My go to shop for books. Not only is the service amazing every single time but their selection is as good as any. The prices are reasonable and if they don't have a certain book but another store does they will ship it to your nearest store for free. read more

Half price books is totally what you make of it. First of all, don't go in there when you're in a hurry. You need to take your time, take a breath, and look around. Take time to check the clearance section. Then check it again. Then head over to your favorite section (the sci-fi section is sadly lacking in quality/depth of authors), and see what you can pick up. The media section also has the occasional gem. You will rarely leave without at least one good find, and take the time to check out the non-fiction section. Lots of good topics. Especially history! read more

I purchased gift cards that came with a $5 off coupon that could be used in January. When I came in today to redeem them I was told that you could only use one a day. Nowhere on the coupon did it day once a day. I have a small baby and making a trip out like this is very difficult. Shame on you half price books, this is how you lose a customer. read more

Good selection of books and novelty items !!!! This place is awesome and they have friendly staff

This particular Half Price location is huge. That has been it's only attraction to me the last few times I've gone there. And I usually came away disappointed. Not because of service, just because my list was unfulfilled as they had nothing I was looking for. 40 miles for nothing is not my idea of a nice day trip. But this time, not only did I come away with a treasure trove of stuff I wanted, but the elderly guy waiting the counter made my day (I say elderly, because he had grey hair, but truth be told he could be only my age...) Wish I'd gotten his name so I could give him the credit he deserves here. If you happen to live in the neighborhood, this is a nice location, quite huge, makes the one on south Lamar seem like a smaller little brother. read more

I can spend hours in the store with all of the options they have available to peruse. They are also totally cool with me bringing my little dog along for the adventure, and he loves the attention and the treats! read more

I really like this store for the selection, and the prices. The service could be worked on, however. I'm also not a fan of selling books to them. For the cash they give back, it isn't worth it, really. I'd rather donate it, which I've done before. For example, Japanese manga (comic) books are pretty expensive..$10 for a soft cover book at regular retail price. So if you bring one into the store,I would expect to get $4-$5 at least for one. They just had me donate them instead, which was rather irritating. I should have just sold them on Amazon, or auctioned them on E-Bay. Lesson learned. Will still go back for the fun of browsing over the books and other fun novelty items they have, but please, work on your book buying process, guys. read more

They have a great selection! There are so many genres of books, puzzles, games, music and even rare and collectible books. They have a bit of everything! Prices are great as well. I'll definitely return! read more

We spent a few hours roaming here, it was rather nice. So many different sections and even a rare books area. Even the bathroom graffiti was nice :) read more

I still yearn for the cozy old Half Price Books on Guadalupe that hasn't existed for years, but the newer one does have a lot more space, albeit at the expense of some personality. To put it simply, there are tons and tons of cheap books here (and some expensive ones, too, in the rare books section). Selling books can be hit or miss-- I've made anywhere from $0.50 to $30 selling, and it really depends on the sellability of your books/movies/music. It can also be a great place to find cheap textbooks! read more

I could browse Half Price for literal days. This bright, voluminous warehouse of books should fill you with child-like delight if you have half a heart and half a brain and at least one eye and one leg and a way to get here. read more

Sure, I miss the crunchiness and the scrunchiness of the old one on the drag, but I always find a must have at this Half Price. Just last month I went in here, after about an hour of looking and looking and finding nothing, an impulse not unlike a fight or flight response to being in a bookstore for an hour armed with cash and finding nothing led me to the Salinger hardcovers where a 5th ed. Franny and Zooey for $10 and a perfect 1st ed. Raise High the Roof Beam and Seymour for $20 squirmed and wiggled their little booky hands for me to pick them up. They have so many great buys in here. Last time I went in, there was a signed Fight Club for about 20 bucks but I couldn't buy it because I had no money and the time before that a proof of Chuck P.'s Fugatives and Refugees. Half Price is such a great store that they put these treasures on the shelves instead of in the back room. Half Price is such a great store that I have to go there at least once a week, even when I have no money. As usual, this Half Price has a nice selection of used records and CDs and tapes though the records lean pretty heavily on the granola and early 70s pop. Good used movies and computer games selection. They have a ton of used magazines which are fun to look at to discover new and interesting titles and lots of graphic novels and manga. But best of all, the Austin area's largest Half Price rare books collection is housed at this store which is just so relaxing to look at and through and smell if you're a book worm like me. UPDATE 11/4/07: BOO! They have seriously cut down on how much they will pay for your used books. I brought in two box fulls, mostly new hardback first editions, a few paperbacks, and two hard back first editions of Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), both in the same series and I got a whopping $9.00. Compare that to the time that I brought in two boxes of adolescent paperbacks, tore up, from my dad's classroom, and they gave me $22.00 for them. It's a shame that their buy price has fallen so dramatically. If I wasn't thisclose to death if I didn't eat, I would have laughed in their faces. I'm starting to hate you, Half Price Books. read more

This is our go to bookstore for selling excess books that we do not need. The staff will come and take your information, and while you are waiting and browsing in the store, they will assess your books. They call you on the loudspeaker to let you know how much money they will offer you for your books. I will just say that I have been to many different half-price bookstores and this store always seems to offer me the most amount of money. read more

Standard half price books, huge selection -- I'm always able to find what I'm looking for! Kind of surprising, considering this location is likely picked over by UT students. But definitely an awesome half price -- the books are a STEAL! read more

If you're planning on selling your books to Half Price Books, look to go somewhere else. It's a total joke what they offer. I took in 4 completely full bags of books today which I first priced on Amazon with the lowest prices that Amazon had listed and the total was over $200. I then took these books to Half Price books and they offered my $13. How insulting and not to mention a total ripoff. Can't this company afford to make more reasonable offers? read more

Out of town work visit to Austin, I stopped by this location on my way home. I stayed for awhile due to going thru their vast collection of clearance comic books. People at the checkout was very helpful in sorting out my purchase and even offered me a box for by comics in lieu of several bags that was needed. I will definitely stop by again in the near future and maybe even look around for non comic book stuff. read more

Not good for selling books. I wanted to sell some of my books and their offer was ridiculous. Why? I understand they are running a business and pay bills and payroll and all of that, but their offers are not FAIR. Example, they paid me 6 dollars for about 20 books, that is 30 cent per book. Couple of weeks later I went back and noticed one of my books marked at 11 dollars. And the others? Think about it. Not even car dealers can make so much high margins of profit out of each dollar invested. Bad, bad. They should ask for donations instead, and change their name to Good Will Books. read more

I don't know how I feel about Half Priced Books....... I found a lot of good books, and CD's, and was pretty happy with their selection. On the other hand, I was unhappy with the price they were selling books..... seemed kind of expensive for a used book. Also, their CD section was not in any sort of order. read more

This location has gone nuts with their vinyl pricing in the last few months. The average price seems to have gone way up. Saw an old beat up copy of Neil Young's "On the Beach" going for $30, which regularly sells for less than half that on eBay and discogs. A worn original pressing of Stereolab's "Peng!", Which can easily be obtained for $20 or less most places, is also $30. Also $30? A worn original copy of the Police's "Syncronicity", which can be bought pretty much anywhere else for third of that or less. Hell, even a used copy of Van Halen's "1984" is going for $15, when it mostly sells for $10 or less everywhere else. Those are just a few that I saw on last visit. Feels like they're losing the plot and forgetting what "Half Price" means. This is starting to rival the South Austin location in terms of overpriced vinyl. Until they get this sorted out, probably best to record hunt somewhere else. read more

Not the best HPB - that would be the flagship in Dallas, but easily the best HPB in Austin. I usually end up at the S Lamar location simply because it's closer to home, but I prefer this one. For buying, though not selling. Seems like there was a time their offers were a little more reasonable, but nowadays it just seems insulting. $1.50 for two bags of books, seriously? These were books I bought from them, probably spending close to fifty or sixty bucks. So I don't sell here anymore, or at any HPB. Lately I've been finding myself hovering over the clearance racks, finding some pretty good deals.. check 'em out. Just don't take books to sell with high expectations. Oh, and check out the rare books room. That's right - room, not shelf. Great stuff. read more

Half Price Books is dangerous. I always come in with the expectation of buying one or two books and leave with a stack. This location is particularly nice and offers an extensive collection of books in addition to CDs, magazines, and comics. The staff has always been super friendly and happy to provide recommendations. It's next door to Goodwill if you're on a budget-shopping spree. read more

This HPB is large and in charge. I always walk out with nearly more books than I can carry. In fact, that's my rule to ensure that I don't buy too much here, 'if I can't carry it all then I don't need it.' Otherwise, I me and my bank account could be in very big trouble because of this place. read more

This store, and many like it, has cognitive dissonance about its job, especially in the "buy back" area where you sell them your things. The people working there seem to think that it is their duty to not only lecture customers, needlessly, about why they do things in a certain way, but to do it in an overtly condescending manner that must make them suddenly feel elevated from their simple role as "buyers". Here is yet another group of workers who strangely feel that they are in a far superior position to the customer. I'm fascinated, and really want to know where this notion comes from. Does anyone have an explanation? Especially when the customer is kindly asking questions anyone would ask about the things they own and are about to sell to the store. I might understand this attitude if the customer were in an uncontrollable rage. But, even then, I'm not sure it's ever warranted behavior. So, suggestions for Half Price Books: 1. It's not your job to lecture the customer. 2. When someone sells you their stuff, it's not yours until they say it is. Therefore, treat it with respect. 3. You work in customer service, try dropping the patronizing demeanor. You're not a scientific expert dealing with the questions of peons who just can't get why space is expanding. You're in retail. And you have a job because customers exist, who buy things and sell things at the store where you work as a server of customers. If this was ever confusing to you, then I recommend familiarizing yourself with a job description. 4. This joke of an establishment gets 2 stars. One star because it is the lowest it can go, and no amount of selection or good prices is going to compensate for crap service. Give me a break. The second star is for the manager who, not only apologized for the "too cool for school" attitude of their employees as she put it, but also said "we're trying to get away from that kind of attitude here". Guess you're going to have to try harder. read more

This is my kind of store. I'm not a fashion guru, and I don't really think of myself as a "foodie". What I AM is a reader. A bibliophile. I love books. I read all the time. I even like the smell of books, new and old. And walking into Half Price Books is like walking into the front door of your own home. They don't just have the usual used books, like anything by Stephen King and Nora Roberts, they have TONS of everything! They even have vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, and yes, comic books! If I don't pay attention to the time I end up spending hours here. Even their science fiction/fantasy selection is great. And I love the fact that they have a selection of OLD paperbacks, by writers like Erle Stanley Gardner (the creator of Perry Mason), Edgar Rice Burroughs (the creator of Tarzan), E.E. "Doc" Smith (the creator of The Lensman series), and older versions of Agatha Christie books (she created Miss Jane .Marple and Hercule Poirot). Easily on of my favorite haunts! read more

First off, let me say I spend WAY more on books than I ought to. I used to be one of those people that think, "used?" But after years of paying full price at Barnes and Noble for a not so great book, even though it got superb reviews, I finally caved and walked into a Half Priced Books, and I must say, I fell in love. Love I say, yes, love. I spend countless hours after work browsing shelf after shelf of my good friends... books. My boyfriend gets annoyed when he accompanies me on my book finding excursions. I can just buy a book that looks interesting and not worry that if it sucked, I just wasted my money. They have EVERYTHING you could ever want to read at a fraction of the cost. Its saved me so much money, I can finally save for something awesome. read more

This review is for the re-sale section of HPB: I have taken books/mags there that were in good condition and been offered absurdly small prices for them. I do understand that it all depends upon the likelihood of the books/mags re-selling and need for the item. Be that as it may, in my experience it seems they don't pay you much for your items and you could probably get more money elsewhere. read more

This is THE BEST Half Price Books in Austin! This is the largest and probably most central location as well. If you're into media in any from (books, magazines, records, movies) you'll be here for a while. My dad was in town recently and wanted to hit this place up. We went and probably spent 45 minutes in here. I never really NEED to buy books (I have so many I haven't read plus a Kindle plus an Ipad and an amazing library nearby) but I left with three new books. I'm not complaining though! It's always rad to go in and leave with books you possibly didn't know even existed! read more

If you're a book lover like me then make Half Price Books one of your stops. This store has a decent selection, but most of all it has great prices. I read most books on my kindle, but on occasion I still want a book. When I am feeling nostalgia, I go on the hunt for a book. I don't have a particular style of writing so I need a store with a large selection and this store fits the description. Check Half Price Books out I'm sure you won't be disappointed. read more

Holy schnikeys! What a huge honkin' store! Books, books and more books as far as the eye can see! CDs, records, DVDs, board games, video games, RPGs, gifts up the wazoo! Most everything is at least half off. LOTS of $1 clearance items. Plus a whole room of rare books at the back with an expert on hand. It's right next to the busy buy-back counter. Jeez Louise, this place has a lot of books! read more

First timer, I am huge fan of half price books. I love the biggest of the store. It's hard to find stuff (just now my normal store) everyone is super nice. read more

This is the place I go whenever I want to read and don't have a particular book in mind because they always have something good for a good price. What I don't like about it is the what they offer when you want to sell books to them... virtually nothing. I quit bothering as I was tired of humping stacks of books in there just to hear them say "I'll give you 6 cents for all these".. I think that part of their operation is weird.. They must get books from somewhere else and don't need to buy from normal customers. They also have other stuff, CD's, software, etc. all for a good price.. read more

I love coming here on my days off. The workers are always nice, and I never leave empty handed. They have a surprising selection of comic books and movies, as well as books and trinkets. The store itself is enormous, so there's a ton of places to curl up and take a quick look at what you're about to buy. read more

Great selection of books, vinyl, cds and such. My only 2 knocks are I always get a really awful offer on books I sell back, no matter if they are hard cover or practically brand new and they could usually use another cashier or two read more

This is my favorite Half-price Books store in town. It has a large, varied selection. Even has a separate room for rarer books. (I think they call it the Collectibles Annex, or something like that.) I don't understand the people complaining about the low prices they pay to sellers. Doesn't that describe pretty much every used books store? If you want good money for your used books sell them on Amazon yourself. read more

Bill at the north Lamar store is super helpful. He went out of his way to help me find if some of my favorite authors had other books. He also told me that they are now competing with amazon so if you can't find it log on www. Hpc.com and they will find it for you at a half price book store price!! Bam!! read more

This is the closest HPB to UT, so its selection tends to be a lot better than other ones I've been to. Relatively eclectic stuff, like Arnold Schoenberg biographies. Very well laid out, and BIG. Great parking. I'm knocking off one star because, IIRC, I've never seen vinyl really worth buying there. It's a larger selection than most, and yet I never seem to buy anything from there. There are very few records priced below $3, and of course, that universal symbol of a greedy record store - overpriced Beatles records behind the counter. Yuck. read more

I confess I travel all the way from CA and spend a good portion of my time at Half Price Books in Austin, TX. Its hell on the carry-on and there has been times where I've resorted to UPS but I can't seem to help myself - I love it. read more

What a nifty little place. If books are your thing, look no further. They have so many categories and for great prices too. Clearance is towards the back, as is the buy back program. They have tables towards the front for those times of just wanting to spend a few hours reading. There is also a vinyl selection for vinyl enthusiasts. Definitely recommend if you like books and vinyls and low prices! read more

As a 30 year supporter of Half-Price, they crossed the line on ripping me off on a book buy back and I will from now on entrust my book money to online buying. Three boxes of books, most bought at prices ranging from $10-$20- and more at HP, wow, they graciously offered me $ .04 cents a book. Say goodbye to 30 years of my business. My three boxes of HP books thus got me a total of ...$ 4.81 cents on buy back. I used to work in the used book business and understand it well. Way to go by being greedy, Half- Price Books, over 30 years of my business didn't mean much to you. read more

I moved to Boston from Austin and I miss this place so much. They almost always have a used copy of whatever it is I am looking for and the prices are always fair. read more