsequently DVDs as what ever the big studios release but as I type a parcel from amazon sits beside me with Himizu, Tokyo Fist, Tetsuo and the Land of Hope on Blu and on the other side a number of DVD's that arrived from Korea. I'd never consider selling on my collection given that it's taken years to collect all the films I've wanted from around the world, especially not when the resale value of a DVD that cost 20 euro years back will get you 40 cent.

briany

ShaShaBear wrote: »

Himself actually sold off his DVD collection this week. Was taking up space and most, if not all, of the films he had were on Netflix and we have a fantastic internet connection.

I don't see any reason not to keep them really, but he said he'd rather the shelf be full of Xbox and PS games since you would normally have to buy them in the store.

Then again we live in a small house and the shelf is now being put to better use!

Sure, but what if the Internet goes down for a prolonged period? I know I'd be glad of the DVDs then. That said, I have basically the same opinion but would like to keep a few around just for contingency sake.

krudler

I used to have nearly 1000 dvds and have a handful now, my situation is different as I'm leaving the country and had nowhere to put them so chipped away selling them off, giving them away etc. After moving to three different places in a few years the thoughts of lugging them around again was nightmarish so was time to get rid, between netflix, itunes and a hard drive I don't need them anymore.

meoklmrk91

I'll keep the DVD's I have, there's no point in selling them, I won't get much for them and its just too much bother, but I no longer buy any more, I think the last one I bought was over a year ago and that was at a car boot sale.

H3llR4iser

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

I'll keep the DVD's I have, there's no point in selling them, I won't get much for them and its just too much bother, but I no longer buy any more, I think the last one I bought was over a year ago and that was at a car boot sale.

Exactly that - I have maybe a couple hundred, including a few box sets (mostly Star Trek collections). I actually left about half of them at my parents' place in Italy years ago. Not gonna throw them away nor sell them, but I think the last DVD I bought was roughly 4 years ago. Certainly not gonna start a Blu-Ray collection now

johnny_ultimate

Threads merged since this subject was covered recently

Roquentin

IvaBigWun wrote: »

As Im starting to realise, the future of film collections lie in hard-drive based selections or streaming services like Netflix.

Im looking at my DVD collection here, and outside of boxsets I love like The West Wing and DVDs I wouldnt part with due to strong Extras (good Directors Commentaries especially), Im thinking of selling the rest on Ebay or similar.

I would imagine with a DVD I once spent €15 on, like The Bourne Supremecy, Id be lucky to get €3 for now.


Has anyone sold off parts of their collection recently? What sort of $$$ can I expect on a dying medium?

I gave mine (About 600 DVDS) to charity. Like you say the DVD is now stone-age. Youd be maybe lucky to get 4 euro, but the charity shop would take that.

I felt good about myself as well for giving them to charity.

(Just hope The Wire Series doesnt go to topping up some CEOs salary

Sad Professor

The way I see it a Netflix subscription is like a cable or satellite subscription. It’s tailored toward people who want something to watch but don’t know what. Where as a DVD/Blu-ray collection is for people who want to own a film that they’ve probably already seen with the intention of watching it multiple times. Of course, people often buy stuff that they barely watch once, but that doesn’t invalidate the need for a format that appeals to collectors.

Tipsy McSwagger

It depends on whether you want to watch a film in the highest possible standard as you can. DVDs have horribly compressed sound and not great picture quality, Netflix is decent for picture quality and the sound is ok, Blu Ray has fantastic picture quality and amazing sound. If I was you I would sell the collection and take whatever money is offered since DVDs are pretty worthless nowadays.

Tipsy McSwagger

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

It depends on whether you want to watch a film in the highest possible standard as you can. DVDs have horribly compressed sound and not great picture quality, Netflix is decent for picture quality and the sound is ok, Blu Ray has fantastic picture quality and amazing sound. If I was you I would sell the collection and take whatever money is offered since DVDs are pretty worthless nowadays.

And what of the thousands of films that will never get a Blu-Ray release or those films that on Blu just look atrocious. And then you have all the films that aren't on Netflix and never will be. It's all well and good saying DVD isn't the best but honestly a decent Blu-Ray player will do a good job of upscaling and for many films that's all you'll ever need

Tipsy McSwagger

Deleted User wrote: »

And what of the thousands of films that will never get a Blu-Ray release or those films that on Blu just look atrocious. And then you have all the films that aren't on Netflix and never will be. It's all well and good saying DVD isn't the best but honestly a decent Blu-Ray player will do a good job of upscaling and for many films that's all you'll ever need

Keep the DVDs that aren't available on BR or have a crappy transfer but upgrade you're favourite films to BR. As for upscaling, it's ok but the sound is still awful.

Tipsy McSwagger

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Keep the DVDs that aren't available on BR or have a crappy transfer but upgrade you're favourite films to BR. As for upscaling, it's ok but the sound is still awful.

A decent sound system will do a hell of a lot for a DVD.

Wake_Up_Donnie

Deleted User wrote: »

I have 4 or 5 thousand DVDs and a 1000 Blu-Rays but I'd never consider selling them on. At best you'll get a fraction of the cost you paid for them back and the hassle involved in selling them isn't worth it.

I'm in awe! I thought I was doing well with a couple hundred DVDs/boxsets in my collection.

To answer the OP, I'd only ever sell/give away my DVDs if I was moving abroad and had no other choice. I prefer the physical medium rather than having a file on my computer. Same with books.

vidor

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Can't see how having that many would be odd. There are hundreds of great films released every so it's very easy to amass a big collection. I suppose that most people see cinema and subsequently DVDs as what ever the big studios release but as I type a parcel from amazon sits beside me with Himizu, Tokyo Fist, Tetsuo and the Land of Hope on Blu and on the other side a number of DVD's that arrived from Korea. I'd never consider selling on my collection given that it's taken years to collect all the films I've wanted from around the world, especially not when the resale value of a DVD that cost 20 euro years back will get you 40 cent.

For me, there's about ten excellent films released in a year. And even then I generally wouldn't want to own 9 of them. For what it's worth most of my collection consists of non-big studio releases.

FamousSeamus

Wake_Up_Donnie wrote: »

I prefer the physical medium rather than having a file on my computer. Same with books.

I agree with you on this, my last computer just stopped working one day (it just gave up on life:D) and I lost so many music and movie files!! And I hate reading off a screen so I'm definitely pro-book!!

vidor

vidor wrote: »

For me, there's about ten excellent films released in a year. And even then I generally wouldn't want to own 9 of them. For what it's worth most of my collection consists of non-big studio releases.

No offense but you must have very limited taste or not look very far for films. America easily produces 20 good to excellent films a year, as do most countries with a thriving film industry.

Zubeneschamali

FamousSeamus wrote: »

I agree with you on this, my last computer just stopped working one day (it just gave up on life:D) and I lost so many music and movie files!!

Probably not: last time a PC died on me, I was able to yank the hard disk and rescue all the files. The time before, I was able to just slot the hard drive into the new machine.

And , of course, you should be backing up that hard drive. A wallet drive is cheap these days.

Makaveli

They do take up a lot of space but meh, knowing I can watch Point Break or Big Trouble in Little China on a whim is why I'd never bother getting rid of them.

Tipsy McSwagger

Makaveli wrote: »

They do take up a lot of space but meh, knowing I can watch Point Break or Big Trouble in Little China on a whim is why I'd never bother getting rid of them.

Both of those excellent movies can be downloaded in HD and put on a USB stick or external HD. Just keep the USB/HD connected to you're tv or PS3 (or anything with a USB slot) and watch them anytime you want without having to change DVDs and saving space.

p to the e

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Both of those excellent movies can be downloaded in HD and put on a USB stick or external HD. Just keep the USB/HD connected to you're tv or PS3 (or anything with a USB slot) and watch them anytime you want without having to change DVDs and saving space.

Witchcraft!

vidor

[Deleted User] wrote: »

No offense but you must have very limited taste or not look very far for films. America easily produces 20 good to excellent films a year, as do most countries with a thriving film industry.

Perfectly happy with my taste in movies. I watch 300+ a year of new/old releases so I know what I like. I'm just looking at this from a rewatch point of view, which is my criteria for having it on my shelf.

djkeogh

sorry to resurrect this post somewhat but looking for some opinions.

I was browsing Amazon and Ebay recently and saw some outrageous prices for some Criterion DVD's that are out of print that I have in my collection. Strongly considering selling them off now as they're collecting dust and could net a decent few quid. Would the consensus be that these will continue to accrue in value or will they plateau or decline with the downturn of DVD's popularity.

If I was to sell would Ebay be the best place or is there a specialist place that would be better suited?

Ageyev

Some Criterion Laserdiscs still command a respectable price but this stuff does reach a peak. It depends what the DVD is and whether it has been or is planned to be re-released with the extras etc.

Faith+1

djkeogh wrote: »

sorry to resurrect this post somewhat but looking for some opinions.

I was browsing Amazon and Ebay recently and saw some outrageous prices for some Criterion DVD's that are out of print that I have in my collection. Strongly considering selling them off now as they're collecting dust and could net a decent few quid. Would the consensus be that these will continue to accrue in value or will they plateau or decline with the downturn of DVD's popularity.

If I was to sell would Ebay be the best place or is there a specialist place that would be better suited?

What ones have you got?

djkeogh

Two I've seen go for good money were Blood For Dracula and The Man Who Fell to Earth. Have others like Robocop, Silence of the lambs etc which are also OOP but don't seem to be in such demand.

happysunnydays

You've missed the boat for selling dvds. Best to hold on to them now, enjoy them for what they are. Decades from now you can amaze the kids by telling them these shiny disks once held films. When they ask how to get the film off the disk.... you can explain about the obsolete dvd player and how its not possible to buy these anymore so the film stays on the disk forever and ever.

IvaBigWun

The "put favourites into a DVD wallet and give the rest to a good charity" was the one I went with in the end.

I ended up retaining 80% of them with only the really bad films I bought in moments of madness given away.

happysunnydays

IvaBigWun wrote: »

The "put favourites into a DVD wallet and give the rest to a good charity" was the one I went with in the end.

I ended up retaining 80% of them with only the really bad films I bought in moments of madness given away.

I hope you kept the packaging, in any form of future collectors market it is the packaging and accompanying artwork that creates the value.

djkeogh

Blood for Dracula and The Man Who Fell to Earth sold recently on E-bay for £50+. Just wondering if E-bay is indeed the best place to try and sell these. Would be nice to pick up a few hundred from a couple of DVD's. Likely these two are worth more than the other 300 I have.

Technocentral

djkeogh wrote: »

Blood for Dracula and The Man Who Fell to Earth sold recently on E-bay for £50+. Just wondering if E-bay is indeed the best place to try and sell these. Would be nice to pick up a few hundred from a couple of DVD's. Likely these two are worth more than the other 300 I have.

"Man Who ......" 9 quid on bluray, why would someone spend 50?

Sad Professor

Technocentral wrote: »

"Man Who ......" 9 quid on bluray, why would someone spend 50?

Criterion collectors. Though even for non-collectors they are often worth it just for the transfers. I paid a fair bit for the OOP Criterion Blu-rays of Chungking Express and The Third Man.

Technocentral

Sad Professor wrote: »

Criterion collectors. Though even for non-collectors they are often worth it just for the transfers. I paid a fair bit for the OOP Criterion Blu-rays of Chungking Express and The Third Man.

Yeah but is the Criterion ones transfer much better than Otimums one for nine bills? Seems unlikely.

Sad Professor

Technocentral wrote: »

Yeah but is the Criterion ones transfer much better than Otimums one for nine bills? Seems unlikely.

I don’t know about The Man Who Fell to Earth, but in some cases the difference can be quite drastic. Most studios take little if any care with Blu-ray masters of older titles (or newer ones for that matter). This is particularly true of the OOP Criterions re-released by Studio Canal.

TheDoc

Not sure what my collection stands at since I don't count them, but my physical purchases have plummeted in the last 5-6 years.

I'd regularly go into HMV on a whim and come out with a film or two. I never went in and didn't come out with a film in a bag. That has kinda gone since the local HMV shut down, as did XtraVision which was another source where I'd buy.

I make no excuses or hide the fact that I download illegally, and it's definitely where the majority of my movies are going, into the NAS I have in the house. Considering the internet I have, I'm never really a few minutes away from a film either.ntil its shipped so you can cancel anytime. Normally the film I see in the cinema and really like

But I think there is something nostalgic about having a movie collection. I have a massive cabinet upstairs that has all my games and old PC games(when they came in massive boxes) and the likes. And as Darko mentioned, I'd quicker throw them into the bin then even walk into a gamestop and ask " how much".

While my DVD collection isn't getting any bigger, it's pretty big as is, and I think it's just cool to have.

IvaBigWun

happysunnydays wrote: »

I hope you kept the packaging, in any form of future collectors market it is the packaging and accompanying artwork that creates the value.

I did for the boxsets. I didnt for the single ones.

Reason being, the vast majority of my collection were mainstream films that sold millions of copies. There is no scenario where they'd be selling for thousands of even hundreds of euros ten years from now.

Selling a film for 50 euros on Ebay is not the kind of money that excites me. Id rather just keep the film.

dutopia

I totally get what you're thinking here and I'm in the same boat.

In my opinion, I'd hang on to them if you have the space and somewhere to display them. That's all my DVDs are really there for these days - display. There's still something nice about having them out so when friends/visitors come over they can browse through them and it can kick off conversations and you can throw an old movie into the player that everyone has forgotten about. It's a similar thing with physical books for me, I love ebooks and it's so handy having a Kindle but there's something to be said for pulling a book off a shelf and browsing through it - especially graphic novels/coffee table books.