The staff here are both friendly and knowledgeable. Often can be seen rocking out to music. Very upbeat atmosphere and VERY broad range of genres in terms of books, many of them covering subject matter you may have a hard time locating in retail chains such as Indigo and even other popular second hand stores. Many titles are remainders and come in near mint condition - some of the art books are still mint, still wrapped. Sells 1st editions - vinyl, books, has a decently sized rare book section. read more

An excellent used bookshop. A regular cycling of offerings, you can find real bargains and rarities here. It's in my work neighbourhood so it's always worth a stroll over. As with most shops, it's staffed by a single cashier, so you might have to wait a minute OSR the shop is busy. If you're looking for a piece of physical media, though, this place is a gem. read more

ABC Book Store - Some stuff I bought. - Bookstores Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love this bookstote. The owner is super knowledge and great to deal with, they have gooz selecfion and they buy good books. They are everything you want in a used bookstore. read more

One of my favourite locations to stop by whenever I frolic downtown Yonge St. Huge amount of books and movies. The owner himself is pretty sharp too. I recommend having a conversation about anything you buy since he typically has something to say about said product once you buy it. I gotta hand it to this store, it's pretty ballsy to keep all their DVDs out at the front... don't worry though, they keep their discs at the back with the owner. They aren't naive to shoplifters. Um, what else can I say?... They have a gnarly porn collection out back... in case you're interested. read more

It seems that I have never reviewed ABC Books, so after dropping by in passing the other day, here goes... The store is narrow but deep, and fairly crowded with shelving, although less so than in years past. There are dvds and some theme displays at the front, then a series of shelves in two rows down the centre, with a large comic book section near the counter at the back. One entire row is fiction, which used to have more classic literature, but seems to be moving towards recent fiction now. The wall shelves hold all types of non-fiction: movies and music, history, science, cooking, psychology, philosophy. Most topics have one or two 2-ft sections, and a fair mix of older and newer books. Over the years, I have bought mostly classic literature paperbacks and a few local history volumes, with this week's purchase being a recent cosmology book. Overall, the store has a pretty wide selection, and all the books seem to be in good condition. Prices in my areas are often below $10, with some hard cover books up $15. I will say that the service varies much depending on who is there, with a few staff being rather rough or distracted. I have sold a few used books here many years back, but not sure what the current situation is. read more

This one is really 3.5 as well (I hate being wishy-washy, but c'est la ecriture). The store is smallish, but they offer a nice selection of fictions of various types (classics, modern, and "genre"). I found six copies of my next book club selection--The Maltese Falcon. They have a ton of comics as well, plus two cases full of travel guides--current ones, not outdated crap. Probably their biggest strength seems to be pricing on newish paperbacks. A lot of the ones that I looked at were half off the list price, or less. Maybe they are getting remainders but only putting out one or two copies at a time. For only $7.97, I got an early-2009 novel listed at $16.99 (Huge by James Fuerst, an awesome read). read more

I did not get the greatest vibe from this book store when I went. I could not find the particular book that I wanted, so when I went to ask whoever was working for some help, he made me feel like I was interrupting an important conversation. It was an older gentlemen with a very sarcastic voice that I did not really appreciate. When I asked if he had the book and told him that I had tried looking for it myself so maybe he could help me, he asked me for the title, which I told him politely. Then there was a bit of an awkward beat in which he said he had never heard of that book after which he asked very gruffly if I even knew who wrote it. That's what kind of took me aback. Yes, I knew who wrote it. And why did you make me feel inferior just because I was asking for a book you had never heard of? Perhaps it was just a bad day to go, but first impressions of a business are very lasting, and mine with this place was very negative. I will not be coming back. There are other decent used book stores in the city that I can go to instead. read more

Great selection of books, a real case of quality vs the quantity of BMV's locations. Nice owner, too, and excellent prices. No complaints! read more

ABC Book Store - Bookstores Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

One of the men who work here was incredibly rude and condescending to me twice. Told me (without looking at my books even though he knew it was an inconvenient stop) that my best bet would be to donate them all to Goodwill, and then in a very sarcastic tone after I said I'd try elsewhere - "well good luck with that". Joke's on him 'cause I made more than $60 selling to other booksellers the very same day. It literally would have taken him a couple minutes to look at the box I had already brought in, but didn't bother. Recommend: BMV, Acadia Art & Rare Books, Seekers Books - all have great customer service! read more

Great collection and the owner is super friendly

Warts and all, this place is in my good books. Like David R., 3.5 stars is probably about right. I tend to prefer ABC over Eliot's and NDJ, the other two used bookstores along that strip of Yonge, because it's better organized, brighter and you don't need a gas mask to enter the premises. I defy you to not rifle through the bargain bin they keep outside...mostly misses, but some amazing hits for $1 or $2. The literature section needs some plumping up, given that a good number of significant authors are absent. The travel section is pretty good for a used bookstore -- nothing's outdated, and about half the time, I'll find the guidebook I'm looking for. Staff are fairly friendly and helpful. I might not trek across the city to come here, but definitely worth checking out/frequenting if you're a bookworm in the nabe. read more

Great used book store! I hardly ever come in here, but most of their books are in immaculate condition. Tons of titles to choose from. If you are looking for popular title in particular, this is a good place to start. I managed to find a best-seller for $9.95 and it originally retailed for $20. They also have a cart outside, and from time to time you can find some really cool impulse reads for $1 or even a cool vintage magazine. The collection of DVDs looks impressive as well. I'm sure there are lots of gems among the shelves. Most of the time they are open until 11pm, so if you happen to be strolling around this area, then this is a great place to come to on a walk home or on the way to the subway. I have no idea of what it's like to sell books to these guys. In my experience with used book stores, it's quite difficult and you barely get any money (roughly 20% of the original price). Some places tend to be more picky than others. Based on the books in the store and based on the other yelp reviews, my sense is that ABC is probably really picky when buying books from people. On the other hand, as a purchaser I am impressed with the amount of titles and the condition they are in. I find their prices fair, but if you are still concerned, then check out BMV books just a block before Dundas and Yonge. read more

I drop by ABC while walking down the yonge st strip and I always find something to put a smile on my face. Great selections, good prices and there is definitely something for everyone here. Managed to get a lot of hard to find stuff that's not sold by chapters here with a quick browse of current offerings. There are some others on the strip that are either unorganized or simply not competitive with Chapters. All in all, it's a great experience even if you're just browsing. The aisles are a bit tight but they make good use of the limited space. read more

been coming here forever it seems. Great place to buy or browse books. Love the smell lots of interesting characters and some really great finds. Good selection of Comics and Paperbacks, I find the prices reasonable and the atmosphere just right. Not as nice as Elliots Bookstore(south a few blocks) but a contender(little more trailer park..just my style) read more

They have a bargain bin outside. There are quite a few cheap books. I got 5 or 6 books for 12$. Books range on topics. Lacks size and options as BMV or Eliot's. Nice enough service and nothing dissuading purchase. Interesting books, cheap. Your interests will determine if you like the place. read more

I have been to this store a few times. However, the owner acts very rude and obnoxious. It is a very tiny and crowded store and the owner never seems to want to help customers find anything. I give the store 2 stars because they did sell me a Melissa Etheridge concert. The bin outside the store sells stuff for about 2 . Unfortunately, I feel very unwanted when I am at this store. read more

I love this store! Whenever I'm in Toronto I always make sure to go in and I end up leaving with a handful of books for an amazing price. I love how it's a used bookstore but the quality of the books and the way they organized everything make you feel like you are not just rummaging through sp,e thrown away, dirty books. They even have European literature which I sometimes can't even find in Chapters, especially not for $6.99... read more

Found several books I had always wanted to buy at a price that it almost felt like a steal. Though it is not a very spacious place, books are well organized and in pretty good condition. A must visit if you are a keen reader of fiction/literature/comics. read more

They have a good selection for a small bookstore. The staff is helpful. The books are priced well, much cheaper than new. The books turn over. They pay fair but low prices for the books they buy. They don't buy everything offered to them. All in all, an excellent bookstore. read more

Worth a stop if you're in the area. I assume this little bookstore is a BMV branch because they share a lot of similar stock, stickers, bags, and signage. Anyways, it's got a pretty decent selection of all the basics as well as a fairly robust (for the size of the store) graphic novel/comic section. I've found a couple of the large DC Absolute Editions here for 40-50 dollars down from 90-120 retail. You can usually find a book or two and it's always fun to browse. It doesn't have anywhere near the selection of many of the larger bookstores in the area (let alone online), but if you're in the area it's worth a quick stop. Decent money for trade ins too...not especially great, but you don't feel like you're getting ripped off either. read more

With more affordable prices than Indigo/Chapters, and a real bookstore feel, ABC Books is one of my new fave places to go to for reads and DVDs. I discovered this store when a friend who was visiting from the U.S. decided to check it out. With organized sections throughout the store, and prices that are 50% cheaper than what you would pay at the Indigo store a block away on Bay & Bloor Streets, I now have found a new spot to go to for non-fiction books and used DVDs. Prices appear on the first page of the book (written lightly with a pencil). The store also buys back books, DVDs, and certain magazines (mainly art periodicals) if you're looking for some way to clean out your library. read more

Great bargain bin outside when I stopped by on a whim. The person behind the counter was really helpful. All in all, the prices/what I overheard of trade-in seemed fair to me (I have experience working at a media trade-in store, for context). read more

I love this little bookstore! They have a really good selection (seriously, they have some books that are just recently released and sell them for a good deal less than Indigo) and all the books are good quality - no falling apart second hand books here. The prices are pretty much on par with other used book stores in TO. I never leave this place wihout at least one book that's caught my eye! read more

I've been to this place a few times, and wont be going back. I was trading in some used DVD's the other day, and cause I was taking to long to make up my mind for the guy working there, he told me I was wasting his time, and pointed to the door, I was shocked, so when he came back from what he was doing, I even apologized, since I don't like burning bridges, he then said to me, I'm doing it again, "wasting his time", and pointed again to the door! Let me say this, I did not stop him from doing his job, or tell him he should stop doing his job while I was making up my mind, that being said, with out "us" the customers, his time would be spent doing something else, and not working at that store! He in fact wasted my time, since I went out of my way to go back there, for something I had on hold. Shop at this place if you want to, but don't wast the owners time, since his time is clearly more important than yours, and mine. read more