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BookOff
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
636 Hornby StVancouver, BC V6C 2G2
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 605-8887
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 10 am - 8 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for BookOff
10 reviews in English
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Review from Larry L.
10/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
We had a ton of books to donate. Half of them I did for charity and the other half we brought to Bookoff. They accept books. Especially if they're Japanese books,but they will pretty much take anything and if it's worth money, they'll pay you for it.
There are also some other great finds inside the store as well. Mostly Japanese books of course, but there is also an English section that you can peruse if you so chose. I've found quite a few reading gems within their aisles of literature there.
Staff is friendly and the patrons equally friendly. :) -
Review from Jonas J.
Vancouver, BC
3/7/2012
I'm not sure if this is related to the BookOff's I saw in Japan but this is my favorite used book store in Vancouver. It's organized with a huge range of genre's and it's super cheap.
If you are learning Japanese, this is a great place to get magazines and manga. They also have a large range of super cheap English books as well. Love it. -
Review from Anastasia W.
3/19/2011
We visited Vancouver back in November and I had a chance to stop into BookOff.
I was really curious to see how similar it would be to the ones I used to go to in Japan and how the pricing would be.
Overall it seemed very similar!!! Pricing wasn't bad, selection was pretty good as well (although they didn't have a copy of Haruki Murakami's Norweigan Wood in Japanese... boooo)
Next time I'm up in Vancouver I'm definitely going to grab a few books here!!!
Now we just need one of these in Seattle...... -
Review from Sachi M.
I sold them some books for the first time. It was painless. They told me to browse while they take under 10 minutes to look through all the books I brought, and they would come find me. The books were $1.50, $1.00, $0.50, but my Japanese DS games were $2 and $7! Yay!
You need to show ID to sell -- Photo ID if you're selling games or CDs.
They Pay You In Cash. Not store credit. Although I spent it there that day, it's nice they don't tie you down!
They have different, interesting sales every so often:
- 50% off the $2 books
- Two of the regular (non-$2) books for $15
- 50% off CDs, and 20% off regular (non-$2) books
I find out about those through their Twitter account (http://twitter.com/BOO...) and stop by after work. They do tweet about Sales in English, but be warned -- they do RT other Japanese stuff.Listed in: farewell, Downtown
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Review from Hilda H.
Vancouver, BC
11/20/2010
I almost never skip out on BookOff when I'm in Downtown. I admit, I'm a huge fan of manga, so having BookOff in the area proves super convenient for me (as opposed to ordering books online and increasing my likely pretty big carbon footprint by having it shipped here from Asia). Most of the books I buy are from the $2 section anyways, where I can still find old school manga that I can't even get online! For first timers, don't be intimidated by their great selection and the way it's organized. They go by the name of the publisher for most manga sections, and in some parts of the Japanese novel sections they go by the author's name. (If you know what exactly you're looking for, make sure to jot down those two key facts)!
They also sell a lot of magazines and novels, as well some games. I got a used Japanese PS3 game there for $35, but it looked like new and played just fine! There's even DVDs of some of your favourite American TV shows for decent prices (if you don't mind switching the audio to English every time).
The staff were also helpful for me in times when I had a great deal of trouble looking for a series. I decided to just tell the staff what I was looking for, and immediately she went to the back, got a great big catalogue out, and found what I wanted. Awesome!
Needless to say, I'm extremely thankful that BookOff opened in Vancouver! -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
12/3/2008 1 photo
I too, thought that Book-Off was only a Japanese bookstore, and was surprised to find that they not only have a great selection of English books, but also have a wide selection of used books at a scant $2 apiece. Whoa nelly!
The store certainly reminded me a lot of the bookstores in Japan - neat, organized, and with lots and lots of books that, oddly, are all the same size. For you manga fans, they have a wide selection, both in Japanese and in translation.
The CD, DVD, and even video sections are all very healthily stocked with both new and used items, and with both Japanese and English videos. The sign indicates that they buy a lot of stuff from the public, although at the prices they charge, I wouldn't expect to get much if I sold something to them.
I'm both a Japanophile and a used-bookstore freak, so I plan to get my "Book-Off" on a lot more often from now on. -
Review from Dianne C.
12/31/2009 1 Check-in Here
WHY oh WHY does Seattle not have any more used Japanese bookstores? (Or, if there are any, they must be in hiding.. I don't know where to find them. The last one I knew about closed down a LONG time ago.) With Kinokuniya only stocking the more popular series nowadays (not even all of the 'new' anymore, and I can't help it if I like works by authors which aren't as popular), it gets really hard for me to find some of the books that I want. Then I found out that there was a Book-Off in California and in BC (incidentally, the same two places with a Goldilocks and a Red Ribbon.. conspiracy!?).
So I twiddled my thumbs, biding my time until my husband was home for the holidays, before dragging him off on my great bookstore adventure... and we managed to snag three more friends (one of them wanting to go on a great Pocky adventure)...
I loaded up on a few books (and not even everything I wanted from there, since I was *trying* to be good), and was very tempted to get a few used R2 DVDs of some movies I have loved at about CDN$15... which was pretty good at the quality they were being resold at. (One of the 'collector's edition' sets of one of my favorite movies that I had to spend $120 on for bidding and shipping... was right in front of my eyes for CDN$20. It was used.. but so was the copy I bid on.) If you're looking up manga, they're divided into the CDN$2 section and CDN$3.50 section, based on their quality, so if you don't find what you're looking for, there might still be a chance it's just a few shelves away. I didn't find too much difference in the quality between the two. They still mostly have the newer books, but I was quite pleased with the selection.
The staff were also very nice. And if only they were located closer to where I live, I would have taken them at their invitation to come back for more sales.
My only regret was forgetting to bring some of my dups to sell. (And one of the downsides is that the used CDs were still rather expensive, compared to market price for a new copy.)
P.S. TRE commented on how this must be my most expensive book run... adding on the cost of gas and parking. I told her, no.. For the same amount of books in my arms, I've still spent more at Kinokuniya. -
Review from Nicole F.
8/9/2010 4 Check-ins Here
I come in here once every few months to browse the used CD section. The prices range from about $3 to $12ish. I'm not really sure how their pricing system works (aside from obvious ones like wear and tear) but I usually find quite a few gems in the cheapo section. Last time I was there I found Ru Paul's "Supermodel of the World" album. That was pretty much the best day ever.
I like bringing friends in here on my lunch break because there hasn't been a single time they've left empty handed.
I can literally spend my entire lunch hour browsing this wall of CDs. They're usually in great condition too.
This store also sells a lot of DVDs, some VHS and tons of books from what I've seen, but I usually only focus my attention on one area.
I love this place. I just wish they'd lower some of the prices. -
Review from Amanda M.
9/22/2008
I went into Book-Off with the intent of browsing some Japanese craft books but I was surprised to find that Book-Off actually has a pretty good selection of used English books. There's a hefty $2 section, which is way cheaper than any other used bookstore I've found in Vancouver.
I never did find the Japanese craft books. -
Review from Peter T.
5/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Sugoi! This place alone makes me wish I lived in Vancouver. If you are into Japanese music at all, definitely a must visit. Some great bargains. I bought several CDs, some for only $3. Big selection of Japanese books, too (if you can read Japanese).
