Half Price Books

Better layout than Tukwila; nice and open/​plenty of parking

Half Price Books may not have *everything*, but there are always some great bargains to be scored here!
This is one of those stores that I try not to visit too often– as a ‘quick’ trip usually winds up taking a lot longer than I intended and I find myself leaving with more stuff than I really needed. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if done in moderation…
While they may not stock the newest best sellers or have exactly what you’re looking for on any given day, the wall-​to-​wall stacks of books, movies, games, etc. will always have something to grab your imagination, and at a good price. Standard rate for used paperbacks is half the retail price, though many books are priced well below this. The bargain racks out front usually have some gems priced at $ 2, for instance.
This really is a fun place to shop, and the staff are quite helpful too.

I took my roommates son shopping for his mom for Christmas. He had 20 bucks to work with which isn’t much. We couldn’t find the crock pot recipe books and the staff was super helpful. They walked us directly to the item even though there were plenty of people in the store. We found one for under 7 bucks in like new condition. I also found a Middle Eastern cooking class book with 4 step recipes for a friend who’s new to cooking. That one was around the same price. Right on half priced books. Thanks for saving me money on last minute gifts!

It is a hit or miss with a bookstore like this. You can get great books for cheap but sometimes they do not have what you are looking for but if you continue to keep an eye out sometimes you can find the book you want for half the price of what it originally costs. Their deals are always great and I constantly receive emails of their sales. Even my cousin who is from CA loves to visit us because this is one of the first stops we do when she is in town!

Great place to buy books, not a great deal for new released books (20% offcover) But overall, good place to buy books. The used book prices are awesome, sometimes $ 1 each.

This place is amazing! Such a great deal in their clearance section and the front registers have the neatest odds and trinkets. One thing I wish though is that I could have gotten more on a book I paid $ 100 for, they were only trying to give me $ 3!!!
:((
NOTE: College students, you’Re better off selling your book back to the bookstore or to another student.

I’ve sold books and movies to this store a number of times over the years and their offers have gotten worse and worse. Recently it really hit rock bottom. I would suggest selling at another location or online if you can.

Hit-​or-​miss. I’ve done both selling and buying at Half Priced Books. When it comes to buying sometimes you can find a decent deal. For the most part though the items can get pricey for second hand. As for selling you literally get about $ 0.25 — $ 0.50 per item. If you want to walk away with any meaningful amount of cash you’re going to need to sell upwards of 20 – 50 items to make it worth the trip.
Lastly a few times that I went I saw employees wearing offensive shirts. This isn’t a knock at their customer service abilities but they do need some form of dress code as children go into their store.

To say I’m in love with this store would be a severe understatement. Amazing selection and great prices. My new happy place.

Great selection, and I appreciate the discount card for educators!

Half price books is self explanatory. Every book the sell is half off the cover price, regardless of condition. I have seen prices go up but never down.
Pros:
Cheap books
They have some old ones
Music and movie section
Waiting list lets you reserve a book
Very friendly staff … always
Cons:
Revolving inventory
What they call rare is super expensive
Location and 1 way parking lot
The parking lot is a nightmare as no one pays attention to 1 way signs. Parking is usually scarce during the day and weekends. But this store is worth the trip over and over. I have gotten some rare books here and it is worth it every time.
The place is pretty open with space and inexpensive for the most part. The staff really does care. I make at least a trip or 2 a month. Well worth it. Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don’t. Check back often

You can enter Half Price Books to find almost anything you’re interested in for a really awesome price. They are well organized, like a library, and have as much resources of one. I also admire the movies section for having a great collection. I would sometimes go to Barnes and Noble to read about certain stuff and am able to find the exact same copy for over 60% off here. Definitely recommend

I love this place! I love coming here and spending time going through the cook books, the kids books and the self help books. I would like to spend more time here but it seems to get a bit cramped during the sales. I don’t blame them for that! A great selection and a great staff. The Parking lot is a NIGHTMARE! I know they can’t do anything about this either. I wish they would email our more «coupons» and have more «sale» events. I came in to get a book about chakra and came out with 4 more books only spending 15.00 during a sale event. I can handle that! Overall, a great place to be on a rainy day and when in the mood for a good Book at a great price!

I give them two stars because of their prices when you sell them books. I know they are a business, but I took about 10 books to them, some gently used, and others in almost unused condition– and they were only willing to give me $ 10 for all of them. I have shopped there before, and know they sell most of their books for $ 5.99 or more. I’ll take my chances at the yard sale :)
Everyone was nice, but they penny pinch.

This is a great bookstore! There is a mix of new and used books, which is great for bargain shopping. There is a constant flow of new and unique books here that are hard to find anywhere else. Remaining true to their name, I have found the fancy «Barns and noble classics» for less than $ 10, when they are usually well over $ 20. I have also found text books that are over $ 100 at the university book store or on amazon for less than $ 30 at Half Price! What a steal! There is also a great clearance section in the back where most items are less than $ 3! I found my intro to psychology text book for $ 2 in that section in great condition! This is a great store to browse!
Half Price also has other items other than books. There are journals, book marks, cool signs with catchy slogans, used video games of all sorts, DVDs, CDs, records, and cute little knickknacks. These items are also reasonably priced. I have found some great deals on Skrillex CDs, Harry Potter DVDs, and cute headphones.
When you bring in books to sell to Half Price, the deals are not that great, but better to get some money back than nothing, right? There is also no real record of what books are in stock, so if you are looking for a particular book, it may take you a while and you might come up empty-​handed. Also, the store itself is pretty chilly inside. Whenever I go to Half Price Books, I make sure to bring a sweater.
Regardless of any minor «problems» with this store, it will always be one of my favorite book shops!

I love Half Priced Books and I hit up this particular branch at least once per week. Their inventory is constantly updating, I love to read and am always waiting for new books to come out. Sometimes I’ll find books at HPB used literally a week after their release date! This makes me very happy! I always check the clearance at the entrance and at the back of the store, I’ve found many of the same books that I would have bought off the shelves in the clearance section for $ 1-​$ 3. Awesome!
I don’t often buy movies but they do have a very good selection, though I think they charge a little too much for kids movies.
My husband always buys records and video games at HPB for far less than some local competitors. Often HPB’s prices are even better than Amazon.

This bookstore is awesome. I come here often to pick up programming books for reference when I work and they always seem to have the book (s) I need. Its awesome picking up a book that would normally be $ 50-​$ 60 elsewhere for $ 6-​$ 12 here.
Also, they have a sweet gaming section. The selection is different every time I’ve gone in as people buy and sell not just games but consoles as well. I’ve seen everything from a Commodore-​64 to an XBOX 360 and everything in between. I picked up a GameBoy Color in great condition for $ 15 and a PS1 in perfect condition WITH a controller, a memory card, and a carrying case all for $ 25.
Aside from that, they also have sections for movies, music, comic books, board games, and even D&D manuals. I only wish I would have found this place sooner!

I do not know how I have never come across such a store like Half Price Books, maybe I am a bit overwhelmed/​exaggerating because I grew up as a bookworm yet… high school started for me well over 5+ years ago and never had time to enjoy reading books like I used to in my free time.
Life, took over my busy schedule and made no room for my imagination to grow. However, I have recently craved picking up a book and holding it in my hands as I feed my brain… so I decided to finally stop by~
Boy, am I glad I ever did… of all the things I waste my money on, I wish I spent my hard earnings here… on these wonderful books!
I am a total germaphobe… so I would never even consider the idea of buying «used» books but totally worth the investment! Really. It is.
The first time I went, I told myself, I would just look. No buying. Only looking. I ended up coming out of the shop with three books in hand. «Freelance Design in Practice by Cath Fishel», «Designers Don’t Read by Howe», and «Forms, Folds, and Sizes» by Poppy Evans”. Yepp, not one but three books. I was interested in Graphic Design at the time and wanted to read all about it. I was amazed at how cheap my total came out to be… probably $ 20 or something…
Back in the days, when I read out of the «Teen Fiction/​Fantasy» section at Borders and Barnes and Nobles… each book would cost $ 15+ and yes… my parents had bought me such books (30+ books throughout my adolescent days) That probably costed them a fortune.
Ever since my first visit, I have gone maybe 3 – 4 more times and each time I come out, my hands are filled with books … multiplying each visit.
My most recent visit, I learned about the magical «Clearance» section! Who would have ever thought to put such wonderful «cheap» books near the bathrooms?! All clearance books are $ 2… I always check at what the original pricing is and what it used to be before it got placed in the clearance section. What a bargain! Seriously. I always stop by the clearance first now. I have bought many self-​help [Christian] books and Psychology books [some from regular sections] and wow. Never ceases to amaze me still.

For purchasing – Pretty good selection and reasonable prices for us old school readers who prefer the actual book to a device. Customer service is just friendly enough to not be bad but nothing that leaves you feeling like they appreciate your business.
For selling – I brought in 15 books…3 of which they wouldn’t take (Yes one was pretty trashed) but the other two were in very good condition and apparently they had no interest in the author or something… anyway for the 12 books they DID decide to buy off of me, they offered $ 4…yes that’s right folks $ 4! I could have saved $ 4 in gas money by bringing them to the goodwill instead. That means each book averaged about 33 cents… so they can slap a price tag on it and sell it for $ 5-​$ 12. The process is long… you leave your books at a counter and browse the store while they «put together your offer» then call you when it is ready. I have a very strong feeling they just want you to spend more money while you are waiting, but hey it works for them as I ended up leaving owing them $ 1.84 after all was said and done.
Don’t think I will bother selling them my books again but I will continue to buy there!

My local fix Half Price Books.
This is a really good branch of the giant Half Price Books chain… and let’s face it, Tacoma is seriously lacking in the new book store category. The only place with NEW books in the city that comes to mind is University Book Store, and our branch is the smallest one!
ANYWAY…don’t get me started on our lack of bookstores… this Half Price does its best to supply the city with well priced popular titles. It’s the best used store in the city to find the most current popular fiction.
It’s also a great place to find collectible books, records, dvds, and games!
The fiction section is not as deep as the Capitol Hill branch, but the non-​fiction, especially cookbooks and craft books, are decent.
The children’s section is very good — both for movies and books. We’ve usually been able to find our kid’s current wish lists without a hitch. I collect picture books and find some great titles here that would be difficult to find at most used stores.
Two other things worth noting:
This branch has a very high volume of incoming inventory, which means the clearance section carries many gems. Clearance isn’t a joke — you can find many good titles for $ 1 – 3.
If you are a non-​profit or charitable concern, Half Price donates books to causes all the time in the form of unsold stock that must be turned over. Our school was able to raise a tidy sum supplementing our Scholastic sale and also able to give students summer books from Half Price’s donations… probably over a dozen boxes! The titles range from «wtf is this?» to some really desirable current publications. Call the store for details on their donation process… it’s first come, first serve!