I sold some books a few months ago and I was given one dollar per book. I thought the store would sell them for about five to ten dollars per book. A friend of mine told me that this business is a rip off. I went into check what my books are being sold at. It turns out that two of my books were being sold at twenty and thirty dollars a piece. I felt really ripped off. So much for their business name-what a contradiction Fair's Fair-certainly not!! read more

The best used bookstore in Calgary. I can't even begin to count how many books and movies I've gotten here, and I almost always find what I'm looking for. The staff are really nice and helpful, especially when asking about a specific book. read more

Fair's Fair has always been there for me. This is where I look when I'm trying to find a particular book or just browse the shelves, which I love to do! Nobody bothers me while I browse, which I also love. Yet, they are always available if I have a question or want to find a book. I find the staff to be friendly. If you have a particular interest, this store is awesome because they have a huge selection of books in great condition, at fair prices. Thanks for being there, Fair's Fair! read more

Avoid this bookstore at all costs. They are not here for you. They treat you like THEY are doing YOU a favour. My wife and I were running errands for my cancer-stricken mother, one of which was to drop off some books she didn't want any more. The maps app said they were open, the open sign was lit, so we stopped in. I could not believe the attitude of the employees. Turned out they were 10 minutes to close, and I'm now keenly aware that they *HATE* it when customers come in with books after their cutoff. What they could've done was greet us, explain they were closing, apologise for the inconvenience, and ask us to come back tomorrow. What they did instead was grimace, roll their eyes, and scold us with angry condescension about the fact that they don't take books after 4pm, as if we should know better. Two employees, at the same time, talking over each other, with the same condescending attitude. When people came into my last public facing business and did things that were annoying, I made sure they were NEVER aware of my feelings. My feelings don't matter. I don't want my customers to worry about my feelings, I want them to come in a shop in a carefree atmosphere. I treated my customers as if they had better things to worry about than my feelings or my bad day or my annoyance, with a smile, with love, and with care. I respected them. Fair's Fair has no such concern. Fair's Fair is clearly struggling for survival. I'm guessing they blame everyone but themselves for it. Oh ... also, their parking lot is a pothole riddled no-mans-land in which my wife twisted her ankle while carrying a heavy box of books. Thanks for making our day, Fair's Fair! read more

Likes: Nice big airy lighted space. Huge selection. Wonderful selection of used magazines. Don't see those everywhere. Dislikes: Bought books there, brought back after reading, complete with Fair's Fair labels promising they would repurchase for credit, they wouldn't repurchase most of them. I assure you the books were in the same condition they had been when I bought them. But: The used book business is tough; I'm grateful they purchase anything. G-books purchased a lot more used books, they're out of business. Maybe there's a lesson there. Don't care: Some of the clerks not excessively friendly/communicative. That's OK with me, I don't take it personally, other people might be miffed. read more

I'm a huge fan of Fair's Fair from a few perspectives.... I love the concept of reuse and recycle... I love the fact you can bring back books for cash or store credit. I love the selection of books. This store is absolutely HUGE! Whats also cool, is they are picky about what books they take in. They have to be in good shape, and books that they are confident they can sell. So, as a customer, i dont have to wade through crap to find a hidden gem. They are all gems. So.... Why 3 stars? A few of the staff at this location should not be in the customer service business. I frequent all Fairs Fair locations, and this is unique to this location. Will I be back? Definately - I love the store. However, In difference situations, i have witnessed staff members being short with both staff members and customers. It has been more than once. I think they need to do some staff changes there, if everyone cant get along. 19/30 read more

Fair's Fair Books - Bookstores Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

The person that owns this store is very rude to her customers and likes to subject her customers to her immature outbursts and tirades. I have been purchasing books there for years and have seen her do this numerous times over those years. The employees are also very hot and cold and a lot of the time are put off when asked questions. Also these people do not give a fair price for books and graphic novels when buying books from people. This is not a good place to sell books to if you want to receive a fair price for the reselling your books. Not good people. read more

Best bookstore hands down, more helpful than new bookstores. Will recommend books and authors, find books in stacks; lookup and order from other locations. Greet you by name. love it. Barb at Chinook location is the best read more

I adore this place. Not only do they have an amazing selection of used books, but they also have a wonderful atmosphere. Old, musty, creaky-floored character. read more

Fair's Fair Books - Bookstores Near Me - Calgary, Alberta

Amy and Stephanie are wonderful! They warmly welcomed me into the store and looked after my needs as a book purchaser. If you have the pleasure of visiting this store and their wonderful artisanal parking lot, drop in and say hi to them. I wish I had more stars to add. If only they sold cheeseburgers and underwear I wouldn't shop anywhere else. read more

Far better than expected and a new hidden gem to me. I have literally walked or drove by this place a million times and thought "what is in there?" , "who goes in there?" and "does it smell funny?". Well today waste day. I need a travel guide for Chicago (thanks for the sale Westjet) and recalled this random book store-so why not, we went in. Much to my surprise, it's quite big, very well stocked, EXTREMELY ORGANIZED and the staff were very friendly. I also discovered a huge cookbook section that requires my attention in the near future. Unfortunately, they did not have anything for my Chicago needs but turns out it doesn't smell at all. I highly suggest this store anyone needing a book (it's what they do well:). April challenge 21/30 read more

My favourite bookstore in Calgary for sure. It used to be Shelf LIfe books but I think Fair's Fair takes it after my last experience there. I picked up a couple of collectible photography books that I hope will appreciate over time. The guys were pretty nice about knocking off a few bucks. They also have a huge selection of titles and nice tables and chairs to use if you just want to sit and read. ..... they also leave you alone to browse. read more

Though there are a handful of locations of Fair's Fair for Booklovers' stores all throughout Calgary, this one located at the 'beginning of Inglewood' is by far the largest. There is every book & magazine imaginable (or, so it seems). I noticed there are even a few imported from England, and I marvelled that they even have the 1947 issues of the New Yorker. I would say this is more than your typical 'consignment bookstore', since they offer gift certificates and even have a rewards program where you can get free books for every allotted number of visits (I think it's 6, but you'd like to double-check with the clerk). People looking for discontinued books: this is the store for you ;) read more

I absolutely adored this used bookstore, and was so thrilled that Calgary supports a few of them. The most spacious bookstore I've ever been inside, I wish they had even twice the amount of books that they already have, and that's saying a lot... They had a nice section of books by Canadian authors, modern fiction, art books, etc. etc., all surrounded by tchtotckes and friendly and helpful staff. It's a nice walk along the river from the East Village too... I'll be back here for sure next time I'm in Calgary. read more

I went here for the first time a few days ago. Went it, told the guy at the door that I had never been to the store and a friend of mine recommended it. No warm welcome, no explanation of the process or the store layout. He looked at me, told me I had to put the books down that I had brought in, and that he was going through some else's books first and I would have to wait. Never checked with me if I had any questions or if I needed any assistance. Told me, "Store credit only, no cash." and that was about it. The girl at the cash was pleasant, but based on the non-welcome from the other guy.. not what I had been expecting. Lots of books, quite a range of selection, will try it again, but had expected better customer service. read more

Books are a huge part of my life, and Fair's Fair has become the number one contributor to my habit. I've been to every location, but - due to the immense size and selection - tend to frequent the Inglewood location quite often. Stopping into the Fair's Fair is one of my most preferred day-off activities. A trip through historic Inglewood for lunch at the Hose and Hound, a wander through the DaDe gallery and a visit to Fair's Fair is the perfect weekday or weekend activity to wind down while doing something creative and valuable. Fair's Fair has an excellent selection of used books for reasonable prices, including a few surprisingly rare or hard-to-find copies that any avid book lover would covet for their collection. For the most part, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and always willing to check the inter-store catalogue to help you find the book you're looking for. If you're in search of a good read, stop by Fair's Fair for pre-loved books and save a few dollars - and a few trees. read more

A great business offering used books at fair prices. Their selection is excellent and best of all-they know exactly what they have in stock because all books are bar coded. I return the books I've read for store credit. When the library doesn't have what I need, I look to Fair's Fair. read more

Worst place to sell books. They absolutely rape you. I brought in new books in perfect condition and was given $2 cash. Next day they were selling the same books for about $40. Honestly, give your books to your local library, rather support a good cause than this garbage book store. Also prices are not that different from places like Costco or even Walmart for buying books. Even online Chapters is better and you get Plum rewards that accumulate quick. And if you really want to save money, just go to the library and get books for free. Or library book sale. Avoid this place! It's a scam. read more

The people who run this used bookstore are a disgrace. They told me over the phone that they pay 0.50 for each book. However, they paid me $20 for 57 books. When I told them this was not what they said over the phone, they changed their story to 0.25 for some books. They are shameful liars and thieves. Be very careful when you sell your books that they treat you fairly. They should be called Unfair's Unfair Books. read more

I don't understand why a book I bought at Fair's Fair Chinook location can't be returned there. The clerk at the front desk said it doesn't have their sticker and they need to do a better job of making sure the stickers are in place. I told her I'm 99% certain I bought it there, and she just smiled. Then I couldn't find the book I was looking for, and didn't feel particularly enthused, so went to the library and got it for free. read more

Located right at the entrance to Inglewood from downtown, this warehouse sized Fair's Fair location is one of the most extensive in the city. It is larger than both the Heritage location and the one on 17th Ave, and the selection here is admirable. This was the location where I dropped off childhood favorites like the entire Goosebumps series, along with several dozen other books, and received a store credit of $16. Probably not quite up to their name, but then I guess fair is fair when you are giving away Goosebumps. The parking lot is miniscule and hard to navigate so be careful. read more

I had about two boxes of books that i wanted to sell and i needed some cash, so i was glad to hear that this bookstore does cash trades (only 3 of their locations do it). They only took about 10 books and I got $13 for them. I wish I could have received more for them but I just wanted them gone. The rest of the books, which were in good-great condition and popular titles weren't grabbed. read more

I am a highschool student looking to warm a little bit of money for my exchange trip. I have nearly 200 gently used tween and teen books, varying from hardcover to soft, that I have literally only read once. They are nearly mint condition, and very desirable titles, but after having waited two hours while they sorted through my books, they told me they would only take 50 of them and give me $15 for them. I could either choose to take the $15 or $30 store credit. Well I didn't need store credit, I needed money to pay for my trip! I will not be back, especially considering that the book prices were absolutely insane for how much they would've paid me. I saw a book that I had on the shelf in the store for $15, and he was willing to pay me dog crap for it. I am still looking for a 'fair' price for my used books. read more

I really enjoy the store and browsing, have been going with my dad since I was young. I took in a stack of newer books to get traded, they only took one and said the rest were outdated. The majority of the books there are older, I couldn't find any recent releases or "new" books that they only seem to want. I will likely only do trades from now on. read more

There's a really wide selection of well-priced used books here, and I could honestly spend hours upon hours just looking through the shelves (as well as taking in that old-book smell that I miss). I wasn't greeted or acknowledged at all in the store until I finally headed to the checkout, but personally I find that I don't need a lot of catered attention in a book store because it's the type of place I'd like to be left to my own devices, lest I need some assistance finding anything. As a slow browser, constant attention makes me feel as if I'm being watched for stealing, so I appreciated the quiet and space as I took my time. The staff are definitely friendly enough--I even lost something in the store without realizing and it was found & returned to me by a member of staff within minutes. Anyways, what's most important here are the books, and there are plenty of them. They're all organized quite clearly and effectively so you can find what will interest you with ease. My friend managed to scratch his itch for sci-fi and fantasy, whilst I took my time around the classics and foreign languages section and even had some good memories looking over all the old 90's kids' books in the children's section. If you're planning to come and just browse to your heart's content, do make plenty of time in your day to have a leisurely look (there's also a well-maintained washroom at the back for you hardcore shelf wanderers). You just might walk out with more than you thought! read more

Nice place for used books and Christmas gifts! Not nice to see them giving tickets to less fortunate people using the services next door. That's not very fair. read more

Our favourite place to go find books or just browse. Staff are friendly and well oriented. Store is clean and there is very little of that used book smell. read more

Fair's fair is the go to spot for hard to find books and I am definitely a big fan. Very cool spot for book lovers! Definitely a treasure and worth a visit you never know what you might find! read more

This place is a total scam if you want to sell any used books! I brought in mint condition best selling books (that I bought and read once only), some are selling at Indigo (some still on the recommended shelf even ) and they gave me $1.00 for them. They will turn around and sell them for $12-16 and make a profit margin of between 1200 - 1400%. This is INSANE?!?!?!? How they get away with this is beyond me, but i will never step foot into this dump again. I will donate my books before making money for some asshole. read more

I enjoy my experiences with all the Fair's Fair locations - the database is an excellent tool to finding books I want, and the customer loyalty program is a great incentive to make me keep coming back. The selection of books is also terrific, and I always find a lot of volumes of interest to me, even though my field of interest is narrow (in particular, military history). I am rating this store a 3 rather than the 4 I gave the others as I agree with another reviewer on the customer experience related to the staff - this is a very minor concern here. I actually like that the staff is non-intrusive, and the store is nice and quiet and you are able to browse. Another concern though is the ability to reach some of the higher shelves; more stools/ladders might be convenient for customers. The location itself is actually kind of cool, walking into the basement is an experience in itself, brings back memories of older times. I recall vividly a used book store my parents took me to in the 1970s in Kensington, in a building demolished decades ago, that I am reminded of every time I go in. Shopping in a store like this one seems almost like a rite of passage every urban dweller needs to experience. read more

oh my oh my, I learned today that Fairs Fair has earned some capital letters in their name. After excessive angers of paying big bucks on vintage books from the 50'S and only being offered a small percentage back off original cover price they now give 50% of the tagged price it was sold for. This is fair and I am glad to enter their selection of oldies and goodies again. For this I hope they stay off the next floods grid. read more

This is may the most business-like used bookstore in Calgary, friendly people too. They are getting too picky about what they take in trade, and you still have to pay cash instead of just your trade credit. They do not give you as much credit as they used to. read more