What are donated DVDs and CDs worth?
Physical media is priced by format and sold by presentation, so the case and the artwork matter nearly as much as the disc inside.
- Typical value, good condition
- $3.50
- Published range, good condition
- $3 to $4
What a donated dvds and cds is generally worth
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DVD | $4 to $5 | $3 to $4 | $2 to $3 | Source 1 for DVD |
| VHS Tape | $1 | $1 | $1 | Source 3 for VHS Tape |
| Blu-ray Disc | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | Source 8 for Blu-ray Disc | ||
| CD | $4 to $5 | $3 to $4 | $2 to $3 | Source 1 for CD |
| Vinyl Record (LP) | $1 | $1 | $1 | Source 2 for Vinyl Record (LP) |
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price.
How this range was derived
Published: salvation-army-donation-value-guide "DVD" $2.00-$5.00; goodwill-gii-donor-valuation-guide "DVDs" $2-$5. Consolidated by lower median to L*=$2, H*=$5; tiers split at 0/35/70/100% of the span per CITATIONS.md 3.4-3.6. Two primaries agree exactly; corroborated by agrace-thrift-donation-value-guide "DVDs" $2-$5 and catholic-charities-thrift-valuation-guide "DVD's" $2 (fixed price). CORROBORATION 2026-08-04 (registry pass, no values changed): smbiz-valuation-guide-charitable-contributions "DVDs" $1.00-$4.00. All registered corroborating, so per CITATIONS.md 3.3 they do not enter the L*/H* consolidation and the published range above is unchanged.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated dvds and cds
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
A disc is judged on its playing surface. Fine radial scuffs are usually harmless, but a deep circular scratch, a cracked hub around the center hole, or delamination showing as pinholes against a light all mean it will skip or refuse to load, and a disc that does not play has no value. Discs stored loose in a wallet accumulate exactly that kind of damage, which is why a spindle of bare discs is worth less per title than the same films in their cases.
The case and its artwork are part of the item. Original case, cover insert, and any booklet are what let a shop shelve it, and a title in a generic sleeve sells for less or gets binned. Box sets and multi-disc collections are the exception worth flagging on your list, since they are shelved and sold as one product rather than as their disc count, and an incomplete box set is worth close to nothing.
Format is the biggest single driver and it is not intuitive. Our sources price DVDs and CDs in comparable bands, VHS tapes at the bottom of the group, and publish no range at all for Blu-ray. Vinyl is its own world: condition is graded on both the sleeve and the surface, an audible warp or a ring-worn sleeve changes the price sharply, and a collectible pressing needs recent comparable sales rather than the row.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Photograph the stacks with spines readable so the count and the formats are both visible, and take one shot of a representative disc surface. Count by format on your list, and note box sets and anything you priced off comparable sales separately. Have the receipt state counts by format rather than a single line for media, which is the version that is impossible to explain a year later.
Like new generally means still sealed or played once, case unbroken, insert crisp. Good means played, light surface marks, complete case and artwork. Fair means it plays but the case is cracked, the insert is creased, or the disc is visibly scuffed. Discs that skip, cases with no artwork, and tapes with damaged shells are below Fair and generally are not deductible.
Items people log as a dvds and cds by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
Blu-ray discs
Our sources publish no range for Blu-ray, so it shows an honest blank rather than borrowing the DVD figure. If you value one, use recent comparable sales for the title and condition and keep the listing.
Vinyl records
Its own row, and the only format here where the sleeve is graded alongside the disc. Common pressings sit on the row; sought-after ones need comparable sales, and a warped record has no value at all.
Video games
Discs and cartridges for consoles are valued in the games category, not with movies and music, and their bands are different. A game disc filed on the DVD row understates it.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the books and media section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
- ValuesBooks and media donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much are donated books worth?What donated books are generally worth by format and condition, how to count boxes of them without guessing, and when a title needs comparable sales instead.
- ValuesHow much is a donated pair of jeans worth?What a donated pair of jeans is generally worth, why denim is priced above other pants, and how to tell like new from good on a pair you actually wore.
- ValuesWhat is a donated winter coat worth for taxes?Fair market value for a donated winter coat, why a coat and a jacket are priced on different lines, and what evidence supports the condition you claim.
- ValuesHow much can you deduct for a donated T-shirt?What a donated T-shirt is generally worth, how it differs from a blouse or a sweatshirt in the published guides, and when a tee is too worn to claim.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a dvds and cds
Do DVDs and CDs get the same value?
Are VHS tapes worth anything?
How do I value a vinyl collection?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill Industries International (compiled list, republished by member affiliates)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Thrift Store Valuation Guide
Catholic Charities Maine (Catholic Charities Thrift Store)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide
Agrace (Agrace Thrift Stores; Wisconsin's largest nonprofit hospice, Madison/Janesville WI)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Charitable Contributions
Small Business Taxes & Management (A/N Group, Inc.), ISSN 1089-1536
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors (single average price variant)
Goodwill Industries International (single-value variant; copy hosted by Goodwill Industries of East Texas)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my donation worth?
Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago (Goodwill Retail Services, Inc., Tax ID# 39-2040239)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Publication 526 (2025), Charitable Contributions
Internal Revenue Service (U.S. Department of the Treasury)
Methodology. Sets the standard the values have to meet. Never a source of dollar figures. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide
Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
A dvds and cds is rarely the only thing in the car.
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Same numbers, offline
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Condition on the record
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