Questions regarding Kids VHS tapes

[ltldpr]

1.  I can't test them but none of the other listings for the same tape/episodes reveal whether or not theirs work either. I also would not be able to tell if someone did the old switcheroo and returned a broken one in place of my functional one.   Should I reveal that I cannot test them?
2. I have 3 that are the infamous Dr. Seuss. I searched and only came back with "books" that were posted about here in the forums and they are 2 year old posts. Do VHS tapes fall into the same category as books when it comes to "banned"? Do VHS tapes fall into the same "existing stock" that some people were saying made selling the books okay? Can I list them?
3. Are other VHS tape sellers sticking these into bubble envelopes in order to get the cheapest Media Mail shipping price? I don't know how safe that is going to be, but putting them in a box is going to raise the shipping price. How are other sellers packaging VHS tapes that they sell - either individually or in a lot?

Thanks!

[ltldpr]

After reading that, I can put them in Collectibles as Used. They're from the 80s and 90s, and are considered collectibles, at least imo.

Baby, Collectibles, Crafts, Dolls & Bears, Health & Beauty, Pet Supplies, Toys & Hobbies

• New: The item is brand new, unused, unopened, and undamaged (including handmade items). See the seller's listing for full details
• Used: The item was previously used. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections
• Digital Good: A digital asset that is delivered electronically, including Non Fungible Tokens (NFT)

[chapeau-noir]

I can't see people trying to defraud over Dr Seuss VHS's, but then again, the world is filled with odd people.

[onefootflipper1]

I have never once tested a VHS tape, DVD or Blu Ray and have had zero issues selling them. Not one complaint ever.

Most massive media sellers don't test anything at all. The margins are low enough as it is, and unless you watch the entire tape you have no idea if it has a bad spot somewhere.

[a_c_green]

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@ltldpr wrote:

These tapes, about 25 of them, were left at a house that was deemed for demolition and we got the salvage contract.

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My first thought was that you should probably put them back in the house, but let's continue... 😁

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@ltldpr wrote:

I'm in no way getting into the VHS tape reselling business lol. I just have a paper bag full of them at the moment. I also have a small case of 8-track tapes from a different job, and a box of cassette tapes from yet another job, that I can't test either. 

I'm going to take all the suggestions into consideration and list them in similar lots, like you and others have suggested. Only odd man out is the sealed Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. He'll be listed separately I think.

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Yes, the sealed Thomas title will probably do better than the others. I dunno about those cassettes, but I suspect they would not generate much more interest than the VHS tapes, unless you have unearthed some super-rare title in nice condition. A quick scan through the Completed/Sold listings for each title will most likely show a lot of listings but few sales, but you never know...

The 8-tracks might be a different story. Acoustically and operation-wise, they're worse than cassettes, but I find they're somewhat popular with car restorers to play in their vintage cars with the original 1960s-era tape players. In addition, upscale vintage home stereos from the same era were able to record on 8-tracks as well as play them back, so it's possible to re-use an unwanted 8-track title to record other music onto it for use in your car. Many years back, I nabbed an Audiovox home 8-track recording deck (i.e. a separate component unit, like a cassette deck) at a church rummage sale, and have kept it carefully stored for occasional use.

I agree with the others that it's probably best to just list the items in bulk (or at least small groups). Just be sure to itemize each title in your description, so that searchers will find them in the event that someone is going after something specific. Beyond that, though, your time is probably worth more than what it would take you to list titles individually.

[gamersbaystore]

Never list VHS tapes for sale that you haven't tested. Always check the tapes, as they could have been recorded over.

With VHS tapes, looks can be deceiving. What you might think is a movie might be someone's family reunion, or something more nefarious.

Another reason you want to test your tapes is because picture quality fades with each and every use. Tapes that were played many times will have a faded, low quality picture.

Likewise, never store your VHS tapes near anything magnetic, such as speakers. Magnets can cause the metal particles on the tape used to store video to rearrange, in turn causing degradation of the video quality.

As for shipping, I simply wrap the VHS tapes in bubble wrap and throw them in a bubble mailer.

[fm2000]

As someone who sells VHS, here is some advice.

If you list a tape with the same title as those Dr. Seuss books eBay has banned, the listing will probably be taken down automatically by a bot, without human intervention, so whether it is a tape or a book won't matter. (eBay takes the ban on those books very seriously.)

Look up the value of those VHS tapes. They are probably not even worth selling... but they MIGHT be worth something, maybe. Look them up first. If they don't sell for $10+ or there are tons of them already listed, don't bother. (Some VHS tapes have value, some are worth a fortune, but most, like most books and vinyl records, are worthless, it takes knowledge and research to make money selling them.)

If you decide to sell them, examine your tapes carefully. Use a magnifying glass and look through the windows of the tape. You will be looking for mold. If you see any white specks that look like mold, throw them out. About 25-50% of tapes in the wild are infested with mold. Flip the lid of the tape up (little button on the side releases it.) Look at the tape. Are there any large wrinkles or creasing? If so, it might have been chewed. Also note the condition of the sleeve (creases, crushing, discoloration, rental stickers etc.)

Do not mail VHS tapes in bubble envelopes! They MUST go in (small) boxes with adequate padding. Especially newer VHS tapes, which were made with very thin cassette shells that can shatter like crackers if subjected to any impact. Wrap them in plastic to make sure they are water-resistant too.

VHS tapes can absolutely go media mail, and you would have to send them that way to make any money unless they are reasonably valuable.

[chapeau-noir]

It's blank media they were saying can't go media mail, which is true.

Agree with you about inspecting those tapes and the brittle cases. I worked with tape for years when I was in documentation because that was the storage medium we used, and tape breakage, folding, etc. was pretty common, and our tape wasn't even old. Also there's no telling how those tapes were stored.

[gamersbaystore]

I've shipped hundreds of VHS tapes in bubble mailers, never had a problem. I just wrap them in bubble wrap for extra padding. I would agree the cheaper constructed tapes should be shipped in a box though.