Half Price Books

Category:	Book Store
Address:	2036 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Phone:	+1 510-526-6080
Site:	hpb.com
Rating:	4.5
Working:	9AM–11PM 9AM–11PM 9AM–11PM 9AM–11PM 9AM–11PM 9AM–11PM 10AM–10PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 19

Lea Slavic

Probably my favourite bookstore in the Bay Area (I wish I had one closer, but this one in Berkeley is almost next to the BART station, which is pretty convenient if you ask me). The selection is huge and I always seem to leave with a full bag of new books to read. :) Its a bit difficult to navigate at first, but once you get used to the place it gets easier. They have a ton of different books, hardbacks and paperbacks. You can even sell your own books in the back, if you have nowhere to put them. You might search for a certain author/book and they dont have it, dont worry, they will check with other stores and have it delivered here, so you can pick it up next time. And even if not, Im sure it wont take long for the book to show up eventually (if its not a very old artefact). Did I mention the staff is really friendly? :) The books come (as the name says) half priced (or at least cheaper than in the usual bookstores). And if you have time you can sit down and read there already. There always seems to be quite a lot of people immersed in their books. Ive also noticed the movies/series just before the cashiers. Also some calendars and other stationery if youre into that. Come, look, read, buy, come again. :)

Vera DeVera

This is the best chain of bookstores ever because they carry such a variety of things. Let me start at the front: they change up the art books and stationery, gift sets frequently. You can browse the rare/collectible books too. Then there are the vinyl LP and CDs. They have the best prices for used vinyl and CDs. You can earn money or credit by selling your books and music back in the rear. I was in search of vintage books with pretty covers for an event and they sold me a whole case of 1960s Readers Digests for $10. They also carry video games, childrens books, and boast a large section of sci-fi, mystery, and fantasy. You can spend at least 2 hours here.

Jo W

What a gem of a bookstore! Pretty much everything is discounted here, and its so nice to explore the store and get lost among all the old books. Its very organized here, with everything in designated sections, like the art books, the YA books, the children book, the historical fictions, the science fictions, etc etc. With the loss of Shakespeare Books on Telegraph Ave, this is a good alternative to that to get discounted books. Its also very large, so you could walk around and get distracted by the books for hours. There is a comic book section, but if you want more of that, head to Fantastic Comics right next door.

Eric Gray

The clerks here can sometime be a little short but never rude. The selection is interesting and very cheap. There are a wide variety of new books here than are priced well and make decent gifts, if a used book is somehow inappropriate. There are a few chairs for reading but the floors are carpeted so sitting down to peruse this or that isnt a problem. Its easy to find yourself lost in time there if theres nothing else pressing.

DJ Nagle

Love, Love, Love this bookstore!! I Discovered it when I was taking a class at Berkeley City College. They have books, dvds, cds, tapes and records. Video games too I think. Just Everything! And their prices are cheap! I went there every week after class and just browsed, but I live in Marin so I cant get there very often anymore. wish I lived in Berkeley so I could go there everyday. Great Store!!!!!

Samuel Cooper

Their sales associates have just the right amount of douché to them, oh theyll help you, and snark it up the whole time like youre totally clueless thats whats happening. I kinda like it. Always a good selection, and more importantly, I always make it out of their under what Im expecting it to be judging by the fat stack Im typically carrying up to the counter.

Joseph Catrambone

I very much like this place. If you dont have a shopping list its like visiting the grocery store on an empty stomach. Youll end up with a dozen books you didnt know you needed. They dont have everything, and if youre looking for a very specific book youll probably have more luck at the Berkeley Public Library nearby, but if youre going to browse, this is great.

Timothy White

Good selection of used books. Generally helpful staff, but I have had sone pretty awful interactions with staff over the years. They also give you barely anything when you try to sell stuff to them, and it can get busy especially on weekends leading to very long wait times. Used vinyl is nice and decent selction but really expensive.

Mina Hoskins

Decent sized store, organized okay but its not very well lit, clean and Ive been hassled by a bum in here. Theres a lot of bums on this street because its busy and sometimes they go into stores to get out of the rain, which is fine, but the workers ignore them even if they are giving customers trouble.

Jeff Aguero

Huge selection of books from all different genres. Lots of places to sit and read as well (which many patrons were doing on the Sunday evening I visited). Also cool how they accept used books for sale. Only disappointing thing was that it was a bit hard to find the “Staff picks” section.

Oksana O.

You dont always have to dig really deep to find something cool here, they even have a signed/ 1st edition section at the front of the store. They carry movies, CDs, records, books, games, and even some novelty stuff. You never know what youll find.

Shiras Corella

The review is essentially in the name of the store. Half Price Books! Fairly large store. Big and well organized selection. Theres also a lot of random stuff at sometimes surprisingly low prices. Board games, toys, vinyl, video games, etc.

Steven dosRemedios

I like this book store because I can usually find something of interest to bring home as a little treasure. This time my wife found the first book of an author she recently read and enjoyed; and often times its a used art book or travel guide.

Gaines Coleman

They have an ever-changing selection of books, vinyl records, cds, anime, cookbooks, etc. Some current books, but not that many. Every time Im in Berkeley, I check this place out. Literally steps from the Downtown Berkeley BART stop.

Bryce Harenburg

This place is full of great finds! Prices are great, and the condition of most items is fairly decent. The selection on a lot of book series is not complete, but I think that makes it more fun to browse and discover hidden treasures.

Oscar Canedo

Love digging through the treasure troves of books and movies. High rating mostly because of the experience itself and the nice finds. The cash for trade ins is as terrible as any other place, so not much to say about that.

Steve G

Massive selection of secondhand books and remainders. Not much thats very unusual, though, but theres enough inventory here that youre bound to find something. Particularly good on history and literature.

Sparercoast83 Mina

My kids and I love the selection and come in regularly to stock up on books and movies. So much fun! One of our favorite places to kill an hour or two. And we get to buy twice as much, the prices are great!

Steve Tjiang

Lovely place to browse. Such bookstores are hard to find in these days of e-books. Browsing online is just not the same as being in a good old-fashioned bookstore. Good selection of paperbacks.