How can I get rid of my Star Trek VHS tapes?

[Extrocomp]

I have a collection of Star Trek VHS tapes that includes every TOS episode, around 70 TNG episodes and 7 movies. I've put them up on eBay, but no one seems to be interested. Should I sell them to Cash Converters? How else can I get rid of them?

 

[ozzfloyd]

Donate them, burn them?

 

[Firebird]

If you've got a Half Price Books near you, you'd probably get something for them.

 

[BillJ]

I'd donate them. They have very little value now.

 

[JoeZhang]

The runaround and transport costs are likely more than what you would get for them - I'd throw them in a skip.

 

[Ethros]

A bin.

Or garbage can if you're American. Either way, what everyone else says. I think even 10 years ago you wouldn't have got much or anything for them, nevermind now.


My local charity shop doesn't even accept Videos, and they told me that at least 5 years ago now (I was actually giving them some big DVD boxsets that they assumed were VHS)

 

[F. King Daniel]

Massive bonfire. Video it, with a big sign saying "JJ ABRAMS MADE ME DO THIS" - you'll go viral in all those creepy Facebook Trek hate groups.

 

[Ithekro]

I wonder if they are any vintage tech collectors of VHS like there are of vinyl records. Or 8-tracks and Cartrivision for that matter.

 

[Draculasaurus]

Trebuchet

 

[BillJ]

Massive bonfire. Video it, with a big sign saying "JJ ABRAMS MADE ME DO THIS" - you'll go viral in all those creepy Facebook Trek hate groups.

 

[Chronos]

I wonder if they are any vintage tech collectors of VHS like there are of vinyl records. Or 8-tracks and Cartrivision for that matter.

Absolutely, but they're more interested in rarer films and television shows, most of which weren't produced in large numbers and will probably never be released on DVD.

I'd imagine that the Trek VHS collection is so widespread that they have no real value. Unless you have a set that's still in the original shrink wrap, it isn't worth what it costs to ship it, and that's saying a lot because media mail in the US might as well be free.

Really. I bought the entire collection of Star Trek films (I-X, of course) on VHS for around two or three dollars at a garage sale. The owner wanted me to buy his entire box of tapes because he knew there was no other way to get rid of them other than the donating or burning mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

[Pondwater]

Take them to Goodwill.

 

[MacLeod]

Unfortunantly I' ve got to go with the general consesnus of just throw tthem in the bin.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

I started collecting DVDs back in 2000, and back then, every VHS tape I double-dipped on would go to the charity shop. Like an idiot I waited until I had all of TNG on disc, set 7 of which came out here in 2002, before taking the VHS tapes to the charity shop, at which point they'd already stopped accepting tapes. So into the bin they went.

 

[Horizons96]

Flicking recently through my Star Trek Official Fan Club of Australia magazine (issue #10 summer 96-97) I saw how much VHS tapes cost back then. Just ONE single season of TNG/DS9 was $259 - and there were seven seasons. These days The Full Journey of seven seasons on Blu-Ray goes for $230.

Thankfully back in 96-97 I didn't buy any of the VHS tapes as my local video-shop had every single Star Trek episode made to date, but I feel for those who are still looking for somewhere to offload them, and there must be plenty as each VHS tape only had two episodes on them.

...still.... those were the glory days of Trek... I remember walking back stoned from the video shop every two nights, and those tapes were glowing in my hand as I wondered what might be coming next....

 

[TheSubCommander]

Honestly, the time to get sell of ANY VHS tapes and get any kind of money for them was about 15 years ago. No one buys them anymore.

Some libraries check out media, or even have media stations for patrons to watch on site (EG Media stations with head phones along with a TV and VCR/DVD player). I would donate your Star Trek VHS to a smaller public library, or the library of a school, or a college\university, and your VHS player along with it. That way patrons or students can watch the tapes in the library. It might be especially useful if it were a library for a high school, college, or university that has film students or drama students.

 

[Extrocomp]

I can't bring myself to throw away something with Star Trek on the cover. Especially since one the tapes is Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Extended Video Version), which has never been released on DVD. I'll call Cash Converters and my local libraries to see if they'll take them. If not, I'll take them to my local Star Trek Fan Club and see if I can find a collector who's interested.

 

[RandyS]

I can't bring myself to throw away something with Star Trek on the cover. Especially since one the tapes is Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Extended Video Version), which has never been released on DVD.

Keep that until you can convert it to DVD-R. That's what I did.

 

[TheSubCommander]

I can't bring myself to throw away something with Star Trek on the cover. Especially since one the tapes is Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Extended Video Version), which has never been released on DVD.

Keep that until you can convert it to DVD-R. That's what I did.

Or you can actually buy REAL DVDs second hand. That's what I did for much of my collection, and DVD seasons can be had for dirt cheap these days. Or just get BR used; harder to find used at low prices, but doable. If I didn't already have mine on DVD, I would do Bluray.

333×480 (VHS)
720x480 (DVD)
1080P (Bluray)

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

^^

That's the whole point, the Extended Video Version has never been released on retail DVD. Hence putting it on DVD-R.