Half Price Books Records Magazines
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Sun 10:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
31 reviews
Sunnyvale, CA
"What a wonderful feeling I get when I enter this shop. It's like that dream I've always had, that one day I'd have a home with bookshelves…" read more »
38 Reviews for Half Price Books Records Magazines
Went here the other week to buy a book for school. School was selling the book for $13.95, bought it here for only $5.95. I love that the books are so affordable. I like the new location. It's much bigger than the old one. The children's section has a lot more selection than the older one, which is good. I'm going to bring my niece to this location since she loves books. I'm definitely coming back for more! It's always better than shopping at those corporate owned stores, which just want to take all your money. At those corporate owned stores, they never think of the customers, but at Half Price, you are well thought of!!
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neat, old-fashioned bookstore=] great prices, good selection. id go here if i had to buy a book. but call them first to ask if they have the book you want.
i sold 8 books i owned here too, old and new, but only got $6. i was so bummed. i guess i could use the extra bucks and help me de-clutter my room a little bit. but i dont think ill sell here anymore. other than that, great place.
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I love all of the locations of Half Price Books. I wish they had more selection of used CD's and DVD's otherwise, I have no complaints. I found lots of good nearly new finds. I'm a happy reader. I will definitely go back.
Half Priced Books is wonderful, the customer Service is great and they always seem to get more books in all the time. I have only been to the new location a few times, but the store looks very clean and easy to navigate through. Great Job Fremont HPB!
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I love browsing this store and knowing that I'll find something affordable. The paperback fiction section is big and well set up. Also love to look at the cookbooks. The famous chef section is my favorite. I have found some treasures at this store.
In my humble opinion, the staff isn't overly friendly, they're helpful if you need 'em though. I would prefer the staff being a little more enthusiastic. No biggie, I love the bargains.
As far as trade ins, don't expect much from ANYPLACE. Chill out and enjoy. Happy Reading.
This place would get five stars but I think the sales staff could use some spark.
I do love this place, but few people have talked about selling to this bookstore. They really rip you off, they paid me next to nothing for some awesome books and then i saw them priced for $10.00 and over. All of the books I sold were in top condition and were either current or former bestsellers, (I was told previously that they were willing to pay a lot for that genre because they got very few of those). In the future, I'll just donate my books someplace else (any suggestions?), but in terms of buying, they are good for those rare finds and literature. Also, I love buying gifts from here and books for little kids because they have a great selection--Borders is more expensive and kids usually lose/damage books anyway.
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I LOVE HALF-PRICED BOOK STORES!!!!!
So I borrowed Barbara Bush:A Memoir from my English teacher at the beginning of the year and my dear dog has chewed it and made Barbara look funny. So I asked around at Borders and Barnes&Nobles, but they don't carry that book (probably because it's not in print anymore) It would cost $15 to order the book. Then I went to Half-Priced bookstores just to waste some time and I saw Barbara on the shelf! I screamed out, "BARBARA" and went on my tiptoes to reach the book from the high shelf. Barbara came with a plastic cover and when I opened up the front cover it said, "To Stanley" and then at the very bottom, it was signed! Signed by Barbara Bush! I clutched the book close and went to the cashier and asked if that was really Barbara's signature. He gave me a monotone: 'Absolutely' and then I was ecstatic! For $20 I got a autographed copy! My English teacher was quite impressed!
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I think I have hundreds of books, & a U-Haul load of them came from this place. I started going to their old location by the BART station probably back in '98 or '99 & for the past decade it's easily been my favorite bookstore on planet erf. Too bad I now live 400 miles away. For drugstore-sized paperbacks you get the book for half cover price, which means sometimes books are like a quarter, & their selection somehow is always really cool. Most bookstores I go to, it's the same old stuff. But here you can find old forgotten novels from the '40s alongside current bestsellers and all the Dr Phil kind of junk too. Only problem is the prices have gone up. Used to be most hardcover novels were 4-6 bucks, sometimes even 3. Now it's more like 6-10. But it's still rad, even in their new creepy location between Wal-Mart-sized ultrasupermegastores.
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I enjoy browsing at half priced books. The staff is friendly and helpful. At the new location they no longer carry a large stock of used magazines.
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This review is for the new location of Half Price Books in Fremont.
It has only been open a month or two but the place was BUSY!
The staff was friendly and helpful despite the mob scene atmosphere.
Their collection is smaller than the Concord and Berkeley stores but there were plenty of things worth buying. Books in every category possible. My son and I found some DVD's for less than $6 and they played just fine.
My husband traded in some reference type books. He got about 20% of their value.....$20 which he quickly used to buy more books.
Tiny complaints....very warm inside; ventilation system needs some help. There were a couple of rude, pushy people who kept reaching in front of us (hello....please say excuse me when you reach in front of us and bonk on us on the head). But most of our fellow shoppers were just there to have fun!
Very nice staff! I hope they get bonuses for handling the crowds so nicely!
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This is for the new location in Fremont. Love Love Love the new location, nice and big store with everything (cept one section) organized and easi(er) to find. Went in two weeks ago and got a Murakami novel for $5.89 that could have cost about $15-17 at a major book store.
I do agree with the other Yelpers that they don't give you very much back for selling back your books, but they will give you about 50% for current year books. When you sell back your books, they also give you a 10% off coupon. Plus, if you don't want to, you could keep the ones you'd rather not sell ...
But I usually find something new to read every time i go by.
Most of their books are in pretty good shape and they have some publications from past years, but are new books.
My ONLY gripe is about their "new" stuff area in the front of the store. I don't think it's organized in any way so it's hard to look through the current year stuff. I really wish they sorted it by subject.
They also have very decently priced Thank You cards and stationary.
Overall, this is my fav. book store for used books in Fremont, actually, i'm not sure there is another one around here...
I love the new location! This store is great just to wander through. The prices are good and if you have a coupon it's even better! Yay! I love just checking everything out and I can literally spend a hour or two here just as happy as can be. I never leave this store empty handed. If you love a bargain and you love books and such this is your store.. go go go!
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I sure love this bookstore- although I truly believe they rip off customers when it comes to trading in your books- I have done trade In's about 5 times- and have never received more than $20.00 each time- last time we brought in 2 huge totes of books- hard cover and soft, adult ,kids some movies- and they offered $11.00!! ELEVEN DOLLARS!! It was a joke- oh well-
The front end cashiers are pleasant and helpful and the new store is gorgeous- glad they moved closer to me, I will certainly shop there- but will no longer trade my book in there-
Half Price is the coolest bookstore in Fremont, that's for sure. Set aside one hour to browse their selection of used dvds, books, magazines, cds and records and I GUARANTEE that you'll walk out with at least three things- three things that would have come out to $60 if you had picked them up at Borders or Barnes and Noble, but came out to under $25 at Half Price. It's a great place to find textbooks or books you need to read for your classes. Before looking anywhere else, I always call them up so that they look for the books I need and, most of the time, they have them. I found one of my Ohlone textbooks there for $4.98, when it was $30+ everywhere else. Everyone there is extremely friendly and helpful, and are rgeat at giving out recommendations as they are all book and music lovers themselves. They have a lot of great sales throughout the year, too.
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Love this book store! I get great deals here on books for me and for my classroom. Where else can you get 4 picture books and 8 videos for under $30???
It's moving over to Pacific Commons! I'm curious to see how much bigger it will be. Too bad Pete's coffee won't be around the corner anymore! =(
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I love this place!
But their Scrooge landlord increased their rent after their lease ran out and now they have to move!!! [Uncontrollable stream of tears] albeit only four miles away to Auto Mall Parkway but not within cycling distance and I can't pop in after a couple of coconut margaritas in La Pinata next door. This is truly a great loss. All because the greasy landlord wants a couple more dollars.
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Popped by this evening and they are moving next week and will reopen in March at their new location. If you go this week you can get some cheap deals before they box it all up and relocate. It seemed larger to me then the location in Concord but I wasn't overly impressed with the selection. Not a bad place to browse if you're in Fremont.
*** UPDATE ****
Checked out the new location today! Awesome set up in a booming area, Joanne's fabrics is in the same shopping center. Love how close it is to Bob's burger place. Great layout in the new store very large and worth a trip.
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I must like this place well enough, since I come over from the Peninsula fairly often. The new location is nice inside, though after a few months being open it's already feeling a bit cramped, and I fear the traffic and parking once all of the shops nearby are finished and open.
You can find some great deals here, especially on older non-fiction. The other reviewers are right; you can't get a lot of money to sell your books to them, but if you check ebay, amazon, etc., no one gets a lot of money for selling their used books anymore. If it were closer, I would visit often.
Half Price books is cool- at first I was a little iffy about buying used books, but I've probably purchased about 8 books from here. The selection isn't too bad, and you can find some pretty interesting books here. They also sell used videos, dvds, and cds.
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This place is an excellent, cheaper alternative for college kids, especially lit students. The selection of prep books for academic standardized test is also great, and at a fraction of the price you'd find at Border's or B&N. It's great that a place like this can survive in a city that is foolishly complacent on letting large corporations run the little guy out of business.
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I saved a lot from buying here. If you are like me who don't wanna spend too much on books, this is the place for you. But if you're selling books, they don't give you a lot of money back for your books. Store credits are issued instead at fraction of the cost of your books.
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once this place moved it started sucking. fools who price records here are wack. dont really find shiet here anymore.
Turn your old books, CD's, records, video cassettes, DVD's, and software into cash! Bring them all to Half Priced books and sell them off. Give it to someone else to enjoy. Tkae your time and browse through their selection. As all of their books are used items you're never certain what you'll find (and brand new stuff will be very difficult to obtain) but there's likely going to be something sitting there on a shelf for you.
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I have mixed feelings about Half Price Books. I completely adore their selections and their prices. I bought some cool old Rollingstone covers there: No Doubt, Britney Spears, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc., some plays by Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare, and of course, a Where's Waldo book, all for cheap. They have a big selection of books, mags, and even videos! The clearances are huge: I got Tom Cruise's "Cocktail" for $2.00, VHS of course. Anyway, find whatever you want here. The only thing is: when I brought a LOAD of books to sell to them, they told me to shop while they did the calculations. I left with $12. I was really upset because I would have rather kept some good books I had. I am actually still mad at the girl who did that to me. Like, really infuriated; I feel like I don't trust her at all. Oh well, that is just me: I am sure you will be a fine patron. -Matt
I'm giving Half Price Books Records Magazines five stars for the "browser-ability". Much of what you find at HPBs is dependent upon the actual location. Obviously, in the Berkeley store, you may find a different selection from the Fremont store and that's fine. That's the beauty behind HPBs. If you dig long enough, you can get 10 great books for $20! Incredible, I know.
Granted, you have to be patient and make it an afternoon of book hunting to find those gems but it's savings for you! Trust me, there are some books you will find and ask yourself, "HPBs actually bought this from someone?". Yes, it's true, you'll find some of the strangest books (i.e., Metaphysical and Psychology section in Fremont are a bit unusual) but you'll get a kick out of low pricing.
For Fiction lovers, it's a wonderful place to get dirt cheap paperbacks. Seriously, if you're patient, this can be a gold mine of reading material.
PLEASE NOTE: Getting rid of tons of books that Green Apple, Moe's or any other book dealer in the Bay Area won't take, just bring them to HPBs. They will take them but don't expect a lot. After all, it is called Half Price Books!
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If you're looking for a great used bookstore in the Fremont area, this is the place to go. The only problem is that I go in there only wanting to buy one thing, but come out with two sacks stuffed with books and CDs!! I love old books, and their $1 shelf is awesome. You never know what you'll find there. A must if you're in school and have a lot of novel-reading to do. Great prices. Skip Borders. I gave Half Price Books 4 instead of 5 stars because it's a chain and therefore not as cool to visit and check out as the great independent used bookstores you can find in Berkeley and SF. However, a great choice if you are looking for a good read closeby.
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I'm a geek and a little bit of a collector, so I have a bias towards used bookstores. I don't go there expecting to see the newest and greatest bestsellers (unless they're *really* crappy, in which case I don't want it anyway). They have to depend on what's been brought in or remaindered.
With that in mind, Half Price Books is my favorite used bookstore in the bay area. If I'm looking for a certain sci-fi book, they may or may not have it, but they have a decent selection. They have a pretty decent gaming section, and their software section always has something of interest, even if they are a couple years behind the newest releases. Video editing software for $30-$50? Sold!
I'll hit other sections when looking for gifts. Here comes Christmas, and I want to get my wife something interesting about religious studies. There's some mainstream stuff, some just plain weird stuff, but always something interesting.
In their media section, results as similarly mixed. I've bought few CDs there (for that I'll go over to Rasputin), but I have bought a number of DVDs. They have a mixed stock of cheap but new odd-ball stuff and used mainstream titles. Mix in a healthy selection of anime and it's a lot of fun to look through.
From a seller's perspective, it does seem like their buying prices are a bit low, but it's mostly based on what they can price it at. I've had some old crap they couldn't even take, but getting something back for a book I'd just as soon throw away isn't bad.
Also, while they give you a "ticket" to take up the register, they can give you straight up cash. You are not just getting a "store credit" and there's no percentage markdown for cash. You can just take the money and run.
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This is a great bookstore-I think it's worth the drive from the peninsula. I have bought fiction, thrillers and kids books as well as dvd's and a cd. I even got a book bag for spending over 30 dollars. I agree, it's not worth it to sell back books (I got 1.50 for a pretty new book), but I donate mine instead. Staff is friendly, too
I really like this place, you can find lots of books still in good condition. added plus is that you kind of feel like you're inside an old crate digging through it.
All the books I wanted to read but couldn't bring myself to buy at full B&N price. Sweet. Had a bit of a hard time finding what I wanted, but the staff knew EXACTLY where things were.
I played a little game without their knowing "I'm thinking of this book, it has the word 'Devil' and I think the author was something Paul." And they'd be like "Sure, The Devil & Ms. Prym, Paulo Coelho." Daaang.
So I got a book by an author I really like, and it was a huge hardback. Well, turns out I bought the LARGE PRINT EDITION. So I can read it from across the room. But it was $3-
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i checked out this place on a lazy sunday afternoon. i'm impressed by their organized categories of books, perhaps their textbooks as well. i saw so many sections of textbooks, although i didn't browse because i have no more needs for textbooks. their novel sections are pretty impressive as well.
i've not much to say about this store. i walked out empty handed after 1/2 an hour of browsing. their prices are a little higher than what i would normally spend at Half.com...so, i'll stick to that.
i overheard the cashier saying to a customer that if you spend over a certain amount, you get a complimentary book bag. that's cool.
it's in a pretty deserted area, constructions of other buildings are still pending...so there isn't much to do besides the bookstore. now, if they move over to Pacific Commons, you might be able to browse through books with a cup of coffee or snacks. Pacific Commons isn't even that far away..by car of course.
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If you're looking for relatively current fiction stuff ( especially chick or romance books) this place sucks.
But if you are looking for art books, photography, and anything social science (like I am) related this place is a gem!
They also have a lot of really good science fiction too.
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When I was 16, I sang in an acoustic duet & we performed here. They paid me in a gift certificate.. I don't think I ever used it.
I like their Makeup & Beauty book selection, but since I like to stay far away from my birthplace, I don't go here often.
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Half Price Books is definitely a great place to check look for old volumes/editions and things to collect. I love looking for old hardcover copies of Austen and Dickens and the like, so when I find any at HPB, they're usually pretty well-priced.
They also carry a bunch of other stuff like DVDs and software and such, and a lot of it I'm not particularly interested in, but once in a while, there's something that pops up that might not have popped up anywhere else.
Excellent used book. There used to be a few in Fremont, and this is the only one left. The book is large, and has a good selection.
they have old stuff that nobody really reads. nothing current. can't find any best sellers at used prices. sucks if u ask me.
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this spot is Ill to the max. i found some huge boxing hardcover book for 10 bones. auto didnt find any records here; really shit selection, but i dont have a record player so that doesn't affect my rating. good selection on books and prettie damn cheap. we spent like 2 hours in here just browsing
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