Moving to condo soon -- best way to safely "downsize" collection?

[Member-152329]

Hi all,

my partner and I are looking to buy a condo within the next month or so, and chances are it's going to be a smaller unit. While it's possible we might opt for a bookshelf and just stick our hundreds of movies on that, I think we may have to "downsize" the collection so that our home isn't overflowing with movies.

As I see it, we have three options (assuming we cannot just fit them all on a shelf):

1. Select "key" movies for display (Criterions, cartoons, favourite movies, etc.), while storing the rest somewhere else (under the bed, at my parents' place, in our storage locker, etc.)
2. Place the discs in paper sleeves and have the sleeves in some kind of storage bins (maybe something like this), and put the blu-ray/dvd cases in storage
3. Place the discs in a binder case, and put the blu-ray/dvd cases in storage

From what I understand, placing discs in anything other than their cases poses some risk for the disc. Would this same risk exist using the paper sleeves?

And if anyone suggests the paper sleeve or disc binder route, do you have any specific brands/products to recommend?


Thank you!
mookoo

[Martin Schwarz]

I was in the same situation many years ago with VHS and DVDs because I was also moving. I sold most of the movies back then and today I deeply regret it, despite the fact that Blu-ray is a significantly better and higher quality format. But some movies still haven't been released on it and probably never will be. As we get older, we tend to become more sentimental and nostalgic. In other words - what you cannot imagine today may one day become a reality. It is possible that one day you will move to a bigger apartment or house and you will regret, like me, that you do not have a complete collection.

So if I can, I recommend keeping all films in their original cases. Storing in paper sleeves is best avoided. Personally, I have tall storage cabinets in my apartment, but I only use the lower part of the cabinet for daily necessities such as clothes or accessories. The higher parts are almost up to the ceiling, so a chair or ladder must be used. Such parts of the cabinet could be used for a part of the collection that does not need to be seen on a daily basis. Maybe you can come up with a similar strategy in your new apartment.

[LexInHD]

Staples seems to have disc binders on clearance right now. I picked up two 128-disc binders for $15 a pop. They also sell the Really Useful Boxes 17L/18L (stacking) plastic storage boxes that are designed for storing CD/DVD/Blu-Ray/UHD-BD and I have a bunch of those that I keep my collection in. I'm sure that you could combine those two storage items and find a solution that works for you, without downsizing your collection.

[TheGoldenGunman]

While no longer produced, I found the the Discgears storage boxes work great. They don’t leave the surface of the discs in contact with anything, so no chance of scratches, are very sturdy, and assuming that you hang on to the cover art, you can always reverse the downsizing process for minimal cost down the line. You can pick them up at the usual online locations for not too much money.