FAQ/About
Valashard Video Tapes is a collection of custom VHS and other nostalgic fun stuff made by one person trying to create cool junk he wishes existed already.
All of these tapes are considered functional fanart pieces, styled to look worn and older, like they fell out of an alternate reality. Tapes have on them what is advertised unless otherwise stated. All tape releases are limited and typically when they're sold out they won't be coming back. I design all of the boxes using existing and newly fabricated elements put together in Photoshop. I get the boxes printed at a local shop and then cut and assemble each one by hand. I try to pick titles that I personally connect with and that I think would make sense on VHS. These are made with a lot of love and behind the scenes work. Valashard Video Tapes does not claim ownership of any properties/images/logos used in tapes. All copyrights and trademarks of said imagery belong to their respective owners. The tapes are more or less unique collectors items and sold in limited quantities. Come on, it's cool, don't be a jerk. Love you.
FAQ (Please read before emailing me questions)
Q: How long do orders take to ship?
A: Expect a roughly 4-5 week turnaround time. Each item is made only after an order is placed, in the order received and as a result can take several weeks to complete depending on the volume of orders I already have. The more tapes you order the longer it takes to fulfill an order (but also that's cool of you, thank you). I appreciate your patience and request that you not email me about order progress until a substantial amount of time has passed. So basically...don't be that person who emails me 4 hours after you placed an order asking me "how long does it take you to ship?!". I'm one dude, chillax. A tracking number is automatically sent when an order is packed and ready.
Q: What aspect ratio are the tapes? How will they look on a CRT or a widescreen TV?
A: If something was originally made to be viewed at 4:3 it will be formatted for that, meaning it will look normal on a CRT but slightly stretched out on a widescreen TV (although you can adjust your TVs aspect ratio to be square). If something was made at 16:9 that's how it'll be transferred and will look best on a widescreen TV and slightly squished on a CRT. So no matter what the screen will be filled and however you choose to watch the tapes, they'll still look pretty good. I've found no matter how they're formatted someone will think I'm doing it "wrong" but I try to do what makes the most sense to me and my customers seem to be happy.
Q: Do you take commissions or do collabs?
A: I don't do one-off commissions anymore but am open to collaborating and creating a run of tapes with a 10 tape minimum. For instance if you made a short film or are involved in a project and want me to make a few tapes I'm happy to work on something! Send me a message through the contact form telling me about your project and we can talk about the process! Costs, timelines, and all the details of each project vary so provide as much info as you can!
Q: Do you accept returns or offer refunds?
A: It depends on the circumstances. If you receive a tape and believe there was an error on my part such as a blank tape, no audio, messed up audio, too much static, I'll be happy to send a loose replacement at no charge! I try to check tapes before sending but things can certainly get missed and I want you to be happy with your tape! If an item gets damaged because of something on your end like you dropped it, your VCR ate it, or your kid smashed in a fit of confusion over what they were even looking at, I don't offer any sort of replacement. These tapes will not have clear and perfect playback but should still be watchable, these are more or less novelty items. If an unreasonable amount of time has passed when you reach out for a replacement I'll most likely decline.
Q: I wanted to get a copy of _______ but it sold out! Will you restock please? Can I pay extra for you to make one special for me?
A: All of my listings are limited runs and rarely get restocks so act quickly if you want something. I won't make a special copy for you if something is sold out. There are several reasons for this. IF something gets a restock I'll usually post about it on my story on Instagram @valashard_video_tapes.
Q: Will you make my favorite show/movie into a tape?
A: I mainly make tapes that I connect with and don't take unsolicited requests. Sometimes I will ask for suggestions on my Instagram story which is really the only time I like receiving ideas. I get a lot of emails asking me to make stuff I just have no interest in or don't think many would be interested in. If you ask me to put something in my shop I most likely won't respond. If you repeatedly ask for something or spam me I'll block you, which sounds dramatic but you'd be surprised by how some folks behave.
Q: Are you offering international shipping?
A: At this time no I am not.. I did offer international shipping in the past but items were frequently getting lost, damaged, or the customer was unhappy with how high the shipping cost was. It isn't feasible at this time and I'm not making any exceptions. It sucks and I really am sorry.
Q: Can you give me a step-by-step tutorial on how you make and do everything?
A: ...No. I've found when I respond and give any advice people just keep asking for more and if I eventually decline they get angry, this happened several times and I finally decided to stop offering advice or guidance. If you're really passionate there's plenty of resources out there and I wish you luck, the one piece of advice I will give is that if you're looking to get into making tapes make sure you're doing it because you LOVE it.