Half Price Books — Local services in Mayfield Heights

I feel dirty having gone in here. The business model is neither friendly towards the seller or the buyer, only the reseller. I thought about getting some cassettes, but I thought I might save a little money. So I scoured around my various books for ones I probably was never going to read, and could get at the library, and I even threw in a DVD I had accidentally gotten two copies of. Now despite all of that, many of these books were lightly used, good editions, and for all of that, I basically got six bucks. I wouldn't complain except that after browsing around the store, I estimate they would make two to three hundred on mine, because for what they pay in used stock, they charge half the price on the cover, but pay the seller around ten cents per book. You could hand them a first-edition Gutenberg bible and they would charge the price it's worth, but give you two bucks for it at best. I had wondered about their staffing, after a friend of mine never heard back from them re a job, and I think I figured it out. The only staff that has stayed on over some years consist of a balding white man, an older black woman, her son or nephew, and about a half-dozen women in pixie/buzz cuts (or persons otherwise assigned female at birth with similar appearance). Now, maybe the latter group are all friends who have managed to take over the staffing, but it just seemed odd. I'm sure it looks good to the labor department, because that's a very rudimentary diversity, but mostly employing white women at your bookstore is still discriminatory. There is a core group among Cleveland area businesses who think white women are ideal customer service people: the younger, the better. It's not true. So their hiring perpetuates certain stereotypes. Anyway, when I brought up how they were ripping me off, the woman with the buzzcut and the tattoos at the register said they were struggling at the moment. Folks, they had plenty of brand-new books, novelties, and games stacked all around the store, but were pleading poverty with me. None of the books I basically gave away for a pittance had any real sentimental value to me, so I feel no great loss, but at the same time I feel used, like degraded, then given a few bucks for my trouble. At best, you might go here if you want some slightly cheaper copies of media, but a lot of their stock is brand new, so I have no idea what is done. If you are looking to sell, save your time and energy and just donate the books to a prison library. At least then it might do some good to someone doing hard time: lifting their spirits and enlightening their minds. Apparently HPB used to have a better business model thirty years ago, but now it is just an outdated business model competing with the internet that employs too many interchangeable employees based on shallow preferences & cronyism. They'll still make money hand over fist, but plead poverty when they are buying up your books and smiling at you. I think the only advantages this place has is that it is not abusing the workers like 'nozama' does and you can have the book in your hands that day without shipping & boxes to bother with, and (somtimes) you pay less than what they'll charge you online. And it's less fuss to get rid of old books you don't want. But don't expect anything superlative for...

This use to be the store I stopped off at every week and dropped cash on books. I use to go once a year and take back many of the books and I got a decent amount of coinage. They seemed to always have something new in whatever I was into that month. Now when I take a truckload of books back instead of getting a benji, I get a couple of Abe's. I only stop in every month or so, since it seems they rarely have anything that interests me after 10+ years of shopping there. It seems like people are taking their book to Amazon, due to the tougher economy maybe? I know a set of books they offered me 7 dollars for; I put on Amazon and sold for $80 in under a week. The movies seem stale; they don't seem to get awesome off the wall magazine collections anymore. Their technology section is like 5 years old and they still are asking like ten bucks for books that are from the dinosaur times. Magic, nope not much, juggling nope. Once in a while a decent art book stops by for a visit. Audio books I use to get 2 new business ones a month. You give second rate coin, you get second rate books. They should start dumping the extra books on Amazon themselves. That would drop the overall price on Amazon. Secondly go back a policy that seems better defined. Make it more of a science, than art when people sell them back. Make it transparent. I tested once when I was told $17 for 3 boxes of books. I then drove it to North Olmsted and got a better offer.

I spend thousands of dollars on books each year. I went from being a few times a week customer, spending a few hundred a month to now going a few...

Rudest experience I've had. Was recommended this place from local bookstore to buy back some old text books from college. The lady working at the "Sell books here counter" was possibly having a bad day but from the get go she was not helpful. To start she didn't say hello told me to put books down and give my name and she'll page me when done. No mention of the amount of time it would take. Following putting books down I waited around 15 minutes. Upon getting my quote and agreeing to sell books I was asked for ID and when I inquired why ID was required the woman who worked there gave me a moody answer about the government wanting to track who they were giving money too. Followed by her asking for my phone number which I also inquired about. This was also met with a snoody answer of "So if we find a million dollars we can call you but since we don't have your number we can't call you." Asking about info and what's done with my data is something I care about. This was clearly too much to ask for the women at the counter to answer. Due to such rude customer service next time I'm just throwing books away. Don't bother with this store if your selling books go through amazon or drive a little further and go to Mac's Backs on Coventry they may turn some books away but you'll leave feeling like a customer and not an inconvenience. Management is clearly lacking at this location. If you are insistent on going to half price books choose the mentor...