Is selling bulk DVD lots the way to go? No views on listing.

[casey-86]

I'm trying to sell a bulk DVD lot of 46 DVDs but my listing has gotten no views on the two times I have relisted it so far. I typed out each individual DVD and mentioned any imperfections I saw as well as included several pictures of them all. I figured selling them together in a lot as opposed to individually would be better but I don't understand why this listing isn't getting any views. Is there a better way to sell DVDs here? Am I doing something wrong?

[simba6]

Have you searched to see what other sellers are getting for them?  Many buyers search by lowest price on items like that. So, unless your prices are in the running they can be pages back and never get seen.

The tried and true practice of lowering prices to make sales still works.

[casey-86]

I've noticed similar listings often sell for a bit cheaper but they seem to be DVD lots of either duplicates or random DVDs. Mine are specific titles with each DVD title typed out so you know which movies you are specifically getting as well as pictures of the actual DVDs. I figured that would be more appealing to more people but if its lumped in with all the others I can see how it would be harder to get views.

Maybe I should start the bidding low and put in a reserve? I don't usually like reserves because of the fee and uncertainty of even making a sale. The idea of having to pay a higher listing fee for a "maybe" situation seems like it could add up on cheaper items over time.

[caldreamer]

Nothing you are doing is wrong but selling on EBAY is extremely competitive.    If you click on your listing for those DVD (you will see competitors selling 100 DVD for $39 with free shipping).  

[chapeau-noir]

I think the mixed genres is a mistake.

There's no doubt that DVDs sell (out of 150,000 DVD lots, 40,000 have sold - that's not bad for something that "nobody watches", but 46 is a lot of DVDs for someone to pick through the find the ones they like.

[monster-deals]

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@casey-86 wrote:

 Am I doing something wrong?

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Well selling hodgepodge bulk DVDs is the problem.

Overstaurated low profit items with the added cost of shipping so no reseller will touch it and I doubt there is anyone out there with those specific holes in their "collection" of vintage media titles.

[casey-86]

I'm thinking maybe I should just sell these in a yard sale sometime this Spring. I might pick out the more popular titles and try selling those together to see how it goes. I'll let this current listing run until it ends but if it doesn't sell maybe I'll do that.

[tobaccocardyahoo · Accepted solution]

I think a yard sale is the appropriate place to try to sell DVDs.

Interest in some titles still exists and many titles have none.

A nearby record shop sells lots 100 DVDs for $25 and gets little interest.

I can find tons at 25 cents each.

Our local Goodwill includes them in its Monday bag sale.

[casey-86]

I figured with so much going digital now that physical movies would gain some more interest. It doesn't seem to be as much of an interest as I thought it would be. Its clearly a very oversaturated market right now. There was a deal at a local flea market where you could buy 8 DVDs for $5 and I should've just picked out the ones I wanted to keep for myself instead of thinking of resale value online.

[a_c_green]

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@casey-86 wrote:

I've noticed similar listings often sell for a bit cheaper but they seem to be DVD lots of either duplicates or random DVDs. Mine are specific titles with each DVD title typed out so you know which movies you are specifically getting as well as pictures of the actual DVDs. I figured that would be more appealing to more people but if its lumped in with all the others I can see how it would be harder to get views.

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Listing each specific title in the description is great, as those who are doing advanced searches (to include the description) will then be able to find their title of interest in your listing.

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@casey-86 wrote:

Maybe I should start the bidding low and put in a reserve? I don't usually like reserves because of the fee and uncertainty of even making a sale. The idea of having to pay a higher listing fee for a "maybe" situation seems like it could add up on cheaper items over time.

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No, don't pay for a Reserve. You'll be billed for it even if the listing doesn't sell. Just set the opening price to be the lowest that you would accept if you only ever get one bid, and then all the rest are gravy.

Having said that, though: DVDs of most any commercial title these days are as common as dirt, and videophiles who actually want to build a collection are probably going for Blu-ray copies anyway. You could try small lots of DVDs in a single listing on a particular theme (actor, genre, director, etc.) and see if that gets interest, but if not, maybe donate whatever titles don't sell at your upcoming yard sale. Good luck.

[onefootflippers]

DVDs are as a whole worthless and that value keeps going down. Every day thousands of people get rid of their physical media collections. This puts even more DVDs into the supply chain all attempting to be sold to an ever decreasing base of buyers. 

They are 25 cents at my local thrift store and they never seem to run out of them.  Anyone wanting 50 random common DVDs can get that at their local thrift store for $10-$50 and actually pick the title.

Your auction lot seems to consist of 49 common movies with no real value and that Super Mario 3 Complete Series set, that one sells for $9-10 shipped.  I would sell that one by itself and reduce the price on the rest of the lot to about $10 or $15.  It will still take months to sell at that price.

Also, why are you running auction format? Nothing you are selling is appropriate for auction format.

[onefootflippers]

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@casey-86 wrote:

I figured with so much going digital now that physical movies would gain some more interest. It doesn't seem to be as much of an interest as I thought it would be. Its clearly a very oversaturated market right now. There was a deal at a local flea market where you could buy 8 DVDs for $5 and I should've just picked out the ones I wanted to keep for myself instead of thinking of resale value online.

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The exact opposite. 1000 times a day yet another person realizes they haven't actually played anything on a physical disc in years and they then donate all their DVDs to Goodwill. From there they hit the secondary market where a variety of people try to sell the things to the ever decreasing number of interested people. They are so cheap in fact that any serious collector can fill their entire house with the things in short order.

[soh.maryl]

Hard to figure out why any just ordinary individual would buy such a large lot of DVDs.

[onefootflippers]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Hard to figure out why any just ordinary individual would buy such a large lot of DVDs.

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I had little success in selling common titles in lots even when they were 50 cents each and all of the same genre.

[chapeau-noir]

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@casey-86 wrote:

I figured with so much going digital now that physical movies would gain some more interest. It doesn't seem to be as much of an interest as I thought it would be. Its clearly a very oversaturated market right now. There was a deal at a local flea market where you could buy 8 DVDs for $5 and I should've just picked out the ones I wanted to keep for myself instead of thinking of resale value online.

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This is actually true, but for certain titles. The ordinary bog standard stuff that is streamed - watched once and forgotten - or was popularly issued on DVD isn't going to move. It's like trying to sell best sellers. There are movies and shows which are of definite interest to individuals who want to have their own physical media to watch at their leisure more than once, complete a set, hard to find, unusual genre, etc. The problem is knowing what those DVDs are, and unless one is a real cinemaphile (I have one in my house), it may not be worth the time to try to separate those out - that depends entirely on the seller's level of interest. I used to sell a lot of DVDs and even more VHS, but now I sell them selectively (I don't have any running right now in case whoever that was runs and looks 🙄 ) and from our own library (i.e., the household cinemaphile).

I advise against auctions and NO reserve - the latter not only costs money, but buyers really hate them (as a seller I don't see the point in them, either).