Before the rise of DVD, there was a period of several decades when VCR players ruled the world. The first commercial VCRs for sale were released in the 1950's, likely far earlier than most people would think. While the technology was incredibly ahead of the time, there was one thing holding VCRs back from achieving widespread popularity. That, of course, was the price tag. The first VCRs for sale cost was roughly $50,000 dollars, making them too expensive for the average consumer. Instead, television stations were their primary target.

By the late 70's, VCRs had become popular. The machines had been improved upon greatly, with companies producing higher quality machines and VHS tapes of a longer duration. During this period VCRs for sale faced their first real challenge; Betamax. While many people consider Betamax to be a superior format, VCRs for sale were ultimately victorious for a variety of reasons. Among the most important was that VCRs used VHS tapes of a longer duration than Betamax's one hour tapes. Consumers viewed VCRs for sale as a better purchased value.

In the 80's VCRs faced a further challenge when several film companies sued the makers of various VCRs for sale over copyright concerns. Though it seems odd today, there were serious concerns that VCRs for sale would seriously cut into production company's' profits. Eventually the lawsuit was dismissed and VCRs for sale continued their rise. By the 90's VCRs could be found in the majority of homes in most places in the first world. Furthermore, VHS tapes could be rented in various movie stores and could be purchased at others. Many movies were released to directly play on VCRs and even movies released to theatres often made more money on video. The cost of VCRs for sale was typically between one hundred and two hundred dollars. The cost of purchasing a VHS tape was typically around twenty dollars. Typically rental houses purchased tapes in advance of the public, at a significantly higher price. Today VCRs for sale are relatively hard to find. In the late 90's, DVD players rose to prominence. Aided by their increased picture and sound quality, as well as ability to hold numerous special features, DVDs quickly usurped VHS tapes as the primary medium of media consumption. For a few years VCRs for sale held their own, though eventually VCRs for sale would plummet as DVD players completed their takeover. For a while it was common to see units that included both a VCR player unit and a DVD player unit. Often these units enabled the consumer to copy VHS tapes to DVDs (or vice versa). With each passing year, finding a new VCR player to purchase becomes increasingly difficult. While used VCRs for sale are fairly common in thrift stores and among garage sales, it is unlikely to see a new VHS player in any brick and mortar store. Perhaps the only way to find a new VCRs for sale is to take to the internet. New VHS tapes themselves are also difficult to find. Most movies are no longer released to VHS, though used copies of older movies are paramount on the internet, in thrift shops and yard sales. Many VCRs for sale can be found for as little as ten dollars. VHS Tapes can go for under a dollar.