The Half Price Books Thread

BudzMcGee

BudzMcGee

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As a big fan of Half Price Books I thought a thread discussing the various discounts, promotions and of course our finds was more than well deserved.

All deals posted in the OP and in this thread are YMMV by nature. Some things have universal prices (or damn near) but still.

Always remember to check our local store's page on the HPB.com website to see if it has any additional specials (such as comic Wednesdays)!

Current Promotions:

Upcoming Promotions:


Miscellaneous contest and other deals:

Educator's Discount: If you are an educator you can apply for the Educators Discount Card to save 10% every day at HPB. http://www.hpb.com/community/educators/

Notable Deals (Items that seem to be more universal):
This is not to add every single descent deal found at HPB, but to post ones that seem to be more universal (i.e. items marked with SuperBuy rather than clearance or is reported in multiple places).

 
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Yesterday, I received a coupon card for 40-20-30-50 percent off starting 3/11 and ending 3/17. Watch for emails with a printable version!
 
[quote name='PapaSmerf']Yesterday, I received a coupon card for 40-20-30-50 percent off starting 3/11 and ending 3/17. Watch for emails with a printable version![/QUOTE]


Awesome.

I usually just go in on Sunday to pick over the leftovers. Never spend it on anything too expensive, but still a nice cheap treat.
 
[quote name='PapaSmerf']Yesterday, I received a coupon card for 40-20-30-50 percent off starting 3/11 and ending 3/17. Watch for emails with a printable version![/QUOTE]
Thanks for the heads up. There are some games and books I've been wanting, but are more than I'm willing to pry my wallet open for. This sale will solve that.
 
[quote name='PapaSmerf']Yesterday, I received a coupon card for 40-20-30-50 percent off starting 3/11 and ending 3/17. Watch for emails with a printable version![/QUOTE]

Good to know, though a sale ending on St. Patrick's Day means bargain shopping while shit faced...
 
[quote name='okwordyoda']Let me clear up a few misconceptions about HPB pricing of video games.

I'm not sure where everyone is getting the we use Amazon as a guideline. That's not entirely true. We can use anything. Our pricing stations have the Internet and we can look up the going rate using just about any site we want.

The main thing we're trained to use is our system itself. The inventory of all 120+ stores are linked and that's where we get our data. So if one store sold the NES GBA for $70 then another store is definitely going to try it because there's proof that that price has worked in the past. Plus we have a fast paced marked down system for all electronics.

I can't explain a $35 NSMB. That seems like a user error for sure. Maybe someone in the company sold a sealed one at some point, and then someone followed suit with the same price not realizing. $20 bucks for NSMB2 makes perfect sense though. Since we're HALF price books, we should stick to half price for all things still in print. Since that games still lists for 40, that's what our price SHOULD be.

I can say as a gamer some of our prices are a bit on the high side BUT as someone who's worked in the store for a few years now I can also say all things video games sell. They just do. With few mark downs and rarely any clearance. It's not a big section of any of our stores, but it's a section that does well. The demand is high. Even the value of GBAs are going up, now that 3DS doesn't have GBA support and everyone is selling their DS Lites. N64 is a cash cow. The systems rarely last a week and the controllers sell themselves.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for sharing. Just out of curiosity, what range of an offer do you think a HPB would make on a copy of [360] Borderlands 2?

I've taken in older games but games that aren't even 6 months old I tend to trade to amazon for the high amount of amazon bux.
 
HPB system is so varied because there isnt one. Trading in, pricing, its all pretty much up to the employee doing its discretion. Ive taken the same stack of stuff in 3 times till i finally got an offer i want. I will flirt like crazy if its a girl too, that usually helps.

I never find rare gaming stuff though. I find hpb best for single issue comics.
 
If HPB had a coupon for an additional % on your trade in then that could convince me to go in but I have never seen this, the coupon are only on purchases.
 
[quote name='Zygote']If HPB had a coupon for an additional % on your trade in then that could convince me to go in but I have never seen this, the coupon are only on purchases.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure that would make sense anyways since they just make up figures. They could just lowball you 10% of what they were thinking.

Unless you could present the coupon afterwards and be BAM! Add 10% to that SUCKA!
 
Stopped by today and they had a copy of Xenobade Chronicles (CIB). Price? $100. "Crazy rare, out of print and hard to find." Out of my league.

Also, saw a few copies of Dragon Age 2 for the PC (XP/Vista/7) at $5 ea.
 
Good to hear one of the nice coupon deals is coming up soon. I still hit up the stores around me about once a week but it's not nearly as good as it used to be. I can still find some deals on PS2 games every once in a while but most stuff is way overpriced now. I understand it for some of the more sought after titles like Mario and Final Fantasy since they are likely to sell but 95% of what I see doesn't sell and for good reason.
 
Just saw a couple of copies of :pc: "The Witcher Enhanced Edition" priced as a "Super Buy" for $4 at a HPB today. I bought it for $9.99 plus 15% off calendar coupon, but it was more than 30 days ago, so no PM for me.
 
[quote name='PapaSmerf']Just saw a couple of copies of :pc: "The Witcher Enhanced Edition" priced as a "Super Buy" for $4 at a HPB today. I bought it for $9.99 plus 15% off calendar coupon, but it was more than 30 days ago, so no PM for me.[/QUOTE]

I've seen that once too so may be a trend more than one store is following.
 
[quote name='Desousa93']Is the coupon specific to the day good on anything? Or select items?[/QUOTE]

Good for any single item (highest priced). Sometimes the checkout person may let you use it on multiple items, but YMMV.
 
Is anyone willing to PM me to confirm that the coupons are universal? The link they sent for the direct one is surprisingly complicated this time around. I figure anyone willing to just PM me the number under the 20% barcode? Who cares about that one anyway right?
 
Already got all the stuff I want on hold. ^__^

[quote name='BudzMcGee']Is anyone willing to PM me to confirm that the coupons are universal? The link they sent for the direct one is surprisingly complicated this time around. I figure anyone willing to just PM me the number under the 20% barcode? Who cares about that one anyway right?[/QUOTE]

They're always universal.

Even ones that aren't sent to everybody in emails can still be used at all stores.

For example, I've used coupons that were for store openings in a completely different state, but still able to use them at the stores around me even though the coupons were never put online anywhere, but was sent to my friend, and I just printed them out and used them without having them needing to override anything. They were a bit puzzled why there was a coupon, but I basically told them it was a new store opening celebration, and they were like "Oh."
 
[quote name='Squarehard']Already got all the stuff I want on hold. ^__^



They're always universal.

Even ones that aren't sent to everybody in emails can still be used at all stores.

For example, I've used coupons that were for store openings in a completely different state, but still able to use them at the stores around me even though the coupons were never put online anywhere, but was sent to my friend, and I just printed them out and used them without having them needing to override anything. They were a bit puzzled why there was a coupon, but I basically told them it was a new store opening celebration, and they were like "Oh."[/QUOTE]

Coupons looked different this time which is why I was wondering. The ones I got in my email were definitely different than the ones listed on the HPB Facebook.

40% tomorrow!
 
in some cases, you don't even have to have a visual rep of the coupon. I had a situation last year where the cashier ask if I had the coupon and I said no, but he rang it up 40% off anyway.

Really these sales are the only way to shop there. Sometimes things are priced right, but most of the time it is really expensive. the trade in value is horrid. I refuse to take things in any more after my last trip. Gave me 8 dollars for a gang of items (guides, books, dvds and a couple games). Funny thing is I went yesterday to have them hold a few things and the one guide i traded was for sale...9.99

I did find a copy of Hitman HD yesterday, 29.99 but did not have them hold that. Maybe tomorrow I will stop by and change my mind on that.
 
[quote name='MasaTFC']Funny thing is I went yesterday to have them hold a few things and the one guide i traded was for sale...9.99.[/QUOTE]

Imagine that, they gave you less money than they intended to try and sell it for...
 
Do all HPB locations let you put any item on hold? It seems contrary to how this sale is set up. Why would they let you hold 1 or more items and wait for the 50% off day, when someone else may just buy the item at only 20% off?
 
[quote name='Darmonde']Do all HPB locations let you put any item on hold? It seems contrary to how this sale is set up. Why would they let you hold 1 or more items and wait for the 50% off day, when someone else may just buy the item at only 20% off?[/QUOTE]
This is YMMV. I have been turned down for a hold request and given the coupons as a reason, but most of the time they will still place a hold. It does not make much sense to refuse a hold, since technically one could make the purchase and return and rebuy with a coupon on the day it is valid.
 
I grabbed Fire Emblem Path of Radiance for GC. Was marked 70.00 but only 42.00 with the coupon. I don't like spending that much but considering where that price is going...
 
Made my first trip already.

Going to be heading back later tonight on way back from class, then a couple times again tomorrow. ^__^
 
I stopped by my local HPB, to see if they had DS lites still in stock and an employee told me that a dealer came by right when they opened and bought them all. She also mentioned that he became irate when he couldnt pay for all of it on 1 ticket.
 
Yeah I stopped by this morning, didn't see anything gaming related I wanted. Did get a dvd of David Lynch's short films. Might try another store on the way home.

When I was there this guy was arguing with the cashier about using the coupon for two items. He started shouting that they told him on the phone he could do it as two transactions. Eventually they caved and let him do it. Poor cashier
 
My local 1/2 price books is really more miss than hit on games. I got for PS2 Smackdown vs Raw 2011, Star Wars Battlefront and Liberty City Stories all for $1 apiece in their clearance section. Also got LOTR:Return of the King for XBOX for $1. Got 2 Madden 12's, NHL 12, NHL 11 for PS3 all for $2 apiece in clearance the same day. I flipped the PS3 stuff at Mega Media exchange and Gamestop for cash and credit. This was a one time thing it seems as whoever prices games now is crazy. They've had 3 Xbox 360 Duke Nukem Forever all priced at 29.99 for weeks now. I haven't bought a game there in quite awhile due to bad pricing.
 
[quote name='Bing147']I grabbed Fire Emblem Path of Radiance for GC. Was marked 70.00 but only 42.00 with the coupon. I don't like spending that much but considering where that price is going...[/QUOTE]


That is just crazy. I can't believe how much that game goes for. The person who traded that in probably got $5 for it.
 
picked up a wii for $36. I might even go back on sunday to get it price adjusted to $30. Its one of the older backward compatible models; its one of the first ones to come out. Not too shabby.
 
[quote name='arsenalcrazy8']picked up a wii for $36. I might even go back on sunday to get it price adjusted to $30. Its one of the older backward compatible models; its one of the first ones to come out. Not too shabby.[/QUOTE]
I thought all Wii's were backwards compatible?
 
[quote name='BudzMcGee']Imagine that, they gave you less money than they intended to try and sell it for...[/QUOTE]


your sarcasm is childish and noted;)

like i typed that comment without having a 2nd grade understanding of how a business works. merely stating that since they gave me maybe fifty cents for the fucking thing, its laughable to see that much of a mark up. I only paid a dollar for it to begin with, so blah. all i am commenting on is the trade in- to mark up is a little on the absurd side of things.
 
[quote name='Makarov']Yeah I stopped by this morning, didn't see anything gaming related I wanted. Did get a dvd of David Lynch's short films. Might try another store on the way home.

When I was there this guy was arguing with the cashier about using the coupon for two items. He started shouting that they told him on the phone he could do it as two transactions. Eventually they caved and let him do it. Poor cashier[/QUOTE]

that david lynch dvd is totally worth whatever you might have paid for it. quality addition to my collection for the 22 bucks I got it for about 6 years ago.

and i guess that guy who was yelling has never had a job in retail and had to deal with asshole cutomers. that behavior is just wrong.
 
They generally use Amazon to gauge prices on the majority of items, so just kind of use that as a guide, but as mentioned before in this thread it is really up to the discretion of the employees that does the pricing to make the price since in their system it is only a "recommended" price, and not set in stone.
 
My store had someone sell them a Neo Geo CD and the majority of its library on disc last week. I put a few titles on hold - but the neo geo cd already sold. it was $300 and not that great of a system, but with emulation, the cd games are more playable.

I'm not joking, they have a case of over 40 Neo Geo CD games in pristine condition at my local store. I'm thinking of getting The Last Blade 2 just because I love that game. It'd be like $10 after coupon.

Also found a Final Fantasy 3 guide (the nintendo official one) for $23 after coupon, and the Final Fantasy 3 US soundtrack Kefka's Domain for $12 after coupon. Nice finds.
 
[quote name='mousebites']Got a new sega genesis on hold for me in box. It's only costing me 25 on sunday when its half off. not bad[/QUOTE]

I'm surprised your store does holds for that long.
 
yeah the cashiers at my store were actively encouraging people to put items on hold to come back and use coupons on later.
 
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