My review is as a Seller but as you have to wait while they make you and offer, I've browsed the inventory and seen the prices. All in all it is the same problem that has ruined "thrifting." Cheaper than new - obviously. But a new book at $12.99 is selling for like $8.99. Better to shop goodwill bins as books are some of the last affordable things at thrift stores. As a seller I took $70 for a collection of about 200 quality dvds. sold individually on eBay or Amazon if I had the time probably $500-1000. Same with the books. I have gotten $50 for a case of 100/150 best selling hardbacks. You never know as one time I brought in quality mint condition coffee table books - my offer for the lot of 50... $2. So I don't know what the deal is but the worst thing is they don't return your books. Some they take and will throw away or donate because the don't want to offend. I wish I had the option to take the books they knew they were gonna trash. All in all, they are only game in town u nless you want to do this full time. And I see them taking advantage. But that's our America. Read they are private family owned. Interesting. read more

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I ordered a Pokémon FireRed box with inserts from Half Price Books -- a collectible item that should be packaged carefully. Unfortunately, they shipped it in just a bubble mailer with no additional protection, and it arrived damaged. I reached out to give some constructive feedback on their shipping practices for items like this. While they did respond by discounting the item, I was surprised to find my account was banned shortly after -- simply for offering polite feedback. I didn't open a dispute or escalate anything, just suggested they consider better packaging for fragile or collectible items. It's disappointing, especially since I had been a customer before and liked shopping with them. If you're a collector or care about condition, I'd be cautious. read more

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Review is of the vinyl section and staff/store, but not taking books into account. Was able to find some great marked down blues albums that were sealed. They're rereleases I'd been seeing, but I was able to get them for half off. I know that's the name of the place, but these actually were half off, and most of the vinyl isn't usually. As usual, I ended up buying as many records here as any of the stores in the area. Half price books is getting good for new sealed rereleases of vinyl. Staff were very friendly, helpful, and not bothersome. Store is clean and pretty conveniently located. I went as a destination early in my trip and have passed it now multiple additional times in my travels this trip. Good place, I preferred them to the analog vault, and would go here for records over any other place in the area. read more

Love to shop here a lot for DVDs and CDs. They have such a good selection of modern things, but also many classics aswell. The workers are always very helpful. Only thing I would complain about is prices are sometimes slightly unreasonable but nothing super expensive. Love this place read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Marion, Iowa

Keeping in mind that this is a used bookstore and they buy customer material for resale, selection can be hit or miss depending on what you're looking for. Recently I've been stockpiling my favorite children's books to give as one mega gift, so I've popped in a few times to scour the shelves. If you don't mind a well-loved, preowned copy over a crisp, clean, well-cared for edition, you'll find plenty to choose from. (I'm mostly looking for hardcovers without other folks' generic birthday scribbles on the inside, which seems to limit my options rather significantly at times.) I can't comment on the musical offerings, but occasionally you can find a good deal in the games. Service is average - some days you get cheery group, some days ya don't. When I've needed assistance, they've been friendly and armed with recommendations. As for buy back, I wouldn't bother unless you aren't looking to get anything close to the value of your item(s). I don't think we've ever been offered anything worthwhile. I know there's a lot of variables that go into that, but I've just decided to write it off as a scam. read more

Half Price Books - For those of you who read to your pups! - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Marion, Iowa

Great manga selection, overall pretty great selection in general. Friendly staff. Video game section was the only thing a little lacking but it wasn't too bad read more

Service was great but when it comes to selling your books there it's not too great... I went there last time like idk how long ago but like a year or two. I forgot to left a review but now I'm gonna write one just to let people be aware when they come and sell their books there. So I went there to sell my books since I read that they accepted books and all and for them to pay you in return of them. I had about maybe over 10 books, a pair of headphones, and cd movies and the price value out of all them in total were over 75 dollars. I was expecting a good deal but they said $2.50 cents... i thought they said 250$ and not 2 dollars and 50 cents. I know they won't pay me 250 dollars but at least a good reasonable deal. I had no choice but to accept it since I needed to get rid of them. Was pretty disappointed about it, I was rethinking about the decision I made. If your looking for a place to sell them don't come and sell them here!! You should just sell them on Facebook marketplace or somewhere else. read more

While I normally love all Half Price Books, I was disappointed in my visit here. I went in looking for vinyl and their selection was rather mediocre. I realize that is subject to change, depending on what is brought into them. The other thing I noticed was the difference in the energy in the space. My home store is in West Des Moines and is always abuzz with people having conversations, the staff being helpful, and it simply feels vibrant. This store seemed to lack that spirit. read more

Great selection. Spent more money than I should have. But now I have books in the hopper. Well done. Would have been better if people had their dogs there however. read more

Half Price Books - Inside - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Marion, Iowa

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Short Version: Great little used/new bookstore that doesn't sort out books between new/used. Books are half of the MSRP or less, but clearance is really the gem of the store. Definitely designed as a "purchase and leave" type of bookstore, but I found a ton of great deals and escaped with more than 8 books for less than $35. Long Version: There isn't really a used bookstore to be found in the Cedar Valley area. It's sad. Tear-worthy, really. But I had finished the first book in a young adult series, and I wanted to get started ASAP on the second. The library's sole copy was checked out for another three weeks, the local new bookstores didn't sell it, and it would be at least 3-4 days until I get receive it from online. What's a girl to do? Well, drive about an hour out to Half Price Books after calling and finding out they have two copies! Neat little bookstore. They seem to sell new and used copies alongside each other on all of the shelves. There aren't any "sections" between the two. All of the books are clearly sorted out and organized by genre and author, and it looks like a regular ol' new bookstore in how easy it is to find what you're looking for. Unlike a standard bookstore, though, it doesn't appear the management wants you sticking around to read - which is fine, but it's a bit odd. There are some tables near the kid's area that could sit adults, but that's about the gist of seating that I saw. It's clear they'd prefer you to purchase books and treat this more as a retail establishment than somewhere to buy, drink coffee, and read. Prices are surprisingly good. Like the name promises, expect to pay about half off what the MSRP is. It doesn't seem to matter in terms of quality either, but it does matter in terms of hardcover versus softcover. Hardcover and softcover books varied in price, but the same book, with different wear & tear, cost the same, so pick the best version you can find. Where I really, really fell in love with Half Price Books was the clearance section, though. Oooooh, the clearance section. This is basically a small corner with all of the clearanced books all sorted by genre. This makes it SUPER easy to find clearance books you'd still want to read. The best part? ALL of the clearance books, hardcover or softcover, used or new, are between $1 and $3. Some of the books are predictably dated (like how-to books for the iPhone 3), but other books, like fiction or self-help, don't really date themselves. I spent over an hour in this corner and ended up picking up an extra 10+ books. I looked like a nutcase bringing those all up to the counter. This place also has bathrooms - a single male and single female bathroom. Bathrooms have seen better days, but they were clean - just not particularly impressive. I would definitely come back, and I WILL come back. The treasure in this establishment is the clearance books, but the rest of the books are priced reasonably too. I'll probably only come when I have the time to stick around, though. While it's easy to grab and go with their system here, I'd really love to spend time in sections and find some great deals. read more

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The other reviewers have already said everything that I was going to so I'm pretty much writing this to get the stupid picture changed. I love that people can't bring guns in this store & that is their right as business owners. My only negative critique is that there isn't an effective way, i.e. computer system, to search for books, CDs, movies by the customers or even staff. read more

Half Price Books - Books, Mags, Music & Video Near Me - Marion, Iowa

Another of my favorite stores. Every time I go there I find something I like. Movies, books, CDs, vinyl, video games, and collectables are all available here. They have a good selection of all of it too. Staff is really friendly and will help you in any way they can. They are willing to order items for you as well. Really like this store and will definitely be going back. read more

Cannot believe we found one of these here in Cedar Rapids!!! Our favorite bookstore in Dublin AND Berkeley actually has a branch out here. read more

I really enjoyed my time looking at the books . Its a great place to go get a book your looking for

This store appeared to have much of the same fare as the HFB in Chicagoland. Lots of shelves of printed media, plenty of CDs. However, the vinyl stock was lacking. Lots of new, lesser-known records and few used albums. I had to laugh at the minimum price for some of the LPs by no-name artists. Quite a Debbie Downer! I'm no gun nut, so the store's firearm policy did not break my heart. read more

I have a compulsion to buy books and look at weird people. This place is full of both! It's great and only sometimes creepy. But seriously, it's a great spot to get your book buying compulsion taken care of on the cheap. I even buy cheap dvds there now and again. The folks who work there are a wonderful combination of helpful and not caring about you at all until you ask them for help, which in this case is ideal. read more

I used to work in the area and shopped/browsed here regularly. This store is completely overstocked with merchandise. Overstocked merchandise makes it incredibly difficult to shop. Sure the selection is fantastic, but there's something to be said for being able to breathe when your going up and down the aisles. Staff is friendly and the location is nice. Organization leaves a lot to be desired. read more

This place is a great place to get collectable records. They also sell new and used books. You can go in there and sell your books and magazines you don't want any more. You can also sign up for their coupon mailing to recieve discounts on your next purchase. Other things they sell are comic books, dvds, video games and collectable posters. They are all reasonablly prices. They have always had great service when I have shopped there. read more

I love this store, since it's the only game in town for used CDs and vinyl. The staff really seems to love working there, and that makes it better for everyone. If you have some time to kill, this is a great place. read more

It is a sad thing that people (including myself) rave about a used bookstore because it carries used cds and dvds. But it is an indication of what has happened to the retail book business. The only other book shop in Cedar Rapids, Barnes & Noble, has drastically reduced the floor space devoted to books, and the only book growth area in town seems to be religious book shops. So I am grateful that there is at least one book shop left in town that devotes the majority of space to real books even though it is a used book store reseller mixed with remainders and CDs/DVDs and not a true book shop. Like most resale shops there is no way to search for specific titles other than to browse. Luckily the staff is helpful and knowledgeable. Prices are a bit high for a reseller but judicious use of frequent coupons will get the cost down to a more reasonable range. There are other book resellers in town but none have the inventory that Half Price Books has. Half Price Books buys material for cash, not for purchase credit as in other used shops, and the cash you get will have to thinking that it is better to just keep the stuff or donate it to the library or local library fund raising organizations. Just don't expect a windfall. Overall, this is a very good retail business and will probably survive the coming apocalypse confronting the book industry. Meanwhile, if you want to visit a real book store and see what a book business once was like , there is still Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City. read more

This is my go-to bookstore here in CR. I can spend quite a few hours just wandering and finding new treasures. Occasionally they have carts outside on the sidewalk of books and other materials for $1 or $2. In addition to books, DVDs, and magazines, they also carry greeting and thank you cards, bookmarks, journals, and activity books for kids. I signed up for the coupons via email but there seems to be only one or two coupons per month. Their Facebook page posts popular and big name incoming books, as well as employee reading lists and suggestions. In regards to helpful employees, it's been a hit-and-miss in my experience. In one experience, I asked for one gal's assistance in finding a book; she led me to its proper shelf, went to the computer to check for it in-stock, but never returned. I had to locate her in order to see if she had found anything. They seem to love their job but sometimes the service just isn't up to par. read more

When the BF and I want to kill some time or get out of the house in the winter time, we head to half price books. They've got tons of sports books for him to look at, and tons of cookbooks, stationary, gardening and sociology books for me at really decent prices. The staff is very friendly and always ready to help and the books are organized by category. Prices on calendars, children's books and games are good too, but buyer beware, one game we bought didn't have some of the pieces. They have music and movies as well as some basic art supplies. I wanted a large, blank sketchbook, and found one here for 7 bucks. The one I was eyeing at the craft store was twice that amount! read more

AMAZING! I wish they had a Half Prices Books in Birmingham. This place was amazing. The staff spoke to customers like they were all close friends (hell, they could have been for all I know) but I could pretty much live in this shop. Great collection! read more

You can really waste some time here, there is a lot to look at. They have a ton of books to browse, they also all seemed to be fairly cheap. I also found there used dvd selection to be pretty darn good! I ended up with 2 DVDs and 2 books for $17 which I thought was reasonable. Although it did take awhile at checkout sometimes they are in snail mode;) read more

Great way to get cheap books and movies! Love the Clearance DVD section. The staff is always helpful.

I can spend hours here at a time. I can go months without thinking about this place. Half Price books can be a cheap place to spend time, or expensive. The selection always changes. Nice to have an alternative to Barnes & Noble. read more

A fantastic selection of books, movies and music that is always changing with great prices. But honestly, if you sell to them... They'll rip you off. read more

My family was just in last night to pick up a couple more books in a series that my middle school aged daughter is reading. The workers are so friendly and one even helped without us asking. She couldn't find the books on the shelf so she went to the back room and even outside to the clearance rack to find them. Best part was they ended up only costing $.50 a piece. I always check here first when there is a book I am looking for! read more

While this bookstore is great for finding books of any kind, grabbing that old movie, etc. It is HORRIBLE for selling your books. This company is making money hand over fist. My BF was moving in and I needed to clear out space. What I got about $10.00 for over 150 books...really? That's less than $0.07 a book when they will sell them at 1/2 the cover price. I wandered around the store and didn't see many of the books I was selling on their shelves so I was really shocked at their offer. But didn't feel like I had any choice but to take it since I won't have the space for them. I bet that's what they are counting on. Another used store in the area that only deals in trade, suggested a different solution. Take your books to the library, donate them, get a receipt and write it off your taxes. You will get a lot more value that way and you'll be donating reading material. I did read a review that if you take less in at one time you will get a better deal. Not sure if that is true but I wasn't about to break my books into 10-15 trips. read more

When I first started shopping here, I felt they had great prices. As time moved on the prices kept going up and up. One time I saw what I thought was a common movie, but it was priced at $35 (Undercover Blues). I asked if there was a pricing mistake and they said no, it was the going rate for that movie. I did a search on ebay and discovered it wasn't readily available so they had a point. The takeaway lesson for me was that they were selling based upon researching prices elsewhere. It's not a bad business practice, but I don't see the value vs going online and buying. DVDs tend to be very overpriced vs online. I don't even try to look at the CDs. Unless you know the specific artist, it is a pain to go through for general browsing. My main reason for going is to check out the clearance items. That's where I find the best deals. For now, this still makes the trip worthwhile. I personally haven't tried it, but I hear the book buying can be disappointing to those trying to sell books to the store. I did hear an employee once comment about how well they thought the particular book would sell on the shelf. As I haven't personally sold books, take this comment with a grain of salt. My niece did take a box of books in and was disappointed with less than $10 for the entire box. I guess it's a business trying to make a profit like all others. I don't begrudge them for that. My personal opinion is that the overall pricing didn't/doesn't meet my expectations. read more

Good selection of books. However, they pay very little even for books in excellent condition. They make an offer for everything (take it or leave it) so you are basically giving them a bunch of stuff for free along with what they are really paying you for. If you itemize deductions for taxes, give books to a charity and you will come out with a tax deduction worth far more than HOB will pay you and you can feel good about yourself for helping a nonprofit, read more