How much are donated DVDs and CDs worth?
Updated , edition 2026.1
Donated DVDs and CDs are generally worth $2 to $5 each: $4 to $5 like new, $3 to $4 in good condition, $2 to $3 fair. VHS tapes and vinyl records run about $1, cassettes 50 cents. Blu-rays and box sets have no published figure, so you value them from sold listings. 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
DVD, CD and other media donation values by condition (each)
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 DVDSource 2 for DVDSource 3 for DVDSource 4 for DVDSource 5 for DVD |
| CD | $4 to $5 | $3 to $4 | $2 to $3 | Source 1 for CDSource 2 for CDSource 3 for CDSource 4 for CDSource 5 for CD |
| Blu-ray | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
| VHS tape | $1 | $1 | $1 | Source 3 for VHS tapeSource 8 for VHS tapeSource 9 for VHS tape |
| Vinyl record (LP) | $1 | $1 | $1 | Source 2 for Vinyl record (LP)Source 3 for Vinyl record (LP)Source 10 for Vinyl record (LP) |
| Cassette tape | $0.50 | $0.50 | $0.50 | Source 3 for Cassette tape |
| Box set or TV season set | No guide prices this one. Enter your own figure and keep the evidence for it. | |||
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. Back to the full chart of donation values by item, or add this to a list. Got a receipt for this? Check it.
Count yours
Set a count and a condition on each line for a total range you can print, link to, or save.
255 pieces, suggested total
$755
Supported range $655 to $855
- $250 or more in one drop-off generally needs a written acknowledgment from the charity. What it has to say
- Over $500 of noncash gifts for the year generally means Form 8283 goes in with your return.
- This is fair market value, not tax saved. What it is worth to you
Photograph them before they leave the house. DeductiBee keeps the count, the condition, the photo and the value together on your iPhone until April. A counted batch is one entry; free for 20 new entries a year.
How this range was derived
The Salvation Army and Goodwill both publish $2 to $5 per DVD or CD. We split that band into three condition tiers. Agrace and Catholic Charities print the same or lower figures.
The dataset record
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.
The same rules apply to every item: how the values are built. Want a different condition? Look up this dvds and cds in the value tool.
- Like new
- Sealed or played once, case unbroken, insert crisp.
- Good
- Played, light surface marks, complete case and artwork.
- Fair
- Plays, but the case is cracked, the insert creased or the disc visibly scuffed.
What drives the value of 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 the same band, VHS tapes and records at about $1 each, cassettes at 50 cents, 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 Goodwill and the Salvation Army say DVDs and CDs are worth
Charities print one band and leave the condition to you. The tiers on this page are how you pick a point inside it.
| Guide | DVD | CD | Records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | $2 to $5 | $2 to $5 | not listed |
| Goodwill Industries International | $2 to $5 | $2 to $5 | $1 |
| Agrace | $2 to $5 | $2 to $5 | not listed |
| DeductiBee 2026.1 | $2 to $5 | $2 to $5 | $1 |
What a box, a shelf and a box set are worth
A box of 60 DVDs in good condition at about $3.50 each comes to about $210 ($180 to $240). Under $250 for one gift, a dated receipt plus your list is enough.
A full shelf clear-out of 120 DVDs and 80 CDs in good condition, 25 VHS tapes and 30 LPs comes to about $755 ($655 to $855). That is over $250 in one gift, so get a written acknowledgment listing counts by format, and over $500, so Form 8283 Section A applies. It is the shelf the counter on this page starts with.
A TV season box set has no published row. Check sold listings for that set. With no comparables, Goodwill's fallback of 30% of the original price is a starting point: a $40 set is $12. It runs high for a used set.
Discs and records worth more than the row
Criterion and out-of-print titles, steelbooks, sealed first pressings and collectible vinyl are not thrift-band items. Value them from Discogs or eBay sold listings, not asking prices, matched to the item's condition grade, and keep screenshots. IRS Publication 561 treats comparable sales as the evidence for fair market value.
A large record collection is one group of similar items for the appraisal test, so a collection claimed above $5,000 in total needs a qualified appraisal even if no single record is worth much.
Donate, sell, or recycle?
A $3.50 disc saves about 77 cents in tax at a 22% bracket, and only if you itemize, so a $10 sale wins. Run your own numbers in the tax savings calculator.
Libraries, thrift stores and schools take discs in good condition. VHS is often refused, and a refused item is not deductible. Scratched discs belong in a disc-recycling program, which earns no deduction.
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 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.
- ValuesBook donation value: what each donated book is worth in 2026Hardcovers $1 to $3, paperbacks $0.75 to $2, children's books $0.50 to $1. Count a box by format and condition, get a cited total, see when Form 8283 applies.
- ValuesHow much are donated video games worth for taxes?Donated video games run about $3 each on Goodwill guides, consoles $20 to $50. Sourced ranges by condition, when a title is worth more, and what to reset first.
- ValuesBoard game donation value: what a used game is worth for taxesA donated board game is generally worth $1 to $3, about $2 in good condition. Card games, chess sets and puzzles by condition, plus when a game is worth more.
- ValuesStuffed animal donation value: about $0.75 eachUsed stuffed animals are generally worth $0.50 to $1 each for a 2026 donation. Total a bag by condition, see who accepts used plush, and what receipt to get.
- 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 DVDs and CDs
Do DVDs and CDs get the same value?
Are VHS tapes worth anything?
How do I value a vinyl collection?
Can I deduct DVDs donated to a public library?
Is a box of DVDs one item or many?
Can I use what I paid for them?
Are Blu-rays worth more than DVDs?
Can I deduct donated DVDs if I take the standard deduction in 2026?
What should the receipt say?
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 .
- 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 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 .
- 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.
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