Going for: $15,000-$72,900 Alice in Wonderland is one of the most popular children’s tales of all time, so it makes sense that Disney’s animated version of it would make the list of the most expensive DVDs and VHS tapes in the world. One seller has their Black Diamond and Red Signature VHS listed at nearly $73,000. And hey, at least this seller acknowledges in their ad that they’ve jumped on the bandwagon. But who wouldn’t want to be on the, “let’s sell a $10 movie for several thousands of dollars” bandwagon? There are many different spins on this classic story, which was originally created by Lewis Carroll in 1865. Disney released the family’s favorite animated film in 1951, and there have been numerous remakes and retellings.
Tim Burton directed some of the most recent films, including the 2010 remake starring Mia Wasikowska. And, in May of this year, we can expect to see the live-action musical version which stars Hayden Panettiere. Maybe all with all the new buzz, it will spark an interest in the $72,900 copy of the original? As peculiar as some of the characters in the movie, this remains a tape that buyers are way more particular about when it comes to the price they’re willing to pay for it. The whole surrounding this movie’s just bizarre. Maybe we should brand this flick as a hit and miss.
Beauty and the Beast
Going for: $550,000 And you thought you’d already seen the most ridiculous prices. Nope, not even close. Beauty and the Beast may be a classic, but is a VHS from 1992 really worth half a million? The person selling it probably doesn’t think so, either, but that hasn’t stopped them from creating the listing. The worst part is, it doesn’t say there’s anything special about it other than it’s a Black Diamond Home Video edition – but there’s another one of those selling for $9,000. It also says in the description that the pictures show “the exact item that will be shipped to you,” only the pictures just show the box, not the actual tape.
If you haven’t heard all of the eBay horror stories by now, it’s not uncommon for sellers to list high ticket items and show images of the boxes. Then, when the buyer gets the delivery, they find that they only receive the box and no actual product, and eBay can’t do anything for them since the buyer will say, “well, there are photos.” It’s unfortunate, but it does happen, and think of how upset someone would be to receive an empty box for over $500,000. Even if that’s not the case and they plan on parting with the VHS, it still seems like a stretch – one that can fit around the world a couple of times.
Aladdin
Going for: $1,000,000 Yep, we really just jumped up an additional $500,000. We’re in the millions now, and at this point, I can’t say I’d really be upset if the person spending this much on a film did just get an empty box in the mail. This 1992 Disney classic is another that got a live-action remake, which came out last year and was directed by Guy Ritchie. Still, regardless of how popular Aladdin may be – there’s no copy of it that’s worth dropping $1 million on.
Still, one seller is hoping that someone, somewhere, will wake up one morning and decide that they just absolutely have to have to most expensive copy of the film in existence – even if it’s the exact same thing other people are selling for much less money. The seller included that the buyer, possibly an “eccentric millionaire,” would be changing the lives of their family. Well yeah, what family wouldn’t be slightly changed if they instantly got handed $1 million. Although with eBay final value fees, it’d probably be more like $900,000 – if they’re lucky. They’d have to be to make that sale stick, though, wouldn’t they?
The Beast in Heat
Going for: $40 The Beast in Heat is far from a family-friendly film. The movie, about a sex-addicted monster who terrorizes prisoners in a Nazi-run camp, was released in the United Kingdom in 1977. It was so controversial that it was banned soon after, hence why if you’ve got a copy, you may be able to grab a quick $40 for it.
According to the reviews (and all of the two-star ratings,), it’s actually a pretty terrible movie, so it’s probably hyped up simply because of the theme and the fact it’s about a Nazi torture camp. The film was apparently never even released in the United States, although thanks to easy international shipping methods, you probably won’t get much more than the $40 for it anywhere.
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Going for: $400 If you’re a fan of extremely disturbing movies that make you so uncomfortable that you’re forced to turn them off before your eyeballs burn out of your skull, you’ve probably seen Salò. It’s about a group of psychopaths who keep a bunch of teenagers hostage in this creepy mansion and abuse them. Yeah, it’s no wonder the film was banned in several different countries – which is probably why it’ll cost you $400 to get your hands on.
The film was directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, who was murdered in Italy under mysterious circumstances in 1975. Although someone admitted to the death, it was believed the death was a hit, due to Pasolini’s very public opposition to neo-fascist terrorism. Perhaps that leads to the price of this film online, as well.