Half Price Books

Great place for used movies and reference books but their hobby and collectible selection is funny. They use AbeBooks for their pricing of rare items and it’s often laughable… I’ve seen books worth $ 5 (in mint condition) in horrible shape sitting in their glass cabinets for $ 30 – 40. And books worth $ 30 – 50 can be found on the shelf for half price. No consistency.
The worst part of HPB are the employees, many of whom are hippie throwbacks who are clueless at best and downright rude at worst.

I never go to regular bookstores as I’m a big fan of public libraries, but whenever I want to buy books, I always go to Half Price first. Typically, I’m buying books for kids so I’m not looking for a specific title. If you’re looking for the newest best seller or something popular, you likely won’t find it here until a year later. However, you can find most other things here. They have a great children’s section that includes old and new favorites. Often times, there are multiple titles of the same book so you know it’s new. There are workbooks and activity sets as well. I also enjoy their dollar CD section — just in case you want to spend a dollar on your favorite boy band from the 90s. Their DVD section has a great selection of movies and TV shows. I appreciate how they price things based on the quality of the packaging as well. You don’t get much back usually when you take back your items, but at that point, I just want to de-​clutter my house so I’ll take whatever they offer. And they seem to have a 20% storewide sale during holiday weekends so keep that in mind!

if this place is so great, why didn’t they expand and open in the empty former borders in strongsville… now there is some stupid pool place in the building… hello, there is a huge mall across the street and people without a book store… hello

The place is O.k. t used to be better. They have a nice selection of books. However the real bargains on books is gone. Very few bargains. The items they have are not all half price. You can find better deals online.
Forget about the exchange program. They offer very little for what you bring in. I brought in a huge bag of new and like new travel and cookbooks that would retail for hundreds of dollars and they offered me $ 10.00. I would be better giving them to Goodwill.

Only one thing to say: I spend way too much money here. This is not because the books are expensive, but because they’re inexpensive and diverse in nature. Check out the *clearance* section for sure at the back of the store. There are items for as low as $ 1. One thing — they really jip you on the trade in value of books in my opinion, but that’s because of supply and demand overall. I’ve taken what are in my eyes, great books in to be traded for cash and said no way Jose, and taken them back home. But If you’re looking for a great bookstore, this is the place

This is my favorite book store in Cleveland and I prefer it to the east side location. Copped Henry Miller Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn for $ 6 a piece. Now I attempt to reenact those books.

They expanded and redid this location and it looks pretty nice. It had a pretty wide selection before but they’ve upped their game. I usually get a solid trade-​in value for books — read their website before selling and even if you don’t get a great amount, they donate and recycle overstock so it’s one stop for you.

I was at this location tonight with my mom who was there to sell a large box of books. She dropped her books off and told there would be a 5 – 10 minute wait to get her money receipt for the books.
With that time we of course decided to look around at the millions of selections available! I found 2 great books before they called us back up to the desk.
Unfortunately for 20ish books we sold back, some being hard back, we only received $ 3 back. This was disappointing and made me feel maybe these books would be better donated to the library or shelter.
I used her $ 3 towards my purchase $ 13 purchase and called it a day.
Overall, definitely be back to shop, but maybe not to sell!

Easily my favorite book store in cleveland! They just expanded too which is great! An amazing selection of books, vinyl, comics, CDs, DVDs, even cassettes and vhs! If you’re looking for a book you will find it here. Clean, informative employees, simply the best!

I love books and always end up spending too much money on certain websites for them. They got rid of the HPB I loved in Fairview Park but I decided to venture to North Olmsted to go to the other one.
I just love this place. They have everything! As with any overwhelming store I try and bring a list. And now that I have a toddler and don’t have hours to idly stand and peruse the aisles, a list is paramount!
I get books for work, books for my daughter, Christmas gifts, books for me and all sorts of other goodies. And don’t forget, they take your unwanted items and give you cash or store credit.
It really is magic!

Half-​Price books is great. They have a large selection of new and used books. I found just what I was looking for one afternoon on my way to a baptism. I was hoping to purchase a collection of Whinnie the Pooh. I found just what I wanted and at a very reasonable price. I also found a great collection of the little Golden Books. I was so happy; the perfect gift!
Half-​Price Books also offers a discount to educators. You just have to fill out a small form & they hook you up with 10% discount. Every little bit helps in my mind!
I’d recommend HPB for you readers out there.

I love this bookstore, and although I am bummed that it is closed for the week, I am excited that they are renovating and expanding. They are re-​opening on June 7^th, 2014.
Along with the typical novels, calendars and coffee table books, they have great gift items like signed books and other items. I haven’t checked out their movies and music, but other reviewers have.
I hit this place all the time for kids books, cookbooks and gardening books. The prices are great.

With all the big bookstores closing their doors, Half Price Books is one of the few holdouts. I shed a few tears when I drive by an old Barnes and Noble so it gives me a bit of happiness to see that this place is still open.
I dropped into this location with my family while we were waiting for our car to get serviced nearby. It’s in a run-​down strip mall that looks like it is near the point of abandonment but inside this store is a hidden gem.
Unlike B&N, Half Price Books is special in that they buy and sell like-​new used books. You can find some real treasures here if you’re willing to dig into the shelves and stay awhile. Many of the large cities I’ve live in have had bookstores like this. This isn’t one of the better ones but it is still nice and fills the need.
Some of the prices on older books are just silly (especially since you can buy many of them for just the price of shipping online) but it’s nice to be able to hold them in your hands.
I’ve never sold books here because most of my physical book copies are pre-​release review copies which HPB won’t resell. That’s a shame but not completely unexpected.
Overall I like this store a lot. It has a great layout and plenty of appeal for those looking for something special. The staff aren’t the friendliest but they’re not terrible either so I can live with that.

I love half price books. You can’t go wrong here and I have an incredibly hard time leaving empty handed. This was an accidental book shopping trip, which was nice, but so dangerous. I left with a couple of books and a calendar – self control is not an option, especially when books are so cheap. This is a typical HPB; the staff was nice, the selection was good.

. Border’s Thrifty Hippie* Cousin… three or four times removed
How I miss those long, relaxing, thoroughly enjoyable, and sometimes costly Border visits. And before that, there was the venerable old Booksellers where one evening I met the adorable and witty Albert Petrak (recently deceased), long-​time announcer for WCLV, Cleveland’s classical radio station. I was just one of his many fans, but he was so sweet — as I expected he’d be — that without any encouragement whatsoever, he graciously shared nearly 30 minutes of his time, as we discussed a number of music-​related topics. That chance meeting, running into past friends from years ago, (even Muhammad Ali in Chicago
—gosh — he was HUGE), finding the perfect book, CD, film, or gift… I LOVE almost everything about bookstores. Everything except getting book-​neck.
Half Price Books may not have a refined ambiance, spaciousness, cushy seating, specialty baked goods, imported chocolates, freshly brewed coffee, or a wine bar, but it’s a bookstore! — so, of course, that’s got to be good. And you might even run into a celebrity, too — a smart one hunting for bargains. Like Border’s frugal little relative — the manager laughed at that — Half Price has it’s own unique and friendly personality. Another 5 star reviewer likened it to a huge garage sale. HaHa — yes, I suppose so – but a well-​organized garage sale. It’s certainly more casual and laid-​back than those others, but no less inviting, and despite the used items (some pristine) among plenty of brand new, all items are displayed neatly enough — not a mixed-​up haphazard jumble of things. (At least what I’ve looked through.)
If you’re a former Border lover, and haven’t yet been to a Half Price location, you’ll still have fun — on a much smaller scale. And you’ll see — unlike traditional stores — that there may be only ONE of a particular book you’re interested in, but hesitating. Just grab it — it might not be there the next time you come. (You can always return it. Confirm their policy.) And it was on my third visit, walking out the door, that I discovered the incredible values available to anyone taking just a minute or two to scan the book carts on the sidewalk. I hadn’t bothered before, because seeing $ 1 prices on some as I walked past, I figured it was full of losers.
Not so. Fairly recent editions of two full-​color glossy oversized cookbooks by Bobby Flay $ 1 and Ellie Krieger $ 3, another 3 cookbooks, plus two books ($ 3 each) by the horridly irreverent — but so likeable — clever-​brain Bourdain. In no time at all, I added 7 more NEW books to the 5 I just purchased. So don’t ignore those carts as you pass — you might find 5 pounds for less than $ 10.

* This store reminds me of some shops (head and book) from that era, where you’d find «dudes» in well-​worn fringed leather jackets, granny-​glass-​wearing
«chicks» in swishing ankle-​length skirts, long long hair and love beads on both, Jimi Hendrix on the audio system while forever inhaling patchouli incense, and a couple of peace-​sign-​stickered and flower-​splashed VW buses in the parking lot — with probably less than 3 gallons of gas between them.
Those were the daze.
.

Shopping here is like a treasure hunt! If you like to read, watch movies, or listen to music, HPB is like a huge garage sale. I’ve found some incredible bargains for my child over the years as well. Inexpensive but quality used and new toys, books, crafts, games, etc. Personally, my best finds here were a rare Japanese CD pressing of Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ worth over $ 150 dollars (got it for $ 10), and many past great recordings of awesome bands that are not that popular here in the states (The Beautiful South, The Church, Camouflage, etc.). I’m like a kid in a candy store coming here!

I need an intervention.
I had to limit myself to no more than once a month because whenever I go in here I never walk out with just one thing. Or two things. Or six things. Without fail, I always find something.
The DVD selection has always been spotty for me, but when I do find something, it’s something good, and the music selection (both CDs and vinyl) usually yields up some nice surprises.
Where I always get into trouble, however, is with their comic selection. No joke, I’ll take a bullet for Carol & John’s, no question about it. But as an example, I went in here the day after Christmas and found the Savage Sword of Conan collections from Dark Horse, vols. 2 — 9. They retail for $ 20 each but were marked down to $ 9.99 (meeting the «half price» requirement) AND they were on sale AND I had a coupon, so I ended up getting all eight of them for the price of three. I felt guilty for not shopping at C&J, but you can’t say no to that. And don’t worry, I’ll go give myself a wedgie for being a total nerd.
The rest of the book selection is awesome. Each genre is well stocked and they have equally impressive hardback and paperback selections. I’ve found some really rare gems in the display case in the middle (very reasonably priced, especially when I looked up my purchase online and saw that the cheapest I could find it was more than twice what I paid here). Throw in the awesome art section, the spinner racks of pulp paperbacks (usually between $ 1-​$ 3), and the random assortment of «stuff» littered throughout the store, and you’ve got a recipe for personal financial disaster.
Between this store and the one on Center Ridge in Rocky River, I have to say this is the better of the two. The Rocky River store is bigger, but I always find more stuff at this location. I will say that when I do find something at the Rocky River store it’s something totally awesome and unexpected, like the time I walked out with a box full of Heavy Metal magazines from the 70s. It’s just more hit-​or-​miss at that store. Regardless of the location, the staff has always been friendly and helpful.
A word of warning about selling books here. I’ve never sold any, but I’ve watched lots of people get angry when they don’t get offered a lot of money. I’ve seen people cart in box after box of books and get furious when they’re offered $ 15 for all of them. Look, they’re going to turn around and sell that moldy paperback that’s been sitting in your basement since 1986 for MAYBE $ 1. Factor in the mark-​up so they can make a profit, and you’re looking at $ 0.25 at the most. If you’ve got a legitimate first edition or rare book on your hands, then of course you’ll get more, but don’t expect a goldmine for a box of mass-​market paperbacks from your attic.
I try and avoid chains whenever possible, especially when it comes to books and comics, but this is the exception. If you read their website, as far as chains go this is a pretty benign one. They do a lot to promote literacy and to fight censorship, both of which get a thumbs up.
Well worth a trip! Just bring cash or leave the credit card at home, otherwise you might get yourself in trouble.

I must say this half price books is a very nice store, the staff are very sincere and kind, you can sell your books and they are very quick and i must say pretty fair with the amount you get, i really like this book store they are helpful and couteous, and you will want to return.

This is a bookstore and the books are really cheap but don’t believe the name of the place. The half price thing only goes so far and a savvy shopper might not be able to do the math to figure it all out. I’ll try to keep it real simple:
Let’s say you want The Great Book of Amber and all you got is ten bones. You go here figuring you’ll score the book for maybe six and get you a bag of taco bell for the road.
The list price of the book is 16 and they got it down to eight and a quarter when you walk into the store. So, the price upon your arrival is $ 8.25. You figure that it’s yours for exactly four dollars twelve cents and a ha’ penny because the books are half-​priced. No, Charlie. No.
Not going to happen because they do the math before they price the books… which means you can’t get no taco bell. So I called them on it. with limited success.
I want this book for half price.
It is half price already.
But I want it for half the price you got written here.
(I raise my voice and make a scene)
Fine. You can have it for $ 4.50.
Are you, sir, telling me the new price is four dollars and fifty cents?
Yes.
I want it for half the price, so I pay two and a quarter.
If I give it to you for that price, will you leave?
No, I will ask for half off.
Forever?
Forever.
So, he gave it to me which is cool but don’t go in figuring you can do the same because you don’t smell like me and you don’t look like me. Be glad you get your book at a good price and don’t be a dick like some people.
Good selection. Reasonable, sane people work here.

I have heard about this store a couple of times on the radio. I didn’t know that you could donate your used books, magazines, portable CD Players, DVDs, or music CDs to this store for money. I didn’t know how reasonable the prices are here compared to Borders or Walden Books or Barnes and Noble. I think that it is a great idea that if you have a lot of items that you won’t be reading, watching, or listening to anymore why not trade them in for cash.