Paul Arnette

Hi all.

I've searched a bit for a thread that focused on this topic, but I never really found one that fit the bill to a 'T'. While there are a lot of threads that ask if other people have considered cutting back on their DVD purchases, no thread really explores how people go about weeding out their collections once they have decided to do so. That is what I would like to examine here.

Around the beginning of this month, I had nearly 1000 DVDs, and it occurred to me that in the future I would like have a smaller collection filled with quality movies, quality being a relative and personal determinant of course, versus a large quantity of films. I want to have 'the essentials' and free up funds for other pursuits and better home audio/video equipment down the road (e.g. Blu-Ray, HD DVD, and a new DTV, my current one is approaching six years old).

I've made several passes through my collection and gotten rid of a lot of the 'low hanging fruit', DVDs that were just no-brainers in my mind to get rid of, but now the choices get harder, and I imagine they will only continue to get more difficult. I'm a rules-based kinda guy. I like to have order in my life, and I'm looking to try and establish some that'll help me to buy less, rent more, and get my collection down to a nice 'fighting weight'.

So far I have found that re-watchability is a good determinant in theory, but what consistutes re-watchability? Once a year? Once every two years?

Unlike others TV on DVD never did a whole lot for me. I suspect that one of the reasons for this is the huge time committment involved. This time committment also makes re-watching TV on DVD difficult. So, while I love shows like Scrubs, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons, I have found myself getting rid of them.

While it is easy to get rid of film you hate or dislike, I somtimes find myself trapped by arbitrary rules I've made for myself like collecting all Disney animated films or all the works of a certain director. This completist menality is truly a PITA and something I need to break free of. However, is it simply enough to like a film to own it. I'm starting to think I need to really like or love a film to make it worth my time and money to own it.

Perhaps I am over-thinking all of this, it wouldn't be the first time. But I do wonder, when your collections get too unruly for you, how do you weed them out?

xfilekr

I recently tried to trim my collection a little (at about 1020 now) by pulling titles that I picked up cheap and never watched and blind buys I wouldnt bother to watch again. I've been trying to be more selective in what I buy (less blindbuys) rent more and only buy stuff after its been out for awhile and goes onsale for $10 at CC or Netflix.
It's a tough battle though, one day you really want to conserve space, get rid of stuff ,and have a tight collection, other days it seems like anything that can go on the shelf is a new part of the collection, lol.

Damed

What do you all DO with the titles you "weed out"?

yeldarb367

I often think back to when I bought the DVD. Did I really want it that bad, or was it just a good deal?

I also find myself getting rid of DVDs that everyone has. This might just be because I'm a college student and live with a lot of people. Examples include Family Guy, Ferris Bueller, Office Space, etc.

I agree with your thoughts on TV sets, but not the ones you chose to get rid of. In my opinion, comedies tend to have more rewatchability compared to dramas.

The resell value may also come in to play. If you're only going to get a few dollars for it, you might as well keep it. But if it is a sought after DVD of a movie that you can live without, then sell it.

Cinemaddiction

* Upcoming upgrades
* Titles I can just rent when I want to see them
* Impulse buys
* Movies I can't rent, but want to see atleast once

This is usually a bi-weekly thing for me. I always make room for bigger and better titles.

Paul Arnette

Unless I know that a particular title is rare and/or OOP, once I have decided to get rid of a title, I generally do the following:

1) Look it up on dvdpricesearch.com in order to see what the lowest price is for the title new

2) Look it up on half.com to see what other sellers are selling the title for depending on the condition of the DVD, generally either Brand New or Like New.

3) Once I do this, I do the math to determine what I could sell it for and still have it be the cheapest option on either half and/or e-tail.

4a) If that amount is $7 or less, I generally trade it in for credit at either DVD Planet or Wherehouse or

4b) If that amount is $7 or more, I generally list it on half.com.

5) If it doesn't sell on half.com after awhile, it gets traded in per 4a above

If the DVD is rare and OOP, then I try to sell it accordingly on half, eBay, or Amazon.

Currently, I am mulling over getting rid of a lot of unopened Walt Disney Treasures, but the market is so flooded with the non-tins on half.com, I am afraid it will dilute the price of the tin versions I am trying to sell.

BassDude

I'm only at 620ish and haven't felt the need to weed out. I'll give away double dips and such, but as long as I have the room for the films, I'll keep them.

My completist illness has to do with Best Picture winners and AFI Top 100 films. I won't stop until I get all of those, and that means I own some movies that I actually dislike. But I compare it to collecting spoons or shot glasses. Ya may not watch the movie more than once, but ya don't use the spoons in your collection to eat off of either. And ya may have to collect some states (or whatever) that ya just don't like.

Altimus Prime

I'm about 25 away from 200. Once I get there, I'm going to be pretty cautious about buying much new stuff, just because what I have now seems overwhelming to me. And by the time I reach 200, given my current housing, I'll be out of convenient storage/display space.

I don't want my "collection" to overpower my living room, or my life. A lot of stuff I've bought because I either like the flick, obviously, or have nostalgic feelings or some kind of "bond" with a movie. That buying is almost over. I hope.

Adding new stuff is going to be rare. Again, I hope.

nemein

Whenever I'm about to hit a new "50" mark I go through and pull out about 20-30 titles that I haven't watched in awhile and rewatch them. If I still like it I put it back on the shelf, if I don't it goes into the pile of things I've "upgraded" since the last time I weeded out the collection. All in all I ususally get rid of around 20 DVDs everytime I do this.

As far as actually getting rid of them I just dump them at the local library and take the tax write off (usually $10/DVD as a base and then a little higher or lower depending upon whether it's a box set or a "cheap" DVD).

tonymontana313

I'm not much on impulse purchases or blind buys so I've never really had the need to weed out my collection. I've gotten rid of double dips that I give to family members but other than that I've never looked at a dvd I purchased and feel compelled to get rid of it.

gryffinmaster

Ehh? Wow.

JOE29

What I do is, the ones that I don't want anymore or the ones that get a Special Edition remake later on I trade back in at a local store and they give me credit and then I use that to get more DVD's. That'll weed out alot of them that way.

Paul Arnette

While I am sure that reducing the number of impulse and blind buys will limit the amount of prunning needed, I've also found that my tastes are changing and that what I bought years ago no longer holds the appeal it once did. I have also found that purchases based on nostalgia often can be equally as dangerous.

nemein

The MSRP is always higher (usually about double) than what I claim and I keep pretty good records in case I ever get hit by an audit Of course it's not cash in hand but it's also a LOT easier than dealing w/ selling it over the net and trade-in/cash places always try to rip you off.

The Void

Last week I went through my collection of almost 600 to try and clean out some junk I didn't want. I looked for titles I upgraded, want to upgrade, or that I don't like.

I came up with 27 that fetched an ok price at DVDPlanet. Their quote added up to about $145. It cost me about $5 to ship them. I'll probably spend the $145 on Criterions.

That is the most I got rid of at once. I've given a few away recently as well.

Adiras

Every once in awhile I'll get into a "minimalist" mood and start looking at what I can get rid of. I normally consider how many times I've watched the dvd, how likely it is I'll watch it again, and whether I want to keep it becuase I REALLY like it, or because I got swept up in the hype of collecting. I'll sell them on half.com or go to a local music store and trade them in.

illini420

I also donate my cheaper titles that are too much of a hassle to sell. I too claim a deduction for 1/2 of the MSRP. I also keep records of the full MSRP for insurance purposes in case of fire or theft.

Mikael79

I've been very lucky on my blind DVD buys, mainly because I have a few sites who's opinions I trust and generally share. With that said, I've never actually weeded out any DVDs I've purchased, unless it was due to the fact that I'd purchased a better version.

Whenever I get better versions of DVDs, I have a few friends who happily take my older versions, so that works for me.

speedyray

I weed out blind buys and cheap DVDs I pick up trading them to DVDPlanet. I really keep most of my titles because you never know when you are going to be sitting around and want to see a particular title. My watching goes through shifts - for example one week it may be all war movies and the next all sci-fi. I find that if I weed out war movies during a sci-fi time that when I get back on a war kick I will regret something. That is why I have purchased Thin Red Line twice. Luckily it did not really cost me anything to get it back. Since I seldom pay more than 7-8 for any title it is often a matter of not worth the hassle of selling or trading unless I am certain I will never watch it again.

visitor Q

For me it's simple ..

1) Blind buys gone bad
2) Double dips (though, I've kept quite a few)
3) Revisitation

Since I'm somewhat of a moody bastard (it's a curse, I know), I often rely on 3 before I get rid of anything. I've rewatched quite a few films and changed my mind to keep them after subsequent viewings. If nothing is there after the second time, I dump it off into the sell pile. Right now, I'm at about 40 out of 670 to sell off.

Having an interest in foreign films and without the access of rentals, blind purchasing almost becomes an essential. Generally I'd say about 90% + of imports are kept .. and that number has increased over time as I've become more selective. But, that unfortunate reality will always be there when importing.

JasonF

What is this "Weed out" you speak of? I've sold DVDs where I double dipped -- for example, as soon as I pick up the recent John Wayne/John Ford set, I'll get rid of my old copy of the Searchers. Beyond that, though, I keep it all. This policy is largely driven by my wife, who insists that size (of DVD collection) does matter.

Brent L

I have a collection of 900+ and I go through it every now and then and pick out titles that I don't want to keep anymore. I think to myself, "is this something you'd miss at all if you didn't have it in the first place", and if I can say no to that, I plan to unload it.

Here lately they've been going straight to our very own IamLegend.

TylerDurden_73

Everytime I hit 800 DVD's I try to weed out. I've hit 800 three seperate times...but...I'am always finding about 200 or so to sell off. The bad news...i just hit 800 fairly recently and am late for a spring cleaning.

taa455

I don't like to get rid of anything I spent good money on. I'm really careful about what I buy and don't feel the need to weed out anything.

Numes

Family Guy? Office Space? Even if all of your roomates have those, what happens when you graduate? Those are titles that have extremely high replay value, IMHO. Keep them in a box in your parents attic.