chuckd21

I stopped buying DVDs blindly about two years ago because my DVD collection had gotten out of control (3,000+ titles). Since about a year ago, the entire collection has been in storage. In that time, I realized that I just don't need THAT many DVDs, so this weekend I starting pulling the boxes out and bringing them home to weed through.

When I started I was excited that I'd be reducing so much clutter, but as I went through each box, I found myself just staring at them, unable to really decide on what to get rid of.

So those of you who've done this... what makes you decide what movies to keep and which ones you can do without? I have a definite pile of movies that are my absolute favorites that I'll watch over and over again. Those are no brainer keepers. But then, for example, I get to a movie like Malice... a movie I really, really dug when I saw it and wanted to own, but haven't watched since that initial viewing.

So, advice anyone? I know there are some obvious solutions, but I'd just like to hear from some others who've gone through this process at some point...

Jaymole

My process is simple, I ask myself the question "Will I ever want to watch this again?"

If the answer is yes, then I keep it.
If the answer is no, then I sell it.

riotinmyskull

is the only reason you're doing this because of lack of space? if so then i'd suggest (though i don't really support it) using the drawer/sleeve type of storage option.

chuckd21

No I'm doing it because I'm trying to get out of the collector mentality. I'm not knocking it, it's just that after a year of not having these things around, I realize how much I don't really need them.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I talked to some lady that goes to people's homes to help clean and organize their stuff. People always say they need to keep something but never use it. We all have that stuff.

What she does is take that stuff, put it in a box, and place it in the attic or garage. If they don't open the box for 6 months then you take the box, without opening it, and just get rid of it. You don't open it because then they'll see the stuff and "need" it all over again.

Since you've had the stuff for a year without touching it, the easiest way to get rid of them would be to let someone you know, and that would have a decent idea of how to sell them, to go take the stuff and sell it for you so you don't need to see it and start needing it all over again.

drmar35mm

My rules of thumb are simple. If I buy a DVD (or CD) blind and don't like it, or I am indifferent to it, it goes in the sell pile. (I usually save sell items for a garage sale I do most every summer.) Movies that I respect but don't want to see again also are sold. If it's something I love (or even just enjoy) that bears repeated viewing within a reasonable period (say, every 3-4 years or sooner), it stays. The desire for repeated viewing is key.

Trevor

I admire people who can break out of the collector/packrat mentality.

My experience has been that if I give up collecting one thing, I'll just replace it with another. So I'm just going to stick with buying movies, even though I get occasional thoughts like the OP here.

But still, even with perhaps 5000 DVDs, I follow Jaymole's advice. Even though I realistically we never watch/re-watch every DVD I own, I plan to. And even if I don't watch them, my friends and family get use out of them. I could never own just my 100 or so favorites. I like being able to watch anything, or at least a sampling of any genre, at a moment's notice.

Renting isn't a good option for me. #1, I average about $4 per DVD, and renting is about that price if not more. #2, well, I really don't need another reason given the first.

FantasticVSDoom

I would say get rid of all of it... If its been sitting in storage for a year now, you obviously dont really have any use/need/want for it so I would sell it all.

rw2516

If I have trouble making up my mind whether to keep something or not, I'm better off keeping it.

Giles

^ I like your thinking

jjcool

Agree with both of these suggestions. I dont follow either, but if you want to pare down the collection, this is the way to do it. Definitely have someone that knows you sell the stuff, so you dont have to look at it. They may also keep soem stuff that they know you really love.

GenPion

If you've never seen it before and there is decent resale value I'd sell it. Just remember to keep all your favorites. The rest is entirely up to you... you can keep or sell what you like.

The idea of getting someone else to help you sell stuff who is indifferent to the collection is a good option too.

MrE

Here's another suggestion: Get a friend with has similar tastes to pull the ones he wants to watch. You can always have a last looksee to see if there are anymore you want to keep. Then sell the rest.

Brian Shannon

The same thing that makes me decide what to buy, I only spend money for those discs that I like to watch repeatedly. I have been buying since the very first dvd release of Blade Runner and I have not crossed 400 discs yet.

Trevor

That gives me an idea.

My mom has a player, but no movies. I might give her a small bookcase and a couple hundred of my double dips and what not. Things I want to save, but don't need immediate access to. More space for me, instant classic library for her.

jjcool

I've been sending my double dips out to my sister for years. Now when I go visit her, I know she has some decent dvds to watch.

toddly6666

Bravo! I'm proud of you. I'm always happy to see DVD collectors break out of their obsessive-compulsive buying problem. Good job! Here are some ways of getting rid of movies:

1. Ask yourself will "I want to watch this movie once every 1 to 2 years?" If it's a no, get rid of it, you should have just rented that movie.

2. Ask yourself, "Did I buy this movie just because the DVD cover, extras, video/audio quality was so awesome?" Get rid of those - that's a "suckered by marketing" buy.

3. If you see a movie in your collection that makes you sort of cringe and you have to remind yourself why you have this DVD in your collection, get rid of it! Those were just impulse buys. Maybe they were movies you loved after seeing it once, but soon forgot about them. As you scan across your shelves, and you see a movie you just would not want it to be on the shelf, get rid of it!

4. For future DVD-buying, just buy the single-disc versions. Do you really want to know about the "making-of" on every single film? Just get those super editions for the movies you love. I know it's tempting to get the 2-disc version or the 3-disc version with the digital copy because of a little bit more extras or a nicer DVD cover, but just stop doing that. Ultimate DVD editions have the same poor resale value as their 1-disk versions anyway. If you buy a dvd now and plan to sell it, expect pennies for it.

5. Get rid of the fair films in those trilogy packages. Maybe you get nervous thinking about breaking up your trilogy film dvds? You don't have to buy Godfather 3, Back to the Future 2 & 3, Superman 3 & 4, Blade 3, Batman 3 & 4, Jurassic Park 2 & 3, or Scorpion King & Mummy 3. Don't get suckered by movie continuity. If the movie sucked, the movie sucked. Just buy the one good film in that trilogy.

6. Ease up on buying TV on DVD. That's a way of ruining a show. Sometimes it's just nice to watch a tv show on tv. Only buy your all-time favorite tv shows that you can watch over and over again. Avoid tv series with tons of seasons. It's easier to watch short-seasoned tv shows on DVDs than shows with tons of seasons and endless hours...So get rid of those Season sets...

7. Don't buy DVDs if you see them very cheap. I've seen used dvds now selling for $1 to $10. That still seems like a steal. But it's not worth it to fill up your collection with DVDs that you didn't really originally want for regular price. So, get rid of the dvds that you bought because they were so cheap. People are greedy and love bargains! Don't sacrifice your DVD collection for that human weakness of ours!

8. Think of the all the movies that you would have no problem lending. Sometimes we lend DVDs to our friends and family and they keep them for ages without watching them. If you don't miss them, get rid of them. If you get antsy and miss them, then those are the ones you want to keep.

9. As a test, put all your dvds in storage. Let some time pass, and for the ones that you feel that you miss or really start getting antsy for, bring those DVDs back on the shelf.

10. Do not put any order to your DVDs on your shelf. Mix everything up. Sometimes DVD collectors get attached to the categories and the order. Mix all genres together, don't alphabatize them. Just mix them all together at random on the shelf. Maybe you can weed out DVDs that way as well. When a movie you don't really like that much is all by itself and not in its genre on a shelf, it may be easier to get rid of. It's nice to see all the Star Wars movies all lined up together - you get that nice warm feeling, eh? Well grab those prequel Star Wars dvds and isolate them from "their section" and from themselves. See how you like "The Phantom Menace" dvd in between your "Raging Bull" or your Criterion DVDs. It may make you think "what am I doing with this crappy Star Wars flick?"

11. Find out what movies your friends and families want to see, and just give them those DVDs. Don't worry about it if you are lending it to them or giving it to them. Just give it to them without thinking too much about it.

12. Get rid of DVDs in which you wouldn't like watching without your surround sound set-up. You may be buying DVDs just for the DD 5.1 or DTS aspect as well. If you can enjoy the Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies on TV using your tv's stereo or mono sound, then those DVDs are keepers.

13. Be careful with falling in love with certain stars. I've been in phases where I was in love with Marlon Brando, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Raquel Welch, Pam Grier, Monica Bellucci, Jessica Alba. And you feel like you want to see all their movies, so you end up buying them, even their sucky films. For example Pam Grier and Raquel Welch are probably the hottest women from the 60s and 70s, but there is really no need to own their dvds because their movies are so bad. (I got rid of my Pam Grier DVDs, and I'll probably soon get rid of Kansas City Bomber and 1,000,000 BC).

14. And just as in point #13, be careful with falling in love with genres. I saw a couple great martial arts films, and then I went out and bought all the Shaw Bros DVDs. There really aren't so many great films in each genre. Just stick with the great rewatchable ones. The others may be entertaining, but not really memorable or need to be watched again (Shaw Bros martial arts films for example)


I hope this helps you! It's helped me somewhat with my dvd buying problem as well!

Giles

that's my sin.

Trevor

That would be more expensive for many of us. (Should be more expensive for all of us, if you're using this site right.)

orangerunner

My rule of thumb about weeding out DVDs that I no longer want is easy;

It's the TV channel flipping test. It doesn't apply to all films necessarily but it's a good barometer of what you really like and what you're neutral about.

I ask myself, if I were watching TV and just flipping aimlessly through the channels and come across a film that I have in my collection, would I stop flipping and watch the movie or continue flipping & find something else to watch?

If I stop and watch it, it's something I will want to hang onto.

If it's a movie I can't even be bothered to take glance at, even though it's so easy to just stop flipping channels, I can do without it.

If I can't be bothered to watch it while flipping channels, I'll be even less inclined to turn on my DVD player and plug in the disc.

It's so easy to get carried away buying bad movies simply because they're $2.99. You think to yourself "Hey! That's cheaper than a TIME magazine, I'll buy it!" Eventually you end up with a ton of movies you never watch. Ask yourself; If it was $9.99, would you buy it? If that answer to yourself is "No". Don't buy it.

beebs

I assume you are talking about the price of rentals. Rental costs are cheap if you include kiosk rentals as an option. Redbox rentals are $1 for new releases. Blockbuster in my area is .99-1.99 for stuff over 6 months old.

toddly6666

huh? I meant it's better and cheaper to rent a movie that you will not watch over over rather than to buy it. A lot of collecters rationalize their buying by saying they will get their money's worth if they watch an owned dvd at least 10 times in their lifetime (if a dvd costs 20 dollars, then it's like renting it ten times for 2 dollars each)...

Rammsteinfan

I just got done getting rid of over 250 dvd's this past month. I did the "Have I watched this more than once or twice since I bought it?" If not then I dumped it or if it was going to be on or is on BD then i got rid of it to upgrade later on. Basically if you havent watched it or wont, dump it.

Trevor

Redbox's selection is pretty awful. In the context of this thread I think we're referring to people with fairly large libraries. I doubt any of us would find even ten items worth renting multiple times in a redbox kiosk. You're lucky if you have a good selection of classics at 99 cents at other places. I think most people pay more than that to rent.
I'd rather own a title for $4 than rent it. For the most part, I do rent films that I think I only want to watch once.
You missed my point and text earlier. You can own every film on DVD for about $4 each on average, using CH, Big Lots, bargains found here, used, etc.

I was stating that I'd rather own forever than rent once when we're talking basically the same price.

I'd completely agree with you if DVDs really cost $20.

GenPion

Don't get rid of your entire collection. Keep that in mind, okay? Because I'm pretty sure you would regret that. Just get rid of some of the excess.