Half Price Bookstore. After today, I am officially never stepping foot in that place again.
I remember like YEARS ago, when I loaded up a box of seriously crappy books to take to HPB, to see if I could squeak out maybe fifty cents from them. And even though they were old college text books and shabby old beach novels, I remember that they gave me loads of money for them. I probably walked out of there with around $35 or so, and I remember thinking, “Wow. This place rulez with a z even.”
Fast forward to a few years ago, when I sent Mr. Mock on another bookselling run. This time, we sold them some books of modest worth – some good condition hardbacks and well-kept paperbacks, and he came home with like $17. At the time, I thought it was really odd that he only got such a small amount, but I chalked it up to Mr. Mock’s aversion to negotiating, and that was that.
Much of this week (which Mr. Mock and I have happily had off of work) has been spent ridding our house of crap. We’ve cleaned out closets and taken stuff to Goodwill and emptied cabinets and I’m not kidding you – the house actually FEELS LIGHTER, if that’s possible. One of my assignments was to box up another load for HPB. This time, I was really excited about it because I had 2 large boxes worth of really mint condition hardcovers of current titles. You know, novels that would cost at least $20 each RIGHT NOW at Barnes and Nobles or Borders.
I took the boxes in to HPB, waited for them to whip out their trusty little pocket calculators, and call my name to announce their offer. Some billygoat of a girl called my name, and I anxiously walked up to the counter, prepared to hear an offer of at least $75. The piles and piles of books I brought were there, right in front of me and the billygoat, and she looks at them, looks at me, and says:
“We can do $22 today.”
I looked at her – stunned speechless. She glared at me. Finally, I said, “For ALL of them?” She bleated, “Yeeaaahh.”
I weighed my options. It was either take the 22 measly dollars, or pack up the books and load them into Suki and back into my newly weightless house. I decided to take the cash. “Ok” I said. Billygoat said, “So…you’re ok with that?” I think she was surprised by how much she was screwing me over too.
Anyway, it is total BULLSH*T that all I got was $22 measly dollars. I browsed around in there and their prices are totally ridiculous. Next time, I will do lot sales on ebay. HPB jerks.
HATE.
My sister has an odd emotional attachement to her books. But I convinced her that if she wasn’t going to read them again, she may as well sell them. She had many, many, many books that were worth a LOT of money. And I think she ended up with like $80 and emotional scarring. I told her it was better nothing, and yet she pouted anyhow.
Mock, LIKE years ago was probably before Amazon.com had a strangle hold on the used book market.
We don’t have that bookstore here, but we do have similar children’s clothing stores and it’s the same thing. You can take it mint condition Gymboree and Gap clothes and get squat for them.
But, it’s still a great place to BUY second hand books. I think they base how much they are going to give you on how many books they have of that particular title. (I know, little consolation) My mother has the same strange attachment to her books. She literally has over 1000 books in her home (paperback and hardcover). She made all of us kids swear to not get rid of them after she dies. Yeah, right. At least now I know to sell them on Ebay.
I used to try to sell my books back to the bookstore after each college semester was over and they’d give me less than 10% of what I paid for them. But it was beer money. So I took it.
I NEVER sell my books — not even college textbooks. Of course, I’m an English teacher and, as mentioned before, I have an odd attachment to them. If you included my classroom library (which I purchased all myself — no, teachers don’t make enough), I probably have 2,000+ books. My collection will only grow (I bought two more yesterday).
my child (she’s 22) is studying for her masters degree
right now. she still has her books from
when she was very small.
she refuses to get rid of them too.
i think it’s a ‘teacher’ thing.
perhaps one day, all the
‘goosebumps’ books will be worth something.
You’re better off donating them to a charity that will pass them along to those who can’t afford to buy them. You can obtain reciepts for tax purposes and feel good about knowing someone will get some benefit from them.
i have an addiction to books, a serious addiction
i hang on to most of them forever and i am especially proud of my Stephen King and Dean Koontz collection.
but every year i manage to give at least one box to my local library for their big book sale. i may not get any money for it but i get the tax write off like Bob said, plus it feels good.
then i go to the sale and pick up more books
sbarros! I have a HUGE Dean Koontz collection as well. I am a bit rabid about it. For nearly 14 years, I’ve been collecting every edition of each of his books. I even have a couple that are signed. Those books will NEVER be given away, regardless of the tax write-off.
Or try this. You get rid of your books you don’t want anymore, and you get new ones. I’m not a member, just came across it recently. It’s free, at least for now, except for postage to send books to other people.
It MUST be a teacher thing (with a few exceptions, of course) because my Mom is a retired teacher!
Oooh Rachel, signed Koontz books? You are so lucky. I do have some first editions of the older stuff. No one got me the newest for Christmas.
For you teachers out there (like me!), check to see if you have a Half Price Books in your area. At select locations here in the Lone Star State, they have special Saturdays where they have shelves and shelves of unwanted books for teachers to come and get FOR FREE if they show their school ID badge. You can take as many as you want. It sucks picking through them, but it is worth it since your classroom library won’t cost you anything.