I think they are nice however it is a very corporate store. Good product and nice employees but it seems like they don't operate as a team. I also always feel like they misunderstand my questions and make me feel stupid. I don't appreciate it. I will purchase here but don't feel that great selling here. Great music selection though. The environment is fantastic.. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

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Blown away by this location! This one seems way bigger than the locations closer to me. Staff were super friendly and they had a really nice selection of items relating to my interests (thanks, sellers!). I also refreshed my educator discount card here--great discount program for educators and librarians. read more

Even on a weekend they got through my sale items with lightning speed! This was a well organized and tidy location. Friendly staff. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

The service was great. The people are nice. Sadly I was there because I am doing my own estate sale BEFORE someone else does it. I knew walking in I was going to leave with a pittance of what the books are worth retail. But I also know I am not a conglomerate. So, here I was handing over my Groucho and Me (1st Ed.), Harpo Speaks (2nd Printing) a bunch of Mike Royko books most of them 1st editions/hardcovers, the first one he wrote he signed and IF I wanted to go through all the effort of HOPING someone would pay the value for those books (about $125) not including all the others, I would list it myself. But I don't have the patience anymore to beg and pray and pack and ship IF something sells. After decades selling on eBay I was tired. I have over 50 years in conducting estate sales and researching products, but again, I am not a store. So, I accepted what I could not change. I hold no grudges agasint them. It was nice they paid me what they did. I did expect twice what I got, but hey, it's not their fault. They are a business, and computer based. Will I bring my Silver, Bronze, and Copper Age comics in primo condition to them? LOL. NO way. Those I WILL take the time to self grade and sell on the social media sites. Overall though, I have shopped at HPB many times over the years, and found some good deals. I do recommend them to buy at but not to sell at, even though I think they are the only ones who pay enough cash to buy a trinket to purchase Rhode Island. read more

I asked when their comic book guy was in to take a look at my 1st appearance of Nick Fury because I wanted to sell it and I got treated like a weirdo. read more

Waited 1 hour to find out they will only give me $17 for media worth well over $500 off last sold eBay prices.

First time we came to sell, we were given $60 for good books in great condition, today, we brought in the entire series of books, first edition, Winston Churchill, like 8 volumes, plus albums and DVDs, they gave us $5!!!!!!! The hell with them, Truly!!! read more

Spend way to much time here. Perfect place to bring my 7 years old for her to wind down and chill. So many options. Especially because we are starting chapter books read more

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It's one of the larger stores we have come across with a great selection and a lot of space to wander and look at. The sales help was great at finding the information my husband was needing in his search for that perfect book read more

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Barely one star. Every time we go there it is a bother to be checked out, except for one older lady, she has always been nice. The store manager is a condescending, holier than thou rude arrogant.....person. The way he spoke to my son is abhorrent. I am glad to say though that sir, you were wrong and I am glad that you have been proven wrong. Amazon all day. read more

I have heard many great things about this book store but I never had a chance to visit. My daughter and I went to Barnes and Noble book store to get a book for her English class; however, they did not have it. We decided to stop at the Half Price Books store. We were so happy we found the book. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. It took him 2 minutes to get the book for us. The book is in good condition and only half of the original price. There are many books, video games, game board, etc available. You can also sell in your books and games. The store is very clean and has a large selection of books. There are LOADS of books so I probably would have gotten lost if it wasn't for the worker. It is a great place for anyone who loves to read on a budget. I will definitely come back in the future. read more

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Half Price Books sounds good on paper :) but it seems as if it is getting rarer and rarer here, especially in non-traditional books. I went here and saw some modules for role-playing games priced at $15.00. This in itself is not too bad depending on the availability of the item and the original cover price. Original cover price - $9.99 Availability - still available at the publisher's website at $9.99. However, you get not only the print module but a pdf as well. No clue where they got the $15.00 price but they said the modules had been there for some time. I wonder why? read more

I suppose everything should be expected to go up in this modern economy of ours but $3 for a clearance dvd? No thanks, not when top picks are available for just double that. Book selection is subject to availability of course but they have a nice cross section of interest. We always hit the clearance section first for books though those are creeping up too. Selling is hassle free but I'd swear they pay less than they did years ago. Check used prices against Amazon marketplace as sometimes the prices there are cheaper despite shipping costs. read more

Came in with bags of books, movies & games. Go figure they messed up my bags, paying someone else for my stuff & then slipping up during the confusion when I asked what they did buy. Waste of time and energy. Not even interested to shop here anymore. read more

BEST Half Price Books I've been to to sell stuff at I often used and also has a lot of other stuff. Gave me like $2 for boxes and boxes of books and stuff! Huge floor layout and lots to look through! read more

This is my favorite book store I visit atleast once a week, sometimes more. Its easy to lose track of time in here theres soo much to check out. It has the biggest selection out of Schaumburg, and Downers Grove. My favorite sections to browse through are philosophy, cooking, interior decorating and entertaining. The philosophy section is decently sized, i feel like that section doesnt change too much. Theres a good variety from western thinkers, eastern and modern day philosophy. I always want to pick up a book on Buddhism, but have yet to find a book that doesnt intimidate me. I could spend all day in the cooking section im such a foodie and the book selection is awesome, although the vegan section could use more books. I picked up Minimalist Baker today and cant wait to use it! I also go to the drink section, I'm still looking for more books to take home. Interior decorating ughh this section is fun! I usually end up picking up a book from here too, so many good ideas in this section! I also love the entertaining section. Theres a variety of books to help you be a host and plan events. The workers here are also really friendly, they always greet me when I come in and are always around to help when I cant find a book I want. read more

Half Price Books - My new book - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

I wish I still lived near my favorite bookstore...but I finally made it back to visit and Half Price Books was awesome as ever. Picked up enough vintage books and games to last me the rest of the winter. Store was well organized as always and employees were friendly and helpful...as always. If they didn't close I wouldn't leave. read more

This location has always had a very friendly and helpful staff! Please ignore these silly "Karen" reviews. I haven't had a single issue at any Chicago area location. Just because you feel you deserve special treatment, doesn't mean you do! I have sold items and they do pay on the lower side, but is a business making money. They base offers on stock, availability, etc. and need to make profit. If they don't want your product, they don't want it. No one forces you to take an offer. Each store is different. These are very easy facts and you need to come to terms with them. Thank you HPB for always doing well and your efforts to keep customers safe during a pandemic! read more

I brought in about 30 paperback books. Some Star Trek and some romance books. I was expecting maybe $5 or $10 for the whole lot. I ended up getting a grand total of $1.00. That's roughly $.03 per book. It was not even worth the trip. I couldn't even buy a cup of coffee on my way home. read more

The service was absolutely terrible !! My daughter brought in about 30 books. They were James Patterson, Robert Baldocchi, Lee Child and others. They were all in excellent condition. The lady that waited on her first said it would take about 30 min. So she told her to leave the books and she could go to the store that was right next store because she wanted to shop there. So when we were finished shopping, she returned to the store and was berated by the most rude, obnoxious young man. He yelled at her for leaving the books on the countrr(where the woman told her to). Next time she has to stay in the store even though she was told it was ok to go next store. And next time she better answer her phone. Someone needs to teach this young man some manners and customer service. After all this and then he gave her $8 for all those books. It was not worth the time and trouble and we will certainly never return to this store ever again !! read more

If you like books, you're like this place. I say that because not all bookstores are created equal, especially the bargain book stores. I think it took me so long to actually venture into this store because I've been to other book stores (like books a million or something) and thought the selection was terrible and did not find anything buy-worthy. However, HPB is not like that at all. They actually carry popular items and best sellers on their shelves. I am not one to buy books (clutter, dust, better off at a library, etc.), but I feel compelled to when I am in this store. It's nicely organized and it is inviting. They have new and used books (mostly used) but in decent to excellent conditions. They also have a section of games and other gift ideas as one may find at a Borders. The clearance section is located in the back right corner of the store. It looked like a lot of nerdy stuff, but I did not spend the time to dig through that section. The staff is friendly and helpful. I paid cash for my purchases and didn't want the change coming back to me. I give him the old "you can keep the change" line and he excitedly said they have a donation box that he can put the change in and hurried off the get it. LOCATION: Next to Office Max. There's also an Indian grocery story a few doors down that sells really yummy sweets. read more

Never did I ever think about reselling my books until a friend recommended it. I always thought I was going to need them again at one point but they sat in my drawers for years without being opened once so I boxed them all up and brought them over to HPB. I brought 17, pretty much new, Veterinary Technician books and 3 common books I got in high school, Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men and Bottled Up. I just wanted to see what they would offer me and after waiting a good 25 minutes, they offered me a surprising $150. I took the deal and asked the lady which one was the most valuable. She pointed to a large, hardcover Clinical Vet Tech book and after looking at all the prices she slapped on each of the books I realized that the more common and popular books were reselling for a cheaper price than the rarer books that they might not see very often. So a word of advise if you're questioning about bringing your books here, if the book is something you think is very rare to find in a bookstore, bring it in and see what they offer you! If it's common like Of Mice and Men or Romeo and Juliet, DONT because you won't be as satisfied when they offer you a few dollar bills. Now I could've gotten even more money if I sold them myself online but that's not always as easy. And if you don't like HPB's offer, you can always walk away with everything you brought in! read more

Highly recommend. Good prices and they stand behind their products. My #1 goto for video DVD's.

Place always smells terrible. The book selection is sad. The service checking out today left a lot to be desired. The clerk was rude and condescending. It is none of your business if I choose to recycle the bag you offered me and no, I don't appreciate having to wait in line while you carry on with another customer about the how awful it is that not everyone in the state is vaccinated vaccinated. It is a very contentious issue and should be a personal decision. I didn't realize only card-carrying Biden voters are welcome there. Won't be returning. read more

This book shop and it's friendly employees have never once let me down when I'm looking for a book! I am a new regular customer!

One of my favorite places to shop when I want to unwind. Lots of reading material and audio/video at decent prices. I'm kind of sorry I sold so many paper books and vinyl albums here because I preferred eBooks and mp3s. There is just something special about tangible items! read more

Half Price Books is one of my favorite places to visit and browse around in. However, not necessarily one of my favorite places to shop for reasons I'll describe shortly. Before delving into the pluses and minuses of this particular retailer let me first go over what Half Price Books is. Half Price Books is a used book, DVD, Blu-ray, video game, laserdisc, comic book, CD, Action figure and Vinyl record store. They carry a huge variety of different kinds of items many of which appeal to me. They often times run sales with coupons if you're part of their mailing list and have a nice inventory of stuff to browse with new items constantly coming in. Now, let's go over the upsides. First off a lot of deals can be found here, they have tons of books, a huge movie selection with movies in DVD, Bluray and even laserdisc format for sale. They sell CDs and Vinyl records as well and you can pick through their sections and find great deals on stuff you might want. They also carry retro video games, and have excellent deals on peripherals and accessories. Now let's go to the downsides of Half Price Books. First off their pricing, for a place called Half Price Books they have some much higher than half priced stuff. For example I collect retro video games as a hobby and know the going rate of a lot of games, systems and peripherals. Some things at half price books are quite competitively priced. Other times it seems like their pricing decisions were made by going on ebay, looking for the highest possible sale price of an item regardless of condition or completeness. For those who aren't aware, if you have a Nintendo game with the box and manual and the same game with just the cartridge the going rate on ebay or amazon is much higher for the copy with the box and the manual. The end result is that you often find games that are vastly overpriced in the condition that they're in, even compared to ebay and are probably only purchased when someone has a 50% off coupon to bring the price down to a more reasonable level. Pricing isn't the only problem here, while I've never traded in items here I have had a fair amount of defective merchandise, bad CDs, DVDs and video game peripherals. Simply put, they aren't as thorough as other places in checking their goods leaving the consumer to do that for them within their return policy window. They also often times have an empty check out register and lots of employees at the trade in counter. This leads to long waits to check out at various times. Overall I do like Half Price Books, though there are things about the way the business is run that aggravate the heck out of me as mentioned above. It's a good place to shop and has lots of things I'm interested in buying. I recommend it, but keep in mind the complaints I mentioned above. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Bloomingdale, Illinois

Another fine example of why I should trust my fellow Yelpers right here. Half Price Books is the bee's knees if you're buying something. Half Price Books leaves a lot to be desired if you are selling them something. I had my first visit on New Year's Day. The deals were fantastic! I got 48 die cut greeting cards with envelopes for $6.99! These are the perfect cards to send to my customers when things come up. So reasonable! We found a ceramic coffee mug with a rubber fitted lid...my hubby had been looking for weeks and we randomly found a reasonably priced one here. We found TV on DVD in the clearance area that will make my son happy. Total scores! Fast forward to today when I bring in some books and magazines (mostly magazines). I wander away so they can come up with an offer for me. Ten minutes later, my name is called over the loud speaker. I wander back. Five dollars. Five dollars? Yes, five dollars for my four shopping bags of stuff. The good news? I just wanted to get rid of the stuff. The not so good news, now my husband is not pleased about wasting my time. Meh. I think he'll get over it. In short? Buy here. Don't sell. Unless you just want to be rid of the items. You may spend more in gas than you will walk out with in cash. read more

This review is specifically of the VINYL RECORD SELECTIONS at the Bloomingdale location... What can I say about the selection of vinyl records here? For some reason I can't figure out, this place often gets some very nice vinyl record selections that I don't expect. (I mean, this place is the middle of a bunch of fairly "plain jane" suburbs, not downtown or a "hip" Chicagoland neighborhood.) This may not be obvious if you only stop in every blue moon, though. This can be hard to tell because there are a lot of beat up records here. Half Price doesn't selectively choose out records the way most other record stores in the Chicagoland area do--their policy is to take everything that comes in the door. (Often the worst of the worst go into the clearance bin, but not always. And sometimes there are incredibly great finds in the clearance bin that don't end up in the top bins even though you'd think they would.) However, if you are willing to do the leg work, come frequently, and scan your vinyl closely, you will be totally surprised at how much great stuff they actually do end up getting here. Because you can often times find, tucked away next to the beat up records, these nice ones that you actually would want to take home with you. But to find these, you have to put in the time to look the records (both clearance and not) and file through the beat up records that are usually found at Half Price Books, too. (This is true of all Chicagland area Half Price Books locations, not just this one. Actually, it's probably true of all Half Price Books locations everywhere in the US.) Given this fact, I am willing to give Half Price 4 stars. It'd be higher, even given the need of the customer to pick through the beat up records, but there are also two complaints I have about this place that keeps them from getting 5 stars. 1) They never clean the records. A good deal of the time, even the ones in good shape are going to need the dust cleaned off them. This can be both a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing because sometimes they price things down that are actually much better than the price suggests--but you have to be willing to do the work to clean the records and find the treasures underneath. It can also be a curse cuz sometimes the records are really dirty and cleaning them is really a b**ch. 2) Sometime their ratings are off--unfortunately, more often in the "bad" direction. What I mean by this is that they will sell records without any "warnings" that they might skip that do. (Their system is not to use tags like NM or VG or whatever, but instead to use no special marking, which usually means NM, VG+, or VG or the (As Is) marking, which can (sometimes) mean VG-, or most often G or Fair.) What happens when 2) occurs is a record gets no (As Is) marking, but should have one. Other times, records with a super high rating (you will occasionally find records marked (Audiophile)) that actually still end up with mild tick sounds or even the occasional (but rare) skip. Of course, you CAN always return any used record you buy up to 7 days after you buy it if something's not right, which you can't do at most other stores, so you can always counter badness with 2) if it comes up when you buy stuff here. Other than these couple complaints though, this place can be a pretty nice place to buy used vinyl records. You just have to be willing to put in the leg work to comb through the records and find the good stuff. read more

Very friendly staff and helpful. I'm a regular I'm there at least every other week they have just about anything you could think of and prices are fair read more

I would give this location 5 stars if I was only reviewing the quality of the store and customer service; however, the buy back program is a bit skewed. I went to Half Price to attempt to sell a huge bag of Blu Rays and DVDs. They only gave us $43 for a huge stack of basically brand new Blu Rays and DVDs. There was another stack that were barely scratched and they said they would have to recycle them if they took them from us. I was kind of taken a back. I've bought DVDs from their clearance section and they were in worse condition than I was giving them. So, I'm not sure exactly how they calculate the buy back program, but I still love the store regardless...I just don't think I'll sell any more media to them. Otherwise, this particular location is pretty great. I would highly recommend it. read more

Won't go back to this location every again. I walked in with a big bag full of hardcover books. Unfortunately, I forgot about needing an appointment on the weekend, but I was barely in the door and a man at the register shouted, "Do you have an appointment?" I asked if I could make one for later in the day. He didn't answer, but looked at the top row of books and said that they didn't want those books so there was no need to try and sell them. The lower row of books had authors like Michael Connelly and Harlan Corbin. What a snobby statement. He was loud and rude. Maybe you don't want my books, I'll go to another location. I will never go back to that one in Carol Stream. read more

Let's face it... It is pretty rare to find a decent used book shop in the suburbs. And the few that I have been to have been small and generally overpriced for used books. Half Price Books is a great exception to the rule. They have a very wide variety and their prices are excellent. I have shopped here twice for books for my son. Most of their selection is in "good" condition but it is rare to find anything in "like new" condition. I'm not going to lie. They don't have every book you could ever want. In fact, they have a heck of a lot of books that will likely grace their shelves for years to come without purchase. It is a matter of finding the diamond in the rough. And if you have a specific goal in mind, you may walk out without the specific book you were seeking to purchase. My only minor complaint is that I don't really understand their pricing system. I'm sure there is some kind of logic there but to the untrained eye - it is just not as obvious as I'd like. read more

Arguably the least friendly bookstore you'll ever have the misfortune to enter. I've been to other locations and found staff to be helpful and friendly. Employees here, however, spend more time chatting than trying to assist customers. Not so, at this outlet. My advice is to stay home and shop online or find another used bookstore. read more

This Half Price Books is a money trap like Target. I double dog dare you to leave without purchasing a single item. I don't think it can be done. We pop in to take a quick peek and leave an hour and $40 later. I'm particularly fond of the language and learning section. They currently have Croatian CDs to pick up basics while you fly, and a Polish version as well. I've even found Beginner Hungarian and Hebrew. I'm still saving up for Teach Yourself Islam and Hinduism. Their card section is decent. You can find individual cards for 50c or boxes of holiday and birthday cards for $1-5. The main company, Driftwood Designs, is ingenious. They are the first boxed cards I've found where their square cards come with regular envelopes that don't require extra postage. I love anything that saves me money! The clearance section is decent. My most recent find was a Cooking for Two (romantic, not baby) for $1! And the rest of the books are reasonably priced. I've got my eye on A Silent Spring and Android Karenina. But I may just purchase the Vatican board game to prove it exists. read more

Free wifi and great people watching! As other yelpers commented, if you are looking for a bookstore with lattes, this is not the place for you. This place is bare bones, kind of warehouse-like. It felt kind of musty and I thought the floor needed a good sweeping. I brought son #3 here in search of some metal music. According to him, all the good stuff is old and can only be found in places like this or garage sales. They have LOTS of music here, even vinyl and some 8 track tapes! The books are organized well with signs and everything. They have NEW ones kind of interspersed with the old ones. We saw one book for $1.25 and right next to it was the new version for $7.00, so if you are trying to be frugal, keep your eyes peeled for the bargains. As far as the people watching goes, there is quite a diverse group that comes into and works at this store. If you go to the coffee bookstores, most of the people look alike, but that's not the case here! I work nearby, so I constantly see all kinds of people coming in and out of here. If you are planning to sell some books here, you have to go into it a certain way. You need to think about how you aren't getting any money out of them sitting around your house and then you will be ok with getting barely any cash for them. If you want to put in the effort, I would say that you would get more money on ebay, unless it's a book with a million copies already listed. I had an autographed, hardback book from a great children's author and they offered me $1.50 for it. I decided to regift it instead. All in all, we had a good experience here. read more

HOLY HIPSTER HEAVEN, Batman! This is the ultimate in used book stores - and it doesn't just stop at books! They've got aisles and aisles of every kind of book you can imagine: fiction, nonfiction, classics, mystery, sci-fi, how-to's, cookbooks, art books, signed books, antique books, history books, adventure, religion, philosophy, new-age, Pagan/occult, self-help, psychology, romance, textbooks, first editions, poetry, children's, soft cover, hard cover... I could go on. New and old: they've got it! Along with their books they also offer a host of planners/datebooks/journals, calendars, cards, stationary, games, toys, collectibles, DVDs, CDs, records, and other finds. Not everything is used, either - they offer new products as well. This place is HUGE, and well-maintained. They buy and sell, so you can bring your own stuff in and have it priced! The lighting is bright and the atmosphere isn't at all stuffy. If you need help finding anything, there's always someone around who will be happy to help you. The staff is very attentive and friendly, so don't be shy. The prices are great and you can get armloads of books for a fraction of what you would spend at other stores. Even if I don't have something specific in mind when I go in, I always find something interesting. Now, if only I could cure myself of compulsively buying books faster than I can read them all... read more

I went to this Half Price Books for the first time a few weeks ago after work. Luckily, I didn't haul my large box and bag of books in at first, because when I spoke with an employee at the selling counter, they informed me that you have to stay in the store while they price your books... and also that the wait would be 45 minutes to an hour. I had planned to run some errands and come back for the offer, as I have sold clothes before and this is always allowed. When I inquired as to why I needed to be present in the store, they told me that they "couldn't touch the books" if I left because they were my property, and what if I had a million dollar book in there, they couldn't be responsible, etc. Here is some news: if I did have a million dollar book, I would not be selling it casually at Half Price Books. Anyway... A second employee then walked up to the selling counter as I was telling the first employee that I felt this procedure was a bit inconvenient, especially with a long wait time. The second employee then jumped in, saying, "Well, what's inconvenient is when someone drops books off, and then leaves the store, and we can't touch their books to move them, so they are taking up our counter space." This was off-putting, to say the least. Regardless, I went back a few weeks later when I was prepared to spend the time browsing while they priced my 40-some books and DVDs (some still in the package or brand new, I might add). The wait wasn't as bad... maybe 25 minutes this time. But when I was called back to the counter, they offered me a whole FOUR DOLLARS for my stuff. For lack of wanting to haul the books back to my car (I'm sure they bank on this customer laziness) I accepted the offer and used it toward a book purchase. In the end, they made money off of me, which I believe is the real reason they require sellers to remain in the store (a simple waiver would suffice). Overall, the buy back experience was certainly NOT worth it. The employees were mildly disrespectful. And the policies regarding customer sellers are inconvenient and time-consuming. This store (the chain of Half Price Book stores, really) only earns 2 stars because they have a teacher discount program all day every day for any purchase (not just classroom purchases). Otherwise, they earn 0. read more

I remember thinking to myself on numerous occasions, 'hey, let me just run in real quick to see if I can find something.' Two hours and three bags later, I am surprised to find myself not feeling guilty, but proud by my half price treasures. Discounted books, vinyls, cd's, calendars, notebooks, and even board games, are all the reasons why this place is sooo much fun. Oh, and not to mention the super friendly staff that are always willing to help you find what you are looking for. I don't have enough good things to say about this place! read more

Not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting much out of this place. I was just figuring it would be along the lines of another "resale" type shop that "loved" their stuff too much. You know, where you walk in, and it's more than you would pay on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble? This store is so much more than that, though! They have a lot of different sections. There are a lot of new books, but for cheaper prices than you would see at Borders or B&N. You can pretty much find a gift for anyone on your list here, that's for sure! This particular day, I was looking for Christmas books to complete our "25 days of Christmas Books" for under the tree. I needed 4 more to complete the 25 days leading up until Christmas, but I didn't want to spend too much. After doing much searching (read: browsing, because I have book ADD) we found a little part of the kids section for seasonal books. It provided me with all of the books I needed! The selection was a bit on the small side for those, but not too bad! The paperback I bought was .99 and the most expensive hardcover I bought was 5.99. WAY better than $16/pop! Oh, and there were a ton of clearance books in the kids section for .50 and $1 each. I definitely stocked up! I will definitely be back to do more Christmas shopping! read more

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