Where Should I Sell My Used DVDs, Blu-Rays, and CDs?

In today’s ultra high tech world, everyone is streaming everything under the sun. From TV shows to movies, from podcasts to music, and from documentaries to audiobooks, many of us no longer have a use for our used discs. So, it’s natural that you might want to sell your used DVDs and other media.

The world has moved past the use of discs including DVDs, Blu-rays, or CDs. Unless you are saving specialty or one-of-a-kind items or critically acclaimed records (LPs), there really is not much use you’ll get out of them in most instances.

Pin

But, surprisingly, discs of all kinds still hold value, and can still be sold to a number of online retailers who will in turn market them. These types of outlets often sell back to collectors or others who simply still wish to use these outmoded formats of media.

If you, like others, just don’t have a use for your now obsolete disc collections, it would be a pity to throw them away. That’s because they still hold value. And, they can still be used by other music or movie buffs. But, most importantly to you, these old discs can add a nice little chunk of change to your bank account when sold to the right dealer.

Another advantage to parting ways with your old DVDs, CDs, and Blu-rays is that it will help you make room for new media.

Or, it can just be an awesome way to create some new space in your home. And if you live in an apartment or other smaller dwelling, the newly freed up space can be used creatively. You can either utilize your fresh space for something new or simply leave it empty and tidy.

While it is true that most buyers of DVDs, Blu-rays, and CDs (among other formats) exist online, other kinds of buyers can be found right in your own neighborhood.

Here, we will discuss some of the different options you have for reselling your archaically formatted media. And, we’ll also talk about some of the best and most trusted sources for resale on the interwebz.

Let’s take a look — what you find might just sing to you.

Selling Your DVD, Blu-Ray, or CD Collection Online

Before you pack up your selection of discs to send off to an online buyer of DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and CDs, there are a few things to be aware of. Let’s take a look at what you need to know before getting started.

Some Important Starting Off Pointers

When it comes to selling your used collection of varying disc types to an online source, there are a few different ways to go about it. There are also some things you will want to look out for when choosing a reseller for your disc collections.

To begin, you will want to ensure that the reseller is located and licensed to do business in the continental United States. Unfortunately, resellers that are located in other parts of the world may not be reliable, or they may not be real at all. Just as with any other line of business, there is always the chance that buyers of media might be online scammers.

If you want to err on the side of caution, search for a phone number on the website of the buyer. Ensure that it is an area code found within the US. To exercise even more caution, give them a call. Not only can this help to determine whether or not they are legitimate, but it also allows you to ask any questions you may have.

If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, you need to be 100 percent certain that the company purchasing your items accepts shipments from these areas. Since they’re not part of the continental US, some of the online sellers you run into may not be interested in footing the bill for the shipping cost.

That’s because, in most instances, the reseller is going to be the one to pay for the cost of getting the items to their storefront or warehouse.

Check Up On the Value of Discs

Even if you have no plans of ever playing your discs again, checking on their value can be a very smart thing to do. That’s because you may not even be aware that something in your collection holds high value. And, chances are, even the most honest reseller is not going to make you aware of a disc with heightened value.

If you have reason to believe one of your discs may hold more than average value, check online to see what the going rate for it is.

There are a few great online resources for determining the going rate of your specific disc. And, it is important to understand that these prices may vary from one of these sites to the next.

Additionally, the value of certain discs will change over time as things change. For example, an original DVD of The Empire Strikes Back could wind up being worth more if a new Star Wars movie or show is released.

Some of the best places to check up on the value of your DVDs, CDs, and Blu-ray discs are as follows:

If you have any of the following titles in DVDs or DVD box sets, you definitely want to ensure you’re getting top dollar for them. Here is the most current list for 2021, along with their current estimated value. Keep in mind, the value will also be determined by the condition the item is currently in as well.

DVD TitleCurrent Value
Dragonball Z Dragon Box Complete DVD Set$910
Gunsmoke Complete Series and Movie Collection$530
Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Set$432
The Real Ghostbusters Complete Series Firehouse Box Set$400
Unsolved Mysteries: The Ultimate Collection$330
Star Wars Trilogy Widescreen Theatrical Version$315
Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald$210
The Flim-Flam Man$185
The Evil Dead 1 and 2 Book of the Dead Editions$100
The Fence$90
Dean Spanley$80
Mio in the Land of Faraway$75

The above table is just to give you an example of some of the going rates for some of the hottest titles of today in DVDs. However, the same kinds of tables can be found online for everything from compact discs and Blu-rays to even records and cassette tapes!

Pin

The Best Places to Sell Your Used DVDs & Other Discs Online

Now that you know the value of some of the most popular DVDs in the world of resale, let’s take a look at where you can go to get these kinds of fair prices for the various discs you have on hand.

Other Ways to Sell Your Media On the Internet

Aside from those companies that specialize in the purchase of DVDs, CDs, and Blu-ray discs, there are a couple of different options for striking out on your own.

eBay

One easy way to sell used media of all types, especially those that may hold a higher value, is to set up a seller account on eBay. This allows you to showcase what you have available with plenty of photos so you can show the quality and shape each item is in.

And, perhaps best of all, eBay affords you the ability to either sell items for a set price or to have different potential buyers bid on each individual item. In this scenario, potential buyers bid against each other, which drives up the cost of each individual item.

This ensures that you get top dollar for each of the different media items you are selling. Likewise, you can bundle items that make sense together.

Items like box sets or live albums from the same band, or a collection of discs or records from the same recording artist can be bundled and priced accordingly.

Of course, to ensure the best odds of wowing your buying audience, you will want to take high-resolution photos of each item in a bundle.

This gives you greater odds of not only appearing more honest but of showing folks what you have to offer. This can be especially important if you have a large library of discs and other items you are trying to part with for the most money.

Another great aspect of selling on eBay is that you, as the seller, are able to set the starting price for each item you are selling in both auction-style or for a straight price. That means, when you auction items off, you have complete control over the absolute minimum price you will accept for each different individual item or set of items you are selling together.

In a “But It Now” type sale, let’s say you set the price at $50, for example, potential buyers can simply click “buy now” and pay the price you have set. Conversely, in an auction-style sale, various potential buyers from all over the world can bid starting at the lowest price you have set.

When items are particularly hot, as they often are with certain discs and disc sets, the auction feature will do its job well.

That is to say, buyers from anywhere on Earth can set their bidding strategy to one-up other potential buyers, in as low of increments as they desire. And, in many cases, the winning buyer in an eBay auction can win the auction by literally one cent — this is especially true for those who know exactly how to watch eBay auctions closely, and right down to the wire.

Selling in Bulk

Another great feature offered by eBay is the ability to sell discs and other media formats in bulk. This can work in a wide variety of ways. For example, you may have 100 copies of the same album or speech done by a famous person or band.

There may be someone looking for many copies of this album or talk, for whatever reason. This scenario offers a win-win in the sense that you can sell unneeded copies of discs and the buyer gets them all at a reasonable price.

This feature also works in the same way if you have, say, every album ever produced by the same recording artist. Let’s say you have the entire Credence Clear Water discography on hand and want to get rid of it. But, you want to do so for a price that is fair, and that allows you to profit accordingly.

By using the “Buy It Now” feature, you just might find a potential buyer willing to pay the set price you have decided on based upon your own research.

Getting the Highest Price with Auctions

Likewise, if you want to take your chances, you could have potential buyers bid on the Credence Clearwater Revival discography. In this manner, you may wind up earning a good deal more than you thought you would have otherwise.

This is because eBay, especially when it comes to media like CDs and DVDs, does not always work based on fair market value.

Sales at auctions are more accurately determined based on how badly your potential buyers want the item or items. For example, someone may have a deep emotional connection to Credence Clearwater Revival and therefore want the entire discography.

In this scenario, the buyer may be willing to pay much, much more than what the discs or records are “technically” worth.

A Few Words about Shipping

One important thing to note about selling on eBay is the cost associated with shipping the media once you have sold it. You can opt to bake the cost of the shipping right into the price of the items you are selling.

Or, you can simply choose to offer free shipping, and this can make you especially popular among potential buyers, which is a smart tactical choice if you plan on selling lots and lots of CDs, DVDs, and other media.

And finally, you can choose to have your buyers foot the bill themselves when it comes to the shipping costs. If you do this, you may lose potential customers, especially when you consider that shipping costs are usually associated with the weight of the items being shipped.

Pin

Free Shipping

So, most of the folks who would consider themselves veteran or seasoned sellers of media on eBay will tell you, your best bet is to include the cost of shipping somewhere in the cost of the items you are selling.

The smarter move for you, if you plan on selling loads and loads of discs of all kinds, might very well be to go with the free shipping for the buyers of your media or other goods.

It’s smart for the reasons we have already listed, but it also streamlines the process for you. And, to be honest, if you are making a lot of money selling high-quality, well maintained, or highly sought-after albums or other media, the cost of shipping won’t eat too much into your profit.

Save when Shipping Media

If you find yourself going to the post office more than twice a week because your eBay business is soaring, there are a variety of other ways to reduce the cost of bulk shipping. Keep in mind, too, that when shipping media such as CDs, DVDs, records, books, and other related items, the United States Postal Service will offer you a reduced shipping cost for mailing these types of items.

International Shipping

The one place where you may wind up spending more on shipping could be for international sales. If you plan on selling to buyers outside of the United States, you may want to include a disclaimer or caveat on your seller page about the higher cost of international shipping. But, eBay is tremendously flexible for both buyers and sellers, and it offers you the ability to chat with potential buyers.

This means you can privately work out the details of shipping costs, and you can come to all kinds of agreements with your potential buying audience.

You can offer things like paying half the cost of shipping or including the cost of a portion of the shipping in the cost of the item. Essentially, you can come up with any other arrangement that is amenable to both parties when you take advantage of private messaging on eBay.

Using Facebook As a Way to Sell Your Used CDs, DVDs, BluRay, and Other Media

The average person might not naturally think of Facebook as a place for buying and selling used media — or anything else, for that matter. But, the Facebook Marketplace can be a terrific place to buy and sell all kinds of goods and services, and among these, of course, are your used CDs, DVDs, BluRays, and other media, including even records and cassette tapes.

One of the things that make the Facebook Marketplace such a great place to sell is that you can set up your selling profile to sell to folks in your neighborhood. In this way, you can sell to people very near to you, and in this way, you eliminate the need to pay (or have your buyers pay) for shipping costs associated with sales you might make across the country.

Facebook Marketplace is completely free to use, and you will set up the terms of accepting payment between yourself and your buyers. This means that, if you prefer, you can only accept cash payments in person.

Pin

Making Sure You Get Paid

Or, if you would rather, you can also offer your buyers the ability to pay you using other platforms, such as CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, and so on. The more flexible you are, and the more types of accounts you have for accepting payment from your buyers, the better your chances are of selling to a wider range of people.

One great thing about accepting payment ahead of time using a payment app is that you can do something called “porch pickup.” In this scenario, your buyer has already paid for the CD or DVD using Venmo, for example.

You simply give them your address, and then they swing by and pick up the item or items right from your front porch, driveway, front patio, etc. This simplifies and streamlines the process, and makes it possible for your buyers to pick up their media when they are already out running errands.

Now, it may not be the best idea to leave a highly valuable item on your porch. But, if you are selling a DVD box set of the Eagles Greatest Hits, it is probably safe to set something like this on your front porch.

If you still have some concerns about the safety of a porch pickup, you can always wrap the item or pack it in an unmarked box with the buyer’s name on it. In this way, you’re not advertising to passers-by what is sitting on your porch.

 

Pin

Staying Safe if You’re Selling in Person

If you do opt to meet buyers in person rather than doing a porch pickup, do make sure to do so in a safe public place. You never know what a stranger’s intentions may be, so a face-to-face meet-up should never be done anywhere unlit or where there are not other people.

Great places to meet include your local Starbucks, any fast food joint, or in the parking lot of a big-box retailer where there are sure to be plenty of people nearby at all times.

Of course, there are many other online and offline options for selling your used DVDs, CDs, and BluRay items. Nextdoor and Craigslist can be another good outlet for this, but again, you will want to ensure that safety is always at the forefront of your mind.

If you advertise well in your local area, you could even be successful with a garage sale or rummage sale. It all depends on how serious you are about making money.

If all you are trying to do is unload your discs and other media and make a little spending money, selling locally could be your best bet. Conversely, if you are looking to make a lot of money or even turn your used media into a full-blown business, selling online is likely the best way to go.

If you have a lot of CDs, DVDs, and other disc-type media but don’t want to deal with selling it yourself, you still have options. Record shops and places like Zia Records will sort through your items and buy what still has value. And, for whatever remains that does not have any real value, do the right thing and recycle used CDs and DVDs or find another use for them.