Selling DVDs UK: musicMagpie versus Zapper, CeX, Ziffit and Momox

MusicMagpie is all over the TV, advertising the fact that it will pay for your old DVDs. However, there are plenty of other alternative sites that do the same from CeX to Zapper. But which offers the best price?

Back in 2011, we did some research into how much cash you could raise selling old DVDs to a website that was getting a lot of publicity: musicMagpie. The title of the article says it all about how impressed we were: musicMagpie: the worst way to sell DVDs?

Since that article, musicMagpie's exposure has continued to grow, mainly thanks to a sustained advertising campaign. And rivals have also sprung up, including the likes of Ziffit and Zapper.

So we’ve decided to give musicMagpie another go and see if it is still the worst place to sell DVDs.

MusicMagpie

MusicMagpie allows you to cash in on your old CDs, DVDs and computer games as well as electronic items like tablets and laptops.

To start selling your DVDs you just enter the barcode from the box on the website, and it will give you a quote for how much cash it will trade for. There’s also a mobile phone app which allows you to scan the barcode, making light work if you’ve got loads to shift.

You’ll need a minimum of £5 worth of stuff to complete an order. To send your items you can print off Freepost labels from the site or book their free courier service. Once they've been checked you'll get paid by bank transfer or cheque.

Given the guy on the musicMagpie advert talks about getting a cheque for £50, the £5.50 total we’ve amassed isn’t very inspiring.

Earn up to 5% from a current account

Ziffit

Ziffit allows you to sell your old books, games, DVDs and CDs.

Like musicMagpie you just need to enter the barcodes to get an instant value or download the app that allows you to save time and scan them in.

You’ll need a minimum of 10 items or items worth at least £5 to complete a trade. Then you just have to pack them up and either use the free courier or use the Collect+ drop-off service. Then it’s just a matter of waiting for a payment direct to your bank account, PayPal account, cheque or charity of your choice.

Ziffit offered a total of £7.89 for the collection of 15 DVDs, paying 43% more overall.

CeX

Computer Exchange (CeX) has been around for over 20 years and has stores on the high street where you can buy, sell or exchange DVDs, CDs and games as well as all sorts of tech products like mobile phones, tablets and games consoles.

You can see what CeX is willing to pay for your DVDs online by inputting barcodes. CeX will tell you the cash value it is willing to pay and the alternative CeX voucher value you could get.

The great thing about CeX is there’s no minimum number of DVDs or values you need to hit. Like its competitors it offers a Freepost service or Collect+ drop off service. You can choose how you get your money from CeX vouchers, cheque, PayPal, bank transfer or even Bitcoin, though going for the CeX voucher gets you slightly more.

So CEX will pay more cash than musicMagpie and Ziffit for the same 15 DVDs, offering a total of £8.47. Many older DVDs like Blood Diamond and Crash were only worth 1p with CeX, but Blu-ray copies of Turbo, Star Trek and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 fetched much more than expected.

Zapper

Zapper allows you to sell books, CDs, DVDs and games as well as mobiles, electronics and even LEGO. You can get an instant value online using the barcode or use the app to scan items quickly.

You’ll need a selection of items worth at least £10 in order to complete a trade. Once you’ve managed this you just need to pack them up and send via your local Collect+ centre. Zapper will check the items and then make a payment via PayPal or cheque.

Zapper offered a total value of £7.35 for the 15 DVDs I had to offer. This isn’t great but it is much more than musicMagpie was willing to trade for. However, I would need to add more old DVDs to my basket in order to hit the minimum £10 needed to make a trade with Zapper.

Momox

Momox is another new site to take a look at, which will pay for your old DVDs, books, CDs and games.

You’ll need to achieve a minimum purchase price of £10 in order to complete a trade. Again a pre-paid sticker is provided so that you can send off your items free of charge and money is paid directly into your bank account.

So Momox only wanted 13 out of the 15 DVDs I had to sell and offered £8.77 in total, much better than musicMagpie. However, this still falls short of the minimum needed to complete a trade with the site.

Mix and match

So it’s still pretty safe to say  that musicMagpie is the worst way to sell DVDs considering what you get elsewhere.

One thing is clear – if possible, mix and match where you sell them. By splitting the DVDs up and selling to different companies, we could actually get a better return compared to selling them all to the same site.

Also remember you could get more for your DVDs by selling on Amazon or eBay. The cash won’t be instant, but you are likely to get more.

Earn up to 5% from a current account

Like making money? Read these:

How to sell successfully on eBay

Shpock: boot sale app to rival eBay and Gumtree

17 easy ways to make money in your spare time