Cardsfan111

Another round of coupons received by e-mail today. Good for:

• 40% off a single item on 11/8 & 11/9
• 30% off a single item on 11/10 & 11/11
• 20% off a single item on 11/12 & 11/13
• 50% off a single item on 11/14

If you don't receive this coupons, it's very easy to be added to their mailing list. Here's their website with directions to subscribe right on the front page. These come out twice a year.

TheySentYou

awesome. i just moved to a city where there's 3 of them.

do you know if i'll still get the coupons emailed to me if i JUST signed up?

Undeadcow

Thanks cardsfan111, there are some good deals to be had during these.

HPB will sent out e-mail coupons the day you sign up, at least they did for me last round.

Texan26

You can get the coupons here: http://www.halfpricebooks.com/hpb945-110810s.html

dmkb

My experience has been that they usually keep the coupons at the register and will scan them for you if you forget to bring in the actual coupons. ymmv.

Manzana

I hope people don't mind if I ask a couple questions about Half Price Books as I was unable to find a Half Price Books thread in the Store Forum. About a month ago I found 1 within my driving range and looked at what they had... nothing I wanted to buy at the moment, but I was very interested in seeing how much cash they'd give for DVD and BD trade-ins. I asked an employee who said I had to bring the movies and wait in line to find out. Well, besides forgetting my movies each time (I was going to another store nearby), each of the 3 times I've been there in the last month the lines were at least 10 people deep and I don't know if I'll ever have the patience to wait 30 minutes in line to find out. The employee claimed it was always really busy on the weekends (which is the only time I can go), and I felt like saying "why don't you cheapskates hire more employees to ring up sales instead of make your customers wait in long lines", but I restrained myself.

Anyway, here's my question: What are the typical price trade-in price ranges for older DVDs and BDs by your normal studios? For instance, something like Van Helsing BD or the old single DVD of How the West Was Won? Do they take HD-DVDs?

If they are only going to offer $1 for most stuff (like FYE does), then there's no point in even trying. I'll make a bonfire of my stuff before I sell it to FYE for $1 for them to turn around and sell it for $15-$20. Thanks.

g

I know they give a paltry amount for books. I would be surprised if they gave much better on DVD.

TheySentYou

dude. thanks.

Cardsfan111

I've never sold anything to them, but I've heard this as well. Surprising to a degree, if only because I've experienced what Manzana has gone through. Every time I've visited a HPB location, it has been busy. People are constantly bringing things in, names are constantly being called over the intercom ("Joe, your offer is ready at the counter...") and they have a healthy inventory of used items.

I guess there's a large number of folks who appreciate getting anything for their used titles and would just assume to have the convenience of dropping things off as opposed to a yard sale or selling them by other means.

mike07

Unfortunately there are no stores in my area (or in the entire state of NY for that matter), too bad 'cause I've heard good things about this chain.

MooMooMooMoo

I will guarantee FYE pays more then HPB. They often offer 5 cents - 25 cents per item, & people take it!

MooMooMooMoo

FYI, I saw restock on the 3 film King Kong tin today @ several hpb's for $9.99.

Manzana

That's very helpful. I won't get my hopes up being able to trade anything to HPB then, though I may drag around 1 DVD or BD in the car to test them with in case I ever happen to be near a HPB when they don't have a long line (that may never happen given the trends I've observed). If their prices are worse than FYE's awful prices, then I'll lump HPB in with the rest of the local places whose trade-in prices are so low I don't even bother trying.

drmar35mm

Good place to buy, terrible place to sell. It's amusing to watch people's jaws drop when they get their "offers." Amazingly, though, almost everyone disspiritedly mumbles: OK. What I can't sell at occasional garage sales, I give to charities or friends. I leave enough money at Half Price, I'm not going to virtually give them books and videos for pennies on the dollars that they sell them for.

Still, I'm looking forward to using my coupons next week. As I said, for buying Half Price is pretty good.

laserdogg

same here

When they have these coupon sales I visit the store a week or two prior to the sale to have items I'm interested in put on hold...they allow 5 items at a time. During one of these sales a year or two ago, they had the complete Dean Martin Variety Show set (something like 28 individual DVDs) for 150.00. Since they were selling as a package, it counted as 1 item. Picked it up on the 50% off Sunday. Also got a few rare DVDs this way...MST3K Movie when it was rare, Goodtimes Mary Martin Peter Pan DVD and a bunch of Criterions. This time around, I found and had them hold seasons 1 - 5 of Lost on Blu-ray, all with their slipcovers and extras for 34.95 ea. they'll end up about 20 or less I guess as I pick them up next week.

rmw650

You mean to tell me they had the entire set of the Dean Martin Variety Hour as that was a Gunthy-Renker TV exclusive. You got a hell of a proce on that and wish I could find something to that accord. The stuff you can find at joints like that!

izatright

I created a motto for Half Price Books: We rip you off and pass on the savings. Typically, they are a last resort place one step above donation. I'd rather have some money than none, especially when I can turn that around and get something in store. Once in a great while they'll offer well more than the items are worth, but that's like finding a twenty dollar bill on the sidewalk.

Cardsfan111

I did not know this. The stores I visit are out of my way just a bit, or I'd consider it. Next time I'm in the store and can't find a good deal, I'll likely be cursing you under my breath for coming in a few days earlier to put things on hold.

Undeadcow

When I happen on something good it always makes me pause to regret that someone got skewered trading of it.

YMMV in Austin some stores are cool with holding items for 7 days but my closest one will only hold for 24 hours.

izatright

Yeah, me too, especially their "case" items. I've seen autographed, limited edition Stephen King going for $300. I have a feeling the most they offered was $50, and the least $1.

MrE

If they offer anything at all. Since they no longer pay something for anything, HPB will sometimes just offer to recycle what they can't use.

Travis McClain

It's been my experience that their payout is generally pretty low, but these days it's hard to get a decent return on anything in-person. And online sales are tricky and full of their own aggravation, so it's a matter of choosing whether you prefer convenience or maximizing your take.

My family owned and operated a consignment shop for twenty years, so I was pretty used to pricing my own stuff there and it being my own stuff, I didn't split the commission with the business. It was a bit of a shock for me to acclimate to trade-in prices. I've since just accepted Half Price Books's payout for two basic reasons. Firstly, I just don't feel like dealing with the hassle of selling online and what's great about HPB is that they take everything from comic books to audiobooks, VHS to Blu-ray, LPs, cassettes and CDs. They even take video game consoles. I can find used booksellers or comic book shops (none of which pay any better than HPB), but few places that take the variety they take.

Secondly, I buy there frequently and have found all kinds of things. I'm taking a hit on my trade-in merchandise, but I hope it will lure in someone else. Maybe it's complete bunk, but I don't think any place can survive if the only merchandise brought into it are public domain titles or things that no one wants so if I want to continue finding things that interest me, it's worth it to contribute to their stock.

Last week, for instance, I found the Rolling Stone: Cover to Cover DVD-ROM box set, factory sealed for $6.98. The cover price was $125.00. I figure I've "lost" as much in trade to them as I saved on that alone this year, and I got rid of things that, frankly, I didn't want anymore anyway. Last year, I turned up the score CD from Tomorrow Never Dies for $3.00; it's fetched $50 and up on eBay for about a decade now.

I consider myself perfectly content dealing with them but I can understand why others might balk at their buying prices.

laserdogg

^^^^

Outstanding response!

Manzana

MinLShaw, thanks for that post. While I'm not sure if I will ever trade in stuff to them (vs. just hold onto it because it's worth so little), I didn't realize they carried all that other stuff, so next time I'm there I'll spend a little more time looking for stuff to buy. The reason I'm in and out in about 3 minutes is they are always uncomfortably crowded (with people elbowing me on both sides) as I try to look and I didn't spot any awesome deals before, so I tend to get away from crowded places. Every time I go to a used CD shop I always look for a cheap Secret of NIMH import soundtrack and have never seen it anywhere.

EDIT: I was about to subscribe on the mailing list until I saw they wanted all of your personal info, so I just used the link provided. I printed the coupons as I'll be going by HPB this Saturday (due to having to be nearby for an auto service appointment), but of course the coupons are only 20% off on those days, and my Saturday experiences (when I usually go) are massive lines.

Travis McClain

Thanks; I'll be here all week!

Every store is different, so I can't guarantee that your local place carries the variety of entertainment media that ours does. We actually have two HPB stores in the area, and there are noticeable differences in their layout and the kind of stuff their regular sellers bring to them. For instance, one place had twice as many Blu-ray Discs as the other until about two months ago.

The two stores we have each have sections of clearance items. In the CD department, for instance, the regularly priced items are on the top of their shelving units, facing upward in diagonally descending columns (fairly comparable to what you'd find in an electronics store). There are shelves running around the unit where the discs are arranged like on a bookshelf, though, and those are the clearance items. Typically, they're anywhere from $0.98 to $2.00 depending on the pricing scheme, how long they've had the disc, its condition, etc. There are similar sections for books, DVDs, etc.

They've also been doing various weekly specials. For instance, all summer long they ran 20% off sales on all vinyl on Fridays from 5-9. The last couple of times we were there, they'd changed that from vinyl to DVD (including box sets and Blu-ray). They've also been organizing video game tournaments on Saturdays periodically, though I haven't been around for any of them so I can't say how those have gone. I can't speak for other stores, but ours have done a really good job of trying to cultivate a sense of community. Last year, my niece won a gift card in a coloring contest.

Next time I'm there, I'll try to remember to look for your NIMH soundtrack.