Whether you have Disney VHS tapes, tapes of sporting events, rare movies or concerts, there’s still a demand for old VHS tapes.
In fact, the New York Times did an article all about it. Much like other older forms of media, like vinyl records, there’s much nostalgia surrounding VHS tapes and other people simply enjoy them as a collector’s item. With all this interest in VHS tapes, there’s plenty of money to be made from your old videos.
If you have a stash of VHS tapes in your home, it’s one of those things you can sell to make money quickly. Sure, many tapes may only be worth a few dollars, but you’re still getting some extra cash in your pocket.
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The good news is that there are in fact many people who buy VHS tapes online and locally. Read on to find out where to find buyers for your old VHS tapes.
Where to Sell VHS Tapes
Below, I’ll cover the best places where you can sell your old VHS tapes for cash. So, you can turn your old collection of movies and TV shows into money.
1. eBay
eBay is a huge platform and it’s very popular for selling collectibles, making it the perfect place to sell your CDs, DVDs, and of course VHS tapes.
You could list your tapes individually on there or list your entire VHS collection for bulk sale helping you to save time and get rid of your tapes faster.
You can list up to 250 items for free on eBay. If you list more than 250 per month, then you will need to pay a $0.35 insertion fee per listing.
When your VHS tapes sell, eBay charges a final value fee. For most categories, this fee is 13.25% of the sale price or lower, plus $0.30 per order.
2. Garage sale
Garage sales are a great way to make money fast and clear out some items from your home that you no longer need.
Although you may not get top dollar for your tapes, since people at garage sales are generally looking for bargains, you can get cash fast for your tapes.
It can be a good idea to set your prices a bit higher so that visitors have room to haggle for lower prices, and that you can still make a decent amount of money from your collection.
You may even be able to sell your entire collection in a weekend if you get enough foot traffic to your garage sale.
If your neighborhood has a community-wide garage sale weekend, you could consider holding it then. Or, you could advertise your garage sale dates on sites like Facebook, Craigslist, and Nextdoor.
3. Facebook Marketplace
If you wanna know where to sell VHS tapes near you, consider Facebook Marketplace.
Facebook Marketplace is a great website for selling all sorts of items, and this includes videotapes.
Like on eBay, you can usually find collectors on Facebook Marketplace for collectibles like old VHS tapes.
It’s easy to get started with Facebook Marketplace. You just need a free Facebook account.
You can sell your items to people locally or ship them.
It’s free to list your stuff on Facebook Marketplace. There are no fees for local sales.
If you choose to ship your stuff, rather than selling it locally, then you will need to sell as a shop and pay a selling fee of 5% (or $0.40 minimum per order).
4. Mercari
Mercari is a platform where you can list stuff for sale in lots of different categories. You can list your old video collection there.
When you sell your videos, you will need to pay a fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 payment processing fee.
5. Etsy
Etsy is known as a place for selling handmade items, but it’s also great for selling vintage stuff, like VHS tapes.
Almost 94 million people are active buyers on Etsy, which means that there are plenty of customers on there to sell to.
You have to pay a listing fee of $0.20 for each item that you list for sale on Etsy.com or Etsy’s mobile apps.
Etsy also charges a fee when your items sell.
Etsy will charge you 6.5% of the order amount in your designated listing currency. This fee applies to the total cost of the item, plus shipping and gift wrap if you charge your customers for those.
6. Thrift stores
Local thrift stores may also be willing to buy your VHS tapes from you. Most towns and cities have a thrift store, so there’s likely one near you.
To find stores near you, open up Google or whatever search engine you use, and enter the phrase, “thrift store near me,” and hit search. This should find any thrift stores that you have near you.
Give the store a call to ask if they would be interested in buying your old VHS tapes. Many thrift stores are looking for vintage and retro items to sell, so they may be interested in your VHS tapes.
Since thrift stores are known for their low prices, it means that they won’t usually provide you with the best value for your tapes. After all, these stores want to make a profit reselling items, so they tend to offer you a lower price. But, these places are great for getting cash fast because they often pay you on the spot.
7. 5miles
5miles is a buy and sell app where you could list your old tapes for sale. You can list items in a variety of categories, so if you have multiple things to sell, it’s definitely a good platform.
What’s great about 5miles is that it allows you to list stuff for free on there.
8. VarageSale
VarageSale, as its name suggests, is sort of like a virtual garage sale where you can sell a bunch of different items to people nearby.
It’s free to list items for sale, making it a good option if you’re looking to sell old VHS tapes.
9. Craigslist
Craigslist is a super popular online classified site that’s free to use. The main upside to selling through Craigslist is that it’s free to list stuff for sale on there and the site doesn’t charge any fees. This means that you can keep all the money you make from selling your tapes.
Just meet with local buyers and get cash for your old tapes.
10. Flea markets
If you have a large collection of tapes to sell, then consider selling them at a flea market. They’re a good option if you have some other items to sell too.
With flea markets, you’ll usually need to pay to rent a table or a booth, which can cut into your profits a bit. However, you can get cash on the spot.
11. Amazon
Amazon is actually one of the best places for selling VHS tapes as it’s the go-to marketplace for many VHS fans.
Consider creating an Amazon Seller account and listing your VHS tapes for sale there.
You could sell your collection on Amazon. Also, once you’ve sold your existing collection, you could consider buying tapes to flip them for a profit on Amazon. This could be a good side hustle.
It’s a great marketplace for retail arbitrage.
Amazon has two plans available for sellers:
- The Individual Plan where you’ll pay $0.99 every time you sell an item.
- The Professional plan, which costs $39.99 per month no matter how many items you sell.
For both plans, Amazon also collects a referral fee on each sale, which is a percentage of the total transaction and varies by product category.
12. OfferUp
You could list your tapes for sale on OfferUp. It’s a website where you can buy and sell stuff locally, including videotapes.
OfferUp doesn’t charge fees for local sales where you don’t ship items, so you can save a lot of cash on fees.
However, if you do want to ship your tapes, you can. But, you will need to pay a fee of at least $1.99 or 12.9% of the sale price when shipped items sell.
13. Pawn shops
Some pawn shops will purchase old VHS tapes. Because pawn shops typically pay you on the spot, they’re a good option if you want money fast.
The downside to pawn shops though is that they don’t generally offer you the best price. This is because they want to make a profit. So, they’ll offer you a lower price than what your items are worth.
You can find pawn shops near you by doing a quick Google search for “pawn shops near me.” Give local pawn shops a call to see if they’d be interested in buying your old tapes.
14. Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups are another good place to find buyers for your VHS collection.
You can find groups dedicated to VHS, like this group where you can buy, sell, and trade VHS tapes and DVDs. So, look out for Facebook groups that might be interested in purchasing your old VHS tapes.
15. Reddit r/vhs
Surprisingly, Reddit is a good place to sell your old tapes. There’s a subreddit on there called r/VHS where people can discuss VHS tapes. On the subreddit, there’s a pinned post for buying and selling making it easy to list your VHS for sale.
Are VHS Tapes Worth Money?
Yes, VHS tapes are definitely worth money.
In December 2021, a sealed, mint-condition Star Wars VHS tape from 1977 was sold for $57,600 in New Jersey by Goldin Auctions, a collectibles auctioneer.
That’s a lot of money, but certainly not the typical amount that VHS tapes sell for. Still though, many do have some value.
For most VHS tapes, you’ll get a dollar or maybe a few dollars per tape. You’re not going to get a ton of money.
Some tapes are more valuable than others. For example, Black Diamond Disney VHS tapes can sell for between $20 and $50 per tape.
Also, rare titles that were limited in their release tend to be more valuable.
Other factors that can determine the value of your tapes include what condition they’re in and whether they’re unopened. Nostalgia can also be a driving factor in profit.
Which VHS Tapes Are Worth Selling?
It’s worth selling any VHS tapes you have because you can get a little extra cash. There are of course some tapes that tend to be more popular than others.
Here are some tapes that tend to sell well:
- Disney VHS tapes
- Sporting events
- Wrestling VHS tapes, like Wrestlemania
- Cult classics
- Rare movies
- Limited releases
- Complete collections
- VHS tapes of banned movies
- Concerts and other entertainment events
- Popular movies
Reel in the Cash!
Most of us have used a VCR for decades, but those old VHS tapes are still worth money. Don’t let those old VHS tapes gather dust – turn them into cash!
Whether it’s through online marketplaces or local options, you now have the knowledge to sell your VHS tapes and make some money while decluttering your space. Get started on your selling journey and transform your nostalgic treasures into a rewarding venture today.
