Value of discontinued dvds...

[dvdlover]

Let's say a DVD has been out for a few years, but then a superior special edition is released with better picture quality, more features, etc. and the older version is discontinued. Obviously this happens all the time.

Some people don't care about buying another version. However the people who do buy the newer version would probably throw away the older version (or try selling it) because frankly what's the point of having a dvd, if you own a much superior one. However, do you think that all these dvds that are discontinued because of a better re-release will eventually gain value like in 10-20 years because they are rare and unavailable?

What do you normally do when you update a dvd with a newer superior version? Do you throw away/sell the old inferior version, or do you keep it because it's going to become rare? Is there any advantage of keeping the older ones, or maybe it's only in certain cases?

[Mac]

I've rebought twice.

The first was upgrading from X-Men to X-Men 1.5 because I bought the first used anyway, so it was kinda scratched. I gave the older one to my friend.

The second is Daredevil to Daredevil: DC. Since the DC has virtually no special features, I'll be keeping Daredevil. I liked the DC though. Better.

[Scottish Punk]

I don't think any "old" dvd will be a collectors item. I don't think cd's will be collectors items either. This is for two simple reasons.

1. Unlike tapes/albums, dvds and cds don't go bad nearly has often. So good copies stay around for a long time.

2. These items were mass produced and there won't be shortage of them anytime soon.

[EM3]

I give mine away when I upgrade. Friends love freee DVD's and a lot don't care if there something new and better out there.

[Surf Monkey]

Originally Posted by dvdlover

However, do you think that all these dvds that are discontinued because of a better re-release will eventually gain value like in 10-20 years because they are rare and unavailable?

Well, I'm inclined to think that we're heading towards a speculation bubble like the one that nearly killed mainstream comic books (though on a much smaller scale since DVD speculation isn't nearly as out of hand.) The value of a DVD is reflected more in the quality or uniqueness of the content than the rarity of the disc itself. One of the hard lessons of the comic book speculation frenzy was that, no matter how rare a book is, if the content isn't unique in some way the value will never appreciate.

Additionally, 'rarity' is vastly over estimated by the general buying public. In the field of books (I was an antiquarian book dealer for a few years), an edition must have a run of less than 5k to be considered 'scarce' and a run of under 500 to be considered 'rare.' The reason is this: 500 books in circulation mean that you'll be hard pressed to find a copy anywhere, 5000 books in circulation means that you'll be able to find one if you look hard enough and anything over 7 - 10k is enough volumes that you'll probably see a copy at one or two bookstores in your city.

This same theory applies to DVD, though the market for discs is larger than the market for books. A DVD print run of 7 - 10k should probably not be considered rare and the fact of the mater is that very few DVD releases (including special limited editions) have print runs smaller than 50k.

So the point is, consider the quality of the material before considering the rarity of the disc itself.

Originally Posted by dvdlover

What do you normally do when you update a dvd with a newer superior version? Do you throw away/sell the old inferior version, or do you keep it because it's going to become rare? Is there any advantage of keeping the older ones, or maybe it's only in certain cases?

I sell my old copies to the local CD store where they give me about 7 bux per disc (more or less depending on the title.)

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by Scottish Punk

I don't think any "old" dvd will be a collectors item. I don't think cd's will be collectors items either. This is for two simple reasons.

You obviously don't collect CDs. There are many, many OOP titles that fetch high prices. They have dropped somewhat thanks to the Internet and sites like eBay, but there are many, many extremely rare CDs out there.

The same will happen with DVDs, there will be alot of crap that no one cares about, and several diamonds for people to seek out.

In this case though, you will find niche collectors. The original Showgirls release might be sought out by Showgirls fans for the EPK that wasn't transferred over, but you are talking about a very small population.

Film Fans | DVD Collectors | Bad Movie Collectors | Showgirls fans.

People will be more interested in the superiour product; for the most part and with so many copies available, the prices shouldn't sky-rocket. Unless of course the DVD was pressed in extremely small quantities, and there is a large fan base.

[limacharliewhiskey]

There's a good chance several DVDs will go up in value when they stay OOP. There's not much demand now because the DVD market has existed for only 7 years.

But the titles that will likely go up in value are those that have special features or footage that is unavailable on any other version.

Could the original Alien Legacy box set go up in value? Possibly, but there won't be many buyers since the Quadrilogy is superior in almost every respect.

As a true collectors item, you may have to wait 20 years, when several of these items are OOP, and after many people may have lost or discarded these early discs, then there may be a demand that gets created.

It's hard to figure out the collector's market. But then again, I was able to sell some old Mariah Carey CD singles (from her 2nd album, I think) that I picked up for $5 each when they came out, and they went for $45 and $65 on eBay recently. OOP, and most everyone else either discarded or lost their CDs.

Lots of DVDs are starting to go OOP, as studios are concentrating on releasing new and future titles, but then it really all depends on the demand of the DVD. I mean, you really can't sell any Vanilla Ice CDs for more than a buck these days.

[interfxrence]

surf monkey has it down -- listen to the man! ebay and the internet has certainly changed peoples values on things, and definitely wrecked the meaning of rare. on the other hand, it just depends on what your definition of valuable is. as far as i'm concerned, if i make a penny more than what i've paid for an item, i'm pleased... but i will also admit to making anywhere from 10-30x more than what i've paid (that being cds and records... and i don't mean one or two times either)... i will also have to add: it depends on the title.

[plissken99]

It's rare for a DVD to go up in value, but it happens. Like Swamp Thing, it went oop because they used a version that included a nude scene with Adrianne Barbeu. I sold my copy on Ebay for $50... and got the R4 version for $9, same scene intact.

Of course if a better version comes out, the previous is almost always worthless in the DVD world. I order Close Encounters of the Third Kind back when they announced it was going out of print, and they accidentally sent me two copies. So I put the other copy in a drawer waiting for those Ebay prices to go up. It's been a year, and I still see the same edition at Best Buy, not the 1 disc version they release, but the same 2 disc edition!

I would guess we'll see some of this in the transition to HD-DVD. For example, I paid $100 for Highway to Hell on laserdisc on Ebay. And thats a crappy little movie that can't possibly have a following of 100,000 people, yet I had to pay that much against other bidders! I had auto search running on Ebay for over 2 years for that item before one was finally listed(it was even new/sealed). Needless to say, the second I see a release date for it in any region, it's going back on Ebay.

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by plissken99

And thats a crappy little movie that can't possibly have a following of 100,000 people, yet I had to pay that much against other bidders!

I had no idea it was worth so much, I have that LD too.

[leeving]

I paid $150 for the original dvd of ReAnimator off ebay....then 6 months later the "new, improved version" came out.

I also think some studios look at how much oop titles are going for to judge if there is a market for a new release. but not always.....look at Salo.

and i bought my Swamp Thing after the recall at Chumbo.com for $20 bucks.....and I really only wanted it because it was recalled.


Lee

[johna599a]

This may sound like a dumb question, but I am new to all of this. The terms OOP, MAR and OAR have been used alot in reference to get the right disk or this movie just went OOP or is only available in OOP. Also some say it is a good thing or bad thing that its only available in OOP, etc.

What is all this ?

Thanks in advance.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by johna599a

This may sound like a dumb question, but I am new to all of this. The terms OOP, MAR and OAR have been used alot in reference to get the right disk or this movie just went OOP or is only available in OOP. Also some say it is a good thing or bad thing that its only available in OOP, etc.

What is all this ?

Thanks in advance.

OOP = Out Of Print

MAR = Modified Aspect Ratio (i.e. pan & scam)

OAR = Original Aspect Ratio (i.e. widescreen)

[KSC2-303]

Generally, old DVDs only have a value if:

a) they are no longer readily available at most retail outlets
b) The old release has material not available on the "superior" release

Why in God's name, for example, would you buy the old Anchor Bay release of "Dawn of the Dead" (Which if memory serves me, I sold for 70 bucks) when a superior in every way DVD is available for 15 bucks anywhere you go?

On the other hand, there might be an extremely small niche of collector's willing to pay a lot for the old Anchor Bay release of "Day of the Dead". Sure, the new version has better extras, a/v, packaging, and is readily available, but some purists and/or people with a lot of disposable income are willing to pay quite a few bucks because the old version has the original mono audio track, whereas the new release has a Japanese 5.1 DD track that has for some completely fucking crazy reason dubbed the word "right" over some (not even all) uses of the word "shit".

In either case, the value went down because there are better, cheaper alternatives for 99.9% of the potential buyers, and the .1% knows it, so why pay $70 for a product no one else really wants but you, the small minority hardcore collector?

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by Notoriousaurus

I had no idea it was worth so much, I have that LD too.

Yep, it's ultra rare.

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by plissken99

Yep, it's ultra rare.

Yours isn't like some WS version I don't know about is it? Mine is P&S.

[Surf Monkey]

Originally Posted by KSC2-303

Generally, old DVDs only have a value if:

a) they are no longer readily available at most retail outlets
b) The old release has material not available on the "superior" release

Don't forget, the movie itself has to have merit. The 90s Disney remake of That Darn Cat is never going to have any great value, no matter how scarce or rare the DVD. On the other hand, the original Slingshot Video release of A Boy and His Dog went OP very quickly and rose in value significantly. Bad movie = bad investment.

[Notoriousaurus]

Originally Posted by Surf Monkey

The 90s Disney remake of That Darn Cat is never going to have any great value, no matter how scarce or rare the DVD.

Hey there buster. Do you like... ACTION? Do you like... ADVENTURE? Do you like... CAT? Well, if the answer is no: then I suggest you go to town and trade that dollar in for some sense. But if the answer is yes with a capital "Sir" - then I guess you should come on over and watch THAT DARN CAT! It is fun. It is a laugh-riot. If you eat before you watch: you're gonna have a fit! And if you don't eat before you watch: you'll get hungry.

And I DO mean hungry. This movie is long. It is also good. It is also a laugh-riot. I would say that it is the bomb but it does not blow up at the end.

Now people want to know what it is all about- so I will say now. That darn cat is about a cat. A darn cat. A darn cat that does stuff for fun. Like wear silly glasses. Or skateboard up a ramp. Or solve crimes. I mean HOW CRAZY CAN YOU GET?

Anyway, this (or that) darn cat gets into a jam that it can not get out of. It solves a riddle. Gets chased by a man. Gets chased by a dog. And gets chased by a dogman on a skateboard. At the end it solves the riddle again, and we all laughed.

The star of the movie is named That Darn Cat. The other star of the movie is named Doug. E. Doug. He is the one on the box without the glasses. CAN YOU IMAGINE? What a star.

Another part I liked is when that cat rode the skateboard. Faster, cat! Faster!

[plissken99]

Originally Posted by Notoriousaurus

Yours isn't like some WS version I don't know about is it? Mine is P&S.

Same as mine. It shocked the hell out of me, I'd been searching for 2 years for it, so I immediatly entered a huge amount like $500 just to be sure, I was pissed when it ended at $100.

I'm pretty sure this movie has never been available in widescreen, in fact I think the pan and scan is actually open matte. I have a widescreen display, and when I play it with the top and bottom cut off, it's perfectly framed, and hides a few flaws, like the blue matte at the bottom of the screen when the car jumps into the cave towards the end.

[johna599a]

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

OOP = Out Of Print

MAR = Modified Aspect Ratio (i.e. pan & scam)

OAR = Original Aspect Ratio (i.e. widescreen)

Thanks Monterey Jack !

Now I better understand these discussions.