HPB is quintessential to Texas. I think it started in Dallas actually but this location on Lamar was a frequent haunt of mine growing up. They have pretty much every bestseller; they do sell some new books too which tend to cost about as much as they would at any commercial bookstore but obvs buying a used copy can save you a bit. They do buy books and media materials but know you won't get much (around 50% of the book's selling price assuming it's in excellent condition seems to be the pattern I've noticed). The staff are always really helpful and knowledgeable. They have plenty of parking too. Will mention I have noticed the location on N Lamar tends to have more books in general (it's bigger!) but as a South Austin native I'm glad to have a location down here. read more

Really excellent store. Over the years I've always enjoyed visiting this place. They have an incredible selection of used books, CDs, DVDs, Records, you name it. They're also a great place to bring your old books and music when you want to clear out space in your house. I know some people grumble that they don't pay much, but come on, they have to make a living. I've sold many books and CDs back to them and they're always nice and honest. Really great employees there make me appreciate their company culture. read more

This place has always been my go-to for buying and selling books. They don't give much on buy back, but happy to find a home for the books rather than just throwing them out. They usually have the weird titles and authors I am looking for, if not locally, then at another store and has them shipped. I am a loyal customer- thanks for sticking around for so long! read more

This place is great but it REEKS of urine. It's the first thing that hit me in the face when I walked in. There is so much to see but the odor makes it vile to stay. There wasn't just one stain but multiple stains on the carpet throughout the whole store. It's a shame that people let the store get so bad with their dogs. Otherwise the store it self is wonderful. They have a great selection of games, books, everything! Just make sure not to sit on the floor to look at what's on the bottom shelves. read more

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They have the worst web site and lack of information of any company I have seen. They only have a recording if you call the number they provide, to find out about the move, that was posted in early March and says to look for updates but there are no updates by phone or website or anywhere. The AI overview says they have moved and are open but their web site says they are not open. Is this business run by middle school kids? read more

This is a pretty large bookstore located on South Lamar. They actually have a fair amount of used records and other music media, including VHS/DVDs. They have autographed and collectible books, including old vintage Playboy magazines. You can also buy or sell comic books and magazines. It's a quiet place to kick back and read a book and that is largely due to the fact that the entire place is carpeted, thus absorbing some of the noise. However, I could only find five wooden chairs in the entire place and one four top to sit at. No comfy furniture here. Check out the photos included for more insight. read more

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Staff were super friendly and helpful. I took books and they were great to work with. I didn't get as much as I hoped but I know that books have a lot of different values. read more

I've probably been to every Half Price Books in the Austin area going back to the days when I'd scour the shelves as a kid in the old Guadalupe location. This South Lamar location is close to the best with a larger store that carries an excellent selection especially in the collectibles part that I haunt that has all the old out of print books that are so fascinating. On this trip I had a heavy box full of things to sell for which I got $10 and I ended up spending three and a half times that because they take a little time to go through everything and make you an offer. And what else will you do with that time but browse? I will say that this sale was a little more than I expected which was welcome (HPB always offers very low amounts regardless), and was faster to make an offer than other branches, so I appreciated that efficiency. Prices on books are often a little higher than I'd like, but there are always bargains if you look hard enough and I love going through the clearance section. And the inventory is always changing so it's fun to look through every so often. And I appreciate there are sections for every kind of book you could want, as well as large music and DVD selections, gifts, cards, and much more. read more

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Large store with good diversity of books. This location has a lot of good shops and restaurants nearby. The bathroom was clean and had a very thorough description of how to wash one's hands. I liked it. read more

Huge selection of great valued half price Books! The name says it all Nice people working there read more

Why do books have to cost so much?! Not here! It's a gem! We came strolling by to kill some time and so glad that we did! Best deals with extra 20% off deal for Labor Day! Sweet Clearance deals, $2 for journals! So much better We left with stacks of books for whooping $44!!! You can find ALL kinds of books here....even books I don't even want to promote! After or before you have strolled through the books- go get delicious food at the Kerbey Lane on the opposite site of the parking lot!! Just walk and leave your car! read more

They have a great selection. They are always helpful. I couldn't find these books I wanted anywhere else . They had them and put them on hold for me. read more

Something about going to a bookstore that excites me. The feeling of solitude of a library... old books that display themselves to you that you've been searching for since childhood... walk down memory lane? Here, a nice little experience in a strip mall off the beaten path. Decent parking and a quiet place to rest and find a past delight to read. Find your favorite, comic book, record, or old reading materials. They've got all different types and genres. This place has new and old selections of games and books. Upon arrival, there was an author inside selling his newly published book which is refreshing to see. Also dog friendly and was able walk the aisles with my pup to explore the smells of history. Staff was very friendly and offered my pup a treat. BIG PLUS! read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I always enjoy stopping by this location. I feel like the products are more unique here.

Great spot for used books. Always a decent selection. Stop into every half priced books I find on my travels. People always so nice and very helpful read more

A beautiful bookstore with a solid collection. Went with my girlfriend as a fun, casual date and we both had a great time. Clayton took great care of us. read more

I love this spot. I'm not sure why. In reality it's a regular ol Half Price Books. The staff isn't any friendlier than others, and all the others are just as clean and well kept. The prices seem pretty consistent across locations, but to be fair I've never really took the time to compare. I don't know if it's the location, or the layout, or maybe I just always go when the environment is right, but there's always a pleasant vibe here. The selection is pretty big, well organized, and I'm always finding something to put in my cart. I usually pop in if I'm in the area, and I'll occasionally make the drive out here if any friends want to browse a bookstore. Definitely take the time to see what goodies you can stumble on. read more

A great location to snag some good reads. A great kids and cooking sections. Super helpful staff. A great selection for all ages. If we are in the area we will be back. read more

I called to check to be sure my book was in stock. I spelled the title to the person on the phone. I was told they had fifteen copies and one would be waiting for me. I ubered there to pick up my new treasure. Upon my arrival I was informed it was out of stock and was treated poorly, as if I was at fault in this situation. I mean I called and literally spelled the the title. read more

Huge selection of reasonably priced books! The staff is kind and helpful, and they do a great job of keeping everything organized. They also have puzzles, games, records, and other media plus some gifts and other fun items at the front. More pros: plenty of parking and clean restrooms. read more

Checked online before going in to confirm they're buying books. Went in and found out you're supposed to have an appointment. They took some of my books, and when I tried to suggest they put something on the web site to cause less confusion, my genuine recommendation was met with sheer apathy. Don't know if the buyer was having a bad day but I did not feel welcome. Made an appointment to sell some books... at a different location. Because I just wasn't comfortable dealing with this person again. I hope she was just having a bad day. read more

Love this place for the rare gems you can find for a good price.. Although there are some items they overprice which doesn't make it feel like you got a great deal. For example there was a Zelda monopoly game that i found there and really wanted to buy but it was priced at 50.00. Normally i would be like, ok, that's seems reasonable but the box was all messed up and sounded like the pieces were all over the place in the box. what really made me put the game back was when i found out how much they bought it for. They left the original price tag on by accident that shows they purchased the game at goodwill for 5 dollars and then up charged the customer 45 dollars. I thought that was kinda messed up how much they were up charging the customer but then i found a limited edition diamond platinum snow white collector set for 14 dollars and that is what i am looking for when i go to half price books. read more

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Always a fun selection. It's nice they take time to go through board games and tell you if its incomplete. Store is super clean and staff is always helpful. If you are a DVD or record collector this location is great for that. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Austin, Texas

Sold a few books here. Everyone was super nice during the process. Didn't get a lot for the books but enough. Good for them to be reused instead of thrown out anyway. I'll go back to sell more in the future. Have bought books here in the past fun to look around. Lots of stuff there at good prices. read more

I've patronized HPB for years and still love it. Where else can I recycle my old books for a buck or two, then spend half the day looking for bargain replacements. Always find something worth reading, either in store or online. S. Lamar location is my fave as it tends to have the friendliest crew wandering the stacks. Any idea why CoA wants to compete with small businesses? read more

I love reading! I always get help at the Lamar location. I like the deals that HPB offers. I've never sold anything yet, but am thinking about selling some college books. If there isn't a book in stock they always look for it at another location and I've even had the book shipped to my house for free. I wish there was a reading club because I would totally join! read more

One of the smaller HPBs in Austin -- what it lacks in size, it makes up for with charm and a proven track record of providing quality books for sale that are not sold anywhere else or that are usually difficult to find. This is the furthest HPB location from where we live but we always try to find an excuse to come back down, since there are a good number of shops we like to visit around this area. read more

Great place to spend an afternoon perusing books. If you don't care about having a super new book (not that they're in bad shape) you can find some great bargains. They also have games, comics, DVDs, CDs, and Vinyl. I also love browsing super old books that they have (first editions) and signed copies of books as well. Pick something up and read - it's better than watching reality TV. read more

What a great place to spend an afternoon and come home with a handful of books, DVDs and records for a fraction of the retail price. My kids love this place and so do we!!! read more

This place is great. But you have to really shop. Get to know the staff. Be friendly and pleasant. Things change daily. They buy and stock as quick as they can. Tell them what you interested in. Sometimes they will even save what you are looking for. Thank them for their help. It pays off. But don't sell your books here--they don't pay much at all in return. read more

Well, I finally experienced the hell of selling books here. What a racket. I had about 30 books - trying to declutter. I had lots of very nice books in the nice larger paperback editions. They gave me 7 bucks for the lot. Seriously. Ridiculous. They are the only game in town, however, so they can offer you nothing if they want. In "the state I left to come to Texas from" I regularly sold books for way way more, but there were more bookstores. Probably because more people actually read there. Worst is that I had bought two books from them for about $7.95 - 12.95 each on music law/business just about a year ago that I read and brought back to resell. Yep, they gave me about .25 each for them - even with their own tags still on them. They weren't close to new when I bought them. Someone needs to compete with these clowns. read more

Now that we've moved to South Austin, I'm closest to this HPB location. So I took a small pile of books in to sell them and checked out their stacks while I was waiting, as per usual. This location is much bigger than the Anderson Mill store, and organized in a completely different layout. So it took me awhile to find my favorite sections, but friendly employees were circulating and helped direct me. The purchase section is just like all the other HPB stores: drop off a bag, show your ID, and wait for their bid. And, just like all the other HPB stores, they offer you next to nothing for your books. I did inadvertently figure out part of their formula for pricing: on a specialty (signed and rare) book, they were offering me about 1/5 of what they would sell it for. The rest of the bag garnered one dollar, which was far less than 1/5. Over the years, I've come to realize that selling your books to HPB won't net much at all, and it isn't dependent on location. So I alternate between donating books to a local charity and "selling" books to them, mainly from a sense of keeping the half-price concept going for my fellow readers. And invariably, I use the proceeds to buy more books there. read more

I'm a romance reader, so I'm rating this by their romance selection. Compared to the other half price books in Austin, this one is lacking. Still quite a selection, but I'd go to the palmer or north lamar location for romance before this one. read more

Place is Rad. Clearance had some books that were totes good buys. You will definitely need a basket when you buy here. Overheard someone selling back and they definitely give good cash for returns here as well. Good place to enjoy day alone or with a friend. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Austin, Texas

Half Price Books is it. I love visiting this location, which is less than two miles from Casa Moi, because the selection is always varied, they buy almost everything I bring in and I always find something to take home with me. The staff is friendly, and while they can't "look up" a specific book you are looking for, they can send you in the general location of said book. As for Larry M. who says you can't make money off selling books - I tend to agree with him. When you are selling books at half off list price, I expect they aren't going to give me much for the books. read more

I have been going to Half Prices across Texas for twelve years, but beware if you try to sell them books. They pay you little, make you wait in the store at least an hour and often more. They divide your books into two piles, one pile to buy, the other to reject, But they do not tell you that! Ask for the reject pile back! One store said they send them out to other Half Prices to sell. Another said they give them to libraries. Go look in their dumpsters in the back. You may see a lot of books. Take the usually larger boxes of your books to Goodwill. In fact, shop for books at Goodwill. Your money there helps those in need. When you drop your books off, they will give you a receipt that may allow you to take this donation off you income taxes. read more

We love Half Price books. It's so nice to bring a box of books and turn them in for new treasure and gifts! As a family full of avid readers we are never lacking in books that have been read and lists of titles we want to read. I really love the way Half Price will ship a book from one store to another for no extra charge. It's so much fun to come back by in a week or two and grab a book that would've cost two or three times more if we ordered from an online retailer. It's also fun to browse around and find books I wouldn't have otherwise thought I'd enjoy. The rare books section is always a fun browse too! The staff is friendly, helpful, and usually pretty patient-which is super nice. Best book store in town! read more

Half Price Books - Kids reading nook. - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Austin, Texas

I love Half Price Books. They are budget-friendly (typically things are half the original cover price of the item) and people-friendly (nice employees who willingly help you find things). Their clearance sections are fabulous, worthy of its own separate mention. Hidden gems abound! Many of our household's DVD's have been bought here for $3 each. Books that are hard to find can unexpectedly surface, like brand new copies of Ludwig Bemelmans' Hotel Bemelmans ($3 hardcover) and When You Lunch with The Emperor ($1 paperback) -- otherwise I have to special order them from the regular bookstore. Pristine editions of various children's titles can be had for fifty cents or a dollar. read more

HPB is the best bookstore chain in Austin, hands down. Great for bibilophiles on a budget! It also has a great selection of used movies, TV shows, games, and music. I've been to HPB quite a bit in the past decade or so. Generally, I almost always find something that tempts me to spend money, every time that I go. I bought a good stack of books tonight, as well as a DVD. read more

My recent visit was marred by two HPB employees who felt it was perfectly fine while they stocked shelves to bitch about their manager and co-workers loudly and out in the open. Seriously? It doesn't make me want to shop here if the workers are unhappy and aren't discreet about the toxic environment they work in. read more