Yes, You Can Sell VHS Videotapes on EBay!

Don't overlook VHS videotapes when it comes to selling on eBay. Why, you ask? They don't

even produce VHS tapes any more, and haven't for some time. The answer is simple. It's supply and demand. There are people who have not completely abandoned VHS and they want product which creates the market.

Forget the common mass market titles that are available everywhere. The supply always outstrips demand. You might as well give those away.

What Topics Sell

However, there are movies that have still not made it onto DVD and were in short supply on VHS when they were available there.

For the most part, that means exploitation movies.

Where Are They?

Check the ones you have on hand. That has paid off once or twice for me.

Then start looking around.

Depends on the title.Be sure tocheck foreign films as well as instructional and other informational-type tapes.

I came across a bunch from a local Friends of the Library sale awhile back, obviously donated by a guy who was either disposing of a collection of his old stuff or upgrading to DVD. A couple of his VHS tapes brought in a respectable profit on eBay. In fact, one or two brought in a very good profit.

Today, I just returned from my second trip toa local one-day-a-week thirft shop half a block away. On my first visit I had noted two videos which looked good on eBay so I went back and got themat $1 eaach which Ilisted on eBay for $10 each.I have sold them for more, up to $30 occasionally.

Under ideal conditions you would be able to run a check on eBay before buying to see what prices the tapes are bringing, then buy with confidence. That'll work for a few people who live next door to a local Goodwill or thrift shop with a rack full of videotapes.

It won't hurt if your taste, like mine, runs towards exploitation anyway and you aren't simply looking at it as an investment.

From a couple tapes on hand I checked out, I see that "The Real Ghostbusters" is running $10 which is note bad. The Great Mouse Detective doesn't look too promising...but do check out the Disney VHS's that you do have lying around. You never know what might be in short supply, whether on DVD or VHS, and certainly the market for Disney is always there. Mario Bava's Black Sabbath with Boris Karloff as a vampire looks promising.

Alternatives

You can also list VHS tapes in lots on eBay, especially of popular theatrical hits which are in great supply...."lot" being a popular search word. However, the sell-through rate is not encouraging, and, just to emphasize my earlier point, the successful sales tend heavily towards Disney. For that matter,sellingstandard Hollywood movies on DVD in lots is unlikely to bring you much money butit is a way to score some quickcash if you disregard what you originally paid. I sold one lot of 46 movies on DVD recently for about $50, although admittedly some of those were public domain cheapies.

This is no way to get rich. But, you can pick up few extra bucks this way, it's painless, and VHS tapes are easy to mail.

Listia

Personally, I've found the best way to dispose of overly-common movies on VHS tapes is on Listia, certainly not the ideal option for everyone. Listia offers to sell stuff for free. It's not free, of course. You sell stuff for points, generally considered one cent per point, although the points are undervalued. In return, you use your accumulated points to buy stuff being offered. There is a market here for VHS but to get the best bids, you need to offer free postage. As I alluded to above, when you calculate the postage alone, you may pretty much break even. But it is a way to dispose of mass market VHS tapes without throwing them out. You night do better by grouping tapes according to theme.

Something to keep in mind.