Are Old VHS Tapes Worth Anything in the UK?

Most home-recorded VHS tapes have little or no resale value in the UK, but the footage on them is often priceless to the family who filmed it. A box of weddings, birthdays and Christmas mornings won't fetch much at a car boot sale. Turned into digital files, it becomes something everyone in the family can watch again.

Are old VHS tapes worth any money?

For the vast majority of tapes, no. Millions of films were sold on VHS, so most commercial tapes are common and sell for very little second-hand. A small number of sealed or unusual releases do interest collectors, but that is a niche market, and condition matters enormously.

Home recordings are a different story. Nobody else in the world has a copy of your parents' wedding, your first steps or a holiday from 1994. Their value isn't measured in pounds; it's measured in the people and moments you'll never be able to film again.

What makes home VHS tapes so valuable to families?

They are usually the only record of people and places that have changed or gone. Grandparents' voices, the old family home, a pet you grew up with, a school play: these are the clips families ask for again and again once they can actually watch them.

The trouble is that most homes no longer have anything that plays a tape, so the memories sit in a loft or a cupboard. Tapes also get older every year, and a tape that has been stored somewhere damp or warm can develop mould. That is why so many families decide to turn their tapes into digital files while the footage is still there to recover.

Should I sell my old VHS tapes or digitise them first?

Digitise anything personal first, then decide what to keep. Once your home videos are safely in digital form you can share them, back them up and watch them on any screen, and the physical tapes become optional.

With Tapes To Digital, VHS to digital conversion starts from £13 a tape. Every tape is played on professional converters. We do a better job, and your originals always come back, so you can still sell, store or recycle the tapes afterwards if you want to.

Commercially produced tapes are only converted where doing so does not breach copyright, so the service is really for the recordings that matter most: your own.

How much does it cost to convert VHS to digital in the UK?

Tapes To Digital charges from £13 a tape, with the price falling as you send more. A mixed order of VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, MiniDV and other camcorder tapes counts together towards the discount:

• 1 to 4 tapes: £15 a tape
• 5 to 10 tapes: £14.50 a tape
• 11 to 20 tapes: £14 a tape
• 21 to 30 tapes: £13.50 a tape
• 31 or more: £13 a tape

Each tape includes up to three hours of footage, and anything longer is £6 per extra hour. There's no charge for a tape that turns out to be blank or can't be recovered: you only pay for footage we actually get back. See our full tape conversion prices for every add-on.

Not sure yet? Send one tape first at £15. When you send the rest, your whole order is priced at the bulk rate and the difference comes off your balance.

What do I get back?

• An MP4 of every tape, ready for your TV, laptop or phone
• The archival AVI/MOV master alongside your MP4 on request, at the same price
• Your files on a USB we supply, as a download (from £7), on a USB you bring us, or on an external hard drive
• DVD copies if you want them, for £6 per disc
• Your original tapes back, every time

Most orders are ready in 7 to 10 working days from the day we receive your tapes, and sooner on request depending on quantity.

Where can I get my VHS tapes converted?

Drop your tapes at one of our four UK drop-off locations in Brixton, Watford, Southall or Farnborough, or post them from anywhere in the UK. Drop-offs are by appointment, and the exact address arrives with your booking. Posted tapes cost exactly the same per tape.

Got camcorder tapes as well? We also convert VHS-C to digital, Hi8 to digital and MiniDV to digital, all at the same per-tape price.