Submitted by -Hot-Toddy- t3_126343h in pittsburgh

I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions as to who might provide the fairest price for some well kept DVDs & Blurays. I'm not expecting to make a lot of money doing this, but I imagine that some places may be better than others.

So far I've considered The Exchange & Half Price Books, but I have no experience with them so I'm not sure what to expect. I was also considering Eides, but I don't get a great vibe from them when I buy stuff there so trying to sell to them isn't a first choice.

I've got lots of newer media & items that you can't find anymore. Lots of anime, Criterion collections, & other box sets. If anyone has some other suggestions I would appreciate the advice - thank you :)

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xfocalinx t1_je7d69y wrote

The exchange is your best bet. Expect the offer to be more in store credit than real money. Also don't be afraid to counter offer!

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je7jlcx wrote

Thanks for the suggestion. I honestly don't need more stuff, so store credit isn't an option for me, but maybe they can give me a decent offer & they are very close to where I live so it might be a good place to start.

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TheCrazyWhiteGuy t1_je7uhhw wrote

I was offended with Half Price Books the last time I went to sell DVD's and will be donating them to the public libraries from now on to either lend to patrons or sell during their fundraisers, would make me feel much better than being offered something around 25 cents each DVD.

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DennisG47 t1_jebntj1 wrote

I think a quarter is on the high side from HPB. The Exchange is a little better. Craig's List is probably your best bet,

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je7znr8 wrote

Wow! That's highway robbery! I mean, I know I'm not going to make back what they cost back when, but 25 cents per isn't worth the time it took to inventory & pack them! It's starting to look like the Exchange is looking better & better.

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TheCrazyWhiteGuy t1_je968m1 wrote

Yeah, their reasoning was that nobody was buying DVD's because of covid, everyone started using streaming services.

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DennisG47 t1_jebo3bz wrote

They are absolutely right. How much do you expect them to pay for their 20th copy of The Dark Knight or Harry Potter?

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TheCrazyWhiteGuy t1_jecb9qs wrote

They can pay whatever they want, it is the cost of business. However, they will have people like me that would rather donate to someone more in need than stqnding in the shop for an hour and leaving feeling robbed. So, while they may have 20 copies of Dark Knight or HP, I doubt they have any copies of The Secret of Nimh, Fawlty Towers, or The Reduced Shakespeare Company, and now my local library has them.

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lucabrasi999 t1_je7dph5 wrote

I just gave all of my DVDs (about 50) and CDs (about 800) to a local library for their annual used books fundraiser.

Doing that won’t give you money, but you might be able to claim a small charitable tax break next year.

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Aggravating_Foot_528 t1_je7mnog wrote

You need to be able to have a lot of donations and other deductions to itemize. The recent tax changes under the previous administration raises the standard deduction so high (and capped how much local/state tax you could deduct) that most people save more money by using the standard deduction.

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je7jwl3 wrote

I was thinking about that (& it may become an option), but money is tight right now so I'll probably pursue selling them first. I've never sold anything like this before so I'm just weighing my options :)

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lisa-e t1_je7gumv wrote

eide's

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je7r2kb wrote

I was just wondering if you had a particular reason for choosing Eides. Had you sold to them before? If so, what was your experience like?

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lisa-e t1_jeargks wrote

although both Eide's and The Exchange both have a "trade for store credit" thing going on, i personally would rather use my store credit at Eide's than The Exchange because Eide's has a wider selection of things that i, personally, like.

if you're just looking for the be$t bang for your buck, i still believe Eide's is your best bet. they're all annoyingly pretentious...i get that. but they know their stuff and will give you a fair price. if you walk in with a bunch of disney VHS clamshells and expect top dollar, you'll get a hearty laugh all the way out the door. walking in with some rareties would make you a preferred customer for life.

also, and anyone from The Exchange * or * Eide's can correct me if i am wrong, i think The Exchange looks at "what did this item fetch on ebay lately?" and they'll price the item according to that. i do not believe Eide's does that. i hate when "experts" rely on ebay prices to determine value.

hope that helps!

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Enough-Pickle-8542 t1_jefxh2q wrote

eBay is the number 1 competitor to anyone selling anything used. Not sure what’s wrong with using logic to price items.

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penguinsfan40 t1_je7mcwn wrote

I’ve sold at half priced books and the exchange. Half Priced Books will accept just about everything you bring to them where the Exchange can be a little more picky. Make sure you bring your driver’s license to sell stuff.

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DennisG47 t1_jebor23 wrote

HPB accepts everything you bring but a lot of the stuff brings you about a dime. They just take the crap and recycle it. If you don't sell your stuff yourself you will get virtually nothing,

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je7qltd wrote

Thanks for the advice. I'm just curious if you preferred one over another? Does one compensation better for goods or they about the same?

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penguinsfan40 t1_je7tulm wrote

Compensation wise I think it is similar. The Exchange may try to push the store credit on you. Half Price Books will give you a cash offer and that's it. Plus any items they don't want to sell they will donate.

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yagirlbmoney t1_je7qb1c wrote

I follow a guy on Tiktok that collects DVDs. He buys a lot off of Ebay, if your willing to do the work of selling/shipping yourself. Might be your best bet for getting a fair price.

Not sure about DVDs or CDs but based off trying to sell books there, I wouldn't expect much from Half Price Books.

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swansonB t1_je9orqi wrote

I sold comics at Eide’s for a pittance.

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je9wreh wrote

Eides has never had a good vibe (they try to hide the owner from the customers, but unfortunately the staff still has to put up with him). Eides would be last on my list unless by some miracle they had a better payout than the other options. Thanks for confirming .

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saltedkumihimo t1_jeb4w67 wrote

They aren’t hiding Greg, he’s dead!

When he was alive I often saw him in the store and interacted with him. The most important thing about getting a good price from Eide’s is how rare/offbeat/interesting the items are. If it’s mostly mainstream films and bands you won’t do well there.

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_jebdy8q wrote

Yikes! I had no idea about Greg (thanks for the link). It's been a while since I've been in - I'm glad it's still operating (I've been buying stuff from them as far back as when they were in their old location on Penn before they got the big store across from the Greyhound terminal.

I may give them a try - can't hurt to see what they'd be willing to do in trade.

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MicMcDev t1_je9qzov wrote

There is a place downtown and in Dormont called Ninja Entertainment. They do trades and trade ins. Back in the day (2015ish) they used to do $.50 per DVD minimum and would give you more overall for what you have if you bring alot in.

Not sure how they are today. They usually beat out The Exchange (They had two locations close to The Exchange for that reason) by a decent margin.

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je9w8o8 wrote

That's great advice (& I just moved to Dormont about a year ago). I'll definitely look them up :)

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Corny_Toot t1_je9cj26 wrote

CD Warehouse over in Greensburg is another option if you don't mind the trip. I can't speak to whether their buying prices are fair or not, but I like stopping in there as a customer!

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-Hot-Toddy- OP t1_je9x0ly wrote

I'm originally from Greensburg (& my parents still live there). I've never tried to get rid of media this way before so hearing about this option is helpful. Thank you :)

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Corny_Toot t1_je9xfro wrote

Solid! I notice a lot of people bringing their stuff in. I believe they also donate anything they don't keep, which is a plus.

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