Making Money From Your Old VHS Tapes

So now you no longer have a VHS player, what will you do with all those old VHS videos? All those old movies and early Disney films cluttering up the spare room, in anticipation of the next generation of viewers, that technology has now left behind. You could sell them - but will it be worth it? Well, it all depends on what you have.

Anything that is rare and anything that is in demand - those are the key things to look for. Obviously rarity speaks for itself but there is a great demand for collector’s items so, for instance, anything that has a Star Wars theme is still going to be worth considering.

The more common movies can pretty much be downloaded on demand from streaming services but before you decide to take your box of old video tapes to the nearest household waste centre, check and see if any of them could be worth anything - aside, of course, from anything that is still sealed or wrapped in its original packaging.

Take ‘The Little Mermaid’ for instance. The original artwork for the cover had a castle on it. The spire of the castle was said to look like something a little bit risque so Disney had to redesign the cover. Those with the first artwork are scarce - and if it’s unsealed, could fetch quite a bit on ebay - currently there is one listed at over £50!

The Disney Black Diamond editions - the original tapes that were released between 1984 and 1994 could be worth something too. They carried a black diamond shape on the spine of the video casing with the ‘The Classics’ printed on it.

Some may be more common than others, but to give you some idea, a copy of a Black Diamond edition of Bambi is £35 on ebay, The Fox and The Hound is £198, Fantasia is currently advertised at £350 and Beauty and the Beast an unbelievable £637!! They may be rather optimistic on the part of the seller but then again, they are worth exactly what someone is prepared to pay.

Old horror movies can also bring in the cash. ‘The Evil Dead’ can go for as much as £450 and the very un-pc named ‘Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks’ for a grisy £165 on the internet auction sites.

VHS collectors also look for particular editions of the movie - eg Director’s Cuts. And going back to the Star Wars franchise, a version of Episode IV: A New Hope that is missing the special effects that were added later will definitely get collector’s interested and fighting over a price.

So check what’s lurking in your basement and seek out action sites like ebay to see what these movies are actually selling for - before you head off to the waste tip or charity shop!