You’ve heard the buzz about selling Disney VHS tapes for thousands of dollars, but take it with a grain of salt – the market for these collectibles constantly changes. While you’re not likely to be able to retire after selling your sealed copy of Aladdin, there’s still some good news! There are still some great opportunities to sell Disney VHS tapes, if you know what you have, and the best spot to sell them.
Let’s talk about which tapes are worth money, just how much you can expect to make, and where to sell Disney VHS tapes to get the most money.
Who buys Disney movies?
If you’re around forty(ish), chances are high that you not only owned these VHS tapes (and a VHS player) but loved watching them growing up. Most often, old Disney VHS tapes buyers are nostalgia seekers or collectors.
Selling to either group can be somewhat lucrative if you price your tapes reasonably and use the right platform to reach the most buyers.
Where can I sell my old Disney videos?
There are several worthwhile places to sell Disney VHS tapes, including online auction sites, locally, and through avid Disney collector groups, to name a few.
So, what is the best way to sell old VHS tapes? It depends on how rare the VHS tape is (we’ll discuss how to tell further down below) and how much you want to pay in fees.
Luckily, there are a lot of avenues to sell Disney VHS tapes, though some will charge fees. Let’s break down each of the best options:
Facebook Groups
Fees: None
Best for rare or valuable VHS tapes
Some great Facebook groups are solely dedicated to selling and purchasing Disney memorabilia. There’s no fee, and it’s a great way to find interested collectors easily, especially if you have a rare VHS tape. A couple to check out are:
Facebook Marketplace, NextDoor, Craigslist
Fees: None
Best for less rare VHS tapes
Again, this is an good option because you’ll quickly reach a lot of people. However, it’s less focused than the specific collector’s groups on Facebook. However, there’s no fee for selling on these local platforms, which makes it a great place to start if you don’t have any rare tapes.
eBay
Fees: 14.6% on the total amount of the sale up to $7,500, plus possible insertion fees
Best for all Disney VHS tapes, no matter their rarity
eBay is a mixed bag because it can be one of the highest fees to sell your Disney VHS tapes, but it’s also one of the best ways to find collectors looking for this specific item. If you’re interested in selling here, search eBay Disney VHS tapes for sold listings to get an accurate idea of what your video can sell for. There are tons of listings – some for the thousands – not all of them will sell for that amount.
When I searched eBay’s sold listings, I saw 3 – 4 sales in which Disney VHS Black Diamond tapes went for thousands of dollars. However, take it with a grain of salt! When I dug further, I noticed that the sale of the VHS tape was the only item the seller had ever sold in each instance; plus, their account was only a day or two old. It seems fishy and could be something more than meets the eye on those sales.
Etsy
Fees: A listing fee of 20 cents; a transaction fee of 6.5% (as of 4/11/22); payment processing fees vary by country
Best for all Disney VHS tapes, no matter their rarity
When I think of Etsy, I think of handmade crafts. However, they have a surprisingly large number of listings (over 5500!) for Disney VHS tapes. While you might find some collectors, chances are you’re more likely to unload your less rare VHS tapes here.
Auction House
Fees: Varies (1% – 25%)
Best for rare Disney VHS tapes
If the Disney VHS tape you have is extremely rare (I’m looking at you, The Little Mermaid cover), you’ll most likely want to take it to an auction house. While the fees vary greatly, they can help you find the right buyer for a deal worth thousands of dollars.
Collector’s / Auctioneer’s Sales Sites
Fees: varies
Best for rare Disney VHS tapes
If you have a rare VHS tape, you’ll want to check vintage Disney collectible sites and auctioneer sites. These are great ways to help you find specialized buyers, save time, and quickly make the sale. Some great collector sites to check out are:
Comic Book Stores & Used Book Stores
Fees: varies
Best for all Disney Disney VHS tapes
Comic book stores are a great resource when selling collectibles that are rare and worth a lot. Sometimes they’ll do consignment, but often they’ll buy your used items outright and resell them. Check-in with your local comic book and used book stores to see what they might offer to take your VHS tapes off your hands.
Amazon
Fees: Varies significantly from 99 cents/ item sold to $39.99/month + additional selling fees, depending on the selling plan
Best for less rare VHS tapes
There aren’t a ton of Disney VHS tapes for sale on Amazon, and again, it’s not a place I’d think to look. However, if you already have an Amazon seller’s account and know how it works, it makes sense to give this a shot.
Mercari
Fees: Sellers pay 2.9% plus $0.30 for each payment received from the buyer
Best for: Less rare VHS tapes
I unknowingly thought Mercari was only for clothes, similar to ThredUp or Poshmark. I was seriously wrong! Mercari offers everything from collectibles to video games and everything in between.
Depending on the title, Disney VHS tapes are going anywhere from $2 to $27+ on Mercari. The seller’s fees are much better than other sites, so it’s worth considering selling them here.
OfferUp, LetGo, VarageSale, 5Miles (apps)
Fees: Varies per app
Best for less rare VHS tapes
Each of these apps is similar to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace in that they allow you to post items for sale within your area. The fees will vary for each app, but they can be an easy way to offload the more common VHS tapes that you don’t want anymore.
Consignment & Pawn Shops
Fees: Varies per shop
Best for: Less rare VHS tapes
Consignment shops will take your used goods and host them in a retail spot for buyers. These shops only take a fee once your item has sold, and it varies significantly from one shop to another. While this isn’t your best option, it’s still worth considering. Thrift stores usually only take donations and don’t pay you for your items.
Also, try searching for pawn shops that buy VHS tapes near me – you might be surprised at what you find! A similar option is shops like Once Upon a Child, which pays you up front for your merchandise, so it’s not your problem if it never sells.
Garage Sale & Flea Market
Fees: None
Best for: Less rare VHS tapes
Garage sales aren’t going to score you much money; however, if you have enough stuff, why not give it a shot? Garage sales could be beneficial if you’re in a high-traffic area or your neighborhood has community-wide yard sale days.
Can you get money for VHS tapes?
You can get money for VHS tapes when sold to the right buyer on the right platform. Several factors dictate the price you can fetch for your old Disney VHS tapes.
- The age of the movie: The older, the better. If you have any released in 1984, these VHS tapes will be worth more than those released in the 2000s.
- The condition of the tape: Sealed VHS tapes will fetch the highest price. The state of the video tapes and covers can also affect the pricing.
- The title and popularity: Some titles are more in demand than others due to their popularity. For example, you’ll most likely get more for Beauty and the Beast than you can for The Three Callaberos.
- The rarity of the VHS tape: Several factors can help drive a high price, including special editions, collector cases, and non-English language versions.
- Errors or discontinued tapes: Remember the cover of The Little Mermaid that was said to have male anatomy in the castle’s spires? Yeah, me too. Disney caught the naughty artwork (a little too late), and the cases were pulled off the shelves. However, if you were lucky enough to snag one before these tapes were removed from shelves, they can go for much more.
- The collection: Disney ran their releases in different groups worth different amounts. Below is a quick breakdown of which are the most valuable and why.
Disney VHS Collections
There are several collections of vintage disney vhs tapes released that will dictate how much you can sell your tapes for:
- The Black Diamond Collection
- The Masterpiece Collection
- The Gold Classic Collection
The Black Diamond Collection
Time period: 1984 – 1994
Format: VHS cassette
Potential worth: $5 – $1000s, if rare and the right buyer
Disney’s Black Diamond editions includes 20 releases from 1984 to 1994 and consists of the following titles:
- Dumbo
- Bambi
- Cinderella
- Alice in Wonderland
- Peter Pan
- Lady and the Tramp
- Sleeping Beauty
- 101 Dalmations
- The Sword in the Stone
- The Jungle Book
- Robin Hood
- The Rescuers
- The Fox and the Hound
- The Great Mouse Detective
- The Little Mermaid
- The Rescuers Down Under
- Beauty and the Beast
- Aladdin
- Pinocchio (Masterpiece)
- Fantasia (Masterpiece)
Source: https://www.dvdizzy.com/blackdiamonds.html
So, how to tell if your VHS are Black Diamond Disney VHS movies? Look at the upper spine of the case (VHS plastic shell cover). You’ll see a black diamond logo, which has the shape of a black diamond with “Walt Disney Classics” over the top.
The Masterpiece Collection
Time period: 1994 – 1999
Potential worth: $3 – $100s, if rare and the right buyer is found
These don’t sell for quite as much as the Black Diamond cassettes, but you can still sell them for a bit more if they are rare, have an error, or are unopened.
The Disney Masterpiece Collection VHS list featured the first time Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released on VHS, as well as The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Hercules, and more.
The Masterpiece Collection releases are marked with a purple logo at the top of the spine of the plastic shell cover that reads “Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection.”
Source: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Walt_Disney_Masterpiece_Collection
The Gold Classic Collection
Time period: 2000 – 2001
Format: VHS and DVD
Potential worth: $3 – $5
This line included DVDs for the first time and Pixar films such as Toy Story and A Bug’s Life.
The logo for these is a gold horizontal stripe on the cover’s spine with a red circular Walt Disney Classics logo. The text on and around the bar says, “Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection.”
Source: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Walt_Disney_Gold_Classic_Collection
How to Get the Most Out of Selling Your VHS Tapes
Now that you know how much your tapes are potentially worth (based on rarity, title, and good condition), here are some additional tips to help you get the most money for each of your sales:
- Make sure you know what you have. Organize your collection and check each item’s condition. Do your research and compare what similar tapes are going for on auction sites such as eBay.
- Sell your tapes in bulk. When you have more familiar titles, selling your VHS titles in bulk can help you make a more significant sale.
- Write an eye-catching description. If you have something rare or unique, spell it out for the buyers. Leave no shadow of a doubt about the importance of your item in the product’s description.
- List your items in multiple places. If you only list your items for sale in one place, you limit the number of buyers you can reach. Take the time to list your items on multiple sites, apps, and stores.
- Watch the market. If VHS tape sales have taken a dip in pricing, wait it out (if you don’t need the money immediately). Wait until the demand for your items begins to rise before listing them to ensure you get the most you can out of each sale.
Now that you know where to sell Disney VHS tapes, learn more about what porch pick up means and other fun side hustles to try out.