- Joined
- Oct 31, 2005
- Posts
- 4,282
I don't know who all here collect videos, but I know a few of us do.
What's going on with the prices of VHS and Betamax as of late? It's getting insane. Sealed tapes are starting to go for stupid prices if they are anything with a following.
Worse than that, the grading craze has hit and sadly I'm seeing graded videos sell for prices that make no sense to me.
I'm seriously thinking about dumping all my sealed and rare stuff onto the market as over the years I mostly collected because it was fun and cheap. Most of the fun is being sapped out of it, the same way that happened to video game collecting.
Just check some of this ebay shit out. All Betemax, as that is mostly what I collect.
Graded! Also, not that great of a movie, in my opinion.
Electric Dreams
These sold best offer so we don't really know what they went for.
These were actual auctions.
Now my take on video collecting.
There are basically two reasons for collecting old video media formats.
The first being for the container and the second being for the content. There are just some things that never got a better release than they did on some of these dead formats. Usually, that is one of the main reasons to collect Laserdisc releases. I've several VHS releases that never came out on another format. None of the stuff I see selling is like that. Every one of the things I see getting big prices is something that has been released in better quality on a newer format, so I think collecting for content is not what is going on.
I totally get wanting to have your favorite movie on older formats, just to have it. A big part of the attraction to that was that for the most part, it was a super cheap kind of slice of the past. I wonder how many of the people who are pushing the prices up, actually have the equipment to play the stuff. I've not been seeing a spike in the prices of players really.
While I will get sealed movies if they are cheap, I personally like ex-rentals, with stickers and wear on them, stuff that looks like it just came out of the video store.
The whole thing just seems kind of odd to me. It's great that my collection seems to be worth something now, but kind of sad and stupid at the same time.
Maybe someone will develop some kind of video tape everdrive or something that we can just load our movie roms onto . . . Wait a second!
What's going on with the prices of VHS and Betamax as of late? It's getting insane. Sealed tapes are starting to go for stupid prices if they are anything with a following.
Worse than that, the grading craze has hit and sadly I'm seeing graded videos sell for prices that make no sense to me.
I'm seriously thinking about dumping all my sealed and rare stuff onto the market as over the years I mostly collected because it was fun and cheap. Most of the fun is being sapped out of it, the same way that happened to video game collecting.
Just check some of this ebay shit out. All Betemax, as that is mostly what I collect.
Graded! Also, not that great of a movie, in my opinion.
Electric Dreams
These sold best offer so we don't really know what they went for.
Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo Sealed Betamax Beta New Blackspoitation | eBay
<p>Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo Sealed Betamax Beta New Blackspoitation. </p><br /><p>This is a sealed beta tape you can see the sticker at the bottom.</p><br /><p>Super rare find!</p>
www.ebay.com
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial BETAMAX Not VHS 1st Press FACTORY SEALED W/WATERMARKS | eBay
<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial BETAMAX Not VHS 1st Press FACTORY SEALED W/WATERMARKS. Condition is BRAND NEW. FREE Shipping with USPS Priority Mail with insurance. But I can't guarantee it will arrive in the time they say due to covid ect. Tape is...
www.ebay.com
These were actual auctions.
King Kong - BETAMAX TAPE - FACTORY SEALED - this is not a VHS tape | eBay
Grading is visual unless otherwise indicated.
www.ebay.com
Godzilla VS. Mothra - BETAMAX TAPE - FACTORY SEALED - this is not a VHS tape | eBay
The is a very small hole in the shrink wrap and gouge mark on the front of the box [see picture]. Grading is visual unless otherwise indicated.
www.ebay.com
Indiana Jones Temple of Doom 1986 Betamax Beta Tape (not VHS) Sealed | eBay
Will have more in the coming weeks.
www.ebay.com
Now my take on video collecting.
There are basically two reasons for collecting old video media formats.
The first being for the container and the second being for the content. There are just some things that never got a better release than they did on some of these dead formats. Usually, that is one of the main reasons to collect Laserdisc releases. I've several VHS releases that never came out on another format. None of the stuff I see selling is like that. Every one of the things I see getting big prices is something that has been released in better quality on a newer format, so I think collecting for content is not what is going on.
I totally get wanting to have your favorite movie on older formats, just to have it. A big part of the attraction to that was that for the most part, it was a super cheap kind of slice of the past. I wonder how many of the people who are pushing the prices up, actually have the equipment to play the stuff. I've not been seeing a spike in the prices of players really.
While I will get sealed movies if they are cheap, I personally like ex-rentals, with stickers and wear on them, stuff that looks like it just came out of the video store.
The whole thing just seems kind of odd to me. It's great that my collection seems to be worth something now, but kind of sad and stupid at the same time.
Maybe someone will develop some kind of video tape everdrive or something that we can just load our movie roms onto . . . Wait a second!