Half Price Books

I am a voracious reader but I don’t believe in having a large, personal library because while I love to read and I love books it is a rare, rare book that I read again later. Half Priced Books is a God send with my «catch and release» attitude toward books. I get to purchase books and then sell them back to Half Priced books when I am done. I am almost a tightwad and they almost always have some sort of special or coupon.
I realize that if I were the tightwad people accuse me of being that I would go to the public library, however, I cannot be prevailed upon to return books in a timely fashion so my late fees would equal what I pay for the book anyway. I know who I am. I own who I am: I am a train wreck, a poster child for white privilege, and I am wasteful when it comes to time and money. This mitigates my worst bibliophile predilections.
The one drawback, and it’s the nature of the beast, if you’re looking for something specific it may or may not be there. The staff is incredibly helpful and will give it a look. I would also like to see more money for my books but they aren’t earning interest occupying a space on my shelf never to be read again so I guess it evens out.
Oh, and I have to smell my purchases before buying them which is disgusting and amusing at the same time.

So just went to take some books in and see what I could get. I purchased them here at the store in February for around $ 80 total… they are all hard backs. Not super popular books but I had the complete series. I was expecting around $ 35-​$ 50 for everything I brought in. By taking those and a few other books, they felt it a fair price to give me $ 15.00
I’m sorry but that’s an abomination for a used book store that marks those books (which still had their original stickers from February) at around $ 11-​$ 13 a book!!! I wish I could tell you I was joking but I can’t. I was planning on purchasing a few other books while I waited for my quote, even had them in my hand! After that price gauging I promptly took the books back to where I got them (bc I’m not a jerk) took my fifteen dollars and left. Lesson to you on your next visit… don’t waste your time unless you’re going to sit there and read and not purchase anything. Best use for your dollars here! For a couple dollars more, you can find a brand new copy just down the street at Barnes & Nobles.
Absolutely pathetic of you ask me, and no… I will not be returning. Ever. Enjoy ripping people off. I understand needing to make a profit, but that is beyond ridiculous! If you’re going to continue those pricing schemes at least give it all back to the kids and schools your posters say your helping to support (of which I don’t see any actual support going on. The children’s section is pretty pathetic)

I would much prefer to read a real book instead of electronically, but books are expensive. So this store really feeds a need — I love to browse through all the discounted or clearance books ($ 1-​$ 2.00) because I can always find a handful that I haven’t read before. And it’s a great feeling to walk out of the store with 5 «new to me» books for less than $ 10!!! Also, it’s all organized in a way that’s very easy to figure out. There are always lots if people, and certainly lots of books, so plan accordingly. And enjoy!

They totally rip you off here. If you trade books in, they’ll give you like 10 cents. No matter how new or popular it is. Also, they sell books on business from 1972 for like $ 7.00! Bunch of clowns running this ship. This place will go under eventually. It’s only a matter of time.

What a pleasant surprise !! Stopped by Half Priced Books today to replenish my supply and the store was packed. Not that I like being in a crowd, but we usually go to Barnes and Noble and there may be 10 to 15 customers in the store. Today at Half Priced Books there must have been 40 to 50 shoppers.
It’s good to know reading books hasn’t completely died.

I love this place! I come here first for any book I’m looking for before I go to any major book retailers and I’m almost never disappointed. They don’t really give much for the books they buy but who else is going to buy them?

This is a great place to find that jewel in the rough. If you go often enough, you may eventually find just about any kind of book or video in existence.

This place is absolutely wonderful! I don’t have a ton of new information to add that people haven’t covered except the fact that you can go to their website and browse the inventory of all their stores and have it sent to you. Same great selection and prices. So if you don’t find what you are looking for at the local stores, check out the website.

They had everything I was looking for at a good price. I wish them good luck as it appears book stores may end up as a thing of the past.

A great place to shop for used books, movies, games and CDs. The store is clean, well organized, and the staff is friendly. The only qualms I have is that the categorization of books sometimes makes it difficult to find the book you’re looking for, and the children’s section tends to merge books of widely varied age levels together, which can make it hard to get a book for my 10 year old daughter.

Love it. This is an awesome place to take books that you no longer want filling your shelves. I inevitably get more money for mine than I think I will, the staff is always pleasant, and they help me to feel like I’m doing my part to recycle and reuse. What more could you want? Not a bad selection of books to buy, either!

I have quite a bit of apprehension about reviewing Half Price Books because if I tell you, you might go and if you go, you might buy the books that I want to buy for the dirt cheap prices that I want to pay for them. Then again, I want them to stay in business, particularly with how hard printed book stores have it these days, so here’s why you should go buy the books that I haven’t claimed as mine.
I only stumbled across Half Price Books (HPB) on a drive back from Barnes and Noble where I had purchased four books from their bargain section. I subsequently found the books I had just purchased at HPB for about 30−40% less than what I had just forked over. Even some of their text books are available at about 10% what I’ve paid elsewhere. This place is mis-​named. It really should be «Books for a Fraction of the Price.» Though, I suppose that doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily.
Having shopped at bargain book stores before, I know what you’re probably thinking as well. You probably imagine a run-​down store with a scant selection ancient tomes covering a piddly assortment of topics. Well, you’re wrong. Though HPB certainly isn’t a mammoth store, it has an amazing range of books in all of the categories you would expect from a national chain without the national chain prices.
Don’t go in expecting to find stacks of the latest best-​sellers, though their selection is surprisingly up-​to-​date and don’t expect to see a built-​in coffee shop with 104 different flavors of lattes. What you can expect is exactly what I came in for: a massive selection of books at bargain basement prices!

The best HPB in town! Great used vinyl and vintage video game selection. Westport Road location, step your game up!

To say I love this place would be an understatement. I have a thing for used things — vintage is just who I am, and books are on that list. Not that the books here necessarily qualify as vintage — thrift is a better fit.
Whenever I just need to get away, I go the Half Price Books. It’s easy to spend several hours in this store. I’ll find myself standing in an aisle scoping out a book then look up and see that I’m 20 pages in. I never go without two to three hours of time on my hands. Seriously. The selection here is incredible. From the simplest of children’s books to the deepest historical anthologies. It’s there. My last pickup was Ted Kennedy’s memoir, and I’m loving it. I will say that some of the prices here are a little high, but they more than make up for those prices with the extreme discounts you can find. Just takes a little digging.

I love used bookstores and they frequently make it to the top of «places to visit» when I’m visiting a new town, since I never feel more at home than when I’m surrounded by books. Way back in the day I visited a HPB in Houston, TX, but it’s been well over 5 years since I’ve been in a city where one was local.
This location is a decent size and is bright and sunny; I felt happy just stepping inside. While I was a bit surprised to find the size of the fiction/​literature section rather small compared to other used bookstores, the selection of books was quite varied and really featured some top-​notch books. Seems like quality, not necessarily quantity, reigns supreme which is something I can respect. I must also say that all of the books were in pristine condition, and you’d have a hard time calling any of these books «used» by any stretch of the imagination. With that in mind, while $ 5 for a paperback isn’t exactly the thriftiest of prices for used stock, I think the books were actually fairly priced because of their condition. Most hardbacks were $ 7 (minus a 20% discount), which also seems fair.
I admit I’m used to a bookstore where most books are $ 1.50, so these prices seemed a bit steep, but I still found a bunch of books my home library has been lacking and desperately needed and walked away with 9 books. The next time I’m in town, I’d certainly stop back in and stock up again!

Love this place. Can take home loads of great books at great prices.

Half Price Books is one of my favorite used book superstores! I could literally spend hours here just browsing through the vast selection of used books, magazines, music and movies. Each store I’ve been to has a different selection, so I always come in here with an idea of what I want, but not knowing exactly what I’m going to buy. It’s like going on a scavenger hunt for treasures at deep discounts.
I shopped at the Redmond WA store (which has 2 floors) a while back and was very impressed. I spent almost 2 hours in the store picking out some interesting travel and history books and used CDs, filling up two shopping bags. One of the CDs was autographed and I paid only $ 5.99 for it.
I was driving along Hurstbourne Pkwy around 9:45AM on a sunny Friday, when I spotted a Half Price Books in a strip plaza and there was a short line of folks waiting to get in when the store opened at 10AM. I immediately pulled into the parking lot and waited patiently for the doors to open. Some of the folks waiting were carrying in boxes and bags of used books since Half Price Books has a «buy» counter in the back of the store where you can sell your books. The staff will inspect and appraise your used books and page you over to the «buy» counter with an offer. Someone else’s unwanted goods could be another’s treasure.
This store is a good size, not too big, with a pretty good selection of used books, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, VHS movies, gifts, and more. The layout of the store is pretty organized and neat. My friend was also with me and he spent a good deal of time browsing through the used CDs, most priced well under $ 10. I headed to the back of the store where the travel and travel essay books were and scored several good books in mint condition including a few Images of America history books (some Kentucky cities and Mammoth Cave) and a travel guide to I-​75 from Michigan to Florida, all half price or better. My friend bought several paperbacks to read in the car. I could’ve spent more time here, but I had to stay on a planned schedule for my road trip.
Later in the day, we visited Mammoth Cave National Park and the gift shop had the same Images of America book (Mammoth Cave & the Kentucky Cave Region) in stock for $ 21.99, which I purchased earlier at Half Price Books for only $ 9.99, score!