Frequently Asked Questions

ReelSwap is a free platform for physical video media collectors. Catalog your VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc, CED, DVD, Blu-ray, HD-DVD and 4K Ultra HD collection. Browse it in an interactive 3D shelf, and help build a community archive of real cover art.

Browse the Catalog and add releases to your Collection or Wantlist. You can also tap Add Item to launch ReelScan and scan something from your own shelf.

Yes. ReelSwap is a Progressive Web App (PWA), so you install it straight from the website with no app store needed. On your phone, open reelswap.net in your browser and choose Install ReelSwap App. You'll get a full-screen ReelSwap app on your home screen.

Every collection page has three views:

• Shelf view: A 3D gallery where you can pull a tape off the shelf and inspect it from every side. Show covers or spines, sort by artwork color, and turn price stickers on or off.
• Grid view: Large thumbnails, 5, 7 or 9 across.
• List view: A simple list, one release per row.

Click any item to pull it off the shelf. Left-click and drag to rotate it, scroll to zoom and right-click and drag to move it. Click away or press Escape to put it back.

The ReelSwap YouTube channel has walkthroughs and tips. Start with the full feature tour. (May contain outdated information)

Everything on ReelSwap is organized as Title → Format → Release

• Title: The movie or show, such as Ghostbusters (1984).
• Format: VHS, Betamax, Laserdisc, CED, DVD, Blu-ray, HD-DVD or 4K Ultra HD.
• Release: One specific physical printing. It's defined by case type, distributor, edition (Widescreen, Director's Cut and so on), release year, rating, runtime and UPC.

One title can have dozens of releases across formats and distributors. They're all grouped together, so you can compare every cover variation in one place.

• Title Year is when the movie hit theaters or the show first aired.
• Release Year is when your copy came out on home video.

They sometimes match and are sometimes years apart. Ghostbusters (1984) came out on VHS in 1985 and again in 1999. Both are releases of the same title, Ghostbusters (1984), directed by Ivan Reitman.

Check both the Title Year and the Director in the match list. Many movies share a name across decades. The Phantom of the Opera, for example, has been remade many times.

Only when the title isn't in the match list, which is usually true only of rare or obscure titles. If you added a new title by mistake, don't worry. An admin will merge it with the correct title.

Search the Catalog first. If nothing matches, you'll see a "Not finding it?" message with an Add Item button. Click it and follow the steps, or scan the item with ReelScan.

Yes, and we love blank tape design too. In the Add Item wizard, choose + Blank Tape. Blank tapes are cataloged by manufacturer, series and model number.

Each volume or set of episodes is its own release under the show's title. Episode info appears everywhere, for example "Vol. 1 · S1 · Ep 1–3". Enter an episode name and ReelSwap fills in the season and episode numbers, and it works the other way too. You can edit episode info on the item's details page.

Yes. Your home recordings deserve to be preserved, labels and all, not just digitized. ReelSwap doesn't host video files, but you can attach a streaming link from YouTube or Vimeo to any home movie. Then use Watch Now to play it straight from your shelf.

Each home movie has a visibility setting:

• Public: Anyone browsing your collection can see it, including the streaming link.
• Unlisted: Hidden from your public collection. Anyone you send the share link to can view it. This is best for sharing with family.
• Private: Only you can see it, even if someone has a direct link.

Home movies never appear in the public Catalog, whatever the setting.

ReelScan turns your phone camera into an archiving tool. Photograph each side of the case, then check the detected corners and title info. In about a minute you'll have a digital duplicate of your item: photos, 3D textures, barcode, distributor and release info, all in one package.

See it in action:

Tap Add Item anywhere on the site. Pick your format and case type before you start scanning. See the Case Types tab for help choosing.

• Use a plain, neutral background. It keeps personal details out of frame and helps the colors come out true.
• Shoot each side straight on, not at an angle. That keeps focus and texture sharpness even across every side.
• Keep the item and your phone still. In low light, rest your arm or phone on something to avoid blur.
• Check focus with the Loupe. ReelScan's on-screen magnifier shows whether your shot is sharp and steady.

More tips:

Digipaks, Digibooks and Mediabooks vary in thickness. ReelScan measures the depth from your corner points automatically, so just scan as normal.

Yes. Open the item's details page, and under your archive texture map click Re-scan with ReelScan. Your release info stays in place, and only the photos and textures are updated. If only the cropping is off, you can adjust it without re-shooting. See "Can I fix my crops?" in the next tab.

Yes. Change the case type on the item's details page and save. If your original photos are still online, ReelSwap rebuilds the textures, thumbnails and 3D shape for you. If you deleted your original photos, you'll be asked to re-scan.

It's been optimized for lower-powered phones. If you run into trouble, send us details through the Feedback button, which includes your device and browser info.

Only photos you took yourself of the actual item you own. You can upload up to 10 photos per item.

• No cover art from the internet: nothing from other databases, eBay listings, Discogs, fan sites or retailers.
• No manufacturer art, promo images or flatbed scans of someone else's copy.
• If you are a Distributor and would like to upload your original art files, please contact us directly at [email protected]

The archive is only trustworthy if every image is real.

Texture maps are high-resolution images that wrap around the 3D model to show the real artwork on every side: front, back, spines, top, and bottom. ReelScan creates them from your photos.

The first person to scan a copy of a particular release creates its community texture. Anyone who adds that release to their collection but hasn't scanned their own copy sees the community texture in their 3D shelf and Catalog thumbnails. If you scan your own copy, you'll always see yours.

We strongly recommend it. Your original photos:

• let you fix crops without re-shooting
• let you change case types without re-scanning
• record details the texture doesn't always capture
• prove you photographed the item yourself if an image is ever questioned

If privacy is the concern, shoot on a plain background with nothing personal in frame.

ReelSwap automatically removes GPS and location data from every photo you upload.

Your photos are deleted. Textures you contributed stay in the community archive, so others can still see that release in 3D.

Yes. Texture Editor is our original archiving tool. ReelScan has replaced it for scanning, but it's still the place to fine-tune crops on photos you've already uploaded:

1. On the item's details page, scroll down and choose Edit Texture.
2. Select Edit Crop on a photo.
3. Click and drag to place the crop points.
4. Select Crop & Unwarp to see the 3D preview.
5. When every side is done, click Save and wait for the confirmation.

Your updated texture appears when you return to the item's details page.

(May contain outdated information)

Your Collection is for items you physically own. Your Wantlist tracks items you're hunting for. No big shelf yet? Build your dream collection on your Wantlist. ReelSwap is for you too.

• Scan it: Tap Add Item and use ReelScan to archive something you own.
• Find it: Search or browse the Catalog, then click + Collection or + Want. You can also right-click an item (long-press on mobile) and use the menu.

Only when you create a new title or release that isn't in the Catalog yet. ReelScan makes this quick. Adding an existing Catalog release to your collection doesn't need photos.

Yes. Every item has a Purchase Price field. It's for your own records.

Tags let you organize your collection however you like, such as "Halloween," "thrifted" or "needs repair." Your tags on your items are visible only to you.

Use the Share button on your Collection page to copy a view-only link. The link keeps your current filters and tags, so you can send just your horror shelf or just your home movies.

On any release you've scanned, the Share icon also creates a rendered 3D animation you can post to social media.

Home movies have Public, Unlisted and Private settings. See "Can I archive home movies?" in the Catalog tab. Otherwise don't upload it if you don't want it to be seen.

Prices on ReelSwap are a CAAP, or Current Average Asking Price. We sample up to 50 active fixed-price eBay listings per condition grade for each release. Outliers, like the $10,000 Disney "Black Diamond" listings, are thrown out and the rest are averaged.

Sold-price data is only available through eBay's Marketplace Insights API, which we don't have access to yet. We'll apply for it as the community grows.

As a reference point only. A CAAP shows what sellers on eBay are currently asking, not what an item is guaranteed to sell for. Don't want to see prices? Turn them off in your profile settings.

Yes. If you see something off with the price on an item in your collection, you can override it by filling in the Asking Price on the item details page.

Our five grades line up with eBay's condition tiers:

When you add an item, you can take our short condition quiz. It walks you through the questions that matter and suggests a grade. You can retake it or choose a grade yourself at any time.

The eBay links on release pages are affiliate links. If you buy through one, ReelSwap may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It's one of the ways the site is supported.

Physical Media Feed

• Following - A feed of new releases being scanned in realtime by collectors you follow. Follow collectors by visiting their profile or from the new releases feed.
• New Releases - A feed of new releases across all of ReelSwap as they are scanned and added to the database in realtime.
• Collectors - A user directory for the ReelSwap community. See the largest collections, the most contributions, who joined first, and click through to their profiles.

Right-click any item (long-press on mobile) and choose Flag. You can flag wrong title or release info, or problems with an image. We review every flag and fix what needs fixing.

Click the Feedback button in the bottom-right corner of any page. Rate your experience, tell us which formats or features you'd like to see and add any comments. Your device and browser details help us fix bugs faster.

Use the Support link at the top of the site. Buying through the eBay links on release pages helps too.