If you're like most people, you probably have a closet full of VHS tapes that you want to watch or record to a DVD or even to your PC. Odds are that you either have a defective VCR, or no VCR at all. This means that you are likely looking for a working VCR, which can lead to a long and hard hunt.

The good news is that you can still buy a VCR - just perhaps not as easily as you could with DVD or Blu-ray player. A lot depends on your budget. If you are looking to spend only $5 or $10 on it, you should be prepared to invest a lot of time searching for one. There are solutions that can end your search today if you're willing to spend at least $100.

Why trust our opinion?

We at SpenCertified buy VCRs for a living, so we know exactly how and where to obtain VCRs. We've bought VCRs from many avenues over the years, and there are plenty of pros and cons to each of these solutions.

Your biggest concern when considering any of the options below should be whether or not the device actually works. Many people selling these things aren't completely familiar with how a VCR works, which leads to them saying that it works, when in reality all it does is power on. Sometimes a device could appear to fully function but has minor defects that you won't notice until you fully use the device.

Some defects you may never find out about because you also aren't familiar with how they work. For example, the picture quality could be bad and you may not notice because you haven't watched a VHS tape in so long, and you just think, "VHS was this bad? I guess so." Then you go on to transfer all of your tapes to digital or DVD, never knowing that the picture quality could have been better had you gotten a working VCR.

What should you do if you buy a defective VCR?

If you end up buying a defective VHS player, you will need to accept the fact that that's "the nature of the beast."

Or rather - that's what sellers typically think. I once bought a brand new (in the box) VCR that I later found to be defective, and the seller told me they couldn't refund my money or accept a return because I already opened it, and so the value of it was much lower. Basically, before even purchasing, you will need to keep in mind that there is a good chance that what you are buying won't work and you should be prepared for that. This is where the saying "you always get what you pay for" comes into play.

What if I order it online somewhere, and it arrives defective?

When shopping on eBay, Amazon, Esty, and similar sites, keep in mind the shipping aspect. Most sellers will pack your item using questionable packaging and pack it into a box that is too small. This leads to parts getting damaged in shipping. Often when things do get damaged, the seller will give you the run around. Some will ask you to drop it off somewhere for inspection, some will accuse you of lying, and others will ask you to return it for a refund, then charge you a restocking fee. If you care enough to ask eBay customer service to step in, they will usually get you the full amount refunded, but you will often need to work for it.

Here is a list of 12 places you can buy a VCR from. They're ordered based on price, with the cheapest solution first:

1. Yard Sales / Garage Sales / Estate Sales

This is going to be a hit or miss option. You can find VCRs at garage sales, but it's a little rare. If you go to 20 yard sales, you will probably find yourself one VCR.  At every yard sale you go to, you should ask if they have a VCR. You would be surprised how many people will go into their house and pull out a VCR that they didn't even think anybody wanted! You might get a range of prices from $2 to $200. From our experience, if the seller says it works, it will work roughly 3 out of 10 times.

2. Thrift Shops

Thrift shops are kind of odd. In some states, you can find a VCR at every thrift shop, and in other states, you can forget about even looking. I'm confident that it comes down to the local population count. If there is a higher local population, you will probably have better luck; smaller cites and towns will be a bust. When it comes to working VCRs from thrift shops, 2 out of 10 will work. Be sure to test it there as many thrift shops don't accept returns!

3. Pawn Shops

Most pawn shops stopped accepting VCRs a long time ago, so this one will be slim pickings. About half of the VCRs from pawn shops will fully work.

4. Facebook Marketplace

This is going to be your most reliable local option. In order to sell on Facebook, you are required to have a Facebook account. This means you can view the seller's personal profile before buying if you feel like doing so. Since sellers have their personal account available for your viewing, you can assume that they will operate with a higher level of integrity. Sellers here are slightly more willing to work with you when compared to other outlets. About 6 out of 10 VHS players and recorders will work from Facebook marketplace.

5. OfferUp

This solution is very similar to Facebook Marketplace. Since it's local, you can check out the condition of the VCR you want to buy first. About 5 out of 10 will work here.

6. Craigslist

There isn't much available on Craigslist these days as far as vintage electronics go, although it never hurts to check. About 4 out of 10 will work from here.

7. Mercari

You can find video cassette recorders on here, but their return policy is as shady as they come. If you buy anything on here, remember to unbox and test the item the MINUTE it is delivered. You have 48 hours after the time of delivery to make sure the item meets your expectations. Once the 48 hours are up, the app will assume you are happy with your order and leave positive feedback for the buyer. Only about 2 out of 10 VCRs function as stated.

8. eBay

eBay is the first place that many people will go to check for a VCR. You will find many different options ranging in price and quality. They can range in price from $20 with free shipping up to thousands of dollars. About 5 out of 10 VCRs will function as stated when shopping on eBay.

9. Etsy

Etsy is similar to Mercari. If you're going to buy on here, check out the seller's reviews and rating before you buy. About 5 out of 10 will work as described.

10. Amazon

Amazon is basically a glorified eBay. Amazon uses a variety of independent sellers to fulfill orders. Most of the sellers that are on eBay are also on Amazon. With Amazon, you will get eBay quality for a higher price. If you check the reviews that were left for their VCRs, you will have a hard time finding a VCR that has more than 3 stars. These reviews are more so a service review than a product review. Most of the reviews will tell you that the VCR didn't even work upon arrival. About 6 out of 10 VCRs will work as stated.

11. Walmart

Walmart is the same thing as Amazon. You will find very similar reviews and many of the same sellers. Their prices range along those of Amazon's, but usually a little higher. You won't find any VCRs in their stores, but you might order one online for delivery to your house. About 5 out of 10 VCRs will work from here.

12. SpenCertified.com

SpenCertified is going to be your best option for buying the best quality. The prices will often be higher than other sites, but not always. You can get a fully-functional VCR for as little as $69.99 plus shipping, and it will come with a 6-month warranty. We also have a customer service team available to you for help selecting the right VCR and setting it up. Our prices are higher, but we can guarantee that you can get it done right the first time and not have any back-and-forth with random people just trying to make a quick buck off of you.

We SpenCertify / Refurbish all of our products. We clean the heads on our VHS player recorders and make sure they are fully ready for you to just pop in a tape and watch your video. We do occasionally have damaged shipments, but they are far rarer compared to others as all of our products are packed extremely well. If one of our VCRs does get damaged in transit, we always replace it no questions asked, and we do have hundreds of replacements available for you to choose from.

Can I Buy a New VCR?

VCRs stopped being manufactured in 2016. You can now only find new old stock options. We've bought about 15 VCRs that were advertised as new, and about half were actually new. The other half were people either neglecting to check inside the box for its actual condition, or just trying to pull a fast one. Some of them were actually extremely scratched up. If you are lucky enough to find a new VCR, keep in mind that there is a 50% chance that it is in fact not new. You can buy a new VCR from any of the places listed above. The cheapest you will find one will be around $200. You can almost always find a new VCR on our website; the cheapest we will have a new one for is about $400.

Why are VCRs no longer manufactured? 

They stopped producing VHS players because there isn't the same demand as there used to be. VCRs will probably never be manufactured again. But this shouldn't concern you much, since even if they did manufacture them again, they would likely be cheap plastic and not as high-quality as you are used to.

Why is it that most used VCRs do not work?

There are quite a few factors that come into play. Here are a few:

• Sellers may be unfamiliar with the equipment and can't properly test it.
• Sellers don't have VHS tapes to test the equipment.
• Sellers think since it worked last time they used it, it still works today.
• Some sellers think they can get away with saying it works, when they know it doesn't. Unfortunately, most of them do get away with it.
• The person they bought it from says it works, so they assume it does too.
• These machines are fragile - one jolt could damage or misalign a gear.

Speaking from the experience of buying thousands of VCRs myself, no matter where you go, about half of what you find that is supposed to work, won't work. Unless you shop with us of course. Keeping our order defect rate as low as possible is the most important thing to us. We test every single VCR before we ship it, and we package it extremely well, so you can be sure what you get is what you paid for.

Conclusion

Even now that we're a couple decades into the 2000s, there are still plenty of options when it comes to finding a VCR. Some options can lead to an intense search, but if you get it from us, you won't need to waste any time. If you do decide that shopping around at yard sales or on Offerup is worth the risk to you, we encourage you to try it out. You may get lucky and buy exactly what you want for an awesome price. If it doesn't work out, we invite you to come shop with us and consider a trade. Depending on the VCR you find locally, we may be able to work out a trade that earns you a free VCR in exchange for the broken one you were able to find. We hate seeing VCRs go to waste, so if you have a broken one that you are looking to throw away, don't! Contact us first - we'll want it!