Half Price Books

Dear Half Price Books: I like the convenient location, but could you, please, after all these years, have a bigger store in south Austin? I know if I want a bigger selection I should go to North Lamar, but I still go into the South Lamar location hoping I will find what I am looking for. Was disappointed again today.

This place is great if you want to unload some books, CDs or DVD’s or if you have some time to kill and want to relax and browse through a selection of amazing books, DVD’s, LP’s, CD’s, puzzles and quircky stuff (kitch key rings, book marks, reading lamps, etc.) You won’t get much for the books you sell back but hey, what’s the alternative? The tax write off at Goodwill? Make sure to BRING YOUR ID when you go to sell b/​c they won’t buy your books without it. They have an amazing selection of books and as the name implies it’s all half-​price. Plus they have other stuff as mentioned above. I like to get my annual kitchen calendar here. The staff is great, if you call ahead and let them know what book you are looking for they will check to see if they have a copy and even hold it for 24 hours up at the front for you to pick up.

I’m a big fan of Half Price Books. I’ve sold books and CDs to them several times over the years. They don’t pay much, but I believe the prices they offer are fair considering they sell everything in the store for half price or less.
I also love shopping here. I’ve had my eye on a book for a while and found it in hardcover for $ 1 in the clearance section. It was in great condition. Score! The store is clean and well organized and the staff is always very friendly. Half Price Books is definitely my favorite book store!

This is my very favorite half price location! It feels very Austin-​y and everyone is always so friendly! This location has a very nice selection of books, journals, gifts, etc. I always find something wonderful when I come here :)

With all the big bookstores closing down in the past few years I’m glad I’ve found Half Price Books in the Austin area. I could literally spend the whole day there. The books are in good condition and are at a great price. They might not have what you’re looking for in stock but the people who work there seem ready to help track down anything specific. They’ve got several stores so there’s a chance you’ll find what you’re looking for and for a deal too.
This specific location had a pretty good sized clearance section. They’ve got the place organized in categories: sports, religion, self-​help, food, film etc. It makes it easy for those of us browsing. I see that some people are not all that happy about the prices, as if they expect «Half Price» to mean dirt cheap. Even a 50% off Michael Kors bag at Marshals will cost more than your basic purse. I have no qualms about the prices. It may be that coming from New York I am surprised a business can last while selling goods this cheap. So take my word (and everyone else for that matter) with a grain of salt.
To me books aren’t just for entertainment they are treasure troves of raw knowledge, books carry grand ideas and potential, books hold memories, and books are key in my future. So to be able to spend an hour or two perusing through their shelves and getting away with some books for half price or even any discount I’m happy. I’m winning.

A great place to buy used CDs, DVDs, albums, and books because of great varieties. The prices are not the cheapest, but very acceptable. However, selling is the opposite. The store barely pay anything even for good condition materials. Donation may be a better option for me in the future, especially with children books.

This location is awesome, first bookstore I’ve found that actually has an Asian studies section with more than two books. I also think it’s really neat how they have «nostalgia» books everywhere. It may be a physically smaller location, but it seems they have a more eclectic selection. Coming here from now on!

I love this place… been going for years. The service is consistently friendly, helpful, engaging and knowledgeable.
The only thing that could be better is their buy back prices… they hardly make it worth the gas to get there.

The book price is friendly indeed! And the store seems clean and welcoming!

so I LOVE half price books and this location my normal stomping grounds (heck I am going today)…
I have always had great customer service, awesome selections on books AND I LOVE when they run their huge % off the whole store sale.
I tend to be a youth fiction reader and so this location is pretty up to date on their books. They have every section of books (is that proper English? Sounds wrong when I say it in my head lol) from cooking, nutrition, self help, religion, kids and so forth.
They are pretty fair on their buy backs and if you want you can donate your books too.
Over all is a pretty cool place :)

Nothing better than going into a place where the STAFF KNOWS THEIR STORE! It amazes me at how helpful, knowledgeable and friendly these guys are. HPB is one of my favorite past times … even if it’s just stopping in to take a whiff and thumb through the pages of a random book… IT“S MY HAPPY PLACE!

I love this place. They have the movies I am looking for. I found a Harry Potter DVD for only $ 1 and it was in great shape too. They also have really gray priced books. The staff is friendly and helpful. When I went in I mentioned to my bf about a migraine I was having and one of the staff mentioned to me about an Accupuncturist.

The location on N. Lamar has a better selection, and is cheaper, but this is still a really good Half-​Priced Books location. Just expect to pay a little more here, but not much more. The music selection here is considerably smaller, but they seem to have more DVDs here than in the northern location. The store is not as big so ultimately they don’t have as many books as the northern location, but they still have a ton, and I tend to find an interesting book here every time I come. Love this place :).

Oh, my love. How I’ve missed you so.
I’ll admit to having strayed from the written word for the past few years while my love affair with a chavo called Digital raged out of control. And, true, I can’t promise that I won’t keep that creature around for quickies and sweaty things done in the dark, but as with many paradoxes in life, it will do nothing to sully my love for, and of, books.
Half Price Books is one of the increasingly few places where you can go and be surrounded by the sensation that is known as literary. Yes, of course, you can order books online. You can read absolutely anything on your Kindle or other reading machine, but you won’t get the full-​bodied experience of walking into a bookstore — that rare and hushed environment, the distinct and musty smell of books, young and old, mingling together on shelves.
I have a penchant for distinctly odd pulp. Nevada Barr mysteries. Top that! I love old musicals like Show Boat (1951). I have never failed to discover something new.
Stephen King once said that «books are a uniquely portable magic.»
Stepping into a Half Price Books feels like stepping into a kingdom. A kingdom with many kings and queens and you get to meet them all. Maybe even be one yourself.

I’m always impressed with the selection of books, movies, music, and kids stuff they have. Great for gifts. every Xmas I come here and it makes the holiday time so much easier and enjoyable.
I love that when I am done with my books I can take them back and apply the money i get to a new one! you seriously can’t beat that

I’ll keep this short. Between my wife, our kids, and myself, we’ve used HPB for just about everything they offer…
Casual browsing – 5 stars
Baby/​toddler/​kids selection – 4 stars
General book selection – 5 stars
Clearance/​sale selection – 5 stars
DVD/​console games/​other media selection – 4 stars
Selling old books for a whopping twenty bucks – 4 stars
Buying used books for a whopping twenty bucks – 5 stars
Staff – 5 stars
In the end, any business where you can go to buy things that can make you smarter and save a lot of money while you’re at it, I’m giving 5 stars. Go here!

I really enjoy Half Price Books.
I have found some ridiculously good deals here — a practically brand new copy of The Da Vinci Code for $ 1. Seriously — browse the clearance section. There are some crazy good deals hidden in those shelves. I got a Criterion Collection version of The Royal Tenenbaums for less than $ 10. No joke. My friend got a Herman Hunke reader valued at over $ 50 for $ 7. He was ridiculously excited by that find.
I’m a member of a postcard exchange and I can always find some weird/​unique/​quirky/​cool postcards here for really cheap. I’ve found Harry Potter postcards, The Simpsons postcards, Happy Bunny postcards, postcards with kittens, puppies, and flowers… you get the picture. Everyone who receives my postcards loves them and I’m really happy I can offer more than the standard «Greetings from Austin!» fare. (Although those are lovely, too, and lots of people love receiving them.)
I never leave this store empty handed. I find it’s better to come here without something specific in mind — you never know what they’ll have in stock, so peruse the shelves and see what they have to offer. You (probably) won’t be disappointed.

I have an odd obsession with books, especially used ones. I like knowing that many people before me have thumbed through the same story, and that the book I hold has been well loved. I also love a good bargain. So you can imagine how magical I find Half Price Books. I hope that people will continue to support this place. I hate seeing all the bookstores closing.
I can spend hours wandering through this place. I have to carve some time out of my day when I plan to come here, because I know I can’t simply pop in and out. HPB is like a vortex that sucks me in! Overall, the store is very well organized and I love that they offer movies and vinyls as well. This place is such a gem.
I am only taking off a star because the buy back process was VERY time consuming when I tried. (I think I tried on a weekend.) I didn’t get much money back for the dozens of books that I brought. Maybe $ 7… I think I had to end up donating most of them, as they weren’t very popular anymore. That’s understandable, but I wish that the process wasn’t so lengthy. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

Great bookstore! The name is literal: every book is exactly half off its list price. Sure, you could find a better deal at some other used bookstores, or Amazon, or, uh, the library… But the selection is spectacular for a used bookstore. PLUS you get to peruse real objects in a pleasant bookstore environment. PLUS you get to walk out with book (s) in hand.
It is a chain, but they don’t throw the corporateness at you at all. Staff at the counter and floor are super friendly and helpful. The books are generally used but in like-​new condition. It’s kind of interesting in itself, seeing different hand-​written inscriptions on two identical, clearly unread books. «To Anna: This book is so beautiful. I love you and I hope you enjoy it. Merry Xmas 2005» … I’m not sure Anna enjoyed it.
Half Price Books also sells cheap CD’s — I was not aware that anyone sold CD’s anymore. Also, vinyls and laserdiscs for under $ 5! For if you’re like me and keep friends who collect laserdiscs of their favorite movies, even though their laserdisc player is broken.

Half Price Books is the best place to find exactly what you are looking for. It is my first stop for any obscure book, DVD, or CD. You can find almost any book here for super cheap. I love to walk around the different sections after enjoying some ice cream at Amy’s next door.
That said I am not an avid reader but for the price I can pick up almost anything. I am always shocked at the quality books that I can get for less than $ 5.00. My only real complaint is that they don’t carry a large selection of audio books at this store, but the one on North Lamar does.
Now onto my soap box… for the people complaining about the money you get when they buy your books, why don’t you think about that when you find a book that has a cover price of $ 20 but they are selling it for $ 6. They have to short change you in order to offer it at a lower price to the customer. They can’t give you market value and then sell it for well below value. Stop and think about it… Economics 101.
Also they should price their video games a bit better but its such a small selection it does not matter.
All in all Half Price Books is a steal and has been since they opened their first store in Dallas many years ago.