Stopped in to look at the paperbacks and ended up finding two. It's hard to say no at $2.50 each. Huge selection of new and used books. They also have video games, movies and some accessories. It's not "local" and we Yelpers try to support local businesses. But they were here and the books were here and... stop looking at me! Good prices, lots of selection and the gent who rang up my sale was talkative. [Review 11469 overall, 1247 of 2019.] read more

2nd & Charles - 2nd & Charles, Kettering OH - Bookstores Near Me - Kettering, Ohio

This was my first time to Town and Country Shopping center. I didn't realize it had a covered hallway in front of the stores which is nice. There is currently a sign at the entrance stating that masks are mandatory but they weren't asking anyone to leave or making a big to about it if they weren't wearing one. I'm glad that there is still a brick and mortar store where you can browse books and The actual selection of books is great! You could spend hours looking through the titles. They have a fun selection of other items to look through as well. The books seemed reasonably price but in my opinion everything else was OUTRAGEOUS!! There was a large squeaking pig dog toy for $70!!!! Do people actually spend that for a novelty? We did end up buying a record (not my choice) at a whopping $40. Again, I'm sure we could've found it elsewhere cheaper but wanted to support local business. I may come back and shop for gifts but not for myself read more

This bookstore is a fun place to spend an afternoon if you are a bookworm! They sell both used and new books across a bunch of different genres. The store is clean and the staff is nice. They also sell merchandise like keychains, posters, used video games, CDs, and records. read more

My son took me here when we were visiting him in Ohio. I loved it! I liked that it had a lot of choices that appealed to me. I bought a Mindful Journaling book, amethyst pendant and a book on Chakras. Right up my alley! So many choices of all kinds of books and music and games, etc. I had to stop looking because I didn't want to spend all my money! read more

I went in to sell some games and Blu-rays. They rejected most of it, which is fine, their prerogative. Guy behind the counter said they aren't taking much because they are overstocked. They offered $12 cash or $24 store credit to buy 10 of my Blu-rays and two X-box One X games. I took the store credit in hopes I could find something good... Didn't take long to realize why they are overstocked -- they are ridiculously overpriced! It's quite funny. They were trying to sell Fallout 76, used, for $40. Assassins Creed Odyssey, used, for $50. Beat up grungy DVDs for $15. Used Blu-rays for $18. And we're not talking hard-to-find stuff... I'm talking $5 Wal-mart bin movies. It's like they just throw prices on items and hope suckers will fall for them. I mean if you really want to spend $25 on season 2 of Bones, go for it, otherwise just stick to eBay or Amazon. read more

A nice blend of used books, music, & video games w/ helpful staff. Stay and browse a while. read more

2nd & Charles - Formerly Books & Co, now a hip used book, CD, DVD, Vinyl, & magazine shop. Worth a visit! - Bookstores Near Me - Kettering, Ohio

My first two visits to 2nd and Charles were both this week. I went mid-day on Tuesday and after dinner on Friday night. I only mention the times to say that the store has a good flow of people coming in and out and that they were accepting books during both times of the day. We brought in comic books to sell but they had us leave them until their "comic guy" could look at them. Slightly annoying because we now have to find time in our schedules, but okay. The store is laid out strangely, one minute I'm in fiction, next I'm in sci-fi but next row back to normal fiction? I don't know, maybe I'm the one who couldn't figure it out. The YA section is kind of small compared to what I would expect out of a BST book store. I liked the vibe of the store and the employees are friendly but give you space to shop without helicoptering. I liked the non-book selections as well. Crystals, Disney collectibles, funky socks, and different types of candy from around the world are a nice draw to come back. The book prices varied. Some were way below retail price/Amazon. While others were higher priced. I personally like finding something in person and having a book in hand the moment I decide I want to read it. My husband really liked the comic section and spent a good amount of time in the gaming section. Will be back soon! read more

2nd & Charles - Bookstores Near Me - Kettering, Ohio

If you like rummaging through miles of books and a good selection of movies and games and various collectibles, this place is a gem. A real pleasant discovery in an age where the Amazons of the world have put some great retailers out of business. It was a fun store to turn a corner only to find another corner hiding more books. read more

If you really want a used bookstore, go elsewhere...BUT they do have an EXCELLENT music section, including sheet music books and a few instruments, which is unusual. read more

I stumbled upon 2nd & Charles, a little bookstore, while grocery shopping. I really wanted to like this place because bookstores are my thing. While at the shopping center, I noticed the pristine, shiny book covers shining through the glass. And, the store looked busy, so I decided to check it out. They sell new and used books. They also offer trade-ins. Basically, if you're an avid reader of popular fiction, this is the best place for you. The price points are slightly below retail sticker price, so it's about the same price after sales tax. I happily discovered some intriguing British classics and Thai art history, but I wasn't impressed by the overall store set-up. To find anything, I had to flip through books in cardboard boxes. And, most of the time, book titles weren't organized alphabetically on the shelves; the new and used were placed in the same box. Oh, the staff just looked like they wanted to be somewhere else. I guess it's not always happening at the buy-sell-trade bookstore. I like and appreciate the concept. Maybe there's another time, if ever. read more

2nd and charles is the little cousin of Books & Company. Thankfully for them the staff doesn't have the same attitude as the associates at Books & Company. I enjoy going through their "new to you" books, movies and music. Also, i've actually found some pretty good steals while browsing their FREE selections out front. I don't make a point to go here, but when i'm at Trader Joes I always make a trip over. read more

What a fantastic bookstore located in Kettering,OH. Everytime I am here the staff is very nice and I always walk out with Berenstain Bear books. Yesterday I was able to get the last Golden Girls calendar they had in stock. read more

Large selection of books as well as games. Prices are OK very nice store.

I've been going to this 2nd & Charles location for about 4 years now and genuinely love shopping here! My 3 year old son looks forward to our trips there and gets so excited when we come in! They have a nice kids section with children's tables they can sit at. They have a good selection of both new and used merchandise, including books, music, video games, movies, toys, collectibles and more. They have a little bit of everything and something for everyone! One of my favorite things about this store is all of the random collectibles that they sell! There's always a ton of cool items I've never seen anywhere else before. The prices are great too. You can also sell them any of the items that they buy for cash or store credit. I could literally spend hours in this store. I highly recommend it, if you haven't been there before! I'm sad to see so many negative reviews, because I've never had a bad experience here. read more

This is one of my favorite stops to buy collectibles and used gaming merch. I'm surprised at the reviews here because I've never experienced poor attitudes from employees and they always seem helpful. I even had a gentleman go into detail on how to use a gaming peripheral that I purchased and didn't even ask him to. The prices are good and there is a ton to look at. A great place for any gaming, film, comic or music geek. My only complaint is that the selection of used merch doesn't change too often, but that only happens if folks aren't selling. read more

This place is a dump. It looks like someone raided half price books dumpsters and sold them to 2nd and Nowhere. This place is only around because of existing room on books & co's old lease! Do us a favor and leave! read more

A horrible place to sell, buy and just plain old nasty attitude among the slow poke employees loafing around. I kn ow good help is hard to find and I am an even more firm believer in that after visiting this rip off shack today. Don't waste your time. Amazon has 99.9% of the items for less money and you don't have to put up with the rudeness this place projects. I will never enter this poorly run pawn shop again and hope Kettering City counsel runs them out. Probably wont need to, they will run themselves out before too long. read more

Came here to sell 16 CD`s because they say they buy CD`s and was told they are not buying any right now. Waste of time!!! They shouldn't advertise they buy them, then you drive all the way there and they say they aren't buying any!! read more

This place is all right. Used to have a bigger selection of reasonably priced used books. Now, more and more new books are sneaking in with high sticker prices. I hate to be the person who chooses Amazon over a local seller, but when it comes to books I just might be. Can't beat .01¢ with 4 shipping or a Kindle instant delivery. I would like this place more if the staff wasn't so miserable acting. Also, there were about 8 of them "working" but when I actually needed help, mysteriously nowhere to be found. I found them finally hanging out behind the buy back area goofing off. They all gave me the save annoyed stare when I walked up to the counter. read more

I advise you to have nothing to do w. this store. I will NEVER again have any dealings with them--either sell them books or buy anything from them. EVER! read more

In recently moving to the Dayton area we found ourselves with a surplus of about 400-500 books, so cast about for local businesses that would accept cash for books. The two primary ones seemed to be 2nd & Charles and the Half Price Books at Fairfield Crossing. What follows is a kind of rough compare and contrast. Buying. Most of what I saw in perusing the store were relatively recent items (bestsellers, etc.). They're generally in good condition, although prices aren't all that much better than what I'd expect to see in a big box retail store or on Amazon. The store is for the most part neat and well organized. More organized certainly than Half Price, although I find I'm far more likely to stumble upon something different and interesting at Half Price. Selling. Almost all of what I was selling were hardbacks or trade paperbacks (no mass market paperbacks), most in very good or excellent condition, with about 80% being fiction. 2nd & Charles has this rather inconvenient policy of making you transfer your books-to-be-sold to what look like postal boxes and they'll only accept three of these per visit. In addition, unlike Half Price, they won't accept everything you bring in, meaning that after they go over your books, you find yourself in the unenviable position of having to lug many of them back out to your car. During my 4-5 visits, my "hit" rate ranged from a high of about 75% to a low of around 30%. I found it a little difficult to guess in advance just what books they'd take, but here are a few pointers -- no book club books (regardless of genre), no current event books (unless the events in question are *really* current), no local interest books, relatively few older books (even when the books were in very good condition; authors rejected included Gore Vidal, Tom Wolfe, John Gardner, Carlos Fuentes, John Updike, etc.). I was bringing my books in in "small" cardboard boxes and finding that I was getting on average about $30 per box. In contrast, I was getting roughly $20-$25 per box at Half Price. But remember that 2nd & Charles is picking and choosing what they accept. So in the final analysis my very rough guess is that in terms of what you're getting money-wise, not much separates these two places. For a while I was first bringing my books to 2nd & Charles and then taking what they wouldn't accept to Half Price, but this ended up being too labor intensive, so I ended up just taking all of my books to Half Price. Intangibles. I enjoyed looking at stuff in both places, but, as mentioned above, found I was a bit more likely to find something of interest (that was not available elsewhere) at Half Price. I found the staff at 2nd & Charles to be a bit standoffish -- I don't recall anyone actually being rude, but interactions were often curt with employees affecting a rather bored, disinterested manner. On a couple of occasions I had to hunt down someone to help me. In contrast, I found the employees at Half Price to be far more pleasant. They actually proactively **offered** to help me bring in my boxes of books from my car. read more

BAIT & SWITCH to the MAX My son has been trying to find a particular book that is required for summer reading assignment. We tried several used bookstores to no avail. We called 2nd & CHARLES Bookshop in the Town & Country Shopping Center on E. Stroop Road in Kettering Ohio The "sales woman" (???) left him on hold - returning a few minutes later saying they indeed had a copy for $2.99...Great!!!! He asked once again if it was indeed a paperback and she assured him it was, and would he like to put it on hold...He readily agreed AND AGAIN ASKED THE PRICE which she said was $2.99. We were already in the car having visited several bookstores in our area north of Dayton and decided to head down to the store; quite a number of miles away .He went in to pick the book up - a few minutes later coming out saying that he would have to pay $19.99 plus tax for the book - which they had in stock! HMMM - I'M NOT SURE BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE A CLASSIC CASE OF "BAIT & SWITCH"----BE WARNED - STAY AWAY FROM THIS JOINT!!!!!! read more

An abysmal selection of books, unless you like old Stephen Kings and old Dean Koontz and Romance (lots of that)! I've gone in there a few times and each time came out with nothing. Can not compare to Half Price Books! read more

I went their and found and bout a lot of cool rare book but service was horrible in the back buy buy backs of the store but when i looked at electronics they where very helpful the next time i went back witch was yesterday around 8 pm soon to be an hour before close and this girl from buy backs was totally rude and asked for my id for the phone i was selling her she gave me my number i waited she said sorry we cant take it we already have one i said okay she never gave me my id back when i talk to the manger he was understanding about it and seem to try to be help full hope fully they know where the women put it besides that they have the best book selections for all great category of books and cool gadgets great store but over all with service was good in the front of the store but Saturday in the back check out and buy backs area was rude but still a great store for the area most check it out read more

Due to unforseen circumstances, I was forced to part with my DVD collection. After going to that crap price books place a 2nd time to sell some more DVDs w over 100 DVDs this time in excellent condition, I refused their insult aka buyback offer and found 2nd and Charles! Thank God!! Crap price offered me (via whatever minimally waged cashier who was on duty) what they assessed a fair price. Declining their ridiculously insulting offer I hopped over to 2nd and Charles where I was greeted professionally, explained the policy and process and the time it would take to price my collection and was shortly offered an outstanding price. (Uh, dbl what crap price offered). I will make 2nd and Charles my future connection for my purchases as well as sales. Outstanding job guys!! Thanks for valuing your new customers!! read more

I walked in and after waiting for a conversation to be finished a man walked over and I asked if they were still buying books to which he replied yes they did until one hour before store closing. I then borrowed a tote placed on a cart and proceeded to bring in books. Mind you I read things non-fiction and fiction many times before the book in the Sunday New York which I receive each Sunday. This is the point when it went from an okay experience I will NEVER, EVER be back in that place again. On the first trip in with books they was a female at the counter and as I am placing my books on the counter, she yells no, don' put them up on the counter yet! I said okay, and after giving her my ID I brought in the rest of the books and got the "attitude" really well. As this "evaluator" is perusing my books I walk about the store and saw not one of the books I was selling on any shelf anywhere. I finally see my "number" up on the screen and go back to receive an asinine offer with yep, more ATTITUDE. I love books stores and being retired I go a lot and last year broke my old record with reading 77 books. 77 real books not 120 page guides. I have only been at the 2nd and Charles store as a buyer and now I will NEVER, EVER be back as either. Michael B. read more