Vintage Adult Videos Fetch Premium Prices as Collectors Chase Impossible Today Footage

Adult videos (including DVDs, hereafter AVs) are something almost every man has likely watched at least once. Nowadays, streaming sites like FANZA dominate, and purchasing or renting physical copies has become rare. However, hardcore fans still buy physical copies, and the second-hand market remains active.

Some of these AVs are even sold at several times their original price, sometimes reaching tens of thousands of yen. The reason for such high value is not simply that they are old.

Some of the content is no longer viewable today

Why do old AVs fetch high prices? A man who has worked in the adult industry for many years suggests, “Because they aren’t reissued.”

“Basically, AVs are rarely re-released, so once you miss the chance to buy a work, it’s hard to get it. Even if data sales exist, many works cannot be reissued due to reasons like the bankruptcy of the production company or loss of data. Also, famous AV actresses called legendary actresses have dedicated fans who are willing to pay high prices to collect them.”

For collectors, out-of-print AVs are worth buying at high prices. However, Yusuke Yamano, a writer familiar with the secondhand market, says it’s not just rarity that matters. The key factor is the intensity or extremity of the content in the videos.

“Used AVs don’t simply fetch higher prices just because they’re old—that’s what makes the market tricky. For example, even works that aren’t very old can command high prices if they’re rare AVs that can’t be filmed anymore. Some older hidden cameras or exposure AVs are so realistic that fans speculate, ‘Did they really film this secretly?’—those kinds of works are especially popular.

In 2006, there was an incident near Yokohama Station’s west exit where people involved in an AV shoot were arrested, showing that the adult industry at that time was almost lawless. Nowadays, the industry has become cleaner, and such shoots can no longer happen. That’s why collectors pay high prices for works with a more realistic feel,” explains Yamano.

In particular, many AVs from the early 2000s contain content that can no longer be produced under current guidelines, making them popular and traded at premium prices. “Other genres, such as SM, scat, and lolita-themed works, are also popular and tend to command high prices because such productions can’t be made nowadays,” he added, even going so far as to say, “They could become investment assets in the future.”

“Sometimes, AVs that are being sold cheaply are actually trading at higher prices elsewhere. I personally found an AV that was bought at 6,600 yen being sold for 500 yen, so I bought it. Even if you buy it cheaply now, no one knows what it’ll be worth in a few years. Structurally, it’s the same as vintage clothing—if you own it, it could fetch an even higher price later,” he adds.

The reality of illegal filming that was taking place

The level of explicit content is said to be the main factor determining whether an AV commands a high price, but how were such works actually produced? We interviewed Moe Aizawa, a former AV actress who started appearing in adult videos in 2008, and she revealed, “Back then, compliance was lax, and illegal activities did occur,” giving insight into the industry at the time.

“It is true that hidden-camera and public-exposure shoots were actually carried out in the industry. By the time I debuted, exposure-based filming was already banned, but I’ve heard industry people say that it was happening in the early 2000s. A friend of mine told me that they did guerrilla-style exposure shoots in front of Shinjuku Alta.

On the other hand, hidden-camera filming was common. At events, for example, hidden cameras were rampant, and I was even warned to watch out for perverted photographers in places like restrooms or changing areas. These photographers would sell the footage to AV companies, which then released it on DVD. The companies and staff must have known it was illegal.”

There were also cases where illegal acts were concealed from the actresses during filming.

“Often, actresses were told in advance that permission had been obtained for exposure scenes, but that wasn’t true. For example, there are works of train-seat molestation and hidden-camera filming on the actual Yamanote Line. We were told permission had been secured, but the shoot was conducted guerrilla-style, and after filming, we had to run away immediately,” she said.

Although at the time such actions were not heavily criticized, the fact that these works were filmed by breaking the law or skirting legality is not something to praise. Yet, as long as there are people who see value in their rarity, secondhand AVs continue to be traded at high prices under the principles of the market, just like clothing or game consoles.