Half Price Books

I love this store. Been to them in AZ as well and the feeling inside is the same. Lots and lots of titles to browse. If you need help with finding an item help is there for the asking. I love that the help leaves you alone to browse and don’t hover. I read a lot of Sci Fi and Fantasy, and contemporary history and they have a great inventory. You can find old out of print titles and save a lot of expense. Great place to spend some time and find a few things to expand your horizons.

Half-​Priced is what you make of it. I’m guaranteed to find something, if I look hard enough. It’s not difficult to find popular titles or of a series if one is into mystery or Sci-​Fi. I’ve seen some good CD’s that I should’ve bought when I had the chance.
The staff is halfway helpful, though. They will drag their heels about wanting to look at any used things to take in. Their help desk is halfway helpful.

I had called (almost) everywhere in Madison looking for a specific book without luck. When I called Half Price, not only did they have it, but they also recommended its counterpart, and they held both of them for me behind the counter until I arrived.
I have always loved Half Price because going in is so much fun! Everything is reasonably priced and you can find anything your little heart desires. I hadn’t been in for awhile so I had almost forgotten about all of the things they have to offer. It’s great because you can kind of get lost wandering through the aisles.
They offer discounted prices on newer items, as well as used items. You can find books, calendars, video games, TV seasons, board games, coloring books, you name it! I always go in meaning to be there for a few minutes but end up with a pretty big handful of things.

I found an original Jimi Hendrix «The Jimi Hendrix Experience» album in the bargain section of the vinyls for $ 1!!! The cover is worn but It plays beautifully!!!

I love Half Price Books. They have dvds and TV seasons, but too pricey. I get better deals at Amazon. I’ve found favorites and books I’m hunting for. Ofcourse Amazon is the go to but sometines HPB has books I want cheaper or same price. If same price, hey, I get it right away instead of a week later from an Amazon seller. The Young Adult section is excellent. They have most of the popular books. And yes, I do have YA good reads I look for.
I built up my book collection with HPB but now good finds are really getting thin. I stop in every month because they get new books in and it might be one thats on my ever growing list.

LOVE this place! Everyone is so friendly and helpful. I can spend hours in here just looking at things that I don’t need. I currently have five books that I’m reading and yet I always walk out with with something to add to my «to read» collection. They have a great selection here and I have been lucky enough to find every single book on my list so far.

Depending on what you stumble across, Half Price Books can be a steal or a bust. Unfortunately there’s no way to predict how your trip will go ahead of time, but that can actually be fun if you’re looking at killing some time while browsing.
There are some good finds in the clearance section, and with some patience you can find some great deals. Two dollars for Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours on vinyl? Okay, I’ll take it. My boyfriend has found some comic books priced at a fraction of their actual value due to his encyclopedic knowledge of several series.
HPB stays at three stars though for their overall pricing and buying. I find that many books I’m interested in are priced almost as high as their list price, which seems silly for a used book. Prior to a vacation I came in to find something I could read and then leave behind, but at seven to ten dollars for a paperback I might as well just buy something new. What I’ve been offered for buys is also on the extremely low end considering what they’re going to turn around and price the books at. I brought in several best-​selling hardcovers for my mom that were in nearly new condition (you’d never know someone had touched them aside from finding them in a resale shop) and I got less than $ 5 for items that would retail for $ 200+ new, and at least $ 100 in their store if priced like the rest of their inventory. I understand there are several factors at play, but the time spent waiting for the offer and tiny payout make me more likely to just donate them to a library.

Love the selection in their clearance section.
After a minute of scanning the shelves, I walked out with the collected works of John Donne, some Emily Dickinson, a doorstop fantasy novel by Daniel David Abraham, a hilariously dated sci-​fi book about the future of gaming from the 80s by Melissa Scott, and one of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s fast moving pulp novels, all for six dollars.

I really miss this store! I miss this chain! I lived in Madison several years ago and would come here often with my parents. They have a wonderful selection on paper backs, hard covers, CD’s, movies, DVD’s, greeting cards, magazines, gifts, and other items. It is a very easy place to spend a couple of hours, but without spending a lot of money. Staff may be a little odd, but are still very cool. LOVE this store.

This is by far my favorite book store. I never walk out of the place empty-​handed. Awesome selection and quick turnover in my favorite categories. One can purchase new books for a song– I just picked up the 2012 Gun Digest for ten bucks, when it ordinarily sells for forty.
I have never had a bad experience with staff, they’ve always been helpful. Keep up the good work HPBs!

This place is making me a cookbook hoarder! Helpful Staff. Great deals on books that aren’t even an a year old. All in good condition. Everything is categorize for easy finding. They even have music items, comics and magazines.

The best part about Half Price Books is the classic bookstore employees. They’re the most cliched people in a very excellent way. Think if High Fidelity had been about a bookstore: these folks would be replacing John Cusack and Jack Black. I love that about the place.
Good selection for the size of the store and well-​organized. I’ve been coming here since I was in junior high and have always loved it. They don’t pay much for anything but recent release hardcover books, but a few dollars is better than having stacks of paperbacks after a summer of beach reads, etc.
Be sure to check out the rolling carts in front of the entrance for amazing sales. If they have too much of one book, copies will go on super sale. I once got 10 of 13 books in a series from the sale rack for less than half the price that 2 other sets of the same series were going for on the main shelves. It’s always good to check if you’re looking for a specific book.

i usually just go here to sell things; but my mom comes here all the time and loves it, she always walks away happy!

I love Half Price Books, granted they don’t always have what I’m looking for but I never leave empty handed, I always find something plus it’s not too expensive. Since the selection is always changing it’s fun to see what they have. I’ve never had a bad experience and I’ve been shopping there for years.

First off, this is a USED bookstore, yet a large majority of their books are in almost new shape. Great selection. The last 4 – 5 times I went to Barns n Nobel at east town and found a book I wanted, I decided to check to see if they had it at half price books, and THEY DID! ALMOST EVERY TIME!!! And for half price, or less! The staff is very helpful, and you can call ahead and see if they have the book you are looking for. If they do, they will gladly put it on hold for you at the front desk for up to a week at NO CHARGE! Staff is very friendly, and store is always neat and clean. Definately a winner. Always call and check here before paying full price for any book!!! They also buy/​sell used records, cd’s, movies, and computer software and games.

Great prices, good selection that is constantly changing, and it’s usually pretty busy. What more can you ask from a used book store?
The staff is pretty nice, though it seems like every time I walk into the store, the music they’re playing is some of the most god-​awful foreign jazz stuff.

Awesome book store with very good prices on used books. Not as pretentious as some stores downtown but that also leads to that the selection lacking at times. The employees are very pleasant there and the store also happens to sell (though it’s a fairly small selection) comics, records, dvd’s, games and random goods.

I can never get enough to read. It does not have to be high quality literature, trashy vampire novels read well too! When I travel, I burn through a book about every 2 days, I really don’t watch TV (except for Rock of Love), and refuse to do so in a hotel room.
Since sitting at a hotel bar is in my opinion:
1. Stupid
2. A waste of time– I don’t drink by myself and don’t pick up strangers
3. Somewhat dangerous– business men on the prowl at hotels can be really scary…
So obviously I need something to occupy my time. I found half price books in Madison on one of my first trips there this year. I love it. I have been able to purchase books that I want to read for– literally– half price.
Caveat– Make sure the book you are buying is in decent shape. I don’t think they screen them that well. Last time, I was happy to pick up a paperback by an author I enjoy, and did not realize that the binding was broken. It should have been about 25 cents, not the 3.50 I paid for it. But– buyer beware, I learned my lesson, and will check more closely next time!