There's a lot of great items here but if you are trying to return a working DVD, don't. Don't even buy it cuz if it works, you can't get a refund but only an exchange. I bought Smallville season 8 from here because I wanted to buy all the seasons. I eventually found the entire collection at the Del Amo Mall Bookoff. I had to return this since I wouldnt want a duplicate. I went to Del Amo Mall to return Smallville season 10 which worked and they gave me a refund in the form of a gift card good at any Bookoff. I was like great, I'll look for a Pop figure and buy it. But unfortunately, I couldn't return season 8 at this location since the DVD worked. They said if it didnt work, I can get a refund but it works....I told them I bought the entire set, why would I want this? I also said that I wanted to buy a figuring but they said it had to be a DVD of similar value. It was hard to find anything that was worth 9 dollars so I decided to buy Heroes season 1 and 2 for 12 bucks plus tax. The lady who was helping me earlier was saying that it has to be the same value. This made me mad since the DVDs are different values. I told her that I'm going to pay more for this exchange and why complicate it? She seemed to agree but wow, this was so frustrating. I dont think I'm ever going to go back. I hope Heroes works... read more

This is a great source for used media, be it DVD's (incl. Blu-Ray), CD's, Video Games or Books. This location has more of the Asian (Japanese) material, but also a healthy selection of American (English) stuff. The location in the Del Amo Mall has more American inventory (even carrying American Manga... Comic Books!) Either way, both have very fair prices, and the merchandise is in good condition too. You can buy CD's for as low as $1 and on avg $3+ for some of the older popular releases from a few years ago. Also, you can get movies on DVD starting at $3, and also some TV Shows Series for $12 or so (where some stores charge $30-50 new). It's worth checking out, and if you're on a mission... I'd challenge you to go to visit each location since the inventory is "previously used" so is unique to each store and there's a great opportunity for treasure hunters out there to find hidden gems !!! read more

I've been to a branch of Book-off in New York and love the Japanese themed book and media store. While this one in Gardena was not as large, they had a great selection of manga, Japanese art books, figures and English books and DVDs. The patrons are mostly Japanese and the staff is polite. I loved looking through the Japanese anime art books and my husband walked away with several clearance CDs. Reasonable prices and great selection. Would go back if I were in Gardena. read more

Book-off is a store that offers a large variety of used books, CDs, DVDs, and other items including Japan based anime toys. What is great about this particular Book-off location is that it has a large variety of Japanese language books. They have Japanese language books on virtually every subject that you would be interested in. They, of course, also have a good selection of English language books. In addition to books, this shop has a large variety of used CDs and DVDs. Most of the DVDs are in the English language, but they do have a few that are in Japanese. This is one of those shops that you go into and you never know what you'll find. Whether you are looking for books, CDs, DVDs, or Japanese orientated toys, this shop is for you. This Book-off location is situated in a large outdoor shopping plaza. From this, there is a very large parking lot attached to the shop. Thus, parking is never an issue. Overall, this is the fun shop to go into. Recommended. read more

SELLER BEWARE: Had some dvds to get rid of and decided to stop by this place on a whim, thinking hey, I might get a couple bucks out of selling. To my dismay I was offered a mere .30 cents for 5 dvds. I spent more money on gas getting there. Just ridiculous. Clearly they're lowballing you to keep their profits sky high. What's more they refused to purchase several other dvds but told me I could "donate"them. What kind of racket do these guys got going on?!?! Dishonest and completely shady AF. My advice, DO NOT SELL TO THEM. Instead list your stuff on eBay. Just a complete waste of time going to this place. read more

This place is like a more Easternized version of FYE, and better in certain cases. Its got loads of movies, from DVDs to Blu-Rays, and has a somewhat decent collection of video games. What is better about this location compared to that of the Del Amo location is that its got a robust collection of manga for manga fans to enjoy. The store isn't too big but its brimmed packed with content. And if you are a modern gamer looking for some older consoles, you're in luck (though they are missing the almighty Gamecube). Parking is usually not an issue considering its in a big plaza and there are plenty of places to eat at in this plaza after getting your shopping done. Overall, its a pretty cool neato place to go to if you want to collect movies and manga books. read more

I went here to sell some books that I didn't want or need anymore. All of my books are special to me, so I take great care of them (no dogeared pages, stains, rips, bent spines, etc.) so I thought I could get something for them. Unfortunately, they don't give much at all (sometimes like 20 cents) for a book that was basically like new. I do like their selection of books for purchasing, but I think only use them to sell your books if you've exhausted your other options (eBay, yard sale, etc.) NOTE: they don't take some language learning books! I had a ton of brand new learning Korean books (taught with English) and they were not accepted. read more

Love this place! Hilary was so helpful when I was selling my books. Such a kind store , ありがとうございます

As close as "as good as it gets" in reality. Most books, CDs, games, magazines, etc at this Book-Off location are in Japanese, which is very culturally different than another Book-Off location. I'm not the biggest manga/anime fan; in fact, I only know a few series, but one of my friends knows sooooo much about anime/manga. She's probably read and watched nearly every single series or something. She recognized around all the manga in the store without knowing Japanese! Anyways, I came to this location with her one time hoping to visit another friend that lives near the suckier Book-Off not so far away from this one, but he couldn't make it. If you're looking for the majority of English and non-Japanese stuff, this location isn't for you. If you are looking for cheap Japanese manga, this is the place. A bunch of stuff goes for $1, and no matter which manga you see, it's a great deal compared to full priced. They also have some older English CDs that goes for cheap, but the games here are in Japanese and other reviewers are right -- the games here aren't omgcheap compared to the books. Despite that this is a used book store, the quality of most of their books are in great quality. They do awesome quality check, and they do not buy books that have been messed around with (writing inside, high-lights, pages missing, etc etc). If I lived much closer, I'd probably come here quite often to collect certain manga based on the drawings. Books and such here are cheaper than E-bay (darn you, shipping!), Japanese bookstores, and buying them on the internets (yeah, again with the shipping fees). The cashier spoke to us all in Japanese. Of course, we couldn't quite respond to her, but it was kind of understandable. The dollar amount is on the register, and credit (credit card) is self explanatory. Honestly, I've never seen that many Japanese books at once in one location before. OH yeah, they do have some English manga in the back, but the selection is soooooo small compared to the Japanese books! read more

All of the used books and CD's here are usually about $1-$3 here so you can indulge all you want without breaking the bank. It's pretty small but there is still good variety of Asian books, movies, games and films here. They even carry some things in English as well. All of the items I looked at looked like they were in mint condition. You couldn't even tell they were used. What makes this place amazing is that you can find really random, awesome finds. My friend found some rare and out of print music by a Japanese artist for 1/3 of its retail price. My BF got a stack of Japanese books (yes, he can read Japanese) for less than $10. My other friend and I found some entertaining music for $1 each. Not a bad deal at all. I've heard the one in Japan is huge and even carries "adult" books, magazines and the like. read more

We come here to purchase books for our kids. They have a great selection in used Japanese children books that are really affordable.

Seriously my favorite otaku goods store in the US. Their prices are really great, and employees are always super friendly. Their English manga section isn't too small, about a whole row of English manga, but their Japanese manga section is truly the best, lots of rarer, harder to find titles for only $2-$5 a piece. I've gotten entire manga series from here for only $25. My only complaint is their figure prices are as expected for most western retailers, the scale figures are sold for good prices though, as well as the small trading figures in the little bags, the issue is mainly with the prize figures. Their anime CDs can be a bit pricey, but seiyuu and idol CDs are very good prices (got a ton of 48g CDs for $5 each) They also have otaku related magazines brand new from Japan each month for great prices. Their artbook collection is amazing with lots of lesser known visual novel artbooks and such. This book off really feels like you are in the heart of Akiba :') lots of anime and manga that are popular in Japan here, as opposed to many of the other anime stores that I've been to that only cater to the extremely well-known anime. You are sure to find a gem you love here! read more

This is a great resource for my love of japanese beading/ craft books! How awesome to be able to find a place like this where I can browse through japanese beading and craft books without the knowledge of reading japanese! This particular location has a great selection of these types of books I am searching for! I first went to the location in del amo mall with Scott who was looking at the used PS3 games and music cds. Great selection of those by the way. That location has more american books. So, we ventured in this particular location for the games and cds...and I found the craft section and whoo-hoo...SCORE! Now I don't have to search the internet for these! I also love that the employees speak to me in Japanese as if I understand...hahaha! read more

This is a great Japanese bookstore offering gently used magazines & books at super discounted prices. Japanese girly magazines usually run around $15+ bucks (& more if it includes a small gift). The magazines have nice glossy covers and big pages & are filled with cool awesome things that we don't get to see in other magazines here in the US. But as you can imagine, collecting these magazines can get pricey really quickly so having Book-Off is the PERFECT in between. I can't read a single thing in these magazines anyway since it's all in Japanese but I love just browsing the pictures/ads. It doesn't matter to me if the magazines are a few months or even a year old because who knows what they are saying! And the magazines are in PERFECT condition! The pages and covers are thick and glossy anyway so it wouldn't sustain the kinda wear & tear a cheaper magazine would. You can get last year's magazines for just a few bucks. A few bucks! They have a huge selection for a dollar too! Anything more current like just a few months old will run about $7 bucks. That's still a steal compared to the original price. If you're a fan of the Japanese magazines for all of its eye candy, you have to come here! read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Tons of Japanese girly magazines, older issues from the previous year but in great condition - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

See all

Very good selection of Japanese books. Parking, there's a plenty of them. Service is wonderful and store workers are very helpful. They are very well organized and they also sell Japanese version of electronic games. They also sells collectibles. Extensive collections of mangas are very impressive. They even have a package deal of manga series. This place is comic/anime fan heaven. Prices are reasonable and I would love to come back. read more

See all

Book-off is this great little bookstore if Japanese language is your strong point and the culture intrigues you. A big selection of Japanese books, CDs, and games, mainly used since they buy used media. My favorite is definitely the $1 book section for English books. Sometimes you can find gems sitting around and every week there's something new. Hardcover, softcover, ficion & non-fiction, children's book, and anything can be found if you're lucky. Almost been a shopper, never a seller but am seriously considering it since my room's getting a little messy. Ahhhh in hindsight, I really should've tried my hardest when I took Japanese in college, then I would love Book-Off even more. read more

Unfortunately I have to write a negative review of Book Off. I took books in to sell to them and they took a few. The rest they wouldn't give money for but asked if I wanted to leave them. I left them there for them to donate. One week later I saw the exact book they offered me no money for on the shelf for $9, the most expensive novel they had. I then asked the manager how they selected books they buy. He told me it's based on stock they have and popularity. If they take some without paying you then they place it in the discount section. I asked why my former book was the most expensive there and not discounted. They are dishonest and the manager couldn't answer honestly when I accused him of that. I won't go back to Book Off to buy or sell. There are community libraries and places to donate books instead. read more

Book off is a great place to buy used Japanese books, CD's, DVD's, games, figures, etc. You can also sell books, CD's, DVD's, games, figures, etc. but some they wont take. I usually purchase used Japanese books and CD's but I hardly sell them. My brother told me about how Book off doesn't buy off your books for a good price. Even though the used books are in good condition or not, they wont buy if off of you for a good deal. He was right. I took in some Japanese manga that were in good condition plus full set and some DVD's. Total disappointed with the outcome. The total amount came out to a fast food meal price. They didn't explain why it came out to that price. Like how my brother said, it's not worth selling them to Book Off. Better off selling them on your own. I would not recommend selling anything to Book Off. read more

Buying: The majority of this store is filled with Japanese books, cds, dvds, and manga, but there is a sizable selection of English translated manga as well as American graphic novels, fiction, and non-fiction books. There's also a couple shelves of funko pops and anime figurines. I found some great deals in the well stocked graphic novel section. The English manga section also had good variety and included some older, out of print manga, but many of the mangas were being sold at full retail prices. Most of the manga looked new or in very good condition, but a handful did show wear and tear. The inventory changes frequently and is well organized. Overall, it's definitely worth a trip. The location is also super convenient because there is a Japanese grocery store and Asian bakeries/restaurants in the same plaza. Selling: They buy both English and Japanese books/graphic novels. You just drop off your bag with them after showing your id and getting a number. I browsed for about 10 minutes before they called me up with their offer, but if its busy you may wait longer. You won't get a lot for the manga, but most used bookstores won't pay that much for your books. This could be a decent option if your books were not bought at retail prices or were gifted--or you're just too lazy to sell it online and have to ship it out. While I wasn't expecting to get a lot back for selling my manga, I was a bit uncomfortable that they sold my manga at full retail price ($17.99). They put out my manga soon after I sold them so I saw the price. I expected them as a used store to sell it for far more than they bought it, but I do think its a little unfair to sell it at full retail price when they had only paid like $6 for that volume and while it was in like-new condition, its still a used volume and is by no means a rare edition either. The reason I was okay with getting a low price back was because I wanted a convenient selling process, I hadn't paid full retail for a majority of what I brought in, and I thought another fellow manga lover would be getting a good deal which wasn't the case. Therefore, I'm knocking off a star for this reason, but otherwise its a very convenient selling process and they were all very polite. read more

This location had a great selection of Japanese games (from NES up to PS4, with the biggest selections being PSP and PS2), books, CDs, and manga. I enjoyed browsing around a lot, and I even thought the prices were very fair. read more

This is a nice spot to check out if you happen to be in Gardena and like Japanese books, movies, and music. These types of places are closing down everywhere else around Southern California especially in this economy where people just can't afford the premium prices imported media commands. They have an awesome used CD section with all kinds of Japanese Pop albums and singles. If you are into Japanese Hip-Hop the bagain section is a place to check out. I am finding many albums for $1-3 each and am happily turning around and selling them on Amazon and eBay for an insane amount of profit. I have found Nujabes "Modal Soul" which is a rare album to find in the US for a measly $23 + tax! I have found Minmi albums for $5 (of Samurai Champloo fame). It goes on and on to what they are offering in these bargain bins! Next I am finding many of the popular gaming, car, and magna that you often will pay up the nose for in the other Japanese bookstores for merely $1!! Sure they may be a few months or even years older but they are kept in such good condition that they I could probably sell them for $10 each online. Service is great here especially since they are well staffed most of the time! read more

The best bookstore for Japanese books and manga. Huge selection and they get shipments directly from Japan. Very helpful and friendly staff. This book-off location is definitely your top option for anything Japanese. read more

If you like japanese manga and cheap books. I mean this place is a good place to find things for cheap. Theres really nothing to review. Ill say go here and just stroll around maybe you will find a cheap manga of your favorite anime . Also sells games and movies, for collectors and such . However i never sold anything to them. read more

This place is always clean, the people here are always nice and all their products seems to be in 'new' or 'hardly ever used' condition. The prices are really good and the selection of DVD's, video games, books and magazines is huge. read more

Bookoff - Gardena - Bookstores Near Me - Gardena, California

I just went here for the first time yesterday. I wish I lived closer to them. It had a bright interior,large selection and friendly people. I know they were having some type of sale when I went but their prices seemed to really be great. Part of what this store does is buying products. For a place that buys it's products everything seemed in good condition. I looked mostly in the CD section but they had great prices on both CDs and books. I don't remember seeing prices for Japanese music CDs so low before. If you go you have to check their $1 book section and $1-3 CD section. I found more than I thought I would there. read more

See all

The best bookoff in California. They have an entire isle of Japanese cds including: Morning Musume, Akb48, Perfume, SMAP, and so many more artists and groups. They also play early 2000s bangers so you can jam while you shop. This location always gets new magazines imported from Japan which is very convenient so you don't have to order yourself. read more

I love manga and old video games and my bf brought me to this place and I didn't want to leave lol. There was so much manga in English and Japanese! Some things were a bit pricey but that's understandable since some of the stuff is imported from Japan. I will definitely come back again! read more

Hidden gem! Wow this place is really cool. I found a bunch of old school dvd of anime I watched as a kid. There's also a good variety of old gaming systems. The prices are fair and pretty cheap. read more

Great selection of non-English books. There are American books, too. Great Cd collection. Easy to find stuff. Easy parking. Go there -- now!

Nothing beats a good deal on books! Whenever i have free time to read, this is where i go. They have a good selection of manga that i actually enjoy reading. I pick a random book and i have always enjoyed everything i have grabbed so far. I feel like they are always on sale too! read more

The white guy with the ponytail who works there is extremely rude. I mostly ignored it at first, but over several visits I started to realize he was targeting Asian guys. I told my theory to 2 of my male friends (1 Chinese, 1 Japanese) and they confirmed this to be true. For instance, staff always welcome you in Japanese when you come in. But if he looks up and sees that you are an Asian male (the predominant customer demographic btw), he will not welcome you or even stop speaking mid-welcome! He is averse to helping you and even actively avoids eye contact if you are an Asian male customer! I can't understand how this business can continue to employ someone who obviously alienates their main customer demographic, especially a Japanese-run one (Japanese are usually known for being very polite, especially in service/retail). Now that my hypothesis has been corroborated, this terrible place has just lost 3 customers permanently. read more

This place is location in a strip mall, you can buy and sell Items like books, movies, music, and e-devices they have a huge selections of Asian Items, I took about 20 books and 5 tapes they give you a number and take your Items into the back after telling me to come back in 30mins. they took about 9 books and give me $2.45 not worth my time I took the rest to Goodwill, the staff was friendly and the store was well organized but not for me. read more

Some items that dont have barcodes they refuse to buy? This is sketchy why would it matter if they scan the sticker they place on manga when they ring you up on the register. read more

This place is "bomb" and anyone who disagrees is "cray cray" and then some. "Real talk, shawty!" Oh, I "f#@ks wit it" often "and that's word, yo." As a matter of fact, I'm "gonna get my swerve on" and be all up in it as soon as they open at 10 this morning. They open promptly too, so I never have to get "gangsta" and "bust caps" on any of "dem fools" at all. Seriously though. Love it. --Mr. Otaku read more

Okay, this store is simply a knockout if you like Japanese books, CDs, movies, and more. It's got an amazing selection of used everything for an amazingly low price. I'm always surprised to see CDs normally costing $35 or more go for $15 or less. Warning: if you have a hard time controlling your shopping habits, this is not the store for you. It's very hard to resist buying the bargains in this store. read more

There's this amazing photographic memory lady there (in my observation). She's mid aged, thinnish, nondescript looking. I asked if they have any 'X' CD (a heavy metal group I wanted to sample). She went straight to the CDs and pointed them to me, and I didn't mention it's a heavy metal group or nothing. She then pointed to the Special Edition CD located at top of the shelf and said only one left. She just got lucky is all, but was impressive and I told her so. She replied it's her job to know where things are. Ok.. but all the items in the store? On a different visit I ask where the Kureyon Shinchan comics are (This cracks me up; I read it to get my face to smile). Yup, she zips through the store pointing to two different locations (two different locations because the comic apparently appeared under two different company. The comics on the shelves are primarily segregated by the company publishing the comics. How did she know 2 companies published it? I only knew it came from one publisher. How are the other workers tending the store? They're just taking up space and yapping away. Just kidding, they're good but not even close to that photographic memory lady. (The yapping away ladies, please don't cancel my frequent shopper membership...). I picked up Utada Hikaru CD for $30 (Asahiya book store was charging $35, now Sanseido book store, so I thought it must be reasonable). But I could have purchased this for $17 on the internet, what a waste of money that was (CD was so so, nothing catchy on it). The store is a good place for bargain $1 left over issues, that's what I go there for (curious Japanese car magazines and comics). read more

Wanting to do something nice for my mom, I decided to surprise her with some books. The trouble was, everything was in Japanese, and I can't read much beyond your basic katakana and hiragana. The last time I bought her a Japanese book without knowing what it was about, it turned out to be some boring thing on computer technology. Oops. Some of the titles were also in English, which helped me root out books with titles like "The Rape" and "Love the Second Time Around." Not exactly the kind of books I'd want to get for dear ol' mom. I was amazed by the sheer volume and variety of books. There were a lot of popular American books and movies translated into Japanese, including "Constantine" and "Bridges of Madison County. Best of all, they only cost $1 each, and they looked brand new. I ended up buying 4 of them, and hopefully she'll like at least one or two. I want to bring her by in person one of these days. There were a whole bunch of Japanese music CDs, but they were fairly pricey. My parents are a big fan of enka, and new CDs were about $30 each. Mmm, not that they aren't worth it but maybe next time. read more

Anywhere that offers CDs from Japan for $1-$3 should get at least 4-stars in my book. Not everything is that cheap, but a lot of popular albums are under $10. Newer or rarer stuff is $20 plus. Even so, there are a lot of finds, especially for those who follow Japanese music. Besides music, Bookoff offers used manga, books, magazines, movies, and even toys. Most of the manga is in very good condition and very affordable. The magazines and photobooks are a little tricky. There is no guarantee that you will find anything good, but since the stock is always fluctuating it means that you might be able to find something new even a couple of days later. It is sort of a treasure hunt for sure. For sure it won't break the bank. Not unless you purchase 10 different items like I did last week. Just for your information, not all Bookoff locations offer Japanese items. In the Los Angeles/Orange Country area, only the Gardena and Costa Mesa stores offer Japanese goods. The Westminster and Torrance ones only have American stuff, but do offer a ton of video games and console at way better prices than resellers like Gamestop. If you love Japanese media items, you should visit this place. It is a little small, but it does offer a lot of great finds if you have the time to search. read more

I'm here at least once a week. Huge selection of Japanese manga, English & Japanese DVDs and BluRays, magazines and books. The real good mine here is the $1 magazine and manga sections. Since I resell stuff online, it's a great way to stock up my inventory. Parking is pretty easy as it's part of a large lot in Pacific Square, although weekend mornings can be tough since all the seniors go there to shop at Marukai. One star down as I wish they'd carry more titles of magazines and for their crappy buy back prices. read more

As with any used book store, you shouldn't come expecting to find something in particular (both because of poor organization and because of limited selection) -- but considering comic books almost always span multiple volumes, shopping at Book Off can be an especially frustrating experience. I'm not a big fan of their marketing plan, where they put the first two volumes of a book series on sale in the $1 section and the rest in the $3 section. I have a very hard time telling a $1 book apart from a $3 book just based on their wear condition. They still get four stars for their reasonable pricing and quite diverse selection of magazines and non-fiction books, but I would stop by Book Japan on Western Ave. before buying anything here. read more