Yes I know print media is dead, but I still love that feeling of holding a book in my hands and this place is a book junkie's dream. You can just shop for new and used book if you please but that is just the tip of the iceberg. They also have CDs, Records, DVDs, Blu-Ray, Video Games, and comic books. Really the main point of this uber cool place is their buy back program. They have it down to a science. Just bring your used items I listed above and they will give you a in-store credit price and a cash price. read more

It can be a bit daunting to walking into 2nd & Charles unprepared - the bookcases that form the aisles are long, tall, and PACKED with books from any category that might catch your fancy. A good way to get the most out of your time in the store is to first go through all the books, computer games, and CDs (does anyone still have those?) you have lying around at home, fill up a box of items to get rid of, and then drop it off at the "Sell" counter at the front of the store before losing yourself to the miles of aisles. Stroll through cooking, fiction, history, romance, classics, DIY projects, science-fiction, and more, and then find a seat or a perch to flip through your new finds while your case of cast-offs is reviewed. When you spot your number on one of the screens, head back up and cash in. Obviously, how much you get for your buybacks depends on the quality and popularity of the items. Sometimes I'm disappointed, but I've also been surprised a couple times, and I can *always* find another book there to get, so it keeps me coming back. If you're a collector of series of books and use 2nd and Charles as your go-to supplier, they can keep track of which books you've bought so you don't end up with a bunch of duplicates because you forgot what you had. Pretty nifty. read more

I really enjoyed this bookstore. They have a lot of really interesting books, not at all what I was expecting. My sister in law and I went in for a quick minute and ended up spending an hour and a half in there without even realizing it. I didn't even get to check out half of the store simply because I was so enthralled with all the books! I will definitely be back as I'm sure every visit would yield something new to find! Do make sure to bring your own bag though- we were quite surprised to find that this is a bag less store. read more

I've been seeing and hearing about this place for a while now. At first, I had no idea what this enormous store was. It was hard to believe it was just books/movies/dvds etc. I assumed there would also be some other random knick-knacks (which there are!). I finally had the chance to explore this store yesterday. My friends were right--this is definitely not a store you can easily pop into for JUST 10 minutes. Again, this place is HUGE! I love just browsing through book stores, and I like this one even better because the books are way cheaper! The conditions of the books vary, and the prices for the same titles will also vary slightly. Most of the books were in pretty good conditions, and honestly, many of them looked just new! They also have brand new copies of some books, but you're also paying the price for a brand new book. I filled up my basket with way too many things and ended up giving myself a $10 limit. I bought a 1000 piece puzzle (NEW!) for only $3! I also got a copy of Wuthering Heights for a dollar and then an Ellen Degeneres book for less than $5. Pretty good if I do say so myself :) When I was leaving the store, I noticed a couple bins outside next to a large sign that said FREE. There were just a few random books, but I found one that caught my eye. Not bad for FREE!. Also, I saw a lady just dropping off some books in the bin, I guess it's a place to just pay-it-forward in terms of books if you don't care about selling the books to the store. I'll definitely be back! So much exploring to do and a great place to shop to build my library! read more

I love this store they have so much to choose from I like the fact that they sell old Video games for the old systems, DVD's are at I reasonable price they had a sell on used movies buy 2 get 1 free if u love video games, movies, music, comic books, and like to read this store is for u read more

See all

Nice selection of books. Comfortable place, video games and movies. I stored a bunch of books in my garage, and brought them here to see if any would sell. Nope, rejected. Ah well. They have a high standard for books, and I can't blame them for not taking my dusty moldy books. It would have been nice to not have waited an hour to find out, but I did find a super rare childhood movie favorite there. Yes, technically my trip was a net loss, but Lovelady will take my books and that's good too. read more

Pros: big selection of books, games and other media. Prices for used 360 games arnt bad. Cons: store is so massive and the book categories are so poorly advertised I gave up trying to find what I was looking for. If you're selling a full bin of books, you'll wait an hour. They'll tell you to shop around in the mean time, but good luck with that. read more

Love this place. So many books and genres. They also have plenty of console games. Riley was awesome, patient and knowledgable. He helped me find a game guide and lots of information on similar games. Courtney was also very helpful at the front desk. Will definitely return. Good buys and better finds. read more

Cool store, it has retro games, books, comics, consoles, and other stuff, overall pretty good to buy old, and other stuff for low prices, but if you try to sell them some stuff, they may not give you that much cash. 4/5 read more

See all

With a plethora of choices in used and new, Second and Charles delivers all your hobby needs. The staff is friendly and talkative and provide an enjoyable experience in customer service. I have had numerous conversions with certain staff about comics and video games and never felt pressured or hassled. The store does not, unfortunately, provide a system to find inventory clearly but the staff will help you with requests. I personally find the searching for what you want enjoyable but your mileage may vary. Overall, Second and Charles is a fun and great store. If it was a person, it would be the cool guy who finds cool stuff for you. It would be your explorer of awesome. Recommended. read more

Always find things that I want for my collections. They may not be new, but most of there stuff is good price for the condition. George R R Martins Dance of the Dragons in hardback for ten bucks because the dust cover is a bit frayed. No other damage...I'm sold. Not to mention top dollar for trade ins when you get credit. read more

This was the most frustrating retail experience ever. We unknowingly went on inventory day. The aisles were filled with over 100 temp employees using noisy handheld scanners. The inventory staff would't step aside to let us look at anything. I love to read, look to shop, but there is no way I'll go back to this store based on this initial encounter. read more

I love this store. As an avid reader and book collector I can spend hours shopping here. I never buy new books due to cost, but they have decent prices on used books. They don't always have everything you are searching for and the store can be a bit confusing, but they still have a good selection and the employees all seem knowledgeable about where things are and willing to help you search for something if needed. I don't get to go to Birmingham often, so its always such a treat to get to come here. read more

Please DO NOT WASTE your time taking books to this store to sell. I was so sad after I had called and spoke with someone they told me to bring my books for them to have a look at. I Explained I had a lot of books and wanted to check before I wasted my time. After I spend time looking for a cart and bring box after box into the store exhausted the guy at the desk tells me they aren't taking anymore books and especially not that many in quantity. I was so upset. Why didn't you tell me this on the phone ??? Why didn't you stop me from unloading all these books ????? I then loaded all the books bacK into my car. I had to speak with Manger which is not usually like me. I told her the whole story and she was super apologetic and willing to make it up to me but it was too late. The store seems to be buying anything back these days BUT BOOKS. read more

I have a love hate relationship with this 2nd and Charles. I love love the products and the selection, especially the unique figures and collectibles they carry. However, my experience trying to return something to 2nd and Charles (that I was unable to use, was unopened, and within return policy) was really bad. I understand there are policies and routines that are different for different stores (I have worked customer service for a few years) but their policy is very excessive. A manager has to do every return, which is fine. But when I was there waiting to return something and the associate (who was polite) transferred me over to wait for the manager to do my return and she was in the middle of a transaction (which is also fine). But the associate told her that we were waiting on her and she made no effort to address us and the transaction she was going through took a long while, and she just continued to make conversation and just sit and talk while we waited. So about 20 minutes later we were seen, and I did everything I could to not see frustrated. Then the entire transaction she seemed to act like I was doing something wrong and shouldn't be returned the products. And then did not know how to do the return and had to ask questions through the wallow to another associate. And didn't apologize to us or give us any info as to what they were doing. It was all over just a strange experience. And she was quite frankly just rude to us and seemed completely not interested. I enjoy my other experiences at the store but that has just stuck with me read more

Huge store and fun to walk around in. If you want to sell books back you're wasting your time. I have lots of great books that I no longer need. I was trying to thin the herd so to speak of all the books I have. The little girl at the buy back counter was obviously not happy about being there and took it out on customer after customer while I waited. I didn't bother to be rude back because I'm not a child. But when I brought my books up to her she basically just took half of them out and said "we can't take these". So I asked are there any other used book stores that would buy them back. She loomed at me and said "UHHH...the thrift STORE" As I looked at her smug face I started to regret speaking to her at all. When I came back to pick up the rest of the books they didn't take the little girl was on the phone with a customer being very short and kept repeating "I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU" to the person. They bought 1 book from me out of 25-30 (all in perfectly good shape btw) and gave me a 2 dollar credit. Thanks 2nd and charles, I'll use that 2 dollar credit to wipe my hands on next time I need a napkin because that's all it's good for to me now. Customer service is something that place could really use. Beware of the hipster girl that works there!!! I won't ever go back. read more

As a librarian, I tend to be picky about how books are displayed and categorized. 2nd and Charles has a huge selection, but their prices are not always much lower than retail prices on new books. I also found that it was difficult to find some items. But, they have an excellent buy back program, and they offer many other items besides books and games. Overall, it is a cool store... read more

First timer here and thought the store looked great. I liked the prices and was actually able to find the book I wanted. Disappointing though, there was only one register open with 20 people in line. Couldn't buy my book because of time. Maybe next time...or not :( read more

Not just used books (which they have a lot of as well), but everything including comics, DVDs, blurays, new game systems (PS3 & Xbox 360), old game systems (Sega & Nintendo), CDs, vinyl records, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, novelty gifts, fridge magnets, giant boxes of Nerds, pretty much everything that you can't find anywhere else. Prices are mostly affordable, but be careful selling your old stuff here. Odds are you could get lots more selling on eBay or Amazon. I sold some old DVDs here once and felt a little ripped off for how little they gave me--won't be doing that anymore. If not for that, this place would be 5 stars hands down. There's always something new to explore. I could seriously spend all day in this place. read more

Went to sell back books and they only offered me $36 for in I store credit. This was for close to 100 books which several of them were hard back. What a waste of time. Never again. read more

Customer service is lacking! Staff is unfriendly and unhelpful. Be ready for long lines and not enough staff We have recently been to Mckay's Used Books and had a completely different experience. Friendly, knowledgable staff who actually appeared to enjoy their jobs and were good at them. read more

Terrible customer service and attitudes. My first time going and my last. Walked up to buy back and the bad attitudes kept saying "seriously I'm still on break so you have to handle it" "well why don't I walk real slow so you will be off break by the time I reach the counter"...phone rings and a 3rd person screams the greeting in the phone and then says "I can't hear you please call back" and they all start laughing at how she got rid of the potential customer. Finally I get assistance and she sighs when I say it's my first time. I had been warned they would give me less than a dollar even for nice hardcovers on relevant topics. It was pennies on some. But I needed to get rid of them. Then I was buying some books...but the inattentive person at the register didn't subtract the store credit. She had finished the transaction before I caught it. Instead of gladly correcting her mistake she kept saying she would have to call the manager to handle it and pushing my receipt back to me. Like she thought I was just going to leave. She said the credit wouldn't expire, but as I told her, based on my experience, I wouldn't be back. Someone needs to take charge so the employees realize its a job and quit acting like they are in junior high. And as others have said, the lines are too long. read more

has the most interesting books omg I stopped by yesterday and got a interesting book! the service was super quick yesterday wow overall an amazing book store I highly recommended for anyone that loves reading and looking for a quick grab and go book store can't wait for my next visit here read more

Book section has dwindled considerably & they are becoming less & less generous and diverse in the books they buy back. Have found some sections where they have five or more of the same book, but when I brought in a knitting book in very good condition which they did not have on their shelves, it was rejected because "they had too many copies of similar books". Let me tell you their knitting section is sparse with most of the books being uninformative overstocks which you could find on the bargain shelves of B&N or BAM. If you don't know your topic or your stock, don't try to bs your customer. I think they need some competition. read more

I love this store. Awesome stuff. You can buy books, DVDs, music CDs, records, electronics, and list goes on. I have token they're "online survey" but it would be nice I got some store credit. I didn't win :-( friendly people here too! Good prices! read more

This place is very awesome! There are so many books, and they are organized in a fantastic way. There's a little map to help you find what you're looking for. There are guitars, video games, music, AND books. It's really really wonderful, and if you love books this is a great place to find a bargain. I found Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist for $6. There were also some Catching Fire books for $5! I will definitely be coming back here. read more

Not your typical used book store; it wasn't small, dark, and cramped. It also has Star Trek trinkets and t-shirts, Lord of the Rings stuff, Legos, used comic books, and much, much, more! read more

This place is great, they have just about everything!! They even have car manuals! Whenever we go in here we stay for hours and always come out with great things. I'm a reader while my husband is a gamer and he lives this place as much as me. They also have Santa for the kids with pictures! read more

This is the most awesome place ever! I enjoy the great finds from the free book bin to the clearance tables to the shelves. Nothing is regular price here. Someday I'll get past the books to see the other items they sell. I think I saw Lego's. read more

Good spot to go to for used books and comic books. They have a decent selection of comic books from A to Z. And they even have $0.50 and $1 comic books for those who aren't collecting high grade comics. They even have a large amount of anime books. They also have guitar ,Toys and other fun materials for kids and adults. Great spot. read more

One of the worst "trade" programs I've ever seen in my life. I would complain of the "trade-in" values but THEY NEVER TELL YOU WHAT YOUR BOOKS ARE WORTH. They simply take your crate of books then give you a incredibly low cash value and somewhat higher trade-value. For example, I traded in 15, gently used text books (most recent editions) I purchased these books on amazon/ebay for about $800-900.00, this store offered me $8.00 cash and $12.00 trade-in. No receipt, no way to know which books held more value. sucks. I would NEVER suggest trading things in to this store. Amazon is your best bet. on the other hand, it is a good place to purchase books/movies/games. read more

Very clean store, quiet. Some of the books are just lumped together on the shelves so it is hard to decipher the order. Example, jumps from kids Christmas to the next book is a princess Disney. The employees are nice. My one issue - sorry - is the fact that they put the 'free' books (those they can't use) outside in a 'free basket' as the store opens. One guy took ALL the books!! Didn't even look at them - just swooped them up as soon as the store plopped them on the sidewalk. This has happened several times. It would only be fair to have the book free box inside the store by the cash register. At the used bookstores at the library I have seen people buy books by the box load - yet they were willing to pay the 50 cents per book. It would help keep the costs down for 2nd and Charles. read more

This is a Multi Media Mecca of used books, music, movies and other goodies!! While not having many locations, if you enjoy this sort of thing (as I do), check their website of locations and pop in while visiting. You will find Something I'm sure!!! The staff is fantastic and beings most everything is used the prices are amazing. This is by far one of my favorite places to visit where I live. read more

This is a place that I could easily get lost in for hours. I have to limit myself to either books or music when I come in, lest I completely lose track of time. Plus, they usually have Haribo gummy dinosaurs, which are, of course, a superior candy. What sets this place apart is that you can bring in your used entertainment - books, movies, games, music, even Legos - and sell or trade for something new to you. Just don't expect them to offer you a gold mine, as this is truly the embodiment of one man's treasure is another man's trash. I advise choosing store credit over cash, because it's a better value, and your feelings might not be quite as hurt when they tell you how much they'll offer you for the bins and bins you've managed to drag inside. Also, don't be surprised if they turn away your haul. When you use your in-store credit, you (almost) feel like you are getting something for free when you walk out without having exchanged any currency. You just show the cashier valid ID, and they access your account, and boom, books & CDs & candy are in your hands, making you extra happy. Whether you are a reader, rocker, gamer, collector, builder, or general time-waster, there is something here for you, if you are willing to search for it. Also, the magnets are pretty entertaining on their own. read more

First, there's something fun to me about any used bookstore, so no specific complaints on that score, but they really give you very little for trade ins and the cost of many of the used books is just a bit high imo. I came to Birmingham from another city where the books I sold to 2nd and Charles would have gotten me maybe 40 or 50 dollars. Here I was offered just a bit more than 8 dollars or 16 in credit. And, even though it was a weekday morning, I had to wait 75 minutes to get that offer. Never again! read more

Have always wanted to stop in and finally did...and am sooooo glad I did! First it was incredibly easy to bring in my old books and dvds that I no longer used, you are only going to get a buck for them in a yard sale but here I felt that I got a great deal! They offer you store credit (take it!) or about half that price in cash. I was very impressed with how easy it was to find everything, though it is a little overwhelming when you walk in. (hint: there are maps on the ends of every bookshelf showing where everything is!) The kids books were great, new condition and found quite a few of them for $1 or under! If you have been combing the ol pawn shops looking for those out of date (oh I mean nostalgic) games for your old (oh I mean retro) gaming system, you need to know that this place has tons for every system! The other reviews here already tell you about all of their media so yeah they have cds, dvds, books, vinyl records, games, but they have some surprising stuff too...I bought my kids Halloween costumes here that were new in the package for $5.00 each! Stickers, patches, signs, t shirts, gotta check it out!! read more

Always have whatever i need. Super fantastic people there and everything from music to movies and a lot of collectible things also.

Best store ever my go to for books buyback rocks ! Go for the store credit way more bang for your buck - bring in in demand books and get a fair price for those books with no demand well hopefully you understand the laws of supply and demand if not in short if there is no interest / demand don't expect much read more

I love 2nd and charles!!! One of my favorite stores. The people that work there are really nice, are you reading this walmart workers? The store has everything and more. I have spent hours in the store, and could stay longer.Please stay in hoover. I live in Hueytown and I go to the store almost every weekend. I love that i can trade in something i am never going to use again and get something new (2 me). No other store does that. I would rate this store a 10. read more

This is my go-to spot every Friday after work. I love the selection of games, music, and instruments they have. I love that every day they have different stuff. For instance, I went in looking for a PS3 controller and stumbled across a turd-party controller.. (yes, Turd, Crap) and they marked it down for me because it had been sitting there for a couple years. So I bought it only to find that it was a turd, crap. I brought it back the next day only to find a red Sony PS3 controller sitting in the case. As soon as I see it, the employee behind me says " Can you help you with something?" I said ( with the other controller in my hand ) " I need that controller ASAP!". So he took it up from and I actually only paid $5 in cost difference. I go there to buy my music from the 90s and early 2000s when the good stuff was still being made ( Incubus, Radiohead, Tool, STP, Pearl Jam, NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, APC, Alice in Chains, etc ) Everything is there and haven't bought a CD for more than $6.50. You can't beat that unless you're doing something illegal. I highly recommend 2nd and Charles to anybody and everybody. read more