Maybe it's the proximity of this particular location to Japanese businesses or perhaps there's just something about this part of OC, but I found this Bookoff to be a delight. Sure, the parking can be hectic sometimes. After all, there is a Tokyo Central right next to it, but that's what makes this location so good. You can spend hours perusing the aisles for some good finds but can take a break and get some Pocky or a bento or a Fanta nearby without ever breaking theme. What's even better is it feels like the employees enjoy working here. They greet you warmly when you walk in and that hospitality Japan is known for is reflected in this staff, even if they aren't Japanese and this isn't Japan; the spirit still carries. So does the nostalgia walking through the aisles. If you played video games throughout the 90s to now you'll see pieces of your childhood everywhere you look: a Super Famicom with Chrono Trigger for sale or a Vegeta action figure going Super Saiyan or the many mangas of Rumiko Takahashi such as Ranma 1/2 or Inuyasha. In encapsulates otaku culture through the ages well. Even looking for books of different genres and authors can be found, some new but most used. It doesn't mean they aren't good. It just means they're pre-loved. This means you can get a bargain for some books you might have been meaning to check out for a great price. They also have book sales all the time. If you feel a need to lighten your collection at home, whether it be action figure or games you no longer play, Bookoff buys them from you. It means your cash could go even further if you have things to sell. Though the size of Bookoffs in America does have me wishing they were larger like their Japanese counterparts they do pack quite a lot for the space they occupy. You can spend 15 minutes to multiple hours here, depending on what you're looking for. I say that means it's worth checking out. After all, the worst that can happen is if you don't find anything to tickle your fancy you can always go to Tokyo Central or IKEA right after. read more

I love this spot. It's one of the OGs, and I've been coming here for a long time. There are some genuinely great finds--plenty of $1 items, solid deals on DVDs, and every once in a while something really special slips through the cracks. That said, the pricing is all over the place. It's obvious they rely heavily on some kind of algorithm to assign value, and when it works in your favor, it really works. I've picked up items worth hundreds of dollars for a few bucks. But the flip side is rough--things priced at $100 that you could easily find for $10-15 elsewhere. That inconsistency is both the magic and the frustration. Selling to them is another story. They'll give you next to nothing unless it's something truly high-end, and even then, you're usually better off selling elsewhere. The margins are so far off at times that it really makes you wonder who's willing to take those deals. They do require ID and seem to follow the rules, but the reality is this kind of setup attracts people who either don't know what they have, don't care, are impatient, or are desperate. And yes, it also likely attracts people unloading stolen goods because they know the items are valuable, even if the payout is low. The store itself is very DIY. Nothing is cataloged, staff can't really help you with inventory, and what you see is what's available. Customer service is minimal--they're mostly focused on sorting and loss prevention. There's also an awkward dynamic between management and floor staff that you can feel when you're in there. At the end of the day, this place is a gamble. Sometimes you walk out feeling like you scored big. Other times you find something rare and exciting that's priced so high it might as well be untouchable. It almost screams desperation and lack of knowledge on the selling side--but ironically, that's exactly what brings in so much good stuff. If you know what you're doing and have patience, this place can be incredible. If not, it'll just feel chaotic. read more

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Came in to check out the store and was happy to find great deals and some not so great deals. Books galore, CD's, DVD's and vinyls, blue Ray, manga, pop toys, board games toys, action figures and so much more! Great place and I'm sure something for everyone. Highly recommend you come check it out! read more

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This Bookoff has been here for a while as far as I can remember. The great thing about here is that they have a little bit of everything from Books, Used Classic Video Games, Consoles, DVD, Funko Pop, and many many others including Anime Figurines. You can also sell your books here and other items that are listed above. I love that the book section still has that smell of a book store. You can find books here as low as $1, but most of them are $5 and then the more popular or new ones are in their usual prices. It's a place that you must check out some time. read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Rows and rows of used and new books. - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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If you've never been to a book off before it's like a secondhand store that has video games anime manga figurines, a library wall of Funko pop that sort of thing. Even if this isn't your type of store, it's really interesting to just walk through and see what's there what people collect. I don't collect this type of thing and I've never gotten into gaming or anime but I'd Imagine someone into this type of thing would be lost on cloud 9 in here. Yelp 25:7 read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I haven't been here in a while, and I could have sworn they used to carry Japanese product, but now it seems like everything is English language, which is rather disappointing, and it does make me feel like the Japanese language speaking community in Orange County is slowly evaporating. I surprisingly have been to the Gardena location more often so that's the type of stock I would expect, though I totally get that it reflects the local community and what they bring in. Unfortunately it's just not the stuff that I am into. TIP: As this is a secondhand goods store, the stock will reflect what is locally being brought in. read more

Any time I walk into one of these places, I go into Indiana Jones mode, looking for my next set of books to buy. I like to go to the section where books are $1-$2. You can really find some good books for that price. I have stumbled quite a few best sellers and new releases. You have to take your time and really look though because you can miss them. There is such a huge collection that it can get intimidated. Besides books, they sell some other cool stuff that can be collector items. They have Pop figurines, video games, video game consoles, and lots of anime merch. Everything is used and being resold so some items in mint condition and others not so much. Such a cool place and I am sure I will be back. read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Stopped by to browse some of their used books and wow, the wall in the back has tons of books for $1-2 a piece! Some of their more popular or trendy titles were $5. I walked out after paying $14 for 5 books. One can resell books here but don't expect to get much from them-- the book I traded in happened to be a "banger" (high resell value for a whopping $2.50), and they told me some people come in with a crate of books that they'll offer less than a dollar for. I had a good experience buying used books though-- cheaper than half price books and service was down to earth and friendly :) They have a pretty large selection of used video games (Xbox, PlayStation, etc), DVDs, and pop culture / anime figurines and collectibles too. Would totally be a frequent visitor if I lived in the area-- definitely check them out! read more

Awesomest store in oc! Love the items and the price. I buy cds and dvds mostly. Lots of games comics and feafures too read more

Great selection for a reasonable price. I collect Funkos and I miss the days when I can actually hunt for Funkos in person instead of pre-orders or purchasing from scalpers. read more

This was my first in-person visit to their brick and mortar location in Costa Mesa at Harbor Blvd x Baker. I had reviewed their website before I brought in a variety of things to sell and I had fully prepared myself to be disappointed, but they bought everything. I was delighted when I found some great deals on blue ray movies to add to my science-fiction collection. What a fun place to visit! They have music, movies, collectibles, card games and books-books-books. read more

Bookoff is not your classic used bookstore. It is a smooth operation that sells more than just books: DVDs, CDs, video games, and a lot of Japanese pop culture items. I go for the books, particularly the $1-2 books. Like any used merchandise store, there is a high turnover of books, so it is best to drop in every few weeks or so. Today I shopped for $1-2 books for my classroom. My best buys were a thesaurus $2 and a Hamilton (the Broadway play) book $7. I highly recommend this bookstore. The books are always in good to almost new condition. They are stocked according to genre and alphabetical order, with the $1-2 books along the back of the store. They buy books too. read more

A great place to look for low priced movies, both DVD & BlueRay. There's also good selection of books here. The movies are all very organized and in alphabetical order. The books though, are not. They also don't have an inventory of what books they have either, so you just need to go through it yourself. Oh and for the gamers, they have it all, including toys and figurines. I was looking for a specific film, and I searched for it, but didn't see it, so I asked one of the employees. He went to the aisle to give it another check, but they didn't have it. I was a bit bummed, so I wandered over to the book section and stumbled upon a couple of great finds. I usually spend an hour here going through the books. Thankfully my man is as into books and movies as I am, so there's no clock watching at all when we visit. Love this place! read more

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Book Off has multiple locations in Japan. Some sells vintage clothing, footwear, branded accessories and anime figures. My daughter first discovered this location a few years ago and we've been coming here ever since. She loves the Japanese anime figures, books and PS games. It is a place where kids and adults transform their fantasies into realities. They use to carry vintage Casio watches, electronic musical equipment and Japanese novels and manga, but recently, I think they've eliminated some of these items to focus on Pop-figures. Every Book Off location carries different interesting items which makes it less boring to visit. I personally like to browse the DVD section for HTF movies. My wife likes their book selections. The place may look like a madhouse because it's literally busting at the seams with inventory, but if you follow the categories or ask the staff, you just might find your treasured gem. Items are generally in good to excellent conditions at fair prices. read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Nice selection of Anime figures - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I went in there mistakenly thinking it's going to have used Japanese books. Well, after circling the parking lot like a shark in the tank and finally parking, I was in for a disappointment. I don't even know why I thought Bookoff in California would be like Bookoff in Japan. I found zero items of interest in there. Not a single book in Japanese. Not a book I wanted even in English. Lots of English translated mangas and all sorts of games available. And used stuffed animals that are expensive for what it is. The store clerk was annoyed with me browsing as I guess I was in her way doing stocking. I won't be returning again. read more

-there were multiple choices of books to choose from I also found mangas that came from animes that i liked but most of them only had like 3 or 8 mangas of the same series (which is pretty normal considering this is a irl book store and not online) something i found a bit upsetting was the grown 28-40 year old men who were shopping for really inappropriate mangas about anime girls the service was good, nothing much to add on. read more

Great place to pick up manga. They sell videogames and movies here too. Good selection!

Not a bad place to shop. But, don't even think about bringing in books you cherish to sell. They'll give you pennies for them. I was absolutely shocked, and insulted. Seven to eight boxes full of high-quality, mint condition, coffee-table type hard backs on photography, design, and more... They took everything. Paid me less than a dollar a book. Crooks. I'LL NEVER GO BACK, OR RECOMMEND THEM TO OTHERS. read more

I've been to this Book Off a couple times and have actually traded in some of my books here (learned that they don't take textbooks and overall, might have gotten $9 for a slew of J-rock/visual kei DVDs, photo books, magazines, etc.) So the fact that I might have gotten low balled and the times I've gone here and haven't really found much just contributes to my lower ranking of this Book Off in comparison to the other ones that I have gone to. It's once again one of the cases where location is key since this is also one of those Book Offs that are mined to death for weeaboo and anime goods and it doesn't help that it's near a Tokyo Central too lol. With that in mind, I gotta say the series I saw the most here was Osomatsu-san (anyone remember that boom?), Touken Ranbu, Love Live (surprisingly the individual Snow Halation prize figures were decently priced at $15 each), and what looks like Uta no Prince-sama/Idolish7 on top of, of course the big shonen anime "fast fashion" series of today (think Demon Slayer and JJK as they are actively selling JJK kuji here as well). I did find like one K-on thing that I do have but not the mini-version of, but other than that I feel like their anime merchandise selection is the weakest of all the Book Offs that I've been to thus far. Also the entire music/Japanese book selection was empty. Either that entire side had been completely liquidated and replaced with something else or they're going through a massive overhaul to organize again. An alright Book Off and m a y b e you'll find something, but I sadly did not. read more

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This store is really cool! and so many dvds!! I was able to find a couple dvds I wanted and most of them were priced under $5. very happy! read more

Helpful staff and lots of stuff to look through. Prices are decent. You will need a lot of time to look through everything. Just wish things were better organized but I can understand how hard that would be as folks rummage through the merchandise. read more

Vast selection of books, manga, toys, and vinyls. A lot of books are discounted to $10 or less. Conveniently located at the corner of a big plaza with a spacious parking lot. One of the best place to look for a good read. They also have a huge selection of PopFunks. read more

they need to bring the japanese books back. they used to have lots of books in japanese.

Lots and lots of collectibles prices are reasonable I think they have books too! No bathrooms but, a few doors dn called market place they have public bathrooms. read more

What started out as a used bookstore has steadily increased its collectibles sections so that Book Off is now a combination of second-hand books, figures, games, toys, and music. You can sell your items to Book Off as well but most people seem to come in only to buy. As it's all second hand, selection and pricing varies. Different visits could have different items and that's part of the appeal. Books and music are usually reasonably priced. There seems to be some big ticket rare items that they stock at high prices such as limited edition video game versions, giant robot toys, and some figures. But most of the shelves have reasonably priced items and some of them are actually bargains. Many of the items here were sold second hand to Book Off but were not opened or used. Those finds get the five star rating. read more

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I was in dire need of some matcha and rice noodles, which I usually buy at the Tokyo Central (in the same shopping center as Bookoff). We've been here so many times and never noticed the bookstore until recently and I had to appease my curiosity by going inside the shop and seeing what it's like. To my surprise, for the size of bookstore that Bookoff Is, it was quite crowded on a Sunday afternoon. And I was also surprised by the amount of books that fit into this store, along with mangas, comic books, video games, memorabilia, blue rays, dvds, magazines, reference materials and much more. I got stuck in the nutrition/cookbook area for quite a long time and I also spent a lot of time looking at the super discounted books - books that are anywhere from $1 - $4. At the end of my visit, I ended up walking away after buying 8 books for just under $25. I am still extremely satisfied with all the books I bought and will most definitely be back here soon!! read more

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The store has a bunch of variety of books and anime figures along with action figures it does have a bunch of figures in aisles that feel like the place is cluttered but overall it's a very nice area read more

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When I asked about a products, a staff answered kindly. He also checked the stock in other book-off store. In this place, there are so many comic books, figures, and game titles. I really love them. They also have pre-owned merchandise that the condition is often nice. I think their price is right. read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

I went to other used bookstores and this one was a lot more expensive. The Bargain Bins are affordable but the newer editions (non-bargain books) are quite expensive. I liked the organization but it felt like an assembly line. moo. It didn't have that friendly community-feel. read more

Dropped my things off in a nice storage box and got it back the next day with the handles that connect to the lid broken lol

Located in the Tokyo Central shopping center in Costa Mesa. Big parking lot, but very busy. If you love anime, funko pops, book and movies of all sorts, and video games then this is the place for you. Their stock is 2nd hand items, they will buy your collections. Call or visit them for info if you're interested. The people working are very nice. I did over hear a conversation of a customer asking if the game cartridges are in good working order and the associate said they are not tested prior to going on the sales floor, so just a word of warning. But if you are looking for something rare, this is the place for you. My daughter loves anime and can always find something here that she can't find anywhere else. read more

Usually always have a good experience at this location, however this time when we were at checkout the cashier, Fatima, gave us a look and accused us of changing the price tag of the item we were purchasing. Book Off often does this with their price tags where they will update the price of the item by placing a new tag over old price tags. Yes, this can be a concern for stores but if this is a regular procedure that their staff does, you shouldn't accuse customers of changing prices. We even saw this same practice being done at other Book Off locations (refer to photos). I don't often leave reviews but this was just an unpleasant experience. read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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I always love coming to book-off. So many neat things to see. They unfortunately no longer carry Japanese magazines which was one of the main reasons why I would come :( But they have a great selection of old-school games that make you so nostalgic! Be sure to stop by the Tokyo Central next door for some yummy snacks. read more

Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Bookstores Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Nice used bookstore in Tokyo Central plaza. There a large selection of under $2 books in the back of the store. The store has higher priced popular used books in the aisles. I books I were looking were in the aisles and higher priced than Ebay. If you are not looking for anything in particular the back is nice to check. read more

My son was looking for some cd's. I called ahead to see if Bookoff had a selection for him to browse. The person who answered the phone was very polite and helpful. It sounded like they were very busy in the background, but the staff member still asked me questions about what we were looking for; not rushing me off the phone. I wish I remembered their name so I could give them a shout out here. Once we arrived, we were impressed by how much of a selection they offer. They were as busy as it had sounded on the phone, but they were attentive to all the customers. My son found several cd's for his collection and I found some books. Their prices are unbelievable- amazing sale section of $1 and up cd's, dvd's, etc. read more

I have been coming to this Bookoff location for some time now. They have a large selection of books, so if you enjoy reading I suggest you pay them a visit to find a good read. Their books are in great condition, and you can find them at a good price. Or...if you have quite a large book collection that you would like to downsize or want to make a bit of cash back on some books, then I recommend you bring your collection to sell too. Bookoff has an extensive collection of everything: books, video games, anime collectibles, funko pop figures, and Pokémon trading cards. So, if it's not books you're after you might just find something else that peaks your interest here. read more

Service was good...employees did their job...huge selection of everything pop culture...here are the cons...if you're looking to sell anything, just know that they buy low and sell high...like really high...here's an example: inquired about what their buying program pays out for movies (dvd, Blu-ray etc)...they pay 10% of fmv IF it's valued above $10...anything under is .50 cents...across the board...also took some time to browse the store for about 20 mins...looked at toys, movies, video games books & vinyl...all atleast $2-5 above fair market value...cool store though...not bashing...I think it's a dope shop...great concept...just giving everyone some info... read more

Waited 3 hours for my items to be priced/sorted after being told it would take 45-1 hr. Completely lowballed me and didn't take half the items they said they did online. Waste of a day and my time. Makes me not want to go back to even to shop. Employees dgaf read more

Don't trust whatever they say on the phone to you. After speaking on the phone about 16 rare and first edition books in good condition, I was offered 30 cents for just one book. I had specifically asked if they were going to lowball me and was clear about what I had. read more

First off, this place is a magical heaven. Secondly, Vanessa just went above and beyond regarding a return issue that was my fault. She was patient and took time to handle the situation. 11/10 customer service! Thank you Book Off, we will see you next Saturday :) Vinny read more