A tape price list with two boundaries to clarify
The published VHS to DVD price is £25.00 each for 1-3 tapes. The same transfer page lists 3-10 tapes at £20.00 each and 10+ tapes at £18.00 each. Because three tapes appear in two bands, and ten tapes sit at another boundary, ask which rate applies if your collection contains exactly three or ten. A written quote makes it easier to decide whether to send a small selection first or organise a larger batch.
For USB transfers, the instruction is to add £10.00 per tape, with a copy onto DVD also included. Treat that as a per-tape addition, rather than one charge for the whole collection. Ask for the total for your chosen output before handing anything over, including whether any duration limits or other charges apply. The published figures do not state a VAT position or a processing time, so neither should be assumed. For larger orders, the business invites enquiries by phone or email.
Choose the copy that matches your next step
Coulsdon Photos describes transferring old videos or cine film to DVD or USB. A DVD can be useful for a relative who already watches discs, while digital files on USB may suit someone who wants to copy recordings onto a computer and organise them for an archive. Confirm the actual file format and how the USB copy is supplied. The word USB alone does not establish a file type, device capacity or compatibility with your television.
Before choosing, ask a relative how they would prefer to watch. A disc and files can serve different people in the same family, and the published USB option includes a DVD copy. If uploading is your aim, ask how long recordings are divided into files and whether you can identify each tape from its filename. These are useful questions about the finished copies, rather than promises about the provider’s delivery.
Separate the VHS pile from the cine reels
The transfer page also names 8mm, super8, 16mm and super16 cine film. Those are film formats, not a list of videotape sizes. If you have reels alongside VHS cassettes, make two inventories and request separate pricing for each medium. Do not use the VHS tape rates as a cine-film estimate.
The business says it cleans tapes or cine when necessary. That does not establish a repair service for every damaged recording. Describe any mould, broken casing or snapped tape before arranging a transfer, and ask whether it can be assessed safely. Avoid trying to play a visibly damaged cassette just to discover what is on it. A clear photograph of the label and casing may help explain the condition without disturbing the recording.
Make a small record before visiting
The published contact details place Coulsdon Photos at 32 Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, CR5 2RA. Its contact page gives Monday to Saturday hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm, with Sunday closed. Confirm arrangements before travelling, particularly if you need an assessment or have a larger collection.
Give each cassette a simple number and note its existing label, any likely date and whose handwriting appears on it. Ask relatives to identify occasions before deciding priority: a school performance or anniversary may mean more to someone else than its brief label suggests. Keep your inventory separate from the tapes and agree how originals will be returned. Once you receive copies, compare them with that list, check the opening and later portions of each recording, and flag missing sections or unexpected sound promptly. Keep the originals and save a second digital copy somewhere separate.
After conversion, let relatives add the context
Memrial is a separate private family archive for digital memories after conversion. It does not convert physical tapes and is not part of The Photo Shop. Its free allowance is 2.0 GB of shared archive storage, with no card needed. Check your file sizes before uploading a long collection, then use albums to keep related photos and home videos together.
Timeline accepts exact or approximate dates, so a recording remembered only as a summer holiday in a particular year can still be found by year. Invite relatives to add comments and stories that explain who appears on screen. Live Watch Parties synchronise an uploaded home video, with the host controlling play, pause and seeking while relatives nearby or far away use voice and text chat. The free allowance is three hours per month with up to six participants.
For a family anniversary, Event Memories offers a secure occasion contribution link. Contributors sign in but do not need archive membership; their photos and videos collect in the event album. Closing the link keeps those memories. That can bring newly shared pictures alongside an older converted recording, without losing the family context that makes either useful.