My favourite bookstore in the city no doubt about it. Love coming here to browse and the late hours are great. Have found many great hidden treasures and out of print editions here. Obviously since it's a second-hand and off-price store, don't expect to find every title on your list in one go. Amazing store with huge variety none the less. read more

BMV Books is located in an area of town is a bit funky, a bit downtown and a whole lot sassier than the innocuous bulk of the Toronto city scene. I was on vacation with three of my friends all the way from Boston. On a whim (and with some luck), we found this little district and generally had a fantastic time looking it on the art stores, music outlets and Japanese restaurants. What was not enjoyable or anything close to fantastic was the shopping experience at BMV Books. Their selection, from the outside in, looks absolutely phenomenal. There are three floors of merchandise ranging from the standard paperback to some CDs and DVDs to some hardcovers. It's a used-resale store with the set-up of a larger chain like the now defunct Borders. The store's complicated layout, which divides multiple types of fiction without much clear thought, adds to a less than easy browse. There weren't any signs that gave you a running list of the different genres you could have on any given floor, rather the patrons would have to just run up and the down the aisles and hope to find something. Canadian fiction was separated from other fiction, neither of which were well-labelled. But it's not just the store itself or its confusing layout-- it's also the staff. I'm fine with not wearing uniforms, but a name tag would certainly help customers figure out who's actually on the payroll. When I asked if an employee could look up a certain book for me, I was told, by a very rude Moby-hipster-wannabe of a man, that they did not have a database. He then carelessly threw some more books onto his counter as though the weight of the world were on his shoulders. At that exact moment, I decided that even if I manage to find what it was that I was looking for, I wouldn't be giving these people my money. A co-worker, who had heard him, tried to salvage the situation by smiling and asking which genre the book was. It was a nice attempt at picking up the ball, but my mind was already made up, never mind the fact that two people who had earlier stood around watching me confusing out of my gourde had turned out to be staff-- and ignored me. I'd have approached them if I had known they were working, but they just couldn't be bothered to engage me as the customers, and I wasn't even sure thanks to a lack of identification. Rude service is an instant loss of sale for me. I collected my friends shortly after, and we all left without spending a penny. When then walked two stops down into a rival store where two of us ended up purchasing new books. Maybe if they fire their staff, get a databasing system and then restructure the store to actually make sense this store would be a fun place to be. Until then, it's an unimpressive outlet that serves no purpose. read more

I was disappointed by the prices they offer for books. I have been there three times and each time the prices get lower. My books were in excellent condition and out of 20 he picked three and offered me $5.00. One of my books was an entertainment book with a price tag of $69.99. I decided I would rather donate them to a charity than to accept $5.00. The staff are very condescending as well. read more

Large selection of books at great prices. You can often find hard to find titles here. I liked this place a lot, but I took off some stars for the service. Normally I shop upstairs in the fantasy and comic book section, and generally the service there had been good. However, I went in one time downstairs to look for a book that had an unclear genre, as it could have easily fit into Fantasy/Historical/Mythology or literature and was originally translated from a different language. Now, I'm not blaming the employee for not knowing either, but when I asked the lady sorting books on the first floor, I was being very polite and trying to be clear. The employee was very short with me and every time I asked if she might have an idea if they had it, she would say "So what do you want?" or "No." or "Go look somewhere in that section". She seemed unwilling to help or even make a suggestion of where to look and made me repeat myself in different ways needlessly, all while acting like I was the one wasting her time. I remember feeling odd since I was the customer and I was putting effort into being polite and the employee didn't seem to be bothered at all. It's a shame because I want to support brick and mortar stores like this and one of their possible strengths that online stores have trouble conveying is friendly and helpful customer service. Why would I go to a physical store if I am more likely to find something, can get competitive pricing, and seemingly even get better customer service nowadays online than I do in person? I have not been back in a long while for that reason when I used to go regularly. read more

First impression? Bookstore looks very professional and pleasing to the eye. Everything very tidy. Large selection. From Calvin and Hobbes to rare comics, to teen books, cookbooks, classic novels, art books.... go take a look you won't be disappointed! Wide wide selection of books. It'd be nice to just spend an afternoon there and browse. Expensive? No, Very decent prices I think. I'm trying to find all 7 books of the Chronicles of Narnia in a specific binding and have found 3 there, for around $3 each. Got a large robert collins french dictionary for only $5 + tax. Got some Calvin and Hoobes for around $6 each. Used book store? The books there all look basically new. Only some have a small red or black line drawn on the bottom, which really isn't a big deal. They don't buy books that are in bad condition. I once tried to sell some books to them, they only took the good condition ones. Trying to sell? How they buy used books: they sell for 1/3 of market price (listed on back of book) and buy for 1/2 of what they sell for. So basically you get 1/6 the market price of a book in good condition. Ex. If it says $12 on the back of the book you'd get $2 for it. Overall good prices, large selection, nice space. You're sure to find something interesting! read more

Not a friendly person this "Mike" who's in charge of buying used books. Impressive choice of books, DVD, CD but this young man should definitely look for another job (not in retail) ... read more

an annex destination for me. great prices for used dvd's and discounted comics and glossy coffee table books. the selection changes often, so there's always a reason for me to drop by, and see if something i'm looking for has turned up. read more

Love BMV, but I wish their Latin American history/politics section consisted of more than Che and Fidel bios.

Now, you must understand I am an avid reader, to the point it's scary. When BMV opened up in the Annex, it was an orgasmic experience. I didn't know what section to look in first, and there were comic books.....oooooo.....so, time went on, and I found the staff there suddenly snooty....not sure exactly why and what the point of being snooty in a used book store. I have yet to poke my head in the one around Yonge and Eg here....hope that's not the same experience. read more

It was my first time shopping at BMV today and they had a good selection of the genre of books I was looking for. They also had children running all around upstairs creating a thunderous noise on the main floor. Not exactly an enhancement to the shopping experience. Children accompanied by the type of parents that no doubt think anyplace is a McGreasy Playground. I'm sorry staff didn't say anything to the parents. Also, a book by the current US president was on prominent display by the check-out. Very lame indeed. read more

This annex establishment has a huge selection of used books, music and videos. I also like to browse the tables at the front of the store that sell new books bought in bulk from other vendors' surplus. They don't have a lot of new releases, but if you want to find classics, coffee table books, cook books or some obscure author's work that you don't want to pay a ton of money for, this is your best bet. The inventory changes regularly so if the book you're looking for isn't there, it might be the next week. read more

Yes, great book store and great concept. you would find some bargains on DVDs too but the staff are very rude and down right arrogant. Don't expect any customer service or friendly greetings here! The owner needs to send some of their staff members for customer service skills training. read more

Great bookstore in the Annex offering books, DVDs, CDs, comic books and gifts, BMV breaks the mold set by the Chapters-Indigo-Coles chain as they offer a large box-style store operated by an independent, non-corporate bookseller. This location buys many books, DVDs, comic books and other items that they resell. Located in one of my favorite neighborhoods, BMV makes a great place to visit whenever you're in the Annex. read more

I love coming to this bookstore. Has alot of great titles and the prices are quite cheap. Very big and spacious.

This bookstore is as good as it gets, I wonder why I have been giving my money to Chapters for all these years? The prices can't be beat, though you won't always find what you are looking for. But they have lots of current bestsellers for a fraction of the suggested retail price. If you are an avid reader, this is your place to shop because there are tons of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. And of course, I love the annex, my favorite neighborhood in Toronto and this bookstore just reflects the atmosphere so perfectly. read more

Definitely the place to buy books. Prices can't be beat and the environment is awesome.

Good place to find cheap books. Big space with quite a few books. However, it doesn't have the selection of the big book stores or the charm of the local ones. read more

Great store, great selection, great prices. I stop by every time I'm in the area - it's the best BMV store in the city.

Literally the best bookstore I have ever been to. I paid $30 for books I would be spending almost $100 on at a Chapters. They had everything I wanted and more, had to stop myself from buying everything! read more

This is my go to place when looking for comic books and hard to find DVD's on a budget. The selection is great and the store is well organized. Great location thats easy to get to on the subway. The employees are all knowledgeable in their sections. I would highly recommend this store. read more

This is my go to book store for graphic novels mainly because they're so incredibly cheap compared to everywhere else and because their selection of comics is fantastic. I got one graphic novel for 16$ while at beguiling it was like 45$, to say the least I was over the moon with joy. Their staff is also very nice and always make good recommendations for graphic novels and comics. read more

A great book store at a great location in the city. If you are looking for books, movies, vinyl, comics just to name a few, this place is for you! All their book are in excellent condition, and are priced amazingly low. Although some of the employes working there are not the friendliest people in the world, that being said, its not always easy working at a used book store I'm sure, and since we all have bad day, its not that big of a deal. All in all a great book store to get lost in, and just one of multiple locations in the city. read more

I've been coming to this bookstore for over 5 years now looking for comic books to fill in my collection.the stock on the 3rd floor where the comics are books is never restocked . when i asked to see the books in the boxes that are closed under the tables the guy says noooooo. i told them i was willing to buy a massive amounts of comic books if i could just see the ones in the boxes under the tables,he then looks at me and says no again. i don't know who taught this guy about service ...the people here suck ... read more