4k UHD has made DVDs and Blu-Ray basically worthless (1 Viewer)

[TheMovieDude]

I'm looking to sell my existing Blu-Rays on ebay so that I can upgrade to the new 4k UHD editions and it seems the value of many films has dropped significantly. For one example, Cool Hand Luke BR is selling Brand New for $5-10 on ebay which makes it basically impossible to make any money off a used BR.

DVDs are still the most popular format on the market but popular titles are selling for next to nothing due to the overabundance on the market: there are simply too damn many of them out there. So, like BR they are worth next to nothing.

Meanwhile 4k UHD are selling for $30 and up and the studios are forcing us to double dip with their sneaky tactics.

The result? We end up buying the DVD, the Blu-Ray and then the 4k UHD over time without being able to get rid of the previous version wasting both space and money.

 

[Bryan^H]

To be fair, BD has always been pretty much worthless. I've been looking to sell nearly 2,000 on E-Bay for a few years. My estimate is about $400 for all of them, leaving me to hold onto them for a bit longer, hoping someday they might become "collectible". But I doubt it very much.

That being said, my 4K collection should bring a good chunk of change when I sell it.

 

[TheMovieDude]

To be fair, BD has always been pretty much worthless. I've been looking to sell nearly 2,000 on E-Bay for a few years. My estimate is about $400 for all of them, leaving me to hold onto them for a bit longer, hoping someday they might become "collectible". But I doubt it very much.

That being said, my 4K collection should bring a good chunk of change when I sell it.

The only time they actually gain value is if it goes OOP

 

[Robin9]

"Worthless" is a value judgement. In the open market most people, who anyway don't collect discs, value second hand DVDs and Blu-ray discs as worthless. In my house the market itself is worthless. My collection of discs however has an enormous value.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

My wife has been selling my DVDs and BDs as I upgrade. She tries to sell on FB Marketplace or Next Door with local pick up first, as that avoids eBay and PayPal fees. If she gets no bites there, then she goes the eBay route. While most titles go for $5 - $10, occasionally one goes for more if it's out of print or is a TV series. It gets them off the shelf, which is the main goal. We are trying to get rid of stuff as we get older, as we may downsize our main home at some point now that we are retired and going between two homes.

 

[Jeffrey D]

What I do is, when I upgrade to UHD, I give away the old DVDs and BluRays to my friend, who will either keep them, or find others who can make use of them.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

What I do is, when I upgrade to UHD, I give away the old DVDs and BluRays to my friend, who will either keep them, or find others who can make use of them.

I would do the same, but none of our friends or family want discs.

 

[John Dirk]

Meanwhile 4k UHD are selling for $30 and up and the studios are forcing us to double dip with their sneaky tactics.

Forcing??? How's that?

The result? We end up buying the DVD, the Blu-Ray and then the 4k UHD over time without being able to get rid of the previous version wasting both space and money.

That may be the result in your case but it's not universal by any means. My view is, "not all 4K releases are created equal." For new discs [when I do bother buying them] I only buy 4K. For catalog titles, I only upgrade when there's a compelling improvement in either audio or video. Even then, I'm only interested in effects or action-driven type discs for 4K. Dialogue-driven titles are fine in 1080P for me. I've also [finally] accepted the direction the industry is going, virtually eliminated disc purchases and am aggressively migrating to online and streaming options.

I do understand your general frustration but this has never been a budget-friendly hobby.

 

[JohnRice]

Yeah, the entire concept of being “forced” to buy any media is baffling to me.

In the end, whenever I buy any media or electronics, I consider the money spent to be gone for good, in exchange for the enjoyment I will get from the product. It actually makes no sense to look at those things and see retrievable money. If you do, then some fundamental lessons on basic economics is in order. That money is gone. Anything you might get back from it is a bonus, but not to expected.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

Don't think I'll see many 4K UHDs of titles I'd be interesting in buying, though. Wish that weren't the case.

 

[dpippel]

I've had almost no trouble selling Blu-ray discs on the used market when I upgrade a title to 4K. Some are, of course, worth more than others, but I usually make a minimum of $4 or so profit, and sometimes much more than that. I donate those titles I can't sell to my local public library. If a 4K release includes a digital copy and I want to keep the physical disc, I'll sell the digital to take the sting out of it a bit.

I find it to be a satisfactory arrangement. I would say that anyone buying a disc release who expects it to hold much of its value, or even appreciate, is tilting at windmills. I've never considered my disc collection a financial asset, any more than I'd consider a movie ticket to be one. It's a hobby I truly enjoy, and the cost is worth it to me.

 

[TheMovieDude]

I've had almost no trouble selling Blu-ray discs on the used market when I upgrade a title to 4K. Some are, of course, worth more than others, but I usually make a minimum of $4 or so profit, and sometimes much more than that. I donate those titles I can't sell to my local public library. If a 4K release includes a digital copy and I want to keep the physical disc, I'll sell the digital to take the sting out of it a bit.

I find it to be a satisfactory arrangement. I would say that anyone buying a disc release who expects it to hold much of its value, or even appreciate, is tilting at windmills. I've never considered my disc collection a financial asset, any more than I'd consider a movie ticket to be one. It's a hobby I truly enjoy, and the cost is worth it to me.

What marketplace do you sell on? Also if you read the fine print on the paper, selling the digital copy is technically illegal.

 

[dpippel]

What marketplace do you sell on? Also if you read the fine print on the paper, selling the digital copy is technically illegal.

Yes, technically, but everyone does it anyway and there's no will within the industry to enforce it. I sell physical copies mostly on local FB groups and will go to eBay if need be. Digital copies are sold mostly right here at HTF.

 

[TheMovieDude]

Yeah, the entire concept of being “forced” to buy any media is baffling to me.

In the end, whenever I buy any media or electronics, I consider the money spent to be gone for good, in exchange for the enjoyment I will get from the product. It actually makes no sense to look at those things and see retrievable money. If you do, then some fundamental lessons on basic economics is in order. That money is gone. Anything you might get back from it is a bonus, but not to expected.

Obviously they're not forcing me to do anything but I "feel" forced because I want and need to own the definitive version of these films not matter what. When I finally pull the trigger and buy the Blu-Ray and a week later they release the 4k UHD it's one of the worst feelings you can have as a collector. Forced may not be the right term.....Violated? Shagged? Used? I definitely feel "something" and it's NOT good.

 

[DaveF]

I think disc-collecting wisdom is that anyone who loves to buy lots of discs and also suffers upgraditis, owes it to themselves to follow industry reporting and rumor mill to minimize risk of buying an old disc days right before a new version is released.

 

[TheMovieDude]

Forcing??? How's that?

I've also [finally] accepted the direction the industry is going, virtually eliminated disc purchases and am aggressively migrating to online and streaming options.

I'm speaking more to collectors of physical media in general as opposed to streamers but see what has happened? The studios have basically "forced" you to give up collecting physical media and convert to streaming now because you don't want to deal with all of it. 4k UHD discs are the definitive version of these films 99% of the time and streaming is inferior to physical media.

 

[TheMovieDude]

I think disc-collecting wisdom is that anyone who is loves to buy lots of discs and also suffers upgraditis, owes it to themselves to follow industry reporting and rumor mill to minimize risk of buying an old disc days right before a new version is released.

I do but no one has a clue what Criterion will be releasing next except Criterion. It's a crap shoot. You're literally playing the lottery every time you buy a BR b/c the 4k could be announced next month. It just happened to me with Punch Drunk Love.

 

[Matt Hough]

I can assure you: my disc collection is not worthless. Last year, after Hurricane Helene, I lost internet for almost a week rendering my streaming collection worthless at least temporarily. My disc collection (and it is composed of DVDs, Blus, and UHDs) kept me happily entertained for the entire time of the outage, and that's what it's there for. When I want to watch any movie I love and have collected, it's there at the ready for me. That's not worthless; that's priceless! I bought them not as investments but as fodder for my movie whims.

 

[Douglas R]

I've got DVDs which I haven't felt "forced" to upgrade to Blu-ray, so I very rarely feel the need to upgrade my Blu-rays to 4K - The Searchers being one of the exceptions. I don't think of my collection as a money pit, in fact when I want to get rid of discs I prefer to take them to a charity shop rather than have the hassle of selling them for not much.

 

[OttoIsHere]

I've got DVDs which I haven't felt "forced" to upgrade to Blu-ray, so I very rarely feel the need to upgrade my Blu-rays to 4K - The Searchers being one of the exceptions. I don't think of my collection as a money pit, in fact when I want to get rid of discs I prefer to take them to a charity shop rather than have the hassle of selling them for not much.

I think that is the best attitude to have. For my perspective, most of what I bought last year were Blu-Rays with both some 4K-Ultras and DVD in the mix. That's mostly due to the very fact that a lot of the media I view (mostly 60' - 70's movies & TV shows) simply haven't been issued in 4K-Ultra and many never will be (especially with the TV shows on DVD that will most likely never make it to Blu-Ray).


I view any physical media purchase as a low-priced luxury consumable. I don't "need" to buy any physical media, I just enjoy having it on the shelf so I can watch it whenever I want; a complete luxury. To me it's the same spend as going to a movie theater or having a martini in a bar (which these days can easily be the price of a single Blu-Ray or 4K-Ultra, depending on the title of course). In reality it is money out the window.