Save your time! Save your money! It's time that they got what was coming. We came here and it was an absolute waste. Most of the stuff they have are packed up in the boxes that you can see in some of the pictures. You can also see they pulled a lot of stuff off the shelves and the prices are higher. I have a picture of two of the same books. One looks used. The other one looks new and one is 699 and the other one is 599. It isn't like one has a signature or anything. It's not special. It just cost more. The people who work there were kind of just hanging around in the back and not doing much. And they're already closed! I remember what the days when they were open until 10 11 o'clock at night but that was a long time ago back when they were relevant. I say it's karma because they didn't buy everybody's books. I have a picture of them saying they are no longer buying books. They don't buy books from Black people, full stop!And so. Bye!!! The problem they always said they had my books that my books are old. So why am I looking at a bookstore with nothing but old books. If they have separate pricing for Black people, they should just say that and suffered the consequences for that. This is a place I used to go to for all my books and I loved going there because I love getting a bargain, however, when I wanted to sell some books that's when things got funky. I find it interesting that I get more money from other places selling less books than I've ever gotten from them and I never did do my experiment where a white friend would walk in and sell my books so that I could see how much money she got. I bet she wouldn't have been told about how old her books are, which is hard to understand when the books are old as Methuselah! But, now they won't be my inspiration for purchasing off of Amazon, which is pretty much what they've become to me. I see a book in the store, look up the author and the book online, and if I can get it at my library or on Amazon, I will get it because I don't wanna waste money with people who say they buy books and don't buy them., full stop! Bye... read more

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I have came here several times but never reviewed. There's a lot of street parking but a very busy street. This bookstore has been here for a very long time so it is a little older. It's a pretty good size they have plenty of books, kid activities, and music. They do not have a public bathroom. The prices are pretty reasonable. We were able to find a few things here. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Berkeley, California

Love this place. Come here all the time. The nice thing is that they have a network of them and their inventory system is very good. You can order online of course; or go in the store and order them from another store which will ship over for free. I was able to find some (what I thought were) esoteric titles surprisingly. Staff are very friendly. Chairs here and there making it feel welcoming. Quite big and large selection. Very sad it's closing soon- grumble grumble landlord.... Hope it sprouts up somewhere else- not as if there aren't vacant retail properties ALL over the place. It's definitely an anchor to the block and the "arts district." read more

I was walking through Downtown Berkeley when I stumbled across this place!! The name 'Half Price Books' definitely draws you in if you like to read. I'm not an avid reader, but whenever I get some extra time, i will get my read on!! The prices on books were pretty good, and they also have a clearance section. But their vinyl section was very good, definitely some classics in there!! I definitely have to come back and spend more time in here!! read more

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nice college town bookstore...near the metro station...near the campus for tourists...don't have to be enrolled at berkeley to go to the Bart and visit the town ...on the weekend...berkeley is quiet...high school...meeting new people...bookstore is better than buying more sushi ...pizza...library too read more

Lots of books to choose from! They have really good deals in the discounted area where I got 2 books for ~$6!

I love going to bookstores! I've been dragging my bf to one almost every weekend lately. We stumbled upon Half Price Books after dinner in Berkeley on Saturday. I love how they are open so late - I think we got there around 9 and they were still open! They had a nice selection of new, popular books in the front, which were displayed face out to draw in the reader. They were also marked down, which was nice! Towards the middle and back are used books organized by genre. I loved seeing books by some of my favorite authors and ended up picking up a favorite that I had previously read on loan from the library! What really got me though was the children and young adult section omg. I saw sooo many of my childhood favorites - the babysitters club, magic treehouse, little women. Sooo many feels!! read more

Drove into Berkeley for a Yelp Elite Deal at Cabañas Cafe and decided to do some walking around the area. I didn't realized I would be so close to the UC Berkeley campus. I ended up walking all the way over to their Downtown area and saw this bookstore from across the street and walked in. Everything is organized into different sections that are clearly labeled and then alphabetized by author. I didn't know the name of the store at the time until I asked one of the employees and at a place named Half Price Books, it made sense on why you're going to find books at a discounted price. Not exactly sure how their book buying is graded or done, but I'm sure it's just like any other place where you'd want to sell clothes or books. I ended up finding a poetry book by Samantha King called, 'Born to Love, Cursed to Feel' for $8.49 ($9.36 total w/ tax). Had the time on my parking meter not been close to being timed out, I would have spent more time here. I only really saw like a quarter of the store. They also have records and games. The guy who helped me at the register was cute. All of the employees were friendly. I was so excited to tell my mom about the store I had found, only for her to tell me she already knew about it and its actually a chain bookstore, lol. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Berkeley, California

I'm mostly okay shopping here but selling is a whole 'nother ball game. First of all, telling customers to take a walk around the store while they price your books is not just rude but also transparent. Don't do it. The buyer SHOULD be subject to scrutiny. And on top of that taking offense because someone is too close to the counter is ridiculous, as if the handling of ones books were a private affair. If you want privacy maybe don't work at a counter. My second gripe is their rip-off policy whereby they keep most of your books for free and then pay you a pittance for what they "buy". It's a smoke-and mirrors kind of set-up, a bit of a shell game really, because you have no way of knowing how much they are paying you for any of the books they buy as opposed to those they confiscate. They make you agree before even looking at your books that you will "donate" (to them) whatever they don't "buy". This place really deserves a seller boycott but since they're a chain that also receives shipments from other stores, I doubt it would do any good. Fortunately they're not the only game in town! read more

I visited for the first time and just browsed along the aisles. It's a pretty cool spot with a ton of random selections. It's a little more difficult to browse because some sections (like the comics) are randomized, so it's hit-or-miss if you pick up something you're looking for. I'd recommend having a specific book in mind that you're looking for before you come in. All of the new books and bestsellers are regular priced. I thought it was also kinda cool that they carried rare editions of books. For example, they had a signed first edition of Catcher and the Rye, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and a ton of other novels. I didn't end up buying anything, but it was an interesting place to drop by! read more

Half Price Books - Signed copies and rare editions! - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Felt unfriendly and just funky. I didn't bother to take pictures because there were too many homeless people loitering around. Creepy that there were some small dead bugs in some of the book pages. Like old Goodwill books at higher prices. I was looking for some Psychology books but wound up leaving. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Berkeley, California

I guess if you go there for the books, it's good however, if you go for the games, then it is not looking too good. They do have some stuff. Yes however, the prices are crazy high How high you might ask? A complete inbox copy of F-zero GX on the GameCube goes for around $80-$85 online regularly whether it's Ebay Mercari or anywhere else and for whatever reason they decided to price the same game in the same condition for $140 at first, I thought maybe it sealed or autographed by the game designer or whatever and nothing it is a regular copy just selling for almost double the market value read more

I wanted to trade in some old books, Xbox 360/PS4 video games, and some Blu Ray movies (some sealed), and they wanted to give me like $20 for a large bin of 30 plus items. I was just stunned. Granted the games were old and not the best, but I can't imagine why people would sell things here. I would rather donate the items in all honesty vs getting only pennies for a large mountain of product. It would make the customer feel better if they just reject the items they don't plan to sell. GameStop will at least tell you they can't take certain things, but HPBs will just take everything and not give you a breakdown. The Trade in values are near zero cents for most things, so I would heavily advise against coming here to sell things. It reminded me of the MEMEs of people trading in a mountain of video games at a GameStop only to be offered $3.50 for everything. Other than that the book selection is decent I suppose. read more

Bought 3 books for the price of 1 at a regular store. 2 look brand new. Everyone doing their own thing, no one bothering you.

I have frequented this bookstore since I was younger and always found good finds! Decided to give this one a visit and found some great finds! The employees are friendly and helpful and for the most part they were well stocked. The manga section was a bit on the empty side and I saw a lot of manga that were in not the best condition being sold for prices I wouldn't pay. Nevertheless, I did get some great finds just wish the price was taken into consideration on some book conditions. read more

Half Price Books - My comic Finds! - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Berkeley, California

Amazing selection and great deals! There's always some sort of sale. It's impossible for me to leave without multiple books. Support local businesses! read more

I love to be able to get literally half price for used books for titles that my book club reads. However, they often only have one or two of a title I'm looking for, so it's a real hit and miss. I don't like the fact that they only give you $1 for ANY book, however new and recent and highly rated they are. But this is one of the few establishments left that buys books and gives you cash. Service is friendly but they can be scattered like not being able to find the book they called you in to pick up or not picking up the phone. read more

Wonderful store, Wonderful company. I hope they are around for generations to come. Great selection at fantastic prices. Often they can't pay much for books but.its simply supply and if you can't understand that check out the Economics subsection in the Business section. read more

We go to several of these stores all around the Bay Area- sometimes several in a day and make a whole day of it. This one is probably one we won't be back to. We don't live in the city so the parking situation is difficult for us. It was $8 for two hours a couple blocks away. I know the used books available is based on the surrounding area, but the religious section is very small and limited. The employees were friendly and welcoming. There were several books I looked at there that I had previously looked at on Amazon and could purchase a new copy with no markings for less or just slightly more. The value is good on certain books but not all. read more

Oh if you love books, you'll love this place. To top that, you will love the service here (based on my past and recent experiences). First of all, I'd like to thank Eliana for helping me find books of Sidney Sheldon and offered me alternative on how to get my hands on his other books (transfer from other HPB locations to Berkeley or online). I also want to thank Nate (she was the cashier today, 29Jan2022 at around 230). She is cheerful, friendly, approachable, easy to converse with. I know how hard to be a cashier, so kudos to you, dear! They have tons of books. Tons of book categories and authors, both popular and, shall I say "rare" ? Oh but don't laugh, they have collectibles section. Of course, if you're a collector, I don't have to warm you off the prices on those, yah? The also have a section of old books! If you love vintage, you'll find some here. If you like to decorate with vintage items, they have leather bound books here. But common, why just display those books, read em! read more

I took about 25 contemporary and in very good to excellent condition books and 20 CDs to sell, and waited an hour for staff to complete their assessment of them. Based on their review of the condition, value and need of the items, they were interested in every one. They offered only $9.45 for the load! This barely covered my parking fee. They should have warned me of their (unfair)policy at the start. I will never shop or sell in Half Price Books again. read more

I would give this store 3.5 stars, the selection is wide ranging and the staff nice enough. However they don't offer trade and I was only offered $22 cash for three bags of books (lots of newer, popular titles). While not expecting a ton of money, I have been offered $60-70 in trade at other stores for less volume. I usually always spend more then I get, so this was a little disappointing and probably wouldn't go out of my way to sell books here again. read more

Pretty good selection of a million great books! Sometimes the book you're looking for is hard to find... But you can always check up front to see if they have it in stock. I love that there are chairs for you to sit and read a few pages of a book :) They'll also take any and all books you have! For $$. But! It's not gonna be a lot of $$. If you're looking to get rid of some older reads, this is where to do it. read more

Half Price Books - Funky selection of mystery novels! - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Berkeley, California

Kind and assuring, but the guy at the reselling desk had me waiting around 20 minutes to sell my console since he had 50 books to sort through, then when it was my turn, told me that I couldn't sell it since i was missing a controller charging cable that one could buy from any Walgreens. I just wish he told me about that before i was just sitting there waiting for him to finish. read more

A lot of really awesome books. Some old stuff so be careful that you're getting something that's up to date. But overall it's a fun place to walk around and browse. read more

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So many great selections and choices, great prices especially when they have extra percent off coupons or store sales. The service is always great and fast checkout. The staff is always helpful and efficient. I can get lost in this place for a couple hours. read more

Usually good prices here. It's cool that they sell Video games and Movies at this location. Some of my favorite Writers are available at Half Price Books. read more

Love this location! Huge selection of books, great prices and staff was really helpful!

I love Half Price Books. It's not fancy, not overly hyped or discussed, nor boasts the typical trendy bookstore things you see in newer locations. But, for book lovers, it has what you want: tons of great books at good prices. The store also has such a calming and welcoming ambiance; it's easy to walk into Half Price Books and get lost in thought as you explore the different sections (ranging from Philosophy to History to Science Fiction...). Whether you're looking to casually explore literature, or you have a goal of leaving with a book in hand, Half Price Books will make it happen. This is a bookstore for those who love a simple bookstore with a selection of excellent books to choose from. read more

Took about 75-80 books down here and got $15. Most were newer titles. Im not going to complain- it's a quick way to get rid of your book load! But it's really not a lot of money that you'll get. And it's called " half price books " but the stuff they sell is certainly not half price. I was going to get my child the new Dog Man but it was NOT half price - they lie. Their name is a LIE. Other than that - the staff are decent ( but not spectacular ). read more

Maybe selling 30 DVDs.. Out of 30 about Half Price took 12-15 of the DVD's.. Final Offer for 12-15 DVD's was $2.00 American Dollars Amoeba and Rasputin's on Telegraph Ave will give you more $$$ for DVDs. read more

I could spend a whole day here. I was happiest to find entire bookshelves dedicated to vintage classics; it took all of my willpower to not buy the signed Ray Bradbury from the 70's. Half priced offers Huge selection of genres, there's really something to everyone. And books are separated by paperback and hardback, thank the book gods! I was also pleased to see a well stocked DVD/Blu-ray section. Can't wait to come back when I have more time! read more

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Always come to this place when I'm in the area for great deals on books. You can get great used books in quality condition for half the price. They also have a few shelves with brand-new recently released books at 20-30% off the sticker price. Don't forget to wander around in the back and browse through their clearance section. They have some overstock of newer books mixed in for only $1-$3. They're open late and have plenty of seating if you want to browse before you buy. The store sells books, CDs, games, comics, and more. . read more

Happiness is a bookstore such as Half Price Books. Wide selection, ever changing stock, and wide aisles for browsing. There's always something interesting and/or harder to find here so glad they are still open. Properly worn masks are required before entry which is great. read more

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I always love Half Price Books and this location is no different! Though not too large (only 3-4 aisles), I've always been able to find the book I wanted. I leave my stress behind every time I walk in here. Some facts: Staff are friendly and not overly pushy. Sometimes at night you can hear street music and smell the smoke wafting in. Clearance section ($3 per paperback) is regularly rotated, with more nonfiction than fiction. Game and puzzle collection is respectable. I also had a smooth experience selling books here as a last stop after Moe's and Pegasus, since although they take most everything, they also offer the lowest prices. Keep in mind that they require photo ID. They give you a receipt of their offer that you cash up front, no trade-in. It's nice to know they have a decent location in Berkeley. read more

Pretty good. It's nice, clean and doesn't smell. The only downsides I see are the facts that some books are falling apart and missing pages, sometimes they sell the some used books more than the label on the book itself, I would understand if it was a old first edition signed book since they have stuff like that and they usually cost more, but it was a brand new book that looked like could have been in a Barnes & Noble. It's only with a few books though, and not all, so it's not that big of a deal. Good bookstore overall. read more

They had a great selection all in one place. A lot of obscure titles that might not be so easy to find.

I went in with about 150 books to sell. Everyone seemed really nice and willing to help. I was asked if I would donate the books they did not want. Sure......I waited around the store for over 1 hour while they went through all of the books and finally they called my name. They only had 40 of the books on the counter. They offered me $20.00.....a total rip off. Yes they are there to make money but that was less than $0.13 per. book. Come on Most of the books in the place sell for $5+. The woman next to me complained also about the offer she received also. No wonder they want you to turn in your old books at this profit. I would rather give my books to Rescued Treasures or the Goodwill. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM RIP OFF CENTRAL!!!!! read more

There was a time when selling books to this location was actually somewhat lucrative. However, that has changed completely. I'm not sure why I know they have a huge inventory and maybe that's the deal but today I drove all the way across town paid to park rolled three huge boxes of really beautiful books college like books into the store and was called pretty promptly where they took everything and offered me $40 that doesn't even cover the gas and the parking to get there so in the future I will be donating to the little neighborhood free libraries. Just not worth going there anymore unless I just had a shady buyer which could very well be true. read more

Let me tell you about Half Price Books Inc; they've manage to corner the market in used books as they drove many "mom & pop" bookstores out of business. I was a seller of used books that I got at flea markets, garage sales etc. where I'd often get several boxes of books then bring them over to my local Half Price bookstore. They'd separate them into two piles; one they wanted; and the other they didn't which I'd have to take with me. Several years ago that policy changed. Now they say they'll only make an offer for everything, even though they say the reject pile isn't worth anything; nonetheless they insist upon taking everything in a "package deal". When I questioned what was wrong with the reject pile, they said they were either too old and worn, had some water stains or yellowing pages or even had a moldy smell. Yet when I looked around the store, their shelves were full of many books that fit the criteria of rejects. Also it seemed the reject pile grew larger over time, meaning that they were getting a majority of my books for free; and obviously putting them on the shelves to sell. I noticed many that I brought in and had gotten nothing for; being sold after I was told they would only be "recycled". I pointed that out to the manager and was told they didn't need my business any longer. I contacted the corporate office to complain about the store policy that clearly was driven by greed and pointed out that they also weren't even scanning all the books in the "buy pile" and was told that the store was acting upon "corporate policy" and had done nothing wrong in refusing to buy from me; as I had questioned their integrity. I was told they were only following corporate policy. Corporate considered me a "problem customer" simply because I questioned their methods. Obviously it's a case of corporate greed as the policy intends to maximize profits at customer expense with a "where else are you going to go" attitude; since there's very few independent bookstores left! read more