2nd & Charles was an amazing... bookstore (?) I guess that I would call it a bookstore, but they do so much more than sell books! They sell guitars, vinyl records, graphic tee shirts, stuffed animals, assorted Legos, and my favorite, the mystery boxes! What I particularly enjoyed about 2nd & Charles was that they had all of the new titles and bestsellers, as well as a large collection of eclectic and vintage books that you could check out and peruse. They also offered you the opportunity to sell and trade books that you've finished, and had a section of books that were "lightly used" and highly recommended from previous readers. In addition, although I don't play video games myself, they had a nice collection of video games that were brought in from previous users, as well as a humorous assortment of t-shirts and office supplies that are sure to break the monotony of a regular office space. To conclude, 2nd & Charles was such a fun and unique store, which offered a dynamic combination of new and used books, music supplies, video games, and a range of other interesting miscellaneous items. I'm so glad that I stopped in, and while I don't really see myself becoming a "regular", I'll definitely be back in the future, and would recommend that anybody stop in if they're looking for a change of pace and exciting shopping opportunity! read more

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If you're a huge fan of merchandise for books or shows? Definitely check this spot out! There's multiple of rows of used and new books, cd's, vinyl's, blind boxes and etc! It was so cool to see the many options we have to look and decide from. My favorite part was the books and the merch as well as and the vinyls! Seeing products from tote bags to bookmarks to even fanart being sold was so cool to see. The selection felt endless!!! read more

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Nice place to find a variety of goods, a huge amount of books, CDs/DVDs, records, etc. There are also t-shirts at this location. There is a small clearance section in the back and in the front also has deals. Expect to pay full price for the majority of the items, but I guess that due to the selection it will save you time in exchange for the price. Lots of interesting pop culture merchandise. Didn't walk out with any purchases this time, but maybe another day. Very conveniently located in a strip mall. read more

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This is a great place to find virtually ANYTHING & EVERYTHING you need. From classics to new and edgy. Geeky to Refined. They have what you want and things you didn't even know you were looking for! Sometimes you can't find the price of it isn't marked or has been misplaced but the staff are very friendly and will price check and answer any questions you may have! read more

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A store filled with both new and used. If you have read a book and don't plan on reading it again. You can bring it here and get a dollar or two for it. They even buy used games in good condition. Most used books are a bargain. You have to look through them as so.e are marked up. When you get to the register, watch the prices. Items that were on sale range up for normal price. They corrected the problem for us. Employees are very polite and helpful. read more

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I am only leaving a 1 because a 0 was not available. These people are absolute crooks! I brought 2 boxes of books, CD's, and albums. prior to going there I looked up the prices of my albums as they had never been opened and were all in the original packaging. out of the 4 brand new albums & the prices online ranged from $15-$50 for each one. The books I brought in included several new books specifically a special edition set of the Game of Thrones books that were never even opened. After looking through my items they kept roughly 50% of the items I brought in which also included about 40 or so CD's. Literally an hour later I got the call to come back. Now originally I had two boxes of items. Upon returning, they had everything they didn't want put into one box and it was heavy. the total amount they offered my was $15.00. YES $15. $30 if I wanted store credit. All this to say in total I didn't even receive 1 cent per item they kept!!!!! This was shocking to me. But since they had already pulled all my items. It was too late to change my mind. Then nobody offered to help me carry out the one box of items left that was extremely heavy and then they had the audacity to tell me to bring back the box they used. I walked out of there in tears and WILL NEVER GO BACK. This was robbery and they knew it! I'd guarantee they made bank off my items. SELLERS BEWARE THIS IS A SCAM OF A TRADE STORE. read more

I have to say over the past week I have come in with maybe 150 books as I am purging my moms home and this store took a good majority and gave her a whopping $15 in store credit. If you are looking to unload books for cash, or credit this place is going to rip you off. You would be better off donating them to your local library or goodwill. With that said the store itself is pretty amazing. Such a variety of items both new and used. The prices for the new are in line with your typical retail store so don't think you are coming in finding deals, the used selection of books are pretty reasonable so that a great thing for the avid reader. read more

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One of the best overall bookstores in Columbia! There's so much to look at, and the best part is they have original copies of some books. You'll never be bored in here and everyone that works there is so nice! read more

I hope there's a 2nd & Charles in Heaven because I will need eternity to read all the books. There is a very generous amount of books in here as well as gifts and guitars. The prices are affordable which is fantastic because you can buy more books for your money compared to anywhere else. The staff is helpful & friendly. I enjoyed chatting with the sales team member. I'm hooked on 2nd & Charles. Or maybe I should say I'm "Booked". Enjoy your next read. read more

The availability of books and products is great and it's a fun place to browse. I've sold several hundreds of books and purchased many books and other things. That being said, the customer service is atrocious! Some of the employees care and do a great job, but the majority either don't care about customers or service, have never worked with the public, and/or are just naturally hateful. My most recent visit was the worst! I don't like giving bad reviews but this one felt necessary. How about management addressing this issue? read more

This place is a hot mess. I love the variety of stuff offered. However, the book section is a complete mess. There is no order to it whatsoever. It's very overwhelming. I spent hours trying to find different books, and finally just gave up. The prices are hit or miss. There are times you can find a good deal. read more

If you're looking to buy, especially collectibles and comics - their pricing is usually quite fair. If you're looking to sell just about anything, you'll leave disappointed. They significantly undervalue pretty much everything. read more

2nd Charles is a interesting store. From games, toys, clothing, music, books, memorabilia's & the list goes on. This store is clean & organized, is what I extremely like! But If you can't find what you're looking the staff can order it for! They're customer service is just that good! Very knowledgeable staff just ask for what you're looking for. I personally enjoy walking through to discover items I haven't seen in a long time and new items to purchase & try! We enjoyed our experience here, to pick up some Xmas sales! We will be back! read more

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A large selection of new and used books, but everything is so out of order. I've been 3 times from February 2023 thru October 2023 and books are arranged in somewhat alphabetical order, but they are jumbled around with books by the same author sometimes interspersed between 4 or 5 shelves. This makes it a challenge to find what I'm looking for, and it hasn't improved since the first time I visited. Fix this and this place gets 5 stars! read more

Employees are rude will not help find anything wasn't well organized it's a little over priced big store but expensive on a lot of items

Hubby wanted to stop by "2nd & Charles" in Harbison. However, I misheard "St. Charles" and thought why were you going to the Chicago suburb. That was how much, or how little rather, I knew about this store. Hubby already knew what he was looking for in the store, but Rosa J. was dying to find her amusement around the store. Fortunately, a few sugar skull things here and there provided her enough happiness. Since most items were pre-owned or secondhand, make sure you're aware of the return policy just in case that you have purchased something that's too shabby to keep. "2nd & Charles" seems to be a cool and useful store for those who are gamers and avid readers. I personally don't identify myself as either of the two (2) categories. Nevertheless, if hubby ever wants to come back here, I will certainly tag along. read more

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I sold 30 to 40 books and several of the books (15 to 20 of them) were (Christmas with Southern Living (various years) that I paid $20 to $25 dollars each for and was told by the clerk that they buy back at 10% to 15% of the retail purchase price for these books - which is a lie, because all I was given was a total of $2.50 for all the books. 2nd & Charles is not reputable company. To give me $2.50 for all the books I dropped off is ridiculous. I will never do business with them again. read more

Don't judge the outside too harshly, because you walk in and there is so much to look at! Had to walk about two or three times through the whole place. Kids section is the back left, bunch of toys, books and other fun stuff. Books are back right, and DVD's, manga, and a bunch of other stuff up front. TAKE YOUR TIME ITS WORTH IT! read more

2nd & Charles - Two box, CAH pack, and a nice shirt - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Great selection and a wide variety of items. The staff will let you browse and even sit for as long as you want....nice! But....the reason for not giving five stars is their relentless attempt at selling magazine subscriptions when you check out at the register. I have a friend who fell for this promotion and had great difficulty cancelling once the trial period was over. Besides that, a very relaxing way to spend the day! read more

We turned in many books and had a $70+ credit established. some months later we tried to use the credit and were told it was not available. We have the original receipt and we never used the credit. The manager refused to explain and wouldn't even take the time to speak with us. Very nasty and unprofessional. The poor clerk was in tears so we gave up. read more

This store is so trash. I got 14 bucks for 100 books. Never coming here again. They won't even let me steal their stuff. They also took an hour to look at my books, like dude I got stuff to do. This was the most among us event of all time. I'm definitely never skibbidying my rizz around this among us Gyat. There are a lot of honey bun eaters there as well. read more

I called looking for a book. The clerk over the phone when silent when I asked about 2 titles. I attempted to call back several times. I received no answer. Horrible customer service experience. Furthermore, the inventory is organized in general categories, so if you're looking for accurate systematized titles. Do not look here. read more

i've been a customer since i was little, amazon variety from kids books to war books to video games and more. everytime i go i never leave empty handed. i took my fiancé in and he was under the impression that he wouldn't like anything then ended up going off on his own for 30mins . their customer service is amazing and everyone is always so nice. if you need any book new or old they most likely have it! plus it's not as expensive because they sell used books as well :) 10/10 recommend read more

You know if I'm braving Haribson for a business then it must be pretty awesome. A friend took me out to 2nd and Charles for the first time. It's a cool bookstore. They also have DVDs, records, musical instruments (I so want a ukulele), games, t-shirts, video games... maybe calling it a used book store is a misnomer. They have so much more and not everything is used. You can also sell items here. My friend took some video games here and seemed pretty pleased with the credit he got from the store. I took some DVDs back and I thought what they offered me was pretty low. I accepted it though. I was just going to drop them off at Goodwill if they didn't take them so $9.75 in store credit was better than nothing. They will also give you cash for items but it seems to be at about half of what they would give you in store credit. I think they offered me $4.25 in cash if I didn't want the store credit. Staff was friendly and helpful but not obtrusive. They also have several checkout counters so the line moves pretty fast. The books and used DVDs seem reasonably priced and they have a "free bin" right outside the front doors of books you can just take! read more

2nd & Charles - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I was impressed with this store and its buy-sell-trade concept. They are not the first store to do this, but they seem to do it very efficiently. The size of the operation alone would make them stand out. You can learn more about their process on the website. As for the store itself, the selection of books is good as are the prices. Pricing does differ quite a bit depending on what you are looking at and how "rare" or in demand an item is. The store is huge and there is a lot to look at. They sell books of all kinds including autographed and rare copies. They also have movies, video games and accessories, cds, vinyl records, comic books, and a few musical instruments. I even saw a few cameras in the glass cases. I appreciate the store having quite a few chairs throughout, as well as stools at the end of each bookcase to reach the top shelf. When I checked out I was pleasantly surprised to find they do not give you plastic bags. If you would like a bag you have to buy a reusable one for $1.99. They have several different bags to choose from and they are cute, but I'd prefer this price point at $1. All in all it was a great experience, and I will definitely be back. read more

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LOVE 2nd and Charles! This is my go-to bookstore. Unfortunately I don't have one close to me so when I travel to a new city I'll look to see if they have one. I'll always make a trip and stock up on some used books. I'm a teacher and I'd say my classroom library is 90% filled with books I've found at 2nd and Charles. This store was clean and organized. I found quite a few books on my list that I was looking for. Highly recommend shopping for books here. read more

This place is a hipster dream. Cool vinyl a d other new and used media mostly related to media / music / entertainment genres. There's a bit of everything. So. It's a good place to find gifts etc. read more

2nd & Charles - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

2nd & Charle's manga selection is out of this world. Genuinely, I doing think I have ever seen that much in one place. I went here on a weekend just to see what they had, and enjoyed it so much I came back that very next weekend. Not only that, this store has stuff like guitars, to vinyls, to comic books, and collectables, everything you could imagine. You could take your whole family here and everyone would leave with something they like. 100% would recommend! read more

If you're selling books or CDs avoid this place at all cost this is the biggest rip off of all time. You would be better served donating your books to Goodwill and getting a receipt for the IRS to deduct off of your taxes. DONT WASTE YOURE TIME! read more

Took a board game for trade in. It had only been opened and never played. The guy said $16 store credit or $8 cash. When I questioned him about it he said that they were going to resale it that's why. Someone please tell me that was a joke and that 2nd and Charles was not really trying to HOODOO me. I also told him that I had researched the game before coming in there. That offer was literally a SPIT IN THE FACE. This was the first time I tried this but if that is how you doing customers and RIPPING them off. I will never set foot in another 2nd and Charles or Books-A-Million again and I am sure going to make this known on every site and review site possible. You can't tell that the profit made after the mark up is not going to be through the roof. Also emailed the higher ups and of course not one of them has bothered to do anything. Just another business who has come not to care about the customers. read more

Great people work here! They get busy during the afternoon so it's best to come in during the morning. Very accommodating and friendly. They helped me to disposition a huge amount of books my kids had outgrown. You don't make a lot of money but it he's it out of your house and a little extra cash never hurts! They have a great website that you can go to that tells you exactly what they will buy. Overall, a great experience and highly recommended!:) read more

Every now and then my inner Nerd comes out and I satisfy him with a trip here. Staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. Any book you can think of they most likely have. Great Vinyl selection and more Funko Pop figures in one place that I've ever seen. Oh don't forget to check out the FREE BOOK bin when leaving. I've found some real gems in there. read more

One of my favorite places to go in Harbison area. The used book selection is very good, and generally you can find some good deals on used books depending on what it is; however there are some used books that are priced too high in my opinion. I like that this is an "all-in-one" pop culture store with books, comics, music, games, video games, and the like. It really is nerd candy all the way around. As some have mentioned, their buy back policy is generous in that they will take just about anything from you, including used board games and the like; however the price you're offered for buy-back is very low compared to other used book/comics buyers. read more

Great store! HUGGGGGEEEEE selection of EVERYTHINGGGGGG! It's great. I was kind of bummed that I hadn't come in sooner. I was very happy & impressed with their vinyl selections. The prices weren't too bad either. Definitely recommend this place for finding something new & killing time. You'll get lost in there forever! read more

If you need to sell your old dvds or trade in those old books come here they have a quick efficient system in place to get you in and out fast. Also you can donate old books in the free box outside if they don't need you items. read more

While I'm thrilled (THRILLED!) that there is finally a store in town that offers cash for books, CDs, DVDs, comics, etc., the store itself is a let-down, and the prices that are offered for your used goods are pretty terrible. As a used book-seller myself, I know what items are worth. I also understand that the store has to make it worth their while to put my items on their shelves. That said, you can expect to receive about 50 cents or less per item, regardless of how cool the item is, or how much it might actually be worth (e.g., if you take a rare first edition to them, they are not going to give you anything close to what it might be worth if you sold it yourself). Keep that in mind if you take your stuff there to sell. They did buy all of the items I brought it to sell, which was a surprise. They were not as picky as many other places I have taken items to sell are. They are also very efficient. It took them about 30 minutes to go through my 2 boxes of stuff and give me my cash. I saw one guy get basically all his stuff back, though -- he asked why, and they explained that they don't take in items they already have too many of, they don't take old library books, they don't take textbooks, and they don't take books that are beat-up looking. Decent guidelines. The staff looked overworked and exhausted. The layout of the store is confusing and not very welcoming. I didn't feel at ease browsing there, and other people seemed confused, too; we were wandering around aimlessly and getting in each other's way. But I'm glad that this store exists. read more

I love this place! If I'm being honest, I've never actually shopped around the store. I've been here twice to sell used books. The procedure is fairly easy, and they have bins and carts for you to load and turn in your items. You leave your items and they take your information and give you a ticket. You can walk around the store while you wait for your quote to come in. There is a board with the ticket numbers to check for updates. I had errands to run so I went about my day. They texted to tell me that my quote was ready and to remind me of the store closing time. When you get your quote you have two options: 1. Take a store credit and buy something there. 2. Take cash, which is usually half the amount of the store offer. Any books they can't take are welcome to be placed in a bin outdoors. The outdoor bins are free to anyone, so be sure to peruse those as well. read more

I guess they get a few stars for the cashiers candor. I was hesitant to bring all my comics in just to hear a laughable trade in offer. She told me to take them anywhere else. It's better than books a million any day. At least I don't have Christianity stuffed down my throat while I'm purchasing my literature. You can find some nice oldie games sometimes, but not nearly as much as you could at the flea market for half the price. read more

The buyback is nice, but, like the other reviewer said, their offers are almost offensively low. Also, to repeat again, the layout needs some reconsideration. There's so many signs it seems like it would be easy, and yet I'm always getting lost trying to find the section I want. It can be a little tricky to track down a specific book sometimes, too. While there is a general alphabetization scheme, within each section it's become something of a free for all. I realize it's got to be difficult to keep up with the influx of books, and it does make for a bit of browsing fun, but there's got to be a way to clean it up a bit. That said. I've found some great stuff here for excellent prices, and if you can track it down, they've got one of the better selections. read more

We were expecting the usual type of used book store, but this was closer to a major retailer. There was a large quantity of good quality merchandise. We definitely plan to go back the next time we are in the area. read more