[bkmartin]

It might now seem that way, but when you can put those things into a second hand shop for $1-$5 a piece someone's DVD, or CD collection can become quite valuable when its abandoned. Some people did/do store hundreds of cd's, dvds, and the like. A unit could have a thousand dollars(in real secondhand market value) of merch very easily.

[josefresco]

Do CD's/DVD's not have this value anymore? I could CD's being phased out, but DVD's are still entrenched. Maybe with online streaming (Netflix) DVD's too are going away? I would think this would be a lagging indicator though as I can see many storing their DVD's now that streaming is an option.

[yardie]

CD's don't and never really did. If you bring in an early CD (like from the 80s) you can get a nominal amount because CDs were rare then. If you bring in a CD from the last 10-15 years they are nearly worthless. Most shops ended up shredding the extra.

DVDs have a bit of crazy market. Some distributors (Disney and Criterion especially) do a short limited run. The 2nd hand stores rely on these gems in a big box of junk to make profit.

[WalterBright]

I've attempted to sell DVD's and CD's. Once you factor in postage, time, etc., it's cheaper to just throw them away. Or give them to the thrift store.

[vxNsr]

Yup, there's a reality TV show [0] based on the premise that these units can hold real value.

[0]storage wars