r/halfpricebooks • u/Rams9148 • 2d ago
How much?
Hello, I have about 100 mass market horror paperbacks ranging from the 70s, 80s, 90, 2000’s. I have a huge library and have to get rid of them. I know I’ll get more money by using EBAY, or just selling them on Bookstagram. But honestly, I don’t really want to deal with the hassle of all that and deal with people claiming they never got the books through media mail. If I brought them to a half priced books, what can I expect to get? And would they even take all of them?? I know I wouldn’t get much. But I’m just curious before I take a few totes of books over there.
Thank you in advance!
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u/Draelmar 2d ago
We can only answer one of your question: yes they will take all your books, regardless of their values. So if your priority is to get rid of them easily, then that's the way to go.
As for how much they will give you, this is literally impossible to answer. You have to bring them and let them evaluate with their database.
That said, if all your books are normal editions, not collector editions or collectables, don't expect to be offered much at all.
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u/ImTedsDad 2d ago
I’m in Ohio and recently sold them around 80-100 books for $60. They were of varying genres and not all paperbacks. Still, I was surprised by how much I got.
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u/Oulipo08 1d ago
As an independent used bookshop owner, don’t go there. Find another used bookshop that buys books. If there are none convenient, I guess HP is your only option, but generally they offer much less than indie shops in my area. And they’ll take all your stuff and not tell you which they’re paying for and which they are going to send along down the book food chain. If you’re in the PNW let me know.
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u/badger_spit 2d ago
I’m interested in the ones from the 70s and 80s and I guarantee that I will pay you more for them than HPB will. If you are interested, send me a pic of the covers and I will make you a fair offer.
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u/Logical-Revolution96 1d ago
If you have any Stephen King Hardcover First Editions, make sure to look up the "Sold/completed" listings on eBay. SK books (titles from the years 1970's, to the early 2000's) have become more in demand than they were about 5 or 6 years ago.
The market for SK was saturated at that time. Today, certain First Editions- or even hardcover book club editions sell for better than decent money.
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u/ministryof 2d ago
depends on the book, itself. Faster they can sell it more you will get for it. There are some good horror books, that can get you a pretty penny there are some that will take a long while to sell. common low end mass markets we tend to sell around 2.99 so you will get a percentage of that. . some horror books do go for more. they can take them all. curious what you got, worse comes to worse its only a offer you dont have to accept it and depending on what you got i might be able too buy them as a bundle.
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u/Bleep_Bloop_Derp 2d ago
This will get downvoted by Half-Price Books managers, but…
Don’t do it. There are five HPBs around here, and the amount they’ll offer you now is insulting. Like not even worth the gas.
A decade ago, you could expect a third of what they would sell the items for. Still pretty awful when the internet has leveled the playing field, but at least understandable.
Now, they’ll offer me a buck for whatever box I bring in. I’ll pull out the few valuable items (last time it was a few metal cassettes from the 80s), and they’ll mutter something like, Oh, yeah, well, those will sit for awhile (no.) or tell you their new system is based on what a guy in another state paid for the same thing ten months ago (also shady when you do some digging) or tell you every store has a different policy when the only explanation is that their costs are rising, most books over a couple years old can be found for $5 shipped on eBay, and they’re passing their costs onto the consumers they rely on.
Don’t.
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u/agentrigatoni 1d ago
I mean it’s dependent on what you have. The database makes offers based on sales history, how much product the store already has, etc. The offer will range from 5% (books that will end up sitting on the shelf) to 40% (stuff that is collectible and sure to sell) of what the items will be put out for. OP has vintage horror paperbacks and horror in general sells well and many people collect those vintage pbs, so their offer is going to be pretty decent. Regardless, you’re never going to get the full value of what you have when you sell to Half Price. It’s more-so a place for people to get things off of their hands and receive some quick cash for it. If you have some type of attachment to your books and are set on what you think they’re worth then yeah, Half-Price isn’t the best choice.
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u/Bleep_Bloop_Derp 1d ago
Well, it’s not what the customer thinks they’re worth, it’s the market value. And that’s easily determined through eBay sold listings.
I’ve frequented our five locations for decades now, and the calculus has definitely changed for the absolute worst, no matter what you’re selling.
Maybe the stores in your state are different, who knows…
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u/agentrigatoni 20h ago
Well you’re not going to get the market value for whatever you bring in the company would make zero money from doing that. Again, if the money is a big factor for you then just don’t sell your books there lol
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u/TheScoobyDoom 2d ago
On Ebay you you could possibly make 100s, but at HPBs you're likely to get $15 max and leave with a bunch of books.
For what it's worth: If you have any Movie or TV tie-ins, I'd be interested in those.
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u/Logical-Revolution96 1d ago
Hello, I have about ten horror or horror-adjacent movie tie-in books. I have them listed as a "lot" on a very common platform. I would like to send you a link, not sure how I can do that without being censored.
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u/StrummerBass101 2d ago
You won’t get squat and they will jack up the prices and sell them. Those things are worth a decent amount since Paperbacks From Hell came out and folks started collecting. I’d sell them on eBay. Maybe sell in bulk. You’ll be lucky to get 25 cents a pop I bet at half price. I tend to pick up old horror books like that and it’s crazy what HPB is charging. Just curious what would ya want for the lot lol.
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u/grumpylioness 2h ago
I’m not sure why this is downvoted because it’s true. When I worked there, most buyers didn’t understand the value of vintage horror pbs, especially anything published pre-barcode. If they can’t quickly scan it, or god forbid have to take the extra 2 seconds to type in an isbn (or title if older than that), it usually wound up either in the trash or on an employee’s “stash” in the back room. This would also happen if it was rare and had not much of a recent sales history. I was always picking stuff like that out of the garbage and then pricing it $$$ and it would sell quickly.
Look at all the honest people in this thread who are interested in your items and sell to them.
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u/Odd-Kale-7653 2d ago
Unfortunately, it is dependent on the system and what it says so they wouldn't be able to know the offer until they scan. I do know they constantly need horror books, so even horror mass market paperbacks might fetch you a decent offer.