- List your Disney VHS tapes on wide-reaching sites like eBay, Amazon, or Etsy to find buyers around the world.
- Try listing locally on sites and apps like Craigslist, the Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, and more.
- Most tapes will sell for $5 to $20, though unopened, mint condition copies from the 80s may sell for more.
Best Places to Sell Disney VHS Tapes
eBay eBay is a bidding site that gets millions of visitors each month and is one of the most popular places to sell and buy Disney VHS tapes. It has a global reach, meaning you’re not limited to buyers in your area (all you have to do is ship your tapes!). If you don’t have an account, sign up and register as a seller to get started. Then, list up to 50 items for free (perfect for big video collections) and let the bidding commence! eBay charges a small commission fee when you sell on their site (usually 10%), so you won’t keep 100% of your profits. eBay has a lot of Disney tapes up for auction, so be prepared to adjust your prices to get more bids. In fact, lots of people check eBay listings to get a sense of what various Disney tapes might be worth (just keep in mind that the prices sellers ask for may not accurately reflect the tape’s value).
Amazon Amazon reaches a huge audience and is a good option if you have lots of tapes to sell. You do have to pay a fee to list and sell items, but you’ll typically get a little more money for them than on other online marketplaces. One downside—there are a lot of sellers on Amazon, so prepare to underprice your first transactions to build up a reputable feedback score when you start selling. The higher your score, the more people will see your listings. Selling on Amazon is great if you plan on selling things as a side hustle, but if you’re just unloading a few tapes, it’s probably not the best option.
Facebook Marketplace Listing on Facebook Marketplace is free and it’s easy to use on your phone, tablet, or computer. Your buyers are typically local, but listings can reach accounts nation-wide, too (so you may have to ship your tapes if the buyer is too far to arrange a meetup). Facebook doesn’t handle transactions, so clarify how you’d like to receive payment when you chat with buyers (you keep 100% of the profit). Try sharing your Marketplace listing (or just writing a post) in a Disney tape Facebook group, like the Official Disney Black Diamond VHS Collectors Group, or a VHS tape collectors group, like VHS Collectors/Traders. If you’re taking payment through a peer-to-peer app like Venmo or PayPal, ask if the buyer is willing to send you money “as a friend” to keep 100% of the profit. If not, invoice them for a service so they have buyer protection (you may lose a small percentage of the profit in this case).
Mercari Not many people have heard of Mercari, but it’s known as one of the best places to sell Disney VHS tapes (especially collections or rare tapes). There are over 1,000 listings on the site, proving the niche is quite popular among Mercari buyers. Mercari is available in a browser or as an app. Listing is free, but the app takes a 10% seller fee on your sales (plus a $2 processing fee for direct deposits or Instant Pay requests).
Etsy Etsy is known for handmade crafts and vintage items, but the site sells lots of different products—including VHS tapes. Disney tapes may not be the most popular item they offer, but the site gets millions of viewers a month, so it’s worth a shot! The downsides—you have to pay $0.20 to list an item, plus a 5% transaction fee and a 3% payment processing fee when your tape sells.
OfferUp OfferUp is a website and app where you can buy and sell items locally, similar to the Facebook Marketplace. There’s not an especially strong Disney VHS presence, but it’s free to put up a listing, so it’s worth a shot! The listing process is quick and simple compared to juggernaut sites like eBay or Amazon, so your collectable tapes will be seen by potential customers in no time. OfferUp takes a 12.9% cut of your sales with a minimum fee of $1.99. If you’re only selling a handful of tapes, this may not be the most financially wise option.
Craigslist Craigslist may be ancient at this point, but it’s still a good place to buy and sell items without paying to list. Craigslist operates locally, so you don’t have to worry about shipping, either—just schedule a meetup when an interested buyer contacts you to drop off your tapes and keep 100% of the profit. Expect some pushback or negotiation on your prices. Since Craigslist doesn’t handle payments, you may have to haggle with customers to get a fair price.
5miles 5miles is an app where people largely buy and sell items locally, but you can reach farther customers if you’re willing to ship your tapes. It’s free to list your items for sale and you can set your own prices, but like most other apps, it takes a 10% cut of your final selling price.
Garage sales or flea markets If you prefer to sell the old-fashioned way and have some other old items to unload, consider having a garage sale! This way, potential buyers can peruse your wares in-person and take them off your hands right away for whatever price you both agree on (plus, no listing or selling fees). The nostalgia factor might convince them to snap up your whole collection! If you have a passion for selling second-hand items (and a lot of them to get rid of), consider registering as a vendor at a local flea market.
Pawn shops, antique stores, used book shops, or comic stores Call up some local shops and see if they accept VHS tapes. If they do, load up your car and drive ‘em over! Pawn shops and the like typically pay on the spot, so this is a great way to get your money fast. The downside—these kinds of stores may haggle for a lower price so they can make a profit selling them. You may not earn all that your tapes are worth, but selling at a pawn shop is still a good way to get quick cash. To find a shop near you, just Google “pawn shop near me.” In many areas, they’re quite common.
What are Disney VHS tapes worth?
Most Disney VHS tapes are sold for $5 to $20. There are stories online of folks nabbing thousands of dollars for certain tapes, but this is rare and more of a result from bidding hype than actual worth. Disney made and sold millions of VHS tapes between 1984 and 2006, so they’re not exactly rare. Plus, demand is fairly low outside of nostalgic collectors—people who like the movies typically watch on a streaming service these days (or maybe on DVD). This means there’s a lot of sellers with a big supply, but few people who are interested in purchasing. In incredible circumstances, Disney tapes can get over $10,000. Some of the most expensive tapes ever sold include a copy of Beauty and the Beast for $15,000 and a copy of 101 Dalmatians for $14,000.
“Black Diamond” tapes can fetch higher prices, but they rarely top $20. The “Black Diamond” collection is an informal name for the first VHS tapes Disney ever released from 1984 to 1994 (the tapes are identified by the black diamond shape on the spine of the clamshell cover with the words “The Classics” inside it). Sellers promote these as rare online, but there are actually millions of copies of each tape. They’re more collectible than they are valuable. The “Black Diamond” collection includes: Robin Hood (1984), Pinocchio (1985), Dumbo (1985), The Sword in the Stone (1986), Alice in Wonderland (1986), Sleeping Beauty (1986), Lady and the Tramp (1987), Cinderella (1988), Bambi (1989), The Little Mermaid (1990), Peter Pan (1990), The Jungle Book (1991), Alice in Wonderland (2nd release, 1991), Dumbo (2nd release, 1991), Robin Hood (2nd release, 1991), The Sword in the Stone (2nd release, 1991), The Rescuers Down Under (1991), Fantasia (1991), 101 Dalmatians (1992), The Great Mouse Detective (1992), The Rescuers (1992), Beauty and the Beast (1992), Pinocchio (2nd release, 1993), Aladdin (1993), and The Fox and the Hound (1994)
What makes a Disney VHS tape valuable?
Rarity If a tape is perceived as rare (even if it actually isn’t), its value will go up. For example, an original copy of The Little Mermaid with the “banned” cover (a cover with controversial art that was pulled from printing) is called “rare” even though it sold over 10 million copies. But because of the hype and novelty, it can fetch up to $100. Tapes with misprints on the cover (or on the tape itself) as well as non-English tapes are also considered rare and more valuable.
Age Like other collectibles, older tapes are more valuable than newer ones (if they’re in good condition). Tapes released in the 80s are generally seen as more valuable than those from the 90s. Even these 80s tapes might only go for $25 or so, though.
Condition The closer to “new” your Disney VHS is, the more you can ask for it. Tapes that are still in the wrapping and in mint condition may sell at higher prices than opened, worn, or cover-less ones. While some mint condition tapes have gone for thousands of dollars in rare cases, chances are that most will still only sell for about $20 to $30.
Demand Generally, more popular films go for more money than less commercially successful ones (The Great Mouse Detective will probably sell for less than Beauty and the Beast, for example). Demand can be created, though—when a specific tape is touted as rare (even if it’s not), demand may go up and increase the price. The popularity and demand of certain tapes fluctuates over time. Keep an eye on eBay listings and other selling sites to track which tapes are in demand—if you have a VHS that’s trending, it’s a good time to sell!
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